[Davy Crockett]

I just picked one of these up and I have always carried folders like boker, case. When I saw this knife at the gun show I had to have it. It is a serious last ditch defense weapon. Scary!!!! I would of never thought blades like this existed for just this purpose. Anyone have any info or stories regarding this particular knife. Is it a good knife?

[mp510]

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=60

Looks like a nasty blade- that's for certain. I guess it's good if your looking for a knife that's almost purely a last ditch weapon, but would have limited practical value as a tool IMHO.

[cnorman18]

I just got a Civilian a couple of weeks ago myself, and I love it. I keep it clipped next to my belt buckle, and I don't use it for anything; I carry a Case Mini-Trapper for a working knife. I think it's the best pure defense knife there is. It was supposedly developed as a defense knife for people (specifically, cops) who had no training in martial arts.

You HAVE to get James Keating's instructional DVD, though. This knife is a lot meaner than it looks, and that's pretty damn mean. You can order it by phone for $30, free shipping, and it gets delivered very quickly:

http://www.modernknives.com/catalog.htm

About an hour of instruction, pretty condensed. I've only watched it once, but I was very impressed. Enough stuff in there to take months, at least, to practice and get good at. Production values are strictly kitchen-table, but it's well worth the 30 bucks anyway. It was even recommended on the flyer that came with my knife from Spyderco.

Suffice it to say that Keating will show you how to do things with this knife that you've never heard of nor thought about. Brrr. NASTY things. I've never been that mad at anybody in my whole life--but it's good to know how to do them if I ever need to. I doubt I'll ever be without it again.

[hso]

Yep.

Sal Glessser of Spyderco created the knife to be a last ditch defensive tool for cops who have gone H2H with a BG. He envisioned the officer struggling to keep control of his sidearm and only having a moment to pull a knife to get the BG off. He envisioned a knife that would be easy to grip in the off hand fist that would have a blade shape that would strike easily and bite in. Out of that came the Civilian.

[Davy Crockett]

Mp510 for general use I use my Boker trapper. The civilian is last ditch protection. Thanks for the info to all others as well. Please send more info if you will. Real life stories too.
Thanks,
Chris

[feedthehogs]

My friend came over one day and was fooling around with mine while I was occupied cleaning a gun.

Some how his finger got caught between the blade and the body while closing it.
Just the weight of the blade itself falling to a closing position cut his finger down to the bone and made a friggin mess on my wood floor.

One nasty blade on that knife.

[gravis86]

Funny, a friend of mine did the exact same thing with my Spyderco. He was letting gravity close it and the weight of the blade went right through his finger. The ironic part is that he works in a knife store and is supposed to know better than to put a finger in front of a moving blade.

[Dravur]

But, I believe the Civilian is rarely legal to carry as the blade length is such that it violates various places laws. They also created a knife that they used to ONLY sell to LEOs called the Matriarch. I think they now sell that one to civvies as well and it has a slightly shorter blade to get it into more jurisdictions.

[cnorman18]

The Civilian's blade is 4 1/8". Legal limit in Texas is 5 1/2". The Matriarch's blade was shorter, but I believe it's out of production.

[Rexster]

Yes, a Civie should be legal in Texas, being well under the blade length limit, and obviously not a Bowie, dirk, dagger, poniard, etc. I carry one daily to be used only for its designed purpose. I used to carry two Civies, but I now carry a Tarani Master Model folding karambit where one of the Civies used to ride.

[CWL]

I've carried mine as a pure SD knife for the past year along with a separate EDC for performing chores with.

I haven't seen James Keating's DVD (gotta remember to order it), but a hookbill knife is useful for control techniques and throws by anyone who has studdied grappling styles of MA. The "s" swell of the blade makes it usefull for both slashing & push cuts.

Another hawkbill I like very much is the Spydie Tasman Salt. The H1 steel does not contain carbon so it will never rust. I have the plain blade with bright yellow scales. The color makes it look more like a tool than a SD knife and I have brought it back to hair popping sharp several times now using my Sharpmaker.

[Davy Crockett]

I ordered the James Keatings video today. I also called several agencies and they told me it was legal to carry, but one officer told me ( Thats the baddest blade I have ever seen and he also said hope you never have to use it but if you do damn). Get some training, he said get the James Keating video. Please guys keep telling me stories you have.
Thanks,
Chris

[Davy Crockett]

Guys I just watched the movie by Keating on the Civilian, scary what can come from a persons mind to defend yourself. I believe to survive, its whatever it takes. Fight or flight. Very good material. I will be picking up another Civilian tomorrow. I am hooked, no pun intended.

[cnorman18]

I liked it, too. Keating reminds me of a friend of mine--nice, personable fellow with a friendly smile, but not somebody you'd want to tick off. The kind of guy who could quarter you like a steer and never have his heart rate go over 72.

My friend was a Vietnam vet who was involved in a thing called Phoenix. Took out a lot of VC, mostly with a knife. I found out about his 2 Silver Stars from his wife--he never mentioned 'em. Little guy, but just a bit spooky--and more than a bit haunted.

He once told me, "It's not like in the movies, man. Don't ever take a life unless you have to. I can still see the face of every man I ever killed."

Words to live by, I guess.