self-defense folder?

[dantheman4114]

Cold steel ti-lite 6 inch version

 

[Aaron Only]

Good to know, thanks

 

[whetrock]

What about the spyderco matriarch it's based off the civilian but a tad bit more utlitarian.

 

[mdsmith]

Even if someone's primary goal is to sell something doesn't automatically make whatever they're selling a gimmick. Just about every knife maker's primary goal is to "sell something" but they must be doing something right because we're all here (not to say there aren't those out there doing it purely for the craftsmanship, or that those trying to sell a product don't value craftsmanship).

I agree, and I wasn't trying to be an ass, just trying to make a point.

 

[mmarkh]

Emerson CQC7 or SOCFK. That is what they were made for.

 

[Sep]

If I want to carry a folder with self defense in mind, these are my criteria:
- Auto, assisted flipper, or manual flipper. In that order. The blade comes out fast and easy enough to do even under stress.
- Pointed blade. You can stab as well as slash.
- Deep finger choil or guard, the deeper the better. This is to prevent your fingers from sliding forward in a stabbing motion.
- Thumb jimping can't hurt. It helps with your grip.
- Scales with coarse texture. Your hands might be clammy and slippery due to stress.
- Full serration. An extremely sharp plain blade can cut without immediately causing pain, a serrated blade tears and instantly registers pain. Pain works great in breaking your attacker's resolve.
- Shiny finish, mirror-like is ideal. The glint of a blade might be enough to give potential attacker second thought, and it doesn't affect performance in any way.
- Decently thick blade with strong point. You don't want something so delicate it bends or breaks at the first stab. When you break your point, there goes your stabbing ability. Read criminal reports of stabbings, and you'll see many bent and broken knives.

 

[Ankerson]

If the decision has been made to pull the knife, then the time to run is passed, the time to be scared to death, the time death deal with fear for dying is definitely, extremely nigh.

You never pull a weapon then decide, hmm I should run and take one in the back. Unless your Carl Lewis then by all means run till your winded with a knife in hand and the wind at your back.

The question wasn't should I run from an attacker when common sense overrides fear for my life.

If they have a gun out and the drop on you then you would be dead long before you could do anything like go for your blade in the 1st place so the point is mute.

There are no knife fights, there are attacks and it's over long before you or anyone else could react. It's not like they are going to announce their intentions from 30 yards away if they have a blade.

It's not the movies or some TV show or some fantasy situation someone makes up in some Dojo that will never happen.

If someone attacks another person with a blade they won't see it coming in time and will be bleeding on the ground and or dead before they knew what hit them.

Most real fights with knives are in Prison and they aren't really fights, they are killings.

The other ones are in the home with Kitchen Knives and they aren't really fights either, they are murders.

You have a better chance of getting Attacked by a shark in your bathtub than ever getting into a knife fight out on the street.

The bottom line is buy a knife because you like it, that's really the only reason you need, no need to try and justify it over something that will never happen in the real world. If you are unlucky enough to be put in that situation then your regular EDC will work just fine.

 

[Sep]

The way I see it the only time I pull a knife for self defense is when I'm cornered and has no means to escape, or when I'm pinned down on the ground and about to lose consciousness from the beating. It's a substitute for clawing or biting.

 

[brandonc]

1. 3.75" or more
2. Waved, auto, or Spyder-hole. Something you are used to and can deploy reliably.
3. Grippy, good jimping, functional guard. You should be confident enough to stab it into a phone book as hard as you can.
4. Full plain edge only, as sharp as possible. Serrations are only a selling point to people who don't know how to sharpen their knives. They interfere with both thrust and slash cutting, and tend to get snagged on clothing. Their is a reason why the gladius, European longsword, Japanese katana, Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, and stiletto (originally a Roman military dagger) are all plain edged. Its a proven design. It's not about hurting you opponent, it about stopping them (cutting tendons, arteries ect.).

Also double edged is nice.

In close-quarters fighting there is no more deadly weapon than the knife. In choosing a knife there are two important factors to bear in mind: balance and keenness. The hilt should fit easily in your hand, and the blade should not be so heavy that it tends to drag the hilt from your fingers in a loose grip. It is essential that the blade have a sharp stabbing point and good cutting edges, because an artery torn through (as against a clean cut) tends to contract and stop the bleeding. If a main artery is cleanly severed, the wounded man will quickly lose consciousness and die.

William E. Fairbairn, a British soldier and police office. He trained UK, US and Canadian Commando forces, along with Ranger candidates in close-combat, pistol-shooting, and knife-fighting techniques during WWII.

 

[kawr]

Emerson CQC7 or SOCFK. That is what they were made for.

Thats what I thought when I picked up the cqc 7 but ended up being disappointed when I found out my 30 dollar Persistence had a sturdier liner lock. I recommend the HD-7 waved. Same thing as the cqc 7 but with a reliable lock and just as fast to deploy.

 

[hoopster]

The largest folding knife that I regularly carry. The Spyderco Military. In most pockets, I can carry the Military as easy as a Delica and I know which I'd rather have for self defense.

 

[LifeBlade.net]

First off, congratulations on deciding to take steps toward decreasing the likelihood that you will become a defenseless victim.

There are many makes and models out there that would fill this role adequately. Rather than naming a specific brand/model, I'll share with you what would be important to me if choosing a folder for SDC.

My criteria would be:

A knife that I could deploy quickly.

A locking system that works every time. No matter what.

With scales, jimping and at least one finger choil that would increase the odds of me hanging on, even when my hand is covered in blood & flop sweat.

Gotta have a 2.5 - 4" long Wharncliffe, or Hawkbill style blade (I'm a Kali style practitioner, so I'm jaded). The straighter the edge, the longer it remains in contact with the material it's cutting. Simple geometry.

An overall length and weight that I'm inclined to carry. It's no good if it's not on you, right?

Most importantly, a knife that you can either procure a trainer of similar style/shape/weight/means of deployment, or are willing to craft. If you don't train with whatever you chose for this role, the likelihood of being unsuccessful in it's deployment is frighteningly high.

Hope this helps and please don't hesitate to ask for clarification or have additional questions.

Be prepared and stay safe,

Taylor

 

[Striderco]

spyderco citadel or embassy!! both bad ass top notch!

 

[Sep]

1. 3.75" or more
2. Waved, auto, or Spyder-hole. Something you are used to and can deploy reliably.
3. Grippy, good jimping, functional guard. You should be confident enough to stab it into a phone book as hard as you can.
4. Full plain edge only, as sharp as possible. Serrations are only a selling point to people who don't know how to sharpen their knives. They interfere with both thrust and slash cutting, and tend to get snagged on clothing. Their is a reason why the gladius, European longsword, Japanese katana, Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, and stiletto (originally a Roman military dagger) are all plain edged. Its a proven design. It's not about hurting you opponent, it about stopping them (cutting tendons, arteries ect.).

Also double edged is nice.



William E. Fairbairn, a British soldier and police office. He trained UK, US and Canadian Commando forces, along with Ranger candidates in close-combat, pistol-shooting, and knife-fighting techniques during WWII.

All fair points, but for the purpose of killing. In combat the objective is to neutralize your enemy in the fastest manner possible so he doesn't have enough time and energy to hurt you. Not all of these principles apply in civilian self defense scenario, where the primary purpose is to break his will to fight so you can get away. Any killing is supposed to be accidental.

If you have to resort to knife in combat, you keep cutting the guy until he is fully neutralized as a threat (read: dead). If you do that in the civilian world, you're going to jail.

 

[penetrator]

I know you didn't ask this, but for defense, a knife is a particularly bad idea. As a weapon, it is the classic assassin's tool. Easy to conceal, deadly when used against an unsuspecting victim. The downsides:

1. You have very little reach. You might get disarmed, and then stuck with your own knife, especially if there are multiple assailants. If the bad guy has a knife as well, things will get ugly.

2. You will have defend your actions in front of a judge. And no matter how much you were in the right, the judge/jury/media will think of you as a bad guy if you cut someone up, even if it was clearly self defense.

If I could pick my weapons, I'd take a can of pepper spray and a collapsible baton. Both are easy to conceal and legal in most jurisdictions. Spray the baddies in the face, then pummel them while they gag helplessly.

 

[sharp lupo]

I know you didn't ask this, but for defense, a knife is a particularly bad idea. As a weapon, it is the classic assassin's tool. Easy to conceal, deadly when used against an unsuspecting victim. The downsides:

1. You have very little reach. You might get disarmed, and then stuck with your own knife, especially if there are multiple assailants. If the bad guy has a knife as well, things will get ugly.

2. You will have defend your actions in front of a judge. And no matter how much you were in the right, the judge/jury/media will think of you as a bad guy if you cut someone up, even if it was clearly self defense.

If I could pick my weapons, I'd take a can of pepper spray and a collapsible baton. Both are easy to conceal and legal in most jurisdictions. Spray the baddies in the face, then pummel them while they gag helplessly.

Youre joking right??

You tell him to be careful about a knife because of how it would look in front of a judge and then you advise him to pummel the BG in the face with a baton as he is gagging and helpless? HA HA that would look real good in court.

Bad advice

 

[s.c.]

I never understood the assumption "you're likely to get disarmed and have the knife used against you." Using this logic, you will then be likely to disarm the attacker to get your own knife back...and the cycle continues.

 

[USCGGM]

I just wanted to comment on a few things I have noticed. First, I am absolutely against autos or assisted openers for self defense, mainly because of Murphy's Law. An auto or even an assisted opener has, by it's very nature, more of a chance to fail to deploy than a manual and, well, we all know that the only time it is going to fail is when you need it most (thanks, Murphy). Some of us who do carry a knife as backup do so in harsh enviroments with driving rain, sea spray, snow, extreme cold or extreme heat and these take a toll on mechanical systems, so a sturdy manual folder makes more sense.
Also, you need to ask yourself if you want individuals to know you have deployed the knife or if you want to maintain the element of suprise. You go with something shiny if you want to announce you have a weapon and a dark finish if you want to hide it. Again, most autos/assisted makes a fairly loud noise when deploying so that's out for me.
This is all assuming that you have looked for avenues of escape and have no other option but to defend yourself with what you got.
So....for self defense purposes, I would go with an Emerson CQC7 or better yet a ZT 0200 if I can legally carry it. Both are rock solid, fast to deploy and razor sharp. Plus, both have good texture to the grips. IMHO, of course.

 

[sharp lupo]

I just wanted to comment on a few things I have noticed. First, I am absolutely against autos or assisted openers for self defense, mainly because of Murphy's Law. An auto or even an assisted opener has, by it's very nature, more of a chance to fail to deploy than a manual and, well, we all know that the only time it is going to fail is when you need it most (thanks, Murphy). Some of us who do carry a knife as backup do so in harsh enviroments with driving rain, sea spray, snow, extreme cold or extreme heat and these take a toll on mechanical systems, so a sturdy manual folder makes more sense.
Also, you need to ask yourself if you want individuals to know you have deployed the knife or if you want to maintain the element of suprise. You go with something shiny if you want to announce you have a weapon and a dark finish if you want to hide it. Again, most autos/assisted makes a fairly loud noise when deploying so that's out for me.
This is all assuming that you have looked for avenues of escape and have no other option but to defend yourself with what you got.
So....for self defense purposes, I would go with an Emerson CQC7 or better yet a ZT 0200 if I can legally carry it. Both are rock solid, fast to deploy and razor sharp. Plus, both have good texture to the grips. IMHO, of course.

Good points but in a self defence situation who cares if you have a shiny blade or a loud one, you are deploying it to fight for your life not making some stealthy kill in the dark Navy Seal/hitman style. Thats just in movies and I doubt it happens/matters in real life often.

For the little times Im without a handgun, I carry a crkt hissatsu folder and an Al Mar SERE 2000 when I do have a pistol, since I got it. I trust both 100%

I cant imagine much holding the firing mech of the hissatsu folder back, that thing fires hard and fast enough to void sebenzas warranties in a 20 mile radius

 

[Planterz]

If I want to carry a folder with self defense in mind, these are my criteria:
- Auto, assisted flipper, or manual flipper. In that order. The blade comes out fast and easy enough to do even under stress.

An auto is a poor choice for a knife carried for self-defense. All automatics require the knife to be held in a fairly specific grip position to activate it. Worst are D/A OTFs, but button activated ones aren't much better. And woe if you have one with a safety. The stigma of switchblades being "fast" hearkens back to the days before folding knives were all opened with both hands. These days, pretty much any modern folder can go from pocket to open and ready as fast as, if not faster than any automatic.

The best SD knife is one that is easy to engage from multiple grips or positions. Obviously a fixed blade is best, but that's not what the OP is asking for, or legal everywhere. Second best would be a folder that you can open easily. The Spyderco Endura Wave is probably the most versatile in this regard. Large thumb hole for easy opening, Wave feature (obviously) can snag a pocket or fold in clothing easily. And you can wrist flick it easily from regular grip or reverse grip.

- Full serration. An extremely sharp plain blade can cut without immediately causing pain, a serrated blade tears and instantly registers pain. Pain works great in breaking your attacker's resolve.

Can of worms here. There's always debate between the slashing power of a serrated blade (certainly true), and others that argue that serrations can cause binding against thick clothing and possibly zippers, and that you're far more likely to be affective with a stab rather than a slash...blah blah blah. Personally I'd go with serrated in the summer (lighter clothing), plain edge in the winter (heavy clothing), but I'm hardly an expert.

- Shiny finish, mirror-like is ideal. The glint of a blade might be enough to give potential attacker second thought, and it doesn't affect performance in any way.

Ridiculous. If you pull a knife in plain view, the BG is going to know it, and if you're in plain view enough that you can pull a blade, you're likely even more able to just run away. If you're pulling a knife not in plain view and not able to run (like he's on top of you wailing away), it makes no difference if the blade is shiny or not.

- Decently thick blade with strong point. You don't want something so delicate it bends or breaks at the first stab. When you break your point, there goes your stabbing ability. Read criminal reports of stabbings, and you'll see many bent and broken knives.

Because the vast majority of these stabbings are with cheap kitchen knives. Pretty much any modern folder should hold up long enough to get the job done. I'd be more worried about the lock strength than the possibility of losing the tip.