Pros and Cons of Neck Knives?

i dont like stuff around my neck, but i suppose they can be practical.

pros:
-easy to conceal
-can be easy to deploy

cons:
-gravity
-you may not notice if it falls out or the chain fails
-its around your neck
-can be a pain to deploy
-need two hands to resheath
-gravity
 
I wear one often, and have many. Though I do wear heavier neck knives, if it wants to earn a long term spot, it has to be 2 oz. or less. Always on ball chain, and always with a homemade sheath where you have to give it real good tug to get it out. On those 90+ degree summer days it is a geat way to always have a knife on you.
 
I can't believe no one has mentioned this:

A neck knife allows you to carry a fixed blade with no pants on.

That may sound kind of funny, but it is significant. For me, this really applies to wilderness recreation and outdoor knives (not the "tactical stuff"). In other words, you can carry a decent fixed blade regardless of what you are wearing.

There are lots of great hikes where I live that force me to wade hip-deep through flowing streams -and for these hikes it is nice to wear swim trunks (or board shorts). The neck knife is the perfect solution to what I am wearing. It also keeps the knife above the water.

For longer hikes, when I am carrying a large pack, the hip strap can block my belt and make pocket retrieval awkward. A neck knife is a great way to carry a fixed blade in this scenario.


I know many people find it either dangerous or awkward, but I dont mind carrying a Mora #2 around my neck when hiking (or an Izula for that matter.)
 
Like anything, there pros & cons to just about any kind of carry method.

If you don't like having something around your neck, then you're not going to consider neck carry, period. As to the many comments about being able to be strangled by one, I guess that depends. No one wear a necklace, ever? I guess it must be my being from & living in SoCal, lol.

I used to neck carry quite a bit, then got away from it, but have tried it lately (The past week). It's a great way to carry an extra knife, IMHO.

Admittedly, I don't carry a lg. neck knife. Up until lately, my favorite has been a HAK (My current one is a Joe Brum tiger striped model in S30V), but I got a Folts Minimalist the other day & am very impressed with the knife.

I agree that ball chains can be a pain & usually use a leather cord or para-cord for my carry method.

They can be hard/slow to access, but depending on the shirt & conditions, they can be easy to access. For hiking trips, they're ideal (Carried outside the shirt).
 
pros-its another type of a beautiful knife to carry and enjoy.
con-its another way to relieve yourself of useful cash.
 
Pros - It's a small enough knife to carry anywhere , not just the neck.

Cons - The neck knife concept itself. I dont want a few inches of razor sharp , pointed steel near my throat/heart etc , the breakaway chain might just do that , you could lose the knife especially if hunitng , hiking , or fishing.

Bad concept IMO.

Tostig
 
Probably one of the more discreet ways of carrying a knife, especially when you have a tie on. No one know its there except you. Good for business and dress attire in an urban setting. Obviously very good for canoeing, kayaking, etc.
 
stevekt said:
If you don't have a break-away type chain or cord a neck knife can be a potentially lethal choking hazard. :(
Click to expand...

Amen, Steve. If you look at my pics of the 210 Snody, you can see a cord loc that adjusts and rides right behind my kneck. I always wear a T-shirt with a shirt over the top, and the knife hangs between T-shirt and outer shirt, BUT!.... if the knife were ever to hang up on something, the cord loc will release before I "hang".

Anybody wearing a kneck knife, heed Steve's advice. You can get some pretty good cord locs here:
http://www.countycomm.com/CORDLOCK.htm
 
Joben said:
............

I wear this most days, with a SAK or leatherman in my pocket.
minimalist2.jpg
Click to expand...

I kindly like that little blade, Joben. It looks like a single-edge. What is it?
 
Pro: A fixed necker can give you more strength than a folder of like size.

I love neckers, as long as the aren't too small.
 
i've been on the fence, with the whole "neck knife" thing, for awhile now. for me, it just doesn't make sense - i don't like small knives. i, routinely, conceal a FB with a 4.5" blade and OC knives with larger blades. so, for me, they're out.

i started thinking my wife might find one handy, though. not so much for SD, but for household tasks. it seems like it would be handy to have one that she could wear, around the house, for EDC tasks.

so.... her and her little sister are both getting PINK Izulas. the wrap is going to be a para-cord that is urban camo with pink highlights and (of course) they'll be housed in nice pink kydex sheaths. sort of a "bling with sting" thing going on :D

while it'll be for around the house cutting tasks, it'll be totally up to her if she'd rather carry it in public, than her Kershaw Blur, as OC is no problem where i live.
 
This website is hazardous to my wallet. I had been eyeballing an Izula for quite some time now and I'm about to purchase one after reading this thread. The question is, should I get the micarta scales or hold off on them and instead wrap the handle in paracord?
 
my Newt Livesay Woo is a force option carried in my car... it rides attached to the lighter plug for my GPS, and one of two spring loaded glass breakers is clipped to the paracord....it is difficult to deploy a pocket pistol or clipped folder when strapped in by a seat belt
 
If you have a low quality sheath you can be stabbed with a neck knife during a fall. In most cases the neck knife is pointed at your chest or throat which would not be ideal locations for stab wounds. :o
 
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