Choosing a Self Defense Knife

[tellner]

Reasonable adults don't define away the opposition by announcing that everyone on the other side isn't a "reasonable adult".

 

[lklawson]

We're talking about reasonable adults.


Reasonable adults.......do not carry knives!

Ummmm... What?

I'm sorry, but you need to justify that statement. Why on earth do you think that rReasonable adults wouldn't carry a knife? Please explain.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[BLACK LION]

Reasonable adults do not demonize inanimate objects that have many practical uses, only one of which is inflicting damage to another human.

very good post



A knife is a labor saving device that any reasonable and responsible adult SHOULD carry. It has a multitude of uses that do not revolve around killing or maiming or anything related. It is not a "weapon" for "self defense".... at least not to this unreasonable adult. I can efffectively deploy it to cut a hanging passenger from a seatbelt just the same as cut throught the subclavian artery on a murderous sociopath. It does what I want when I want... it doesnt just do it by itself. I dont wake up everyday thinking about putting my blade into people when I attach it to my belt. I dont think about anything really. I understand what its for but also understand what it could be used for outside of whats normal or social.

Yes a knife is a device that gives us access to vital targets within humans and animals that our bodies alone cannot afford us... Its deployment against man or beast is strictly to take its life force away... It is not self defense... it is iminent danger to life and instinctive response to survive...
the moral-social-legal issue of self defense is long gone and that reasoning is moot. If a knife is used on another being its for one reason only and self defense is not one of them. It would never be my argument because there would be no argument. I do not don a knife or carry knives to kill people... it is not my intent to adorn myself with "weapons" for "self defense"... my mind and body are my weapons and self defense is only an issue during social conflict in which its much easier to subtract my self or evaporate.

its not about irrational people carrying weapons for self defense but rational, responsible people carrying tools with an intimate knowledge of thier usage and boundaries.
Too often do I see the term self defense used in conjuction with knives and firearms... you do not take life out of self defense. You take life to take life and rational and responsible people take life so that themselves and others may survive. Its called preservation.



forgive my rant, my first post was lost when my internet crashed.

 

[Rich Parsons]

We're talking about reasonable adults.


Reasonable adults.......do not carry knives!

I never claimed to be a reasonable adult.

I do use reason, and can present points in making an arguement.

I also do not have offspring so in some cultures I may not be considered an adult, while in others I coudl be considered a senior at my current middle age.

Well, I'm a usually reasonable adult........and I carry a knife.

I have since I was eight. As a seventh generation sailor, a knife is an absolute necessity, and, while I'm pretty far from the ocean most of the time, I still carry a knife. In the course of a day I might use it to open packages, cut ropes or other things, even slice fruit-all things that all of the knives in the OP could be used for. While I haven't needed one for self-defense in a very long time, I have been trained to use one. The one time I could have used one, but was without one (because I was in NYC, and it "could lead to trouble") I wound up making do with a pen. Since then, I've rarely been without one, and that was almost 30 years ago........

Elder,

I have been rarely with out one as well. I travel for work on planes. I have traveled around the globe on business as well, asn always check the local laws if possible for knife carry and or posession.

One might consider that reasonable, and others might think I am just being "RICH.

I believe I'm generally considered a reasonable person. And a gentleman.

I tend to carry at least one knife. Often 2; one general use folding knife, and one multi-tool.

I know quite a few other folk, men and women, who are reasonable and who carry knives.

JKS,

While I aspire to be a gentlemen, I will let others determine that based upon my actions. But, I agree that having an item or not having an item would not preclude someone from being a gentlemen or a reasonable person.

My favorite carry right now "looks" scary. But, once it is explained to those who question, I usually get lots of questions, of styles of blades.

Maybe not in your suburb. About 25% of the male population of the town I lived in for the past 10 years carried a knife. During hunting season the very common folding knife was supplanted by very common sheath knives.

Sorry disregard, I just realized I carry both a knife and a multi-tool, I must not be reasonable.

Blinside, SHHH, We both are not reasonable, but at least we can not be reasonable together. Like reasonable men, we can discuss our points and make a statement and afterwards go drink a beer.

Reasonable adults do not demonize inanimate objects that have many practical uses, only one of which is inflicting damage to another human.

Hmmm, the object is not the issue? But, but but but, ... , . Ok KT, I cannot disagreenor counter point your reasonable statement.

Reasonable adults don't define away the opposition by announcing that everyone on the other side isn't a "reasonable adult".

But it is the standard arguement taught today in politics et al, so I can see why it is presented, only like you find the same issues.

Ummmm... What?

I'm sorry, but you need to justify that statement. Why on earth do you think that rReasonable adults wouldn't carry a knife? Please explain.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

fightingpower,

I have been told reasonable adults do not practice martial arts. You do. Are you reasonable?

I have been told that reasonable people do not ....
Are you reasonable?

Perception, understanding, culture, morals, ethics, and personal experience all help us define ourselves, but broad terms used in general by public are much harder to define, for so many people define it to their small sub group and then apply it to the rest of the population.

That would be like say 1, 2, & 3 are all prime so all numbers are prime.

 

[lklawson]

I have been told reasonable adults do not practice martial arts. You do. Are you reasonable?

Slowly-by-slowly. I'm getting to that.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[KenpoGuy21]

Just wondering what you guys thought about the JIM WAGNER REALITY BASED BLADE (SERRATIONS)

http://www.jimwagnerrealitybased.com/homelinkboker.html

http://store.jimwagnerrealitybased.com/jimwagnerrealitybasedbladeserrations.aspx

This knife looks cool and I like the false pen tip since I will be wearing it with slacks most of the time.

Thoughts?

 

[seasoned]

looks reasonable to me.

 

[Carol]

Personally I think $89.95 is a bit much for 440C knife made in Taiwan.

Be careful with serrated blades. They are extremely difficult to sharpen and have a tendency to get snagged on whatever is being cut.

But if you'r primarily interested in how it looks it may serve your purpose well.

 

[lklawson]

Just wondering what you guys thought about the JIM WAGNER REALITY BASED BLADE (SERRATIONS)

http://www.jimwagnerrealitybased.com/homelinkboker.html

http://store.jimwagnerrealitybased.com/jimwagnerrealitybasedbladeserrations.aspx

This knife looks cool and I like the false pen tip since I will be wearing it with slacks most of the time.

Thoughts?

If you want cool looking, buy a nice pattern welded ("Damascus") blade. They're absolutely beautiful. If you want function, then define your function.

This particular knife looks to be good in the thrust but, because of the shape of the point, concave serrated "inner edge," and lack of a cutting "belly" it looks to be an underperformer in slicing style cuts.

Plus, the fact that it has two "blood groves" (I kid you not, that's what the Copy say) some red flags are waving at me. Why the heck do you need fullers on a knife only a couple of inches long and weighing only a couple of ounces?

"Gladius Tip"???? The tip profile is only vaguely similar to a gladius tip due to the fact that Mr. Wagner's design isn't symmetric.

Same with a lot of the other "design features."

Buy the knife if you want, I'm sure it will function as a knife and thrusts quite well. I think I can be just as effective with my trusty old Schrade SW7 at a fraction of the cost.

Just looks way over hyped to me.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[tellner]

As an engineering type, my first question is always
"What problem are you trying to solve?"

The next one is
"Is the problem real, and does it need to be solved?"

Only then
"What would solve it?"

Finding "solutions" and looking for things to point them at is usually the wrong way to do things.

As Carol and Kirk have pointed out the problem you are solving here is more related to image than safety. There isn't anything wrong with that as long as you're being honest with yourself. And it's less expensive than an SUV or a closet full of shoes and handbags.

 

[KenpoGuy21]

Great feedback about the JIM WAGNER REALITY BASED BLADE. THANKS.

I was mainly going to use it for thrusting (if needed). I want to carry it on me at all times while riding the train or walking the city streets at night (no joke). I'm a Kempo Black belt and I've be stabbed 4 times (not bragging, just a fact). I just want to carry a knife so if it (getting jumped a knife point) ever happens again, it will be an even fight. Trust me, I don't look for trouble sometime it just can't be avoided. The reason I was concerned about the look was ONLY because of the false pen tip which would work well in a pair of slacks that I'm normally wearing when riding the train home from work.

I found it with a plain edge on another site for $50. What do you think.

Here is a link to the plain edge version maybe this would be better for my needs. The price on the link its higher then I found it elsewhere so disregard that, think of it as a $50 knife.

Now what do you think?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

JIM WAGNER REALITY BASED BLADE (PLAIN EDGE)
http://store.jimwagnerrealitybased.com/jimwagnerrealitybasedbladeplainedge.aspx

 

[KenpoTex]

There are better knives out there for the money...look at the Spyderco Endura, Delica, or Centofante, the Benchmades, particularly the Griptilian, or something from SOG or Cold Steel.

 

[Carol]

Ouch. Very sorry to hear about those encounters KenpoGuy. :asian:

I agree with KenpoTex. If you go with one of the other knives....the Spydercos in particular can be found for around $50, you're getting a better blade for the money, with better steel. Personally, I carry a Spyderco Delica with me and I've used it for cutting many different things (I moved recently so my blade got a solid workout...lol) and it held its edge phenomenally well.

In addition, the Delica (3" blade) and the Endura (4" blade) also have a trainer version available if you want to practice safely. There are many Kenpo techniques that adapt easily to the blade.

Truthfully, I'm not sure if the false pen tip is going to disguise the blade that well. I could be wrong, but I think most folks that know what a folder looks like are going to recognize a clip that size on someone's pocket. If your state laws permit, you may want to consider keeping the blade completely in your pocket.

Good luck and stay safe out there.

 

[BLACK LION]

Those boker knives look cool but are faily cheapo... some can be had for as little as 5.00 and they remind me of those m-tech brand blades you find in the sporting good stores.

there are better knives out there for 50.00 and sometimes less... cold steel- sog- kershaw- crkt-

I found a kelley mccann crucible by blackhawk for 75% off at galls... cost me 54.00 and normally runs 200.00....

shop around

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Benchmade is definitely a way to go.

 

[lklawson]

I found it with a plain edge on another site for $50. What do you think.

I still don't like the concave inner edge but if you're just looking for a thruster that should be irrelevant.

Personally, for a thrusting knife I'd go with a classic Stiletto profile blade but you have to work harder to find one that's quick opening and still legal (I assume that your location, like most, "Automatic Knives" are illegal). They thrust like nobody's business and still have a functional edge (though not a strong a "cutter" as something with a lot of belly).

Again, if your desired function is specifically to the thrust, then this knife should perform well enough for what you want.

Peace favor your sword (IH),
Kirk

 

[BLACK LION]

what about the steve corkum first strike from crkt??? outstnading blade at discounted price. I carry one of these daily

 

[lklawson]

what about the steve corkum first strike from crkt??? outstnading blade at discounted price. I carry one of these daily

It has the advantage of being a fixed blade but has the disadvantage of being a fixed blade.

Personally, I hate the "american tanto" point. But they're string thrusters.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[sgtmac_46]

As an engineering type, my first question is always
"What problem are you trying to solve?"

The next one is
"Is the problem real, and does it need to be solved?"

Only then
"What would solve it?"

Finding "solutions" and looking for things to point them at is usually the wrong way to do things.

As Carol and Kirk have pointed out the problem you are solving here is more related to image than safety. There isn't anything wrong with that as long as you're being honest with yourself. And it's less expensive than an SUV or a closet full of shoes and handbags.

Agreed......I tend to have the same view. There are way too many solutions without a problem.

 

[sgtmac_46]

I'm a big Benchmade fan for folders.......and CRKT knives are excellent for the money.

My favorite carry folder is the Benchmade Presidio 5000.......which, unfortunately, isn't civilian legal for the idiot reason it's an auto........but I do love that knife! http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=5000

They do make a non-auto version called the 520.



As has probably been noted, folders are a compromise blade......except for concealment, a fixed blade is superior. As serious fixed blade utility/self-defense knives go (while still being relatively concealable) I like the Kershaw ZT. http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=7&brand=zt

Of course if concealability isn't an issue.........just go buy a Cold Steal Trailmaster.