To all!
Thank you for your comments and suggestions!
Based on the premises, here's a rough estimate of the suggestions:
- 45% of the votes went to various
Spyderco models (especially the Delica and Paramilitary)
- 35% went to
Benchmade(especially the 7xx series)
- 20% to all
other makes & models (no heavy slant toward a specific manufacturer / design)
I've made a decision and have purchased two items, and in the process of a third. Here's some of my though process before I tell you what I picked up:
- Research into the knife laws, concealed carry laws, and associated penalties for NYS and NYC
- Reading a few books specifically for the
fundamentals of a knife and the
mental state one must be in when resorting to the knife in self defense,
not reading too deeply into the method yet: Logic of Steel by Lafond;
Knife Fighting: A Practical Course by Janich;
Complete book of Knife Fighting by Cassidy;
Master of the Blade: Secrets Of The Deadly Art Of Knife Fighting by Ryan
- Cosmetic preference of black finish over plain steel (however mdauben's comment above persuades me to consider the plain steel in my next purchase)
- Serration preference over plain blade when it comes to cutting tasks in my workplace
- Disqualifying any automatics (ie. Microtech OTFs and Benchmade Autos)
- Disqualifying any blades greater than 4"
- A quote from one of the books above "
...unless you can somehow justify carrying a fixed blade as part of your work or day-to-day life, you've got one major problem with the law. Let's say you're at the mall one day and you come across a knife shop. After browsing for a while, you find a beautiful combat fighting knife. It's nine inches long, ATS-34 steel with a serrated edge, black Teflon finish, rubberized grips, checkered hilt and has a brass striking pommel. It even has a logo on it, a skull and crossbones and the words "death dealer" etched into the steel. It's one scary knife. It is the perfect weapon, right? Wrong. Tactically, it sounds like a great weapon, and if I were going to war tomorrow, I'd like one just like it to go with my AR-15, .45 and fragmentation grenades. For war the double edged straight blade design is excellent... ...But, unfortunately, this blade is your worst nightmare. Not because it won't be effective but because it will. Remember that we live in a society of rules and you will be judged by society's standards, not your own. If you carry a designated "fighting knife", you're already one step behind the game because it shows premeditation. If you use this weapon and find yourself in court defending your actions (from your attackers or his suing family), you will have to justify exactly why you were carrying it. It's a green light for prosecution, a prosecutor's dream. He can hold your "death dealer" up as evidence of violent forethought. You may want to own this weapon but don't carry it for self-defense. If you do, you could find yourself living with the very people you defended yourself against, his friends or cousins and/or paying his family restitution for the rest of your life... For self-defense, I recommend nondescript, custom or production model folding blades. As a matter of fact, the more common the blade, the easier it will be to justify its use in a crisis. After all, everyone is carrying one these days. Ryan, 1999, p. 24
I've picked up the following two, and will am considering the third:
-
Emerson CQC-12 Comrade because of it's sturdy lock design, length, and simplicity
-
Heckler & Koch HK34 Axis Tactical Folder also for the same reasons above
-
Spyderco Paramilitary for the reasons you have all suggested
I am very interested in many of the Benchmade models suggested, especially the discontinued ones (why do they discontinue a model?).
I appreciate your help on this, and would very much appreciate it if you continue to post to this thread... I especially appreciate the lesser-known brands and dealers (at least to me, since I'm still new to the topic).
Again, a very big thank you!
r
) which does not restrict such things, but I would assume that (like most locations) that auto knives are illegal in NY except for Military and Police? Using them as EDC blades could cause you more problems that you want, and in my opinion auto knives (cool as they are 
) have little advantage over a good thumb-opening or assisted opening folder these days (plus they lack the "criminal" aura of the auto knife).
