[David]

My friend, I recently retired LEO, is cleaning out some of his old LE stuff as he is planning to move to Florida soon.

He showed me a neck knife you used to wear while on patrol -- he called it his "backup -- backup -- backup weapon" !:p

It is a really cool looking knife -- a Emerson La Griffe in excellent condition -- it is covered in a black finish -- it is pretty small -- and I like the design of it.

My friend says he will sell it to me for a good price, if I want it.

Since I am left handed, will the standard La Griffe work for me (it seems to fit my hand correctly)?

Other than neck carry, can the La Griffe be carried in any other way?

Do anyone carry the La Griffe, or other type of neck knife?

:confused: :what: :confused:

Thanks...

[JShirley]

Emerson is a good company. I personally am not too crazy about neck knives, for a few reasons. One, they're automatically concealed. Two, they will be seen as a dedicated weapon. Three, accessing when needed may be more difficult than other locations.

If you're going to get a neck knife regardless, you could do worse. For me, though, I would prefer a "pocket knife" that looks more innocent.

John

[David]

Thanks, John.

If I do get it, I was thinking about using it as a possible "backup" to my everyday carry handgun and my everyday carry Benchmade pocket clip knife.

I found a photo of what the La Griffe looks like:

[VaughnT]

The Claw is an excellent design and I would certainly recommend it for a back up weapon. As John mentioned, however, getting to a neck knife is difficult. As a last resort, it's certainly better than nothing and I haven't seen another design that I thought was as good as the La Griffe.

Get it and you won't be sorry. If you don't like it, let me know and we can talk....

[Don Gwinn]

I'm going to disagree a bit here. I like the concealment of a neck knife. concealment, remember, is not always a legal issue. In Illinois, for instance, the knife laws are based on the type and size of knife you carry with no mention of whether it is concealed.

Access is a problem, true enough. Under an untucked shirt, like a t-shirt, I've never had trouble simply sweeping my hand up under the shirt and getting to the knife that way, but in a fight, that would not be so simple. With a button-down shirt, daily access is hampered, but in a defensive situation you'd want to thrust your hand in there and pop the buttons if necessary. If you're in enough trouble to need your knife, who would care? Even that can miss under pressure, though.

On the other hand, once your hand is on the knife, it's deployed and ready to go, which you can't say about "pocket knives." A folder requires its own manipulations, and just like getting to the neck knife, they aren't as easy under stress as they are in your living room.

I've carried both, so I'm not trying to recommend against either one. But I'd give the neck knife a try. You might even find that, for you, it's easier than a folder in a defensive situation. And if you're carrying both, you haven't lost the positive attributes of the folder anyway.

[krept]

I too like the La Griffe and bought something similar - CRKT's Bear Claw.

IMO the Hideaway Knife (http://www.hideawayknife.com/main.php) is the best for this concept as it's size allows it to fit into smaller places (not necessarily a dedicated neck knife). Here (http://www.hideawayknife.com/sizecomparison.jpg) is a comparison of one next to an Emerson with I think Spyderco's entry in between... Plus, they are custom made for perfect fit.

fwiw,
cheers

[Prodigalshooter]

Access to a neck knife will always be problematic, but it is an excellant way to carry if you're wearing certain types of clothing that don't/can't lend themselves to having a knife in your pocket. If a situation seems possibly threatening, one can slip the button on a dress shirt in anticipation of use, then it can be drawn pretty quickly and has a great element of surprise. If you're wrestling around on the ground, it's not gonna help, I agree.
Neck carry is a very specialized "niche" tool, not for everyday use, unless you can wear it in the open. My .02

[David]

Thanks for the info.

Some questions:

-- His La Griffe comes with a "ball-type" neck chain. Is this type of chain stong enough to secure sheath properly if you had to pull the knife out quickly/hard, or should you use a different type of chain or cord instead?

-- Do they make a belt sheath for the La Griffe, or is the neck sheath the only option available?

-- If I decide not to buy the La Griffe, and my retired LEO takes it to Florida with him, is it okay for him to carry it concealed under his shirt, or would he have to get a Florida CCW permit to do so?

:confused: :what: :confused:

Thanks...

[13.45]

the emerson is certainly a quality knife, and i bet you'd be very pleased with it. as for the neck knife in general, two thoughts come to mind:

first, a necker with a quality kydex or concealex sheath can serve very well as a pocket knife. it's easy to fashion a static cord (from a piece of paracord or similar) that will allow you to draw directly from the pocket with one hand, and their handy size adapts well to many daily tasks

also, given current prices, a necker can be an ideal way to enjoy a custom knife from a well-known maker without breaking the bank :)

[Flipster]

One advantage of the ball-type or "dog tag" chain is that it will break away given enough force.....like that being used to choke you. Yes, I know, we should avoid being in that position....use the knife or another weapon, but sometimes stuff happens....or you just get snagged on something.

The para or "550" cord is so strong it won't break away.....


I use the Lagriffe, have for about 8 months now. The CRKT is nice, the sheath is just a bit large....Camillus makes a longer bladed neck knife with a nice thin sheath, but I really like the finger hole which can help keep your hands from sliding onto the blade, especially with blood or sweat around.

[mercop]

Although I don't yet have a La Griffe being the proud owner of a Commander I can say that anything Emerson is high speed. That said I carry three neck knife. One is the formentioned Bear Claw which I find the issued scales too bulky so I rewrapped it with 550. The second is the Spyderco SPOT which has awesome ergonomics. The last and my favorite is a Livesay Woo which as far as I am concerned is the best blade you can buy for $25. It I simply done and is a good SD blade and task knife.

[Guyon]

I have a Camillus Cuda that I like a lot. Had a guy put some custom G-10 scales on it. Would love to have the AG Russell version in D2 steel.

[krept]

Hey, thanks for the idea on wrapping the Bear Claw! I didn't like the scales either.

cheers

[Soap]

I'm wearing a BK-11 Becker Necker right now. It is a great utility blade and one I would recommend. It comes with a nice Teklok ready Kydex sheath. It is very secure. Of course I think of this neck knife as more tool than weapon. But if it had to be pressed into service I'm sure it would do okay.

[David]

Yes, I did purchase the La Griffe from my friend.

:D :p :D

I am not sure what I will do with it, but it is at least part of my "tactical" collection!

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Erik]

I'm quite fond of the D2 Arclite available only through AG Russell.

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/production/a_through_d/camillus/camillus_arclite_neck_knife_plain_edge.html

[commygun]

One advantage of the CRKT Bear Claws bulky sheath is that it gives
it considerable utility for pocket carry. Slip your index finger into the
hole while pushing on the top of the sheath with your thumb and you can present the knife quickly from a concealed and accessable location. I also
like the bulky grip on this knife though it does of course make it less
suitable for a neck knife. By the way, these serrated claw knives are
great for cutting carpet as I found out when I was stretching mine the
other day:)

[Scarface]

I've been intrigued by neck knives, but have avoided them because of the cost. I found a cheap version ($10.00) to try and liked it. I'm going to be carrying them on my web site as a convenience to customers. It's not great steel but it's functional.

Be well,

Scarface

[Scarface]

Please forget my last post. I just went out to do some yard work using the cheap neck knife. The ergonomics are OK, but the blade isn't so hot. I believe I'll swallow the cost and not offer these for sale.

My Apologies,

Scarface

[Mannlicher]

Neck knives, for me, are a back up to a back up. I like them, and carry one often. While I prefer other knife types, its comforting to some degree, to know that that little AG Russell Woodswalker is handy. If you don't have one of these, you owe it to yourself to buy one.