Good choices for Primary Defensive Folders

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mercop

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Below are some of my favorite knives when it comes to Primary Defensive Folders. These are not for opening boxes or cleaning your nails but rather for SD if by choice, regulation, or law you carry folder. Even though many people go on an on about how if you are going to a knife fight you want a fixed blade, the truth is about 75% of us carry a folder every day. Gotta dance with who brought ya.

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Left to right

Benchmade Skirmish (this one is customized)
Emerson CQC8 modded to tip down carry, excellent blade shape for SD
Benchmade Deja Voo
Benchmade AFCK (pre AXIS lock)
Spyderco Chinook GEN I (GEN II has more of a Persian blade profile)
Al Mar Payara
Spyderco Military
 
If, for some incredible reason, I had to defend myself and only had a folding knife, I would want it to be a Spyderco Chinook. Since that's not my primary reason for carrying a knife, I usually carry a Spyderco Native. Sometimes I'll carry a Salsa for variety. :)

John
 
If I knew I was gonna be in a knife fight I would go a different way.

I like the Endura as well, we use the trainers in classes.
 
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If I carry a knife for defensive purposes, it's a knife I can use for many tasks. My current No. 1 choice is a SOG Mini-Vulcan. I like the Spyderco Endura also with a plain edge, but I have several different Enduras. The Enduras are mostly work knives for me.

But honestly, the most common blade I'll have with me is a SAK Adventurer. I am no knife fighter, nor do I want to think that way.
 
I carry a revolver for defensive purposes. I have no need for a special blade that never gets used. "What way"..... knife fighting and possibly killing someone with a blade.

By the way, nice collection of tactical blades.
 
When folk say knife fighting, I'm always afraid they envision some knife vs. knife duel. That almost never happens.

The only defensive place for a knife is when you, the good guy, are being overpowered or attacked and can't quickly access your firearm(s). If you were suddenly being choked from behind, for instance- that might be an ideal time to use a knife defensively. (The way a good many of us carry our PDW on our dominant-side hip, a choke from behind would prevent us from drawing our concealed firearm.)

I don't foresee anyone managing to close the distance and surprise me like that, but it's always better to have multiple ways to escape situations. In general, I prefer other defensive tools, but something like my favored AA lights wouldn't be nearly as effective as a sharp knife in a situation like the one I'm describing. I prefer kinetic force to stop threats quickly, but if you have nearly no distance to build power and speed, something that'll make a hole with just a bit of pressure might be just the thing.

As far as a "special blade that never gets used"- well, that's why knife killing/cutting isn't my primary mission for the knife. I want a knife that's convenient, strong, cost-effective, fast, reasonably light and useful for many daily tasks, and it can't look overly threatening to the average citizen where I live. That rules out EDC of a Chinook for me. Since it *could* be called upon defensively, I want a knife that is all the things I mentioned previously, plus large enough to make a quick dent in an assailant.

J
 
Dude, you couldn't have said my feelings on the matter any better. I don't specifically carry a knife for defense, but I honestly have really come to view my Endura as the "fighter" of my bunch. I have to say, now that some of the new-knifeitis has worn off of it and I can be objective, I find myself carrying it more and more often...
 
And a fine choice it is. The Endura and Delica 4 are incredible bargains. I have one of each.

Now, if I could just find them...
 
I carry a knife because its practical. If I want something a little more defensively minded in a folder, I have a CRKT Crawford folding Falcon that I carry. Its marketed as a tactical knife but also makes a good larger work knife. I also have the fixed version which is a small last ditcvh type knife that fits, with sheath, in a pocket easy. I like that as well.

More commonly, I carry a CRKT B.U.L.L or a CRKT Edgie, the bull if I think I'll need a locked blade, plus its a bit more compact and lighter than the Edgie.

I'm a CRKT fan. Good knives for the money.
 
If you carry in your back pocket with a clip, how do you keep from ripping up your car seats? :)
 
Where my knife is carried depends on how/if I'm carrying a handgun. If I'm using pistol pocket carry, I move my knife to my left hand front pocket or the front of my rear pocket. I've been known to move my knife if I'm riding in a car. :)

If I'm carrying o/iwb (I'm IWB most of the time), my Spyderco will ride in my front right pocket.
 
I carry right front pocket, pretty much regardless of whether or not I am packing a roscoe. Additionally, I have started to keep a Boker Subclaw inside my fleece vest, because I have never really figured out any other use for the little pocket in there and frankly, I want a reason to carry the little Boker. I don't particularly love it as a main carry knife, but that little Boker is a pretty good little knife that I am glad I bought, though I still wish I had bought the Subcom or the Wharcom instead.
 
I normally carry a pocket revolver in my right front pocket. I will switch the knife over to my left front pocket. The back pocket carry for tactical blades seems to be the best spot, but I always seem to forget about it (my Mini-Vulcan or Endura) when I climb into my vehicle. Just one more time and maybe I just tore a hole in my seats.... It is one of the reasons I dislike clips, but they sure keep the knife handy.

I like the tactical looking knives. I just don't see much need for them in my life. But what does need have to do with it? I know others have different feelings. I may not always have a firearm with me, but I always have at least one blade with me; usually two. Knives are very addicting even if I don't see much use for me for self defense. I wasn't trying to poo poo the thread with a negative comment... I just seldom think in terms of self defense with a blade, but I will say a blade is almost always in my pocket which I can't say about a handgun.

Trying to see where my new SOG Access Card 2.0 is going to fit into my daily carry. Maybe shirt pocket or watch pocket? It is a pretty niffty little blade for EDC stuff (packages, cord, tape, envelopes, etc.).
 
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Most of the time I have a pistol on my person but now more then ever I am doing a good amount of traveling to teach. Two weeks ago I was in Indy. Next week I am in TX. I bring my pistol with me when I travel but of course it is checked along with my knives. Once I get my bags I can slip my knife into my pocket without much attention. Not so for my pistol. So usually at least from the airport to my hotel the knife is my primary deadly force option.

When I am carrying a pistol I carry an Emerson Karambit on my reaction side in reverse grip. It is the best option I have found for the reaction side to support a pistol.

For the record I don't believe in or train "knife fighting". I teach edged weapon survival including defense against edged weapons and the defensive use of the knife.
 
My primary pocket knife is my Benchmade Ritter RSK-1 Griptilian.

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Another brand I have recently found to be very good is 5.11 Tactical.

First Responder
Ten Eight
Investigator
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I thought I was the only one left in the world who favors a Chinook I!

The Payara looks good.

I presently carry a Yojimbo but still have a fondness for my Spydie Civilian as well. These may be a bit too specialized for most people though.
 
benchmade all the way. i loved both of mine. i gave one to my brother he got kinda jealous when i bought my second one. lol. any way i like the ambidextrous locks and they just feel better in my hand than any other folders out there. knifes in my opinion are kinda shoot and miss until you find one that has the right blade and feel for you. i guess what i am trying to say is if it is the right knife for you it's the right knife for you.
 
I "are" old...

I don't own a locking knife, or one with a clip
EDC is a Vic Classic SD.

I still prefer a simple screwdriver, or carton cutter that takes a single edge razor blade.

Just...me, and I how I come up and all...
 
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Fixed blade! Fixed blade! LOL

Don,

I sure wish I could. But NC is weird about fixed blade carry (as with so many other legal things).

So I carry the same Mini-AFCK I got from A.G. Russell when they first came out- how many years ago?? I've long since rounded off the corners of the G-10 scales (they were too hard on pockets), cut down the liner lock with a Dremel tool so you have to work to unlock it, and sharpened about 3/4" of the false edge for back cuts. It was my first ATS-34 blade, and still seems to just want to cut. It goes in the right side pocket.

In the left side pocket is a $20 Kabar Dozier folder, to do normal cutting chores and get abused from time to time. There are several of them here in a pile on a bookshelf in a back room, my wife carries a pair of them also. When one gets dull it gets tossed into a different pile, when the 'sharp' pile is all gone, I sharpen everything in the 'dull' pile and we start over 8^).

I can generally carry a gun anywhere I can legally carry a knife, and I pretty much always carry a J frame. The knife/knives are strictly secondary as far as weapons go, the S&W is primary. But you never know how things are going to go or what you might need.

lpl
 
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