What is a necker?

J

jebib

Joined
Apr 21, 2011
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166
I understand what it is. It appears from all the items for sale a very small knife that one can wear on a loop around the neck. But when one looks at them when they are for sale they appear to vary somewhat in size. Are there any generally accepted characteristics? For example a three finger would be a necker but a four finger wouldn't? Further are they generally considered limited to a back-up self defense carry? I understand there are many reasons why one would own one but when you hear that someone wants one is that the first thing that generally comes to mind?
 
Somewhere in the old Esee forum is a pic of a guy carrying his junglas necker-style :D

Edit: found it
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...glas-as-a-Necker?highlight=Junglas+neck+knife

I think guys wear them so they can have an inconspicuous fixed blade on them, but I don't find them to be very convenient... And if it's not convenient, it's not particularly useful, for myself anyway, obviously others see it differently :)
 
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Any knife you wear on a lanyard or whatever around you neck is a "necker". I just recently bought the Condor necker with the sheepsfoot blade. I took it along on a recent canoe trip to get used to it. The funny thing is that nobody even noticed the little blade/sheath dangling from my neck. Maybe they thought it was some kind of "wallet" or religious article. ?? But I noticed that I always kept reaching for my SAK when I needed a knife. So, their utility is somewhat up in the air for me.
 
To be a necker, it only needs to be worn around your neck. Preferably comfortably.
 
jebib said:
Are there any generally accepted characteristics? For example a three finger would be a necker but a four finger wouldn't?
Click to expand...

Nothing really generally accepted beyond "small fixed blade". (I doubt a folder in a neck sheath would count, though someone will disagree with me!)

I've seen both inverted and tip-down carry knives worn around the neck.

No reason why you couldn't wear a four-finger knife around your neck. You might not want to for weight reasons, but it would be a necker.

jebib said:
I understand there are many reasons why one would own one but when you hear that someone wants one is that the first thing that generally comes to mind?
Click to expand...

I think of woodsbumming more than self-defense. (A mercharness, that's for self-defense.)

The first thing that comes to mind for me is my Murray Carter necker. Just big enough to get a decent grip, thin and light, kydex inverted sheath. I wear it around my neck (with a break-away fastener on the paracord) or slipped into a pocket. I use it all the time in the kitchen because it's such a great slicer, and always on me. Neck carry is great when you can't necessarily get to your pockets (e.g., seated), or you're already carrying another knife that's not suitable for the current task!

I personally wouldn't carry anything bigger or heavier than my Carter, but I'm surprised at how useful it is.

i-nnqvKCr-XL.jpg
 
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I only call a knife a necker if it's small and skeletonized. I realize there are plenty called a neck knife that have handles, but to me they are small fixed blades.
 
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