Under $20 knife for general use/SD --Sportsman's warehouse only

knivesandguns

knivesandguns

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Mar 6, 2008
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Hey guys, need input needed ASAP, my friend, she's in college and is starting out with knives and can only get one at Sportsman's warehouse, and she has to keep it under $20.

For those of you who shop there, are their any good deals for knives that would be EDC worthy (locking, pocket clip) yet would fend off an attacker in a pinch?

Thanks!
 
Not sure why Sportsman's Warehouse is a requirement but there is one near where I live and the have a good selection of knives. I have found the sales people at my local store to be fairly knowledgeable and they should be able to help her with selection. As they do not half an online catalog it is difficult to say what the store near her will have in stock.

My personal opinion is she would be far better off with pepper spray than a knife for self-defense however. I know I would never let my daughter carry knife for SD except as a last resort. She did carry pepper spray all through high school and college.
 
No. A knife cannot fend off an attacker. The person holding the knife has to know how to do that. Without training, the tool is more an obstruction than a help.
 
Self defense with a knife is messy, but if those are your parameters, I bought a K-Bar Dozier on sale there recently for $19.95. I agree that pepper spray and awareness would be a better choice, but it's yours to make.
 
How much would pepper spray be then?

Thanks for the input, I know about cheap knives not fit for SD, but she seemed to have her mind set.

I'll relay this to her, thanks!
 
if there's a Wal-Mart near here, she can get a Kershaw Vapor for less than $20 with tax. It's a bit short for SD but i think when using a knife in an SD situation, it's more about intimidation than actual injury - make yourself look like a bad target, i suppose. The Vapor is a great EDC, too - frame lock, clip, razor sharp out of the box, easy to sharpen... can't go wrong there.
 
A knife is a contact weapon, for it to be used you either have to let your attacker come into contact range or close with the attacker, neither is a very good idea. You have to remember that if you can touch your attacker then the attacker can touch you and is more likely to be (a) skilled in violence and (b) willing to perform violence.

Pepper spray is a distance weapon and can be used while maintaining distance, ie it can be used while retreating. Good sprays are effective up to 20 feet and are capable of several full power blasts. Distance is alway an advantage to the victim and you want to create as much as possible. Should the attack take place at close range a spray from point blank range into the face is devastating, the spray has enough velocity to do serious damage to the eyes and getting a mouthful or lungful is very unwelcome also.

Of course awareness is key as well, attacker don't go after someone who is alert, scanning their surroundings, paying attention to what is happening around them, they don't need to. There are plenty of people who play the role of victim very well, I see them all the time. They are the ones walking alone after dark with their IPod earbuds in, daydreaming as they walk along...these are the ones attackers prefer.
 
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No_b00st said:
It's a bit short for SD but i think when using a knife in an SD situation, it's more about intimidation than actual injury - make yourself look like a bad target, i suppose.
Click to expand...

A knife is a deadly weapon, in law and too often in fact. Intimidation is useless or escalating against real bad guys. Don't give tactical advice casually. People get hurt doing this sort of thing.
 
Hi to a fellow Oregon SW shopper! I agree wholeheartedly with the above cautions - sure, get a knife for general utility, but for SD stick with spray or, even better, training.

As far as Sportsman's, $20 and under is tough (I assume it's a gift card or employee discount situation). I second the KaBar Dozier recommendation. My local SW (Bend) doesn't have Spyderco Byrds yet, otherwise any of those would be a great choice at that price point. For utility at that price, also consider a Leatherman Micra.

Be sure to let us know what she goes with.
 
a pepper spray may not stop a bad guy. it can also blow back into your own face. i think a knife would be better than a pepper spray.
 
I think Esav has given the best advise here. You need to be well
trained to consider a knife as SD, if not it's gonna get you hurt, fast.

IMHO, pepper spray and fast foot work is the best way to go.
Spray and haul some ass!!
 
svrider3 said:
I think Esav has given the best advise here. You need to be well
trained to consider a knife as SD, if not it's gonna get you hurt, fast.
Click to expand...

i have to disagree here. a knife can cause incredible amounts of damage very quickly, even in untrained hands. i agree that training can take a person to a completely different level, but a knife in anyones hand is dangerous. if a woman has the intent and will to fight back, she will be able to use a weapon to devastating effect even with little training. i think perhaps we are underestimating how effective a knife really is?? even a very small blade like a box cutter can cause horrific damage to a person.

i like this michael janich clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PWmRWjDhYw

paul vunak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJGyxBgf0Is


pepper spray has disadvantages. as i mentioned, what if the wind brings it back into your face or you get some on you??? now you have to fight an attacker while suffering from the effects of pepper spray. what if you get a foam kind and spray your attacker, but he still manages to crash into you and now you have pepper spray foam all over yourself too?? pepper spray does not effect some people too, it may only anger them.
 
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You need to know your trainee. My sister was a weightlifter. She decked a guy in the street with one punch. Knife? Spray? Why bother?

Other women are too non-aggressive. Convincing them to wave a knife around or slash feebly at some psycho is worse than anything else they could do. No instinct, no training, no chance.
 
yes, they have to have the intent and will to fight back, otherwise no weapon will be useful to them.
 
smart choice. the thing is, many attackers won't back off when threatened by a little girl wielding a pocket knife. whether she's able to use it or not is besides the point. i know plenty of females that are capable of wooping on anybody using their hands, feet, and knives. however, many female college students have absolutely no idea how to use a knife properly in SD. people think that if you're holding a knife, you can now defend yourself. that is a myth. many attackers will still attack somebody even if they're holding a knife, and will then proceed to take the knife away and use it to their own advantage.

attacker+knife= really bad stuff.
 
knife in anyones hand is dangerous
Click to expand...

Rather than say is dangerous , I would say CAN BE dangerous.
It's a mindset , you have to have the mindset to say , f-it , at any cost I am getting out of this , and then fight with all you have. It is no time to freeze , showboat , be fancy , etc. Never use it to " intimidate ". That intimidation time can and more than likely will come back to haunt you.

Remember , anything can be used , there is no magic tool , you still have to have the skill , ability, will and mindset to use whatever it is. Your best tool is your brain , use it wisely.
 
Absintheur said:
A knife is a contact weapon, for it to be used you either have to let your attacker come into contact range or close with the attacker, neither is a very good idea. You have to remember that if you can touch your attacker then the attacker can touch you and is more likely to be (a) skilled in violence and (b) willing to perform violence.

Pepper spray is a distance weapon and can be used while maintaining distance, ie it can be used while retreating. Good sprays are effective up to 20 feet and are capable of several full power blasts. Distance is alway an advantage to the victim and you want to create as much as possible. Should the attack take place at close range a spray from point blank range into the face is devastating, the spray has enough velocity to do serious damage to the eyes and getting a mouthful or lungful is very unwelcome also.

Of course awareness is key as well, attacker don't go after someone who is alert, scanning their surroundings, paying attention to what is happening around them, they don't need to. There are plenty of people who play the role of victim very well, I see them all the time. They are the ones walking alone after dark with their IPod earbuds in, daydreaming as they walk along...these are the ones attackers prefer.
Click to expand...

***I am not a self defense instructor of any kind and the following is my opinion, not advice.

I think this post is the most logical advice in this thread (in addition to Esav's). I would much rather face an attacker that is blinded and on the retreat or hampered by trying to protect his eyes if he insists on still attacking, than an attacker who is able to close distance unhindered and attempt taking a knife from you or otherwise inflict damage. That being said, i've heard of cases in which drugs decrease pain sensitivity and render pepper spray ineffective against an attacker.

I EDC a knife and wouldn't even draw it unless faced with an absolute life or death situation. I wouldn't want to draw attention to a knife unless I was on the verge of serious injury or death because yes, the attacker might be skilled in disarming or might simply get lucky. I EDC a knife because I believe I know enough basics to retain the knife and use it simply and effectively in the worst case scenario. Nothing fancy here, I'm no knife fighting expert. My girlfriend however, has neither the training nor the mindset to use a knife in self-defense; I'd only buy her pepper spray (or some other non-lethal SD tool) because I could never forgive myself if I gave her a knife and it ended up being used on her. Even if she doesn't manage to get away after the initial blast or two, or isn't able to throw the canister out of reach and the attacker takes it and uses it on her...it's better than a pissed and cut attacker using the knife on her. Lesser of two evils, i'd say.

Now...if only I could get her to take some classes with me, then I'd feel even better.

If she knew how to use a knife, then it'd probably be a different story. I know a cop whose wife you would not want to mess with :D.

as many said above, your brain (and any training you have) is your best tool. Always be alert and avoid confrontation if possible.


*edit:
check out the practical and tactical sub-forum, they have good stuff there. I've already learned a ton since I posted this, and pepper spray might not be the best option.
 
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