You know the older I get, the more I understand how Mentors & Elders had a handle on so much of what folks concern themselves with, such as knives.
Understand, many folks, used the same pocketknife, for decades, heck, some used the same knife all their life.
Carry a screwdriver, and/or pry-bar, in addition to whatever knife you settle on.
Honest, the screwdriver, makes a very good defensive tool. Ask ( or pay attention to) street criminals, or even undercover cops, and others, that deal with street thugs.
It would be best, to NOT get into a knife fight, period. Folks are going to get cut, including the good guy, using one for defense. So a street punk knows to use a fixed "weapon" that is not dependent on a locking system of any kind, and he/she cannot get cut, as the shaft of a screwdriver, is not sharp.
Along with, after he/she shivs you, the screwdriver is just tossed, and they exit the area.
Same can be said of these of these small pry-bars, or even the free, paint can opener, with the bottle opener.
If.
If something should happen, (problem one) then perhaps dealing with problem two (officers, lawyers, court...) might be less difficult. Recall, anything one uses, to defend, will be defined as a "weapon". Be this a screwdriver, bottle of water, AA-Maglight, umbrella, rolled up newspaper/magazine...etc.
Another line of thinking is, could you do with the items you have on person, if a serious situation arose.
If one's workplace has restrictions, then one has to work within the perimeters. Some places do not allow locking knives, or restrict blade lengths.
Victorinox Farmer, is a good everyday knife, and works fine for "defense" in the aspect of survival, such as power outage, tornado, hurricane. Victorinox Soldier, the original issue, is another. Today, the Pioneer is the same knife, except, it has the lanyard ring.
A 500 series Buck, (Prince and others) are good knives. Already mentioned are various Kershaws, and Spyderco's.
I happen to like (have a history with) Case, and have "survived" some situations with Peanut, Slimline Trapper, Sodbuster Jr...
So have I with Victorninox, Boker, Shrade Old Timer, and some Custom Slipjoints, and Custom Fixed blades,.
Suggestion: You are the weapon, the world is your toolbox. Suggesting, one should not put / default to physical things, to keep them safe, and to deal with situations.
Just me, still one of these days, I am going to again take a pair of Channel Locks, and grind the ends giving me a flat screwdriver at the end of one handle and Phillips on the other end. The flat, works great for a pry-bar. Seven-and-a-half inch, and smaller ones, like around five inches work "real well".
