Thoughts on dual purpose EDC/defensive blades

D

DangerZone98

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Dec 7, 2019
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Far be it from me to tell another man what to do with his blades. This post simply contains my opinion on EDC knives (blades you use for mundane tasks) which can also be pressed for defensive/emergency purposes if the need arises. The idea of whether or not knives are effective against bad guys are for another topic and won’t be covered here.

One school of thought suggests reserving your self-defense blade for, well, defensive purposes only, and the logic behind that is understandable. If you find yourself in a tight spot, you want to be absolutely sure that your blade wasn’t dulled or otherwise damaged in any way by daily use. It’s a valid choice and if it works for you, awesome.

On the flipside, depending on the kind of knife of course, I think an EDC blade could serve as dual function utility and last-ditch defensive tool, as long as you carefully maintain and monitor it on a regular basis. If the edge cuts true, the bolts are tight, and you generally don’t abuse the blade, that’s good enough to go for me. Again, this is just my two cents.

What do you folks think? Do you have a blade reserved for self-defense/emergencies?
 
Yes, I do. You posited one set of conditions. I give another set of conditions.
1. I don't carry a fixed blade. My daily attire is not conducive to strapping on a fixed blade knife in a sheath, whether horizontal or vertical.
2. In my applications on a daily basis, having a knife with partial serrations or full serrations is not helpful. Although I like having my Benchmade mini grip out and available in the garage, but I carry a plain blade folder as an EDC.
3. Although many people buy folders that are $200 or more, I am not in the income bracket. Nonetheless, I would be sorrowful if I carried and lost some of my more expensive folders - ZTs, Benchmades, and Spyderco Police.
4. When school is open, I carry a fully serrated Spyderco Police model in the wheeled book cart, but I carry a plain Spyderco Endura in my pocket.
5. I am not concerned with dulling or damaging a defensive knife. Same applies to an EDC folder.
 
I maintain all of my edc kit so that its always good to go, be it for work or defense.

Now, none of the knives and tools I carry are explicitly for defense. Every blade I have that can "get me out of a tight spot" is done so with a " tight spot" referring to an emergency action or to make rudimentary tools to complete a task...not cut or slash anyone. I do have weapony knives in my collection and do carry them sometimes. Not for any real use, but I do take them to work to mess around with when I get bored, show them to interested employees, or maybe make a sheath for them requiring the blade to be there for measuring.

That said, I have a Fiddleback Monarch in my right pocket that could easily cut or puncture someone, although the smooth handle material an lack of guard make it less that adequate. I carry it because it is robust, cuts like a laser, and actually doesn't look scary in front of customers. Actually, the Microtech Ultratech i carried in its place yesterday would be a better weapon. Bayonet edged with jagged partial serrations. Even still, I carry it for cutting convenience and not prowess as a weapon.
 
Physical preparedness and situational awareness will serve you better than a knife for self defense. Of course if it came down to it most folders can function as a weapon. I view my EDC as much a weapon as a hammer, 2x4, etc.
 
My edc can handle anything for edc as it is.
I don't need to carry a bunch of different ones, waste of time & space.
 
I think for the dual purpose, the knife needs to have a medium to large blade (roughly 3.5"-4" but not longer than ~4"), a reasonably pointy tip though not too delicate, a strong and reliable lock (I'm not interested in carrying a fixed blade), and with great ergo and traction in hand though it does not need to be ergonomic with every grip.
 
I do not carry a knife for defensive purposes.

When not in the backcountry, I typically carry a small fixed blade (<2.75”) for general usage, and a small traditional folder as a back-up for those times when an extremely sharp/thin blade is a better option. It works for me.
 
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