Best SD carry knife.

[ihopewewin]

Well I posted a week or two ago about carrying an auto benchmade but a few thought it wouldn't be a good idea to carry one for SD because of possible spring failure. So i'm looking for any opinions on a sd every day carry knife. Limiations has to be 4 inches or under and under 100 bucks. Anything else is pretty much fair game. Thanks for any time/effort but into researching a choice for me! Ive looked around myself including a gun show but havent found anything that I would want to throw down 100 bucks for.

 

[CWL]

Are there any particluar martial arts or strict blade styles you have studied?

Kinda hard recommending a "Best" if we don't have any clues what your abilities are. Are you a stabber, a slasher? How would you carry the knife? How would you hold the knife: hammer, sabre, thumb-forward, ice pick, reverse?

Truthfully, there is no such thing as "best", only good knives that can be applied easily to complement your style.

 

[Pax Jordana]

If you're gonna shell out hella bucks for an auto benchmade, you will almost never need to worry about spring failures. I mean, you might be that 0.01 per cent, but the odds don't favor it (obviously!)

If I had to use a knife on somebody I'd carry the biggest one I could pack - remember, range is your friend. So my recommendation goes to a six-inch Ti-Lite. I own one in Zytel, though rarely have I carried it (it's lousy for utility and hard to 'hide') but it'll certainly do the job on whatever you put it against. If it really really really has to be 4 inches or less, get the 4-inch version. Check it out on the cold steel site - I'm pretty sure they still have the cool video up of how to use the quillions like a wave!

I'd spout about how using a knife for SD isn't very bright, but you gotta run what you brung.. jeez, who do I sound like.. I find that the Kershaw Blur (~$50? at walmart?) is a really nice AO that has served me well as a utility knife and, if pressed, would work sufficiently on a person as well. And it has thumb studs so in the unlikely event of a spring failure you can open it manually!

 

[hso]

There is no "best" knife for any purpose, including self defense.

As CWL said, what have you studied? If you haven't studied using a knife for SD what other forms of SD have you studied? If you haven't studied SD then what forms of sport do you regularly participate in?

 

[ihopewewin]

I have not studied any form of fighting besides high school wrestling for a little. I carry the knife for SD because that's basically the best tool I can use atm because i'm not able to get a CWP yet. I also carry the 2 ounce Fox labs OC. I currently own the kershaw blur which was a great knife, but the spring has failed and I can't ship it in without the original receipt it would also take 5-6 weeks to get back to me which would be over a month with no carry knife. Not to mention I would have to pay for the original shipping. I'm a big guy the knife is just a well **** hit the fan i'm fighting for my life and a knife is better then nothing. How many openings are the springs in the benchmade good for? The kershaw says the blur is only good for about 1k which apparently ive used up over the period of months. As far as holding the knife I havent looked up which way would be best for me but I feel comfortable holding it blade down facing away which feels good and I can still use my fist for punches and stabbing thrusting down with good force. It's also the way ive been practicing my draw. Any other questions will be gladly answered thanks for the quick responses.

 

[hobgob]

i have a CRKT M-1 lightfoot. 3.9 inch blade which is legal in my state and it has a locking mechanism so that when you open it, you can flip a lever up and it is a virtual fixed blade. partial seration, all tan finish, even the blade. Extremely sharp! modified tanto tip. got it off of uscav.com its sturdy and ergonomic as well. i never leave home without it. its not assisted open, but with a good flip of the wrist you can get it out faster than a sog. imop. i had a contest with a buddy who kept braggin about how fast he could draw his sog, i always won. so there, thats my .02

 

[hso]

I carry the knife for SD because that's basically the best tool I can use atm because i'm not able to get a CWP yet.

A short stick of some sort would be a better tool than a pocket knife for SD.

Why don't you qualify for a handgun carry permit? What state are you in?

 

[Pax Jordana]

I currently own the kershaw blur which was a great knife, but the spring has failed and I can't ship it in without the original receipt it would also take 5-6 weeks to get back to me which would be over a month with no carry knife.

Who told you that? Call Kershaw, ask them. I got mine replaced for free after I bent the tip trying to cut stripping off a jeep window - it broke after I stuck it in a vice to try and straighten it. As far as turnaround time, I dunno what to tell you.. Why not buy another blur?

Oh. and you do pay for shipping. meh.

 

[Mandirigma]

ihopewewin

The absolute Best SD carry knife is the one that you have on you.

Be it a SAK, a case, a Kershaw or a multi-hundred (or thousand) custom.

As already covered in a few other threads, pretty much if you or an attacker draw a knife, no matter eithers skill level its pretty much a guarante that you are going to get cut (training hopefully reduces the severity).

I recall some of my training included what was called "stumpy training". Basically, in the middle of a drill/spar somehow your opponent renders your hands useless (cutting of one or more fingers hence "stumpy", but more likely hitting a sweet spot that makes your hand/wrist/forearm inoperable and/or dangling).

Take it from me, you don't want to mix grappling with a knife, until you've trained with it a while. Cracked a rib landing on an aluminum trainer once. Wasn't pleasant.

 

[igpoobah]

I like and carry the Blur everyday as well.

 

[ihopewewin]

Pax Jordana Quote:
I currently own the kershaw blur which was a great knife, but the spring has failed and I can't ship it in without the original receipt it would also take 5-6 weeks to get back to me which would be over a month with no carry knife.

Who told you that? Call Kershaw, ask them. I got mine replaced for free after I bent the tip trying to cut stripping off a jeep window - it broke after I stuck it in a vice to try and straighten it. As far as turnaround time, I dunno what to tell you.. Why not buy another blur?

Oh. and you do pay for shipping. meh.

Their site states that you need the original receipt and that it may take 5-6 weeks to get it back.

 

[ihopewewin]

hso Quote:
I carry the knife for SD because that's basically the best tool I can use atm because i'm not able to get a CWP yet.

A short stick of some sort would be a better tool than a pocket knife for SD.

Why don't you qualify for a handgun carry permit? What state are you in?

I live in Florida. I'm currently under the age requirement of 21 which I hope to remedy soon . Apparently you can't defend yourself or your family no matter how much training you have. It's about the number of times the earth has circled the sun while you were on it.

 

[hso]

Ok, you're blocked by the age requirement for a carry permit.

If you don't have any SD training with knives then I suggest you select a bright bladed folder with either a recurve or belly to facilitate slashing/hacking. Don't use it for anything other than SD until you learn to sharpen and carry a sharpener with you.

 

[Pax Jordana]

excerpted from kershawknives.com/warranty.php

How long does the Speed-Safe torsion bar last?
We test our torsion bar to 10,000 openings. However, at some point, the torsion bar may need to be replaced. We will gladly do this at our facility free of charge.

Now this is the high road, so if ya dont like your veggies far be it from me to tell you to clean your plate. I'm saying, if you liked the knife, and it worked OK for you, and you still want it, you can get it fixed for the price of shipping. And even if I am lying to your face, hacked the kershaw site and put that warranty page in there, the only thing it would cost to expose me is ten minutes on their toll-free number.

If you don't even wanna go that far, send me a PM and I'll mail you a check for the cost of shipping -- it'll be the cheapest knife I ever bought

I guess I just got a soft spot for kershaws..

 

[FourNineFoxtrot]

I carry a Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn "Mini-covert" folder. It's pretty small, but durable, and light. I think the blade is something like 2.75 or 3.00 inches. I trust the Gerber brand pretty well, and the knife is still tight and solid after a year's wear. Only cost me about $20 on eBay.

I've got a couple other decent, low-cost knives that I would carry if the Gerber malf'd.

First choice is a CRKT m16-10kz (or whatever crazy alphanumeric it is). It's a tanto folder, not dissimilar to the Gerber. Only real downside is the locking mechanism, which has the "Autolawks" thingy; a lever secondary to the liner-lock that has to be manipulated in concert with the liner lock to close the knife. Meaning that I have to shift grip to close the blade, but it's still doable with one hand.

I also have a Kershaw Vapor that's very solid, with slightly more heft (metal handle). I'm just not crazy about the blade shape, but it's a good knife.

I bought my friend a Beretta folder some years ago as a birthday present. It's got a slight backward curve at the tip, which he likes, and it's seen harder use than I give my knives without problems.


One thing to consider is what your area's knife laws are. In California, where I am, I can carry a non-assisted opening folder legally. More importantly, I suspect, is that it's not something that a police officer is likely to come down hard on, legal or not. Fixed-blade knives, even though I think they're legal to open carry here (but illegal to conceal), will almost certainly get unwanted attention from someone wearing a badge.

Some people believe that using a knife requires extensive training. I only partially agree. Training helps, but a knife can be used on whatever level you need to use it on. Sometimes that's as simple as "Pointy end goes into the other guy". People used knives to kill each other long before they formalized the method to do so. And I have more instinctive trust in the cold steel of a knife than in a chemical spray or stun gun.

YMMV, I'm not an expert at anything, and frequently don't know what I'm talking about, (insert additional disclaimer here).

 

[CWL]

I seem to recall that automatic knives in FL need a concealed permit...so if you are too young for a firearm, don't go messing with any illegal knives. If you get busted, that WILL affect your ability to get a permit once you've reached 21.

I think that a CRKT M16 (spearpoint) will serve you well as a dual-use EDC + SD knife. They are cheap and reliable and resharpen very easily. You also won't cry if you lose or break it. After you have carried this around for a while, you will have more insights on what you want for your next knife.

 

[ihopewewin]

From everything I have read you don't need a cwp to carry an auto in Florida.

Pax Jordana: Little confused about the comment I like the knife i'm still going to carry and use the knife. I'm not going to ship it in because of the waiting period and it still works fine with manual opening. I'm getting another knife to carry for SD purposes ONLY. I will still carry the kershaw to do every day things. I'm not bashing kershaw knives, just said that the spring on the blur has failed for me. Just realized that in my previous comment I made a typo and put 1k instead of 10k. Either way the spring has failed and no longer works.

 

[ihopewewin]

Thanks for all the help guys and I think i'm set on the Cold Steel Ti-Lite. Looks like a good knife with a sharp tip. Also it meets the max at 4 inches for florida. Ty for all the help.

 

[hso]

I seem to recall that automatic knives in FL need a concealed permit

No. That myth has been clarified several times in this forum. No permit of any sort is needed for an auto knife in FL because it is treated as a common pocket knife. Ballistic knives are prohibited under all circumstances in FL, but a switchblade is not a ballistic knife.

 

[mgregg85]

Unless you've got some serious knife fighting training/experience, your best bet for a self defense knife would be a push knife. I've got a cold steel safe maker 1 that I would feel very confident with if I couldn't carry a gun.

Very little training needed to use the push knife, if you can throw a punch you can use one expertly. Unless you are very weak, no one will be able to disarm you of the push knife.

 

[thekid]

Since you have no martial arts training, you may want to consider a knife that's intimidating and scary looking. You might have a better chance of scaring the other guy away than winning a knife fight, especially if your opponent does have some training. Just some food for thought.

 

[Stainz]

If you cannot get a CCL due to your age, I'd opt for the strongest pepper spray I could find. I might also have a knife for the absolute last ditch defensive device - or that sharpened stick. A knife is without a doubt the poorest SD device you can own, if you are not well versed in it's use. Even if you are, it is a close-in device, and will likely get you maimed if not killed. Folks who survive knife fights often lose control of their bladders and/or gut... colostomy bags aren't fun. Neither is a numb/dysfunctional appendage. There is always bleeding out, a deflated lung, and instant sepsis from a punctured gut emptying into your abdomen. Surface scars are the least of your problems.

For that 'last ditch defense', you want something big enough, stout enough, and easy to open. That stout includes a folder's locking device - a lockback is best. Obviously, it should be sharp. Don't open the mail or packages with it. I did carry a Kershaw Blur in my back pocket for that last ditch effort, a .38 or .44 AirLite in my front pocket. In my watch pocket could be found a Kershaw Scallion - to open the previously mentioned 'stuff'. Nowadays, a Buck 110 is back in my pocket - or a Spydie S30V - and always, even in Church, a .38 minimum. Make it to 21 and you should be fine... carry pepper spray.

I am sorry, but knives, to me, are tools. I prefer louder ways to 'reach out and touch' someone who is intent on halting my life functions. Of course, most of my guns are plinkers, too - tools.

Stainz

 

[JShirley]

Since you have no martial arts training, you may want to consider a knife that's intimidating and scary looking. You might have a better chance of scaring the other guy away than winning a knife fight, especially if your opponent does have some training.

I really don't want to be rude, but this is extremely dangerous advice. NEVER buy a knife you might actually want to use for "intimidation factor". If you have to use a knife defensively, your attacker should not be aware you have it. Perhaps ever.

 

[Exmasonite]

Are you dead set on a folder or can it be a fixed blade? didn't pick that up in the other posts.

If you want 100% deployment reliability, nothing beats a fixed blade.

As far as that goes, there's tons of options.

- CRKT C/K dragon
- Benchmade Griptilian Fixed Blade
- for < $150, you could grab one of the emerson folders or smaller fixed blades. can't go wrong with that.

 

[CWL]

no one will be able to disarm you of the push knife.

What if I used both my hands to trap your knifehand by the wrist, turned your thumb downwards and then dropped onto your elbow with all my weight?

Might having your elbow snapped cause you to drop the knife?

I think this kind of general knife advice to be incredibly dangerous.