Neck knife question

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ohnogojira!

Joined
Jul 7, 2015
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hey guys i've always wanted to edc a neck knife but have always been concerned with safety. Is there any chance of the knife penetrating your body from a fall or a car accident? is there any likeliness this may happen with a kydex sheath?
 
Well, I've carried many of my neck knives with Kydex sheaths while driving, showering, sleeping and running. I must say I feel very confident with a good kydex sheath (Spyderco ARK, CRKT Minimalist, Cold Steel Spike...) as far as retention and safety are concerned.

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I have had quite a few kicks, bangs and bounces with them and only one failed to retain the knife, once. I don't think under normal human forces (a punch to the chest, a sudden decceleration while driving that pushes the seatbelt against you...) or average day impacts there'd be any safuety concern and the blade would never penetrate a good kydex wall.

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However, I can see a major problem if you have a car accident, where the sheath and the rigid blade might break your ribs/sternum or cause organ damage, but it'd have to be a pretty nasty accident and you'd probably have to worry about more dangerous things at the time.

Just my opinion.
 
I pretty much agree with what ThePeacent said. I've carried both the ARK and the wharncliffe Minimalist myself and never had any issues with them. I'll never say it could never happen 'cause one never knows, but I've never heard or read about such a thing happening. It would take a spectacularly freaky set of circumstances to cause a knife to go through its sheath and into the wearer, I would think.
 
I had to sharpen a buddy's neck knife and wore it at home for a day to feel it out.
I'd say it's fairly safe to wear one. It might bruise your chest easily if struck hard, but won't kill you.
And not all kydex are made equal, but I've never heard of one failing and releasing a blade, only fitment issues.
 
I used to carry mine while I was in the truck. It's an old Camillus Arc-Lite.

Then Little Bro got in a crash. He told me that when the truck abruptly stopped upon striking a tree, the contact with the seat belt felt like somebody smashed a 2X4 board across his chest.

Now I take it off when I'm in the truck. No biggie to throw it over my head when I get out at the mushroom spot.
 
I've always felt its ability to deflect a bullet cancels out it being driven into your chest in a car wreck. :cool:
 
well thanks guys i figured it might take a freak accident scenario to produce enough force to maim. unless anyone knows a story of someone injured while wearing one i think i'll take my chances. lol. i've always loved the simplicity of the CRKT minimalist but am still looking for my first necker. :p

i'll kick the dead horse, any recommendations?
 
Three problems with this.

1) Most factory sheaths suck in my experience. The CRKT Minimalist's sheath is a rare exception (the SPEW's sheath has much worse retention). I have no experience with the ARK but hope to in future. Ironically, the M-Tech (a much maligned brand) MT-674 has a sheath that's near-custom quality with excellent retention.

2) Neck sheaths suffer from the pendulum effect; namely they swing/hang at the lowest point depending on the body's orientation. A harness set up such as with the Mercharness or the Survival Sheaths chest sheath mostly or completely eliminates that, and in the former case eliminates potential chest trauma from the airbag.

3) This old post by Gollnick demonstrates that no matter where you put/carry your knife, you can't predict where or how it will end up in a serious crash.
 
Neck knives have their uses but most of the time I find them impractical. The three best I have found are, in order, 1] Outdoor Edge Wedge (do not let the price fool you. And, it has a latch on the sheath to prevent accidental disengagement.), 2] The Cold Steel Super Edge, and the 3] The Esee Izula.
 
I have been carrying various Cold Steel spikes on and off for the better part of a decade and have never had an issue. A friend of mine carries an Esee Izula on some of our escapades and has good luck with it. As far as EDC is concerned, I don't know if I would recommend a neck knife for that. Just be smart about what you do when you have a knife hanging from your neck.
 
I like the CRKT Minimalist knives a lot, I stick them in a pocket or on a belt if I think I am going to have a chance to sit and whittle away someplace. But I am not certain what the joy is in hanging a knife around one's neck when there are so many variations of carry option available. I saw a guy get his ankle snapped when his flashlight on a neck lanyard got caught as he went through a Genie Left safety cage. There was no safety release on it, and even if there had been, he still would have been thrown badly off balance into a fall. He could have broken his neck outright or crushed his trachea. If you are going to worry about placement during a car accident, you should worry more about turning around too quick and getting the bloody thing caught. A ball chain is designed to snap though it will still hurt, paracord doesn't like shock load, but your neck likes it even less. If nothing else, it will leave an interesting rope burn scar, and hey, if it does end in a crushed windpipe there is a sharp knife right there for an emergency tracheotomy.
 
ohnogojira! said:
hey guys i've always wanted to edc a neck knife but have always been concerned with safety. Is there any chance of the knife penetrating your body from a fall or a car accident? is there any likeliness this may happen with a kydex sheath?
Click to expand...

With your knife in a sheath, I wouldn't worry about a fall or accident. I AM MUCH MORE concerned with a ball-point pen in my shirt-pocket right over my heart.
 
The crkt minimalist snaps in tough. It also could be used with a belt. Options. The minimalist is a great knife i wear mine alot never thought about it popping out. Its handy to use you dont need to go in pocket. Sitting and using it to cut small tasks is great. Today i used it to open a light saber package at the mall for my son. Also poping tags off socks and cutting a candy bar in thirds.
However the crkt spew i carry cross on my back side on belt does not **snap** in like my crkt minimalist bowie. Hope it helps. Good luck happy cutting.
 
Wearing a necker in a tip up configuration is a gamble on the reliability of the sheath's retaining ability. I like this type of carry very much but I monitor closely the retaining ability of the sheath, be it leather, FRN or Kydex. Some deliver (AKA reliable, with caution, hey I care for my guts...), some are ... well less reliable, so more care is applied. The thing is it's extremely enjoyable to have a sharp blade at hand wherever you are and whatever you're doing, even in the shower... I'm experiencing carrying bigger knives in the necker fashion... It's interesting.
 
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