question for civilian owners

I am a LEO. I carry a folder clipped to my front pocket primarily as a defensive backup. If I want to use a blade for utility I use the supertool on my Sam Browne belt. I have been intrigued by the civilian lately. I know it would more than aptly satisfy the role as a backup/defensive tool, but can the civilian be used for utility if had be? Or does the blade shape severely hinder any general purpose cutting?

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-Dennis-


 
The Civilian is a good rope-cutter (small diameters) and coupon-clipper (by dragging the point). Mr. Mattis has touted its ability as a gardening tool, while plain-edge models have actually been sold for cutting rolls of film. Outside of this, I do think that it is pretty useless for utility.

This is actually a good thing. As a defensive knife, it must be as sharp as possible in its time of need. It can be resharpened, but it's hard to think of a knife where this task is less pleasant or more difficult. The shape of the Civilian actually discourages using it for mundane task and saves that factory edge.

I can't recommend the Civilian blade for much utility use, and wouldn't encourage such use even if it were well-suited. It has one purpose only, and is quite arguably the best knife available for that purpose.

-Drew
 
H

Heyns van der Merwe

Joined
Mar 3, 1999
Messages
232
Shootist16,
I agree with Corduroy. Keep your defensive piece UNUSED, until you REALLY need it! The Civilian is EXCELLENT for its intended purpose, but this does not (IMHO) include utility use.

If you REALLY want to use your defensive backup piece for utility work (or at least want to have the possibility available), I recomment the G-10 handled Harpy. You may also want to look at the Merlin, but I prefer the G-10 handled Harpy for everyday carry, superior gripping ability, etc...

With a SMALL modification, the G-10 Harpy is in the same league as the Civilian, whilst being a MUCH smaller Spydie.
biggrin.gif
It does cater for utility cutting needs as well.

You might also want to have a look at the new Spyderco Matriarch. See the recent threads, this one looks to be a WINNER!
 
I see it as a defensive only piece, not good for general utility use.

I'm ordering one of the new Matriarchs. I have hopes it can do double duty. Stay tuned on that one. You should hear more as soon as we get them in hand.
 
I carried one for quite awhile, and used it for pretty much everything. Used to work at oriental rug store and the Civilian was great at opening up the massive carboard/synthetic wrapped rugs that were always arriving.

Cut massive amounts of small diameter kevlar rigging for Laser/Laser2s. Bought it at Chalmette Jewelry for nintey bucks, NIB. Can't beat that deal. Individual mileage varies, but I sharpened mine a few times and used it. The only thing about the first series I didn't care for was the kraton insert in the clip, which I wore through in about six months.

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"Women bring life into the world
and much death, for they sway the
destinies of men." -Anneas
 
I tried carrying the Civilian as a utility knife, but always found myself opting for my super-tool instead. There is just something about it's configuration that shunned box-opening chores and the like (for me, anyway). I'm not hung-up by appearances usually, but deploy a Civilian to cut some string, and you are liable to see some wide eyes around you occasionally.

It remained in my pocket, and sharp as the day it arrived, as a defensive piece.
 
Shootist16,
I've just finished (nearly!) modifying ANOTHER of my G-10 handled Harpies. There's still a bit of finishing touches to administer, but here's some photo's to illustrate my reasoning in the above post:
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Campground/3803/harpy_modified_full.jpg

AND
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Campground/3803/harpy_modified_blade.jpg

As you can see, I've taken the WHOLE blade somewhat back from its original cutting position, in order to be able to shape it into an agressive, Civilian-like curve at the tip. The NICE thing about this modified Harpy is that it has such a thick blade (spine), so lateral blade strength is not a risk at all.

It also lends itself well to utility cutting tasks, although I NEVER use it in this manner...

It is by NO MEANS a replacement for the Civilian, but it DOES add another dimension to the defensive capabilities of the smaller models in Spydero's lineup!! And the modifications are QUITE easy to implement...

[This message has been edited by Heyns van der Merwe (edited 04 September 1999).]
 
Really nice job Heyns.

Can't wait to show your picture to the guy in our shop who has done some file work on his Spydee's. Maybe he can fix a Harpy blade for me.



------------------
Mark Camp

"Life is nothin' but a series of fascinations"

Ok, and lots of hard work...


 
I've been carrying a Civilian since June and the only issue I've had with it is what Hawkbill brought up: if you open it in public, eyes go wide!! I'm still carrying it on duty, but I always have something a little more politically correct for utility purposes.
Tonk
PS-if you really need to cut something, the Civilian will do it.
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You seem to have the bases covered Shootist-16. Carrying a pocket tool for general tasks is ideal. Reserve the folding knife for the defensive role, and for this the Civilian really does the job.
Might I suggest that you do a significant percentage of defensive training working on support-hand access. A major advantage of the knife is its use in weapon-retention situations. Since you will probably have your master hand securing the pistol in holster you need to access the knife with your support hand. Again, the Civilian would fit this tactical application very well.

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Dennis
 
Hiya Shootist,

I have two Civilians and the only "utility" that I've been able to use it for was to cut out those idiotic Benedryl pills from the childproof packages. Then again, I'm only using the first 1/16" of the tip.

One thing you might want to consider is the aftermath of using a Civilian in self defense. It's 50/50 whether or not you'll get sued, and if an attorney holds up a looking knife like the Civilian, it's probably not going to look too good. In a pinch, I'd say that the blade shape is perfect for cutting seat belts, but who knows what impression it would make? The funny thing is that the Civilian is actually designed more to injure, rather than be fatal.


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That's my two cents. Hey! How come you're giving me change?
 
The Civilian was specifically designed to not be a killing tool. Just to defend & run with little skill required.
sal
 
In 7(?) years, no other company seems to have caught on to that idea... the market is still clogged with "folding fighters." I know I've said this 100 times, but I really love these knives. Positive innovation. I made a scan for the Matriarch thread, but I'd like to put it here as well and muck up folks' bandwidth
smile.gif


View


OK, sorry, new scanner, hehehe.

-Drew
 
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