The self defense folder.

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emilianoksa

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For a folder carried for self defense only, and therefore unlikely ever to be used, I assume steel quality is not really an issue. Easy deployment of the blade would be more important.

Presumably something like Aus8 or 420HC would be more than adequate.

In which case which modestly priced 3.5" to 4" folder woulld you recommend.

Here in England prices are high.

I could get a CRKT M21 or a Boket Automat Kalashnikov for about the same price.

In case the latter is not widely known in the States, here is a link from a British website.

http://www.heinnie.com/5967et648012/Knives/Böker/Boker-Automat-Kalashnikov-101-Series/p-92-116-2356/

And this is the CRKT I was thinking of:

http://www.heinnie.com/iw9Xwp647388...umbia-River-M21-Linerlock-Large/p-92-129-841/

Does anyone know of a better alternative?

And are my assumptions correct?
 
I'm not 100% certain your assumptions are correct. If it was a folder I intended to use for self defense, I would stay away from Aus8 or 420.

In your price range you have several alternatives. The Boker you were looking at is roughly $160. At that price, you could get either a large Benchmade (Skirmish, Rukus, etc) or an Emerson (Commander or CQC-15). Both will offer superior steel, and are known for being rock solid.

If you want to keep the price down, Spyderco offers a nice line of SD folders. Another alternative would be the Zero Tolerance line (The Strider/Onion Speedsafe at the high end and the 0200 at the lower end of your price range).

I'm no expert, but those would be my choices (I did end up purchasing both the Commander and the Skirmish).
 
I thought I saw where they were setting up "checkpoints" in England for finding knives. Wouldn't either of those land you in jail? I think I'd be carrying somethng that could be chucked down the nearest sewer or trash can quick.
 
u might wanna look for "Herbertz" knives on ebay.

They come cheap as chips nowadays. Well built and
Aisi420 is fine for the purpose.

I suggest u carry a pepper-spray.
(Don´t bring a knife to a fight unless
you are prepared to be stabbed by it.)
 
Not up on British knife laws, but a fully automatic Boker goes for about $45 U.S. dollars. The Boker Magnums have an incredibly thick beefy blade, the AKs come in a variety of blade shapes and deploy quickly.

Spyderco makes a really nice one, the name eludes me, but it's legal in England due to the fact that the lock is replaced with magnets. I was
unaware that locking folders were illegal in the U.K.
 
I agree that your biggest problems are the knife laws & metal detection checkpoints in England. I'm sure that the penalties for getting caught with a purely fighting knife would be harsh.

My thoughts for carrying anything in England would be to have it serve a double purpose so that you at least have plausible denial. For me, somethng like the dreaded Stanley boxcutter would be a better choice.
 
England presently has its quirks - bad laws, bad import duties, and knives go missing in Customs. Your choices are just fine - the cost of giving the police your knife on discovery does need to be considered. No sense adding a really great score to their collection.

As many have said in the firearms community, software before hardware. Get tuned up with a martial arts course to understand the essentials of bare hand combatives. It's the primary skill necessary to progress to edged weapons.

At that point you may very well consider what place the knife has in self defense at all. I've carried some kind of knife for 35+ years, and the longer I've had one, the less I have "relied" on it. They don't really offer stopping power, stand off distance, or social acceptance by the courts.

Awareness and a good walking stick can offer a lot more - food for thought.
 
I like that in England a man can still be proud to be named Heinnie. Around here, he'd change his name to Steele Deadlie or some crap.

Between those two particular knives.. I'd take the boker. Why? because its blade is 1/8 inch longer :)
 
Em-

from your original post about ease/speed of deployability as the biggest point, i was thinking some of the Kershaw Knives with the Speedsafe Assist. Models include the Boa, Random Task, and Chive. not sure of the size but you can also look into the scallion/leek for smaller knives.

that being said, the kershaws on that site are a bit steeper in price. You can get the Baby Boa for 50 pounds, it looks like. everything up is a big step up costwise.

but, my limited experience is that the speedsafe may offer you some of the "fastest" deployability. I personally worried about it wearing out with repeated use so i prefer the Benchmade mini-griptilian. Doesn't seem to be available on that site but i like the look of the Sequel.

good luck and let us know what you decide.
 
Thanks for your response.

I'm leaving Britain next week to go into semi-retirement in S America. My wife was born there, and I used to work there back in the 1980s. Hence my looking for a self defense folder.

You can have most kind of knives in the UK. You just can't take them off your premises, or use them for self defense on your property against an intruder.:D

Britain is a lot like the old East Germany these days.

The socialists have pretty much destroyed my country by regulating every aspect of our lives, putting surveillance cameras everywhere, and allowing in huge numbers of immigrants who do not share our values.

They have also screwed up our economy.

That's why I'm getting out.
 
emilianoksa, too bad about your country, England doesn't seem so "Great" anymore unfortunately. -Although I don't know where in South America you will find things much different.

At least in South America, there are many brilliant knifesmiths and their prices aren't as high in the UK. You can also probably be able to purchase defensive firearms easier.

Good luck on your move.
 
Take a look at Boker's Jim Wagner knife. It is made 100% for self defense. It is the most evil looking folder ever created. It is awesome. I believe it is 440C, which is a little better than AUS 8. I would seriously consider this for your uses.
 
Self Defense . . . Evil Looking

Somehow I'm thinking these two phrases probably shouldn't be used together.

Sure, it would scare someone, but when that someone is sitting on a jury, that may not work so well.

Me, I'm kind of a wuss. If I just plain had to defend myself with a folder, I think I'd want it to look as pedestrian as possible.

"Well, yer Honor, I normally fix lunch with that knife, only now it's been contaminated by the villain that attacked me, so I guess now I have to find another lunch knife."
 
Blofeld said:
Spyderco makes a really nice one, the name eludes me, but it's legal in England due to the fact that the lock is replaced with magnets. I was
unaware that locking folders were illegal in the U.K.
Click to expand...
Spyderco T-Mag. It's been discontinued, though. IMHO, a better option is the Spydie UK Pen Knife (UKPK). A similar model, the Urban, is supposedly in the works.
 
Aaaagh! Why does Spyderco discontinue knives faster than they can be bought?

Every time I get a short list of essentials, I find that they have already discontinued a knife, did a limited reissue, and discontinued that as well.:mad:
 
I'm a big switchblade fan, just not as SD knives. One more thing to go wrong and I've had springs and locks on autos break/seize before.

Unless the auto is dual action, stick with a one hand opener.
 
I believe that as long as it is a dedicated SD folder aus 8 and HC 420 should serve you quite well. Buck uses HC420 and people have been using it to skin deer and moose for decades. My SOG field Pup elite is aus 8 and I have cut down 8-10 diameter trees with it just to see if I could. Then went back and cut up a roast with no dragging problems. If one did not use their knife in everday chores such as cutting boxes rope twine and food prep, (carry another blade for that) and had a SD folder of one of the two steels mentioned above. Trust me as long as it is sharp and of decent lenth the bad guy is going to more focused on getting loose than doing you anymore harm.
 
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