Trying to decide on my next EDC

[Mikel_24]

I am no knife expert at all but if I could only carry a folding knife for SD, I would go with an Emerson, Emerson/Kershaw collaboration or Spyderco Matriarch Wave... Being the common ingredient... the WAVE.

Mikel

 

[Crazyfarmer]

I think I would rather get shot than cut 20 times.

Biggest thing with the knife for self defense would be just overall fear factor from the other side. Same with a gun, I don't care what size the gun is, I don't wish to get shot by a .22 or a .45 lol.

ZT 0562 is big... Folder
You also want something you can deploy fast. Knife fighting is more about slashing and getting away. If you go to court having stabbed someone 20 times and granted he was tryin to hit you in the head with a piece of pipe....just imagine which side the court thinks looks worse? Being stabbed 20 times or hit with pipe. It won't go well. I'm fairly certain the classes teach you to disarm and escape the one coming at you. The yojimbos are supposedly made for this style but they are to bulky for me to use.

 

[Eliteone2383]

A ZT 0450. Absolutely awsome knives

 

[Crazyfarmer]

It looks like a murder knife too

 

[c7m2p3]

1. knife fighting is ugly. I have had the training. If you want training in the basic movements, they are the same as in escrima, so just take some lessons in escrima and don't bother to go on for different colored belts.
2. Kershaw. I have all kinds of opening systems. For ME, the speed safe Kershaw 3655 with the 3.5 inch blade is fine. At one time some fed was holding up a shipment because the speed safe is so fast in deployment that the fed though it was a switchblade.
3. Yes, I have Emersons and Benchmades. Just speed-safe system works for me.
4. If can't carry fire arm or a concealed knife, obtain a flashlight, a yawara stick or equivalent or an aircraft aluminum or stainless steel pen - there plenty that are marketed as defensive tools.
I hear a lot from the "carry a gun crowd" who poo poo a knife or the alternatives. Just let them go to the VA, the local post office or any other federal installation and proclaim "I'm carrying a gun and I have a concealed weapon License". Or go to the local state courthouse, the local high school and make the same proclamation.

To be fair, while I would never suggest that you voluntarily run afoul of state and federal law with regards to carrying a firearm; the entire point of having a concealed firearm or any concealed weapon is that you DONT proclaim that you are carrying said item. It is there for your protection, not as a status symbol or for being a mall ninja.

 

[el gigantor]

how about a black endura

This is my EDC. Highly recommended!

 

[Arathol]

I hear a lot from the "carry a gun crowd" who poo poo a knife or the alternatives. Just let them go to the VA, the local post office or any other federal installation and proclaim "I'm carrying a gun and I have a concealed weapon License". Or go to the local state courthouse, the local high school and make the same proclamation.

Unfortunately in most places the rules that apply to firearms also apply to knives or any other object than could be a weapon, including keychains, tactical looking pens, or anything else pointy or scary looking.

 

[c7m2p3]

Unfortunately in most places the rules that apply to firearms also apply to knives or any other object than could be a weapon, including keychains, tactical looking pens, or anything else pointy or scary looking.

Right. Concealed is concealed. Whether that is a knife or a gun or whatever, there is no need to go around declaring you have anything. This is not advocating that people ignore state and federal law; it is simply saying you get a different reaction walking into a post office with a knife clipped in your pocket than you would walking in with that very same knife shouting about how you have a knife in your pocket. Be smart.

 

[afishhunter]

... I hear a lot from the "carry a gun crowd" who poo poo a knife or the alternatives. Just let them go to the VA, the local post office or any other federal installation and proclaim "I'm carrying a gun and I have a concealed weapon License". Or go to the local state courthouse, the local high school and make the same proclamation.

Make the same proclamation about your knife.
You'll be arrested just as quick.

BTW, having a CCW doesn't mean you can carey it anywhere and everywhere you please.
The places you mentioned, plus establishments that sell alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption, (exception: some security at bars and night clubs (and some owners) can and do legally carry a concealed firearm at the establishment as part of their job. A few security (contract security, for the most part) open carry.) are a few of the places you can't legally carry a gun.

 

[Chronovore]

1. knife fighting is ugly. I have had the training. If you want training in the basic movements, they are the same as in escrima, so just take some lessons in escrima and don't bother to go on for different colored belts.
2. Kershaw. I have all kinds of opening systems. For ME, the speed safe Kershaw 3655 with the 3.5 inch blade is fine. At one time some fed was holding up a shipment because the speed safe is so fast in deployment that the fed though it was a switchblade.
3. Yes, I have Emersons and Benchmades. Just speed-safe system works for me.
4. If can't carry fire arm or a concealed knife, obtain a flashlight, a yawara stick or equivalent or an aircraft aluminum or stainless steel pen - there plenty that are marketed as defensive tools.
I hear a lot from the "carry a gun crowd" who poo poo a knife or the alternatives. Just let them go to the VA, the local post office or any other federal installation and proclaim "I'm carrying a gun and I have a concealed weapon License". Or go to the local state courthouse, the local high school and make the same proclamation.

(1.) Training is wise for any defensive tool. Training is also wise for not carrying a defensive tool. Training with resistance is an excellent remedy for dispelling nonsense and preconceived notions of all sorts. That especially goes for some of the "techniques" I've seen in dubious self defense classes and videos that only use compliant partners.

(2.) Speedsafe Kershaws were my go-to utility EDC (non-defensive) for almost twenty years. I'm so glad that good manual actions have come down in price and have become common. The only Speedsafe still in my EDC rotation is the premium Dividend, and only because it fills a particular role very well. (Tip-down shirt pocket carry.) If I could find a comparable manual replacement, I'd take it. A good manual action is just as fast but with easier maintenance and less to go wrong.

(4.) There are plenty of items that can be used defensively. Some are better than others. It's always a balance of what helps in what situations and by how much. As above, practice and training goes with any such tool. It also needs to be weighed against a baseline of empty-handed skill. A running theme here is consideration for which situations reliance or faith in a particular tool could itself be a hindrance.

With a few of these threads going at once, I don't recall if I mentioned it here: There is no perfect defensive tool that can absolutely guarantee your safety against any threat. It's always a matter of maximizing good outcomes and minimizing bad outcomes across the full spectrum of possible defensive encounters. It is under this consideration that guns are king. Even among guns, there is a lot of debate about which gun is best for a given person and their individual circumstances. If this is an option, take it! Unfortunately, guns are not an option for everyone or every circumstance for a variety of reasons. So like anything else, if you can't have the best option then you look for the next best option.

For instance, I recently had to travel and spend time in a place where I was not legally allowed to carry a gun. So I tightened my belt for the switch from an IWB firearm to an IWB fixed blade.

 

[bdcochran]

We are on the same page. The last time I flew, it would have been $30 for a bag underneath. So, I carried a flashlight.

It is hard to give a recommendation because there are factors that we have to guess at.
1. would you prefer a pocket carry with a tilt up or tilt down carry.
2. are you an electrician, plumber, office worker.
3. what are the uses.
4. what clothes do you wear.
5. do you have any physical infirmities.

If you simply want to know what is a "good knife", take the mostly excellent suggestions made in this thread.
a. look up how the model is rated by people on Amazon.com. I concentrate on reading the negative reviews to learn what people thought they they were ordering and were disappointed.
b. search through youtube for actual reviews, not just videos of a person opening the box in which the knife was received.
c. if for some reason, you decide to buy through eBay, you really should see how long the person has been in business, where he or she is located, and the frequency of negative reviews.

My uses may not be yours. Today, I carried a used Spyderco Endura. I was finishing making 5 walking sticks, Used to open two blister packs of some parts. Later in the day, I wanted to add brown 550 cord. Walked over to what originally a 1000 foot roll and used the nearby Benchmade mini griptillian. Both are excellent knives. I carry a Spyderco outside simply because I want the longer blade.

 

[colubrid]

An Emerson with Wave feature for self defence. Why? Because the shortest didtance been 2 points is a straight line. If you need to finish someone (drop him) an Emerson will open upon retrieval from concealment and you can go straight to the juguilar.

As with any weapon (or punch or gunshot), the one who strikes first usually wins and walks away.

Speed is of the essensce. An Emerson with the wave is the fastest. I would suggest the one Ernie carries which is the Commander.

older commander 2000 was lighter than newer models

as you can see there s a big difference on the scale weight

 

[Smiling]

My advice: Stick to your dragonfly and get a pepper spray... they give you more distance and are way less likely to land you in jail, as you probably won't even need to go to court...

 

[PaulFWI]

BTW, having a CCW doesn't mean you can carey it anywhere and everywhere you please.
The places you mentioned, plus establishments that sell alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption, (exception: some security at bars and night clubs (and some owners) can and do legally carry a concealed firearm at the establishment as part of their job. A few security (contract security, for the most part) open carry.) are a few of the places you can't legally carry a gun.

In Wisconsin, as well as many other states, you can carry in a bar as long as you're not drinking.

(Also I know that is some states where you can't, such as Florida, there are some challenges to that working their way through the courts right now.)

 

[norcalAF]

The correct answer is ZT0452

 

[JTR357]

I'm not a huge fan of the launch line. I have 3 of them, but they have all been less than perfect when it comes to lock up.

If you are looking for a fast to fire knife that is similar to your leek, maybe look into the entry level ZT knives like the 350 and 357. Both capable hard use knives. They are both around the $150 mark.

If you want something bigger than the dragonfly, why not an Endura or some such Spyderco? Very well built knives, as you know.

You've had launches that didn't lock up correctly? I have 5 of them & they all lockup solid.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

You've had launches that didn't lock up correctly? I have 5 of them & they all lockup solid.

yeah i have earlier models. I think a 2, a 6, and a....i forget. All of them had lock bounce. Lock up is fine...if the lock up. Not every time, but enough of the time to bother me, they would bounce off the stop pin and not lock up. Kershaw sent me new springs for free which helped but didn't eliminate the issue. I have heard the new ones don't suffer from this, but I have moved on

 

[elde66]

Yet another necro-thread.