What is up with the Raja II?

Took mine to work the yard a bit. Did what a small chopper can do, trimmed the branches and still shave. What more can you ask for in a folding blade?



 
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b yond said:
As someone who usually CCWs, I've grown accustomed to carrying the Rajah2 when I'm going somehwere I can't legally take my firearm. The handle sticking out of my pocket has only been commented on once, and even then the person commenting had no idea how big it actually is.

I don't think knives make good defensive weapons, but the Rajah 2 gets closer than most. I don't claim to be a knife fighter or a defense expert, but these are the pros I see:

-Decent concealment
-Fast, reliable one-handed deployment
-Strong lock
-Functional blade shape for thrusting, slashing, and chopping
-Good reach

I've never used mine as a weapon, but I have used it a lot in yard work and misc big knife duties where I would usually use a fixed blade or machete. It has never let me down. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it.
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Not trying to pick on you man but, I do want to ask you something since you mentioned it. Why don't you think knives make good defensive weapons? I am truly interested, not trolling here, so I would really like to know.
 
Eightleggedfreak said:
Not trying to pick on you man but, I do want to ask you something since you mentioned it. Why don't you think knives make good defensive weapons? I am truly interested, not trolling here, so I would really like to know.
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No harm in asking. :)

Keep in mind, this is all personal opinion, but are these some of the reasons I don't think knives make good defensive weapons:
-limited range
-limited penetration
-(perceived) likelyhood of being injured before stopping an attack (either from the attack or from grappling with a knife involved)
-leverage/balance requirement for effective use (meaning it's hard to defend yourself with a knife while running away or otherwise off balance)
-hand and upper body strength requirement

That said, a knife is still a more effective defensive weapon (IMHO) than a lot of other things people carry for such purposes, and a Rajah 2 seems like it would be more effective than a Peanut.

All this is just opinion of course. I'm not an expert.
 
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b yond said:
No harm in asking. :)

Keep in mind, this is all personal opinion, but are these some of the reasons I don't think knives make good defensive weapons:
-limited range
-limited penetration
-(perceived) likelyhood of being injured before stopping an attack (either from the attack or from grappling with a knife involved)
-leverage/balance requirement for effective use (meaning it's hard to defend yourself with a knife while running away or otherwise off balance)
-hand and upper body strength requirement
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Also the legal ramifications. You pepper spray a dude in defense it's one thing, you leave the guy disemboweled with a bigass knife, it's another.

Also, this link covers knives as a bad defensive weapon rather thoroughly:
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/knifelies.html
 
Derek the Destroyer said:
But In a truly life threatening situation, isn't it most effective when it is unseen by the would be attacker?
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Depends. There's certainly some "would-be attackers" who wouldn't be attackers if the the potential victim was clearly armed. An easily concealed blade could theoretically surprise an assailant during an attack(assuming you could get it drawn, opened, etc while being attacked), but an obvious blade could deter the attack in the first place.
 
DShiflet said:
Depends. There's certainly some "would-be attackers" who wouldn't be attackers if the the potential victim was clearly armed. An easily concealed blade could theoretically surprise an assailant during an attack(assuming you could get it drawn, opened, etc while being attacked), but an obvious blade could deter the attack in the first place.
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It's a bit off topic but this happened to a friend of mine who had trouble with 3 drunk guys at a gas station once. He had a CS AK-47 poking noticeably out of his front pocket. He recalled the chief antagonist pondering him from a few feet away as he paid for his gas, his eyes returning repeatedly to the knife. The amusing part of the story (when he told it, anyway) was the way you could see the gears turning in this simple guy's head as he sized the situation up. "3 on 1, good. Big knife in pocket. Bad. Maybe not. Default to angry glare & let pass." I don't like folders that are too visible when in pocket but it can be a good thing in rare instances.
 
singularity35 said:
If I had to.pull.out my rajah, id want it to be threatening. In fact, id want it to be dominating. Oh, and I can carry anything I want in the way of knives with no.fear of jail time so.I don't really care about.it being threatening. :p

Oh yah, and I have a few other knives when I don't want to be threatening.
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It's a big piece that's for sure.
 
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b yond said:
I've found that the Spyderco Bug makes a great companion blade to the Rajah 2.
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Opposites attract right?... ;):D


I love my Rajah II and would enjoy owning a Rajah I as well. My RII has been used extensively as a trail clearing tool because of it's ease of carry. It chops better than any folder should IMO and you'd need to carry a fixed blade the size of a Swamp Rat Rodent 9 to get the same reach...

I've had to hand sand/satin the entire blade as the bead blast finish was getting quite rusty and too much gunk & sap was sticking to the blade. It's a fair bit better now and I've repeated the sanding process a few times - it makes for an easy clean up when she gets looking tough!

IMAG0325_zpsc3d33ddd.jpg
 
Only time I've pulled a knife for self-defense. Bar owner confronted me in the parking lot.(now convicted pedophile and convicted of trying to kill his wife). Anyway, told me "he was going to kick my ass". Apparently didn't mean he, himself, cause he motioned to his bodyguard and several of his buddies(white supremacist's) began advancing from about 25 ft away. I pulled my Bob Lum tanto from my back pocket and quietly deployed keeping weapon down by my leg. Backing up slowly to my car about 40 yds away. 2 guys fanned out right, 2 left and the big guy coming straight at me. Two to the right tried to get behind me. A friend who had heard the commotion walked with me guarding my back. Got to the car(big relief), started it and then closed my weapon. Big guy still 20 ft or something away. First time he saw the knife. Eyes almost bugged out of his head. But then he started toward me again. Pulled the .45 stashed in the door storage. Now, he looked surprised when he saw the knife. Terrorfied when he saw the Colt. They scattered like quail. Got in the car and left.

Some lessons.


1. Don't deploy your weapon just for show. Somebody might have you outgunned
2. Always give the other guy a way out. That includes me.
3. A knife is a last resort.
4. Self defense is just that. Don't get all Macho. It can get you killed. Or at least in prison.

And several other points but just remember pulling a knife can be a life or death type thing.

Sorry for the long, and probably off topic post. First time I have shared that story.
 
sirupatespecial said:
Only time I've pulled a knife for self-defense. Bar owner confronted me in the parking lot.(now convicted pedophile and convicted of trying to kill his wife). Anyway, told me "he was going to kick my ass". Apparently didn't mean he, himself, cause he motioned to his bodyguard and several of his buddies(white supremacist's) began advancing from about 25 ft away. I pulled my Bob Lum tanto from my back pocket and quietly deployed keeping weapon down by my leg. Backing up slowly to my car about 40 yds away. 2 guys fanned out right, 2 left and the big guy coming straight at me. Two to the right tried to get behind me. A friend who had heard the commotion walked with me guarding my back. Got to the car(big relief), started it and then closed my weapon. Big guy still 20 ft or something away. First time he saw the knife. Eyes almost bugged out of his head. But then he started toward me again. Pulled the .45 stashed in the door storage. Now, he looked surprised when he saw the knife. Terrorfied when he saw the Colt. They scattered like quail. Got in the car and left.

Some lessons.


1. Don't deploy your weapon just for show. Somebody might have you outgunned
2. Always give the other guy a way out. That includes me.
3. A knife is a last resort.
4. Self defense is just that. Don't get all Macho. It can get you killed. Or at least in prison.

And several other points but just remember pulling a knife can be a life or death type thing.

Sorry for the long, and probably off topic post. First time I have shared that story.
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Glad you had the Colt with you.:thumbup:
 
The Raja and the Espada series are niche knives that are a novelty to MOST people because they don't personally have a use for such a tool but it's cool anyway. HOWEVER they're very practical as compact folding machetes. If one is in need of a stowable ultra-compact chopping knife then they do a great job.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The Raja and the Espada series are niche knives that are a novelty to MOST people because they don't personally have a use for such a tool but it's cool anyway. HOWEVER they're very practical as compact folding machetes. If one is in need of a stowable ultra-compact chopping knife then they do a great job.
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I agree with all you said 42 except for the compact part... :p

Even when folded the above knives are still pretty huge. :D;)
 
b yond said:
No harm in asking. :)

Keep in mind, this is all personal opinion, but are these some of the reasons I don't think knives make good defensive weapons:
-limited range
-limited penetration
-(perceived) likelyhood of being injured before stopping an attack (either from the attack or from grappling with a knife involved)
-leverage/balance requirement for effective use (meaning it's hard to defend yourself with a knife while running away or otherwise off balance)
-hand and upper body strength requirement

That said, a knife is still a more effective defensive weapon (IMHO) than a lot of other things people carry for such purposes, and a Rajah 2 seems like it would be more effective than a Peanut.

All this is just opinion of course. I'm not an expert.
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Thank you for answering. I appreciate your response.
 
b yond said:
(meaning it's hard to defend yourself with a knife while running away or otherwise off balance)
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That's true with a gun as well.
Have you ever tried shooting while running, or even walking fast?
I'll sum it up this way: innocent bystanders beware!
Or, to put it another way, you can reuse that target again.
 
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