Who actually utilizes a neck knife?

[Armored farmer]

Tell me about it.
Is it just for emergencies?
What type of lanyard?
What length lanyard?
Suggestions?
Objections?

I have What I believe to be a decent quality neck knife that I have never used.
Maybe it is time to try it.

 

[hso]

Every day.

I have a range of "neckers" from custom Brends, Breeds, Wheelers, etc to commercial. They all go on ball chains.

Add - they'll rust if you pick carbon steel and even some "stainless" will freckle so you may want to pick something highly corrosion resistant.

Length of chain has to be an individual choice. Obviously it has to go over your head. After that it all depends whether you want to carry at the "second button" or lower.

 

[entropy]

On the big side for a neck knife. I have a smaller one, it came with a Camillus Carnivore "machete". I just hung it on my dog tag chain, which has Paracord around it. The snap for it to snap to the big knife's sheath is brass, and causes my skin to itch if I don't wear a T-shirt with it.
Whoops, thought that was your 9mm, that's the LCP II. Yeah, that's just a little bigger than mine.

 

[.38 Special]

There is a lady in my knife fighting class who carries one, in addition to a couple of others in different locations. (She was raped once and intends for it not to happen again.)

It appears to me that it is her last line of defense, as it is the slowest for her to get to (she wears it inside most of her clothing) and requires some awkward contortions and/or disrobing. She is frighteningly competent with all of her weapons, but I do note that her practice with the neck knife is somewhat limited, akin to the practice one does with a last-ditch snub after the main shooting session is done.

It seems to me that worn outside the clothing a neck knife would have no benefit over one carried in a pocket or on a belt, but would have the disadvantage of being very noticeable and also of banging around on your chest with any movement. Worn inside the clothing it is slower and less convenient than when worn more conventionally. Outside of fairly specialized purposes, I don't really see the point.

 

[BreechFace]

Looks to me like it would make for a nice small of back knife mounted to the belt horizontally.

Neck knives never appealed as I would wear it under the shirt which makes it very interesting to try and get to that when needed.

 

[JeffG]

I never used neck knives, for whatever reason. I've clipped folders to my body armor just below the neck line, but never hung one around my neck.
This is the extent of my neck knives, I've used it, but it rides in a pocket.

 

[mope540]

I like the Ka-Bar Snody Snake Charmer.... won't leave home without it.

https://www.kabar.com/products/5103

 

[maxxhavoc]

I worked at a place for a long time that I could not carry a knife over 2", and could not display one at all. So no clipping on a folder, and digging out a small folder is a pain.

I carried a folder daily, and you can pull one very quickly...especially if your shirts button up. Tucked T-shirts, not so much.

I usually carried a CRKT Minimalist Wharncliff.
https://www.crkt.com/minimalist-wharncliffe.html

 

[DukeConnor]

I've never liked the idea of having paracord around my neck.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I've never liked the idea of having paracord around my neck.

Ditto. Heck, just wearing my dog tags used to bug the heck outta me.

 

[JohnKSa]

I used to know a guy who carried a knife in a special setup designed to hang behind his necktie and be concealed by it. Obviously this required a tie on the large side with some modifications, and a knife that was perfectly suitable for that type of carry, but it was almost like a magic trick when he pulled it out.

 

[jmr40]

I've never liked the idea of having paracord around my neck.

Ball chain is the only way to go on a defensive knife. If someone grabs it the chain will break. Paracord around the neck could get you killed.

I have a Spyderco ARC. I should really use it more than I do. Yes, it can be slow to get out when worn under a shirt. But it is always there, is small enough to be discrete.

I've used a small Mora sheath knife worn around my neck a few times when kayaking and fishing. They aren't really made for that, but when sitting in a kayak and needing a knife it is a lot more convenient than reaching in a pocket or even a sheath worn on the belt. And more secure than laying a knife on the bottom of the boat.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I have a "neck knife" (Enzo necker) that gets used often enough but I don't wear it as a neck knife

 

[Fyrstyk]

I wear a small neck knife (OAL 2.5") in a leather sheath with rawhide thong when shooting my muzzle loaders for cutting patches at the muzzle.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I tried many of them and wanted to like the concept. Only one I found which didn't annoy me too much was the Buck Hartsook Smidgen.
Very light and I have an aftermarket minimalist sheath for it as the factory one is really bulky.

The Smidgen is not for defense though, just a useful little knife.

I bought some neck knives (Ecos I think they were) for the women I was deployed with years ago as some 3rd party nationals working on the camps got into the habit of attacking women in the showers as they figured they had nothing on them then. Neck knife helps to address that so long as they never took it off. Yes, odd use case I know, but a viable one.

 

[Kingcreek]

I had a slick little custom neck knife for awhile. I wore it on a ball chain for months. I realized I showed it off but never actually used it and eventually traded it for something more useful to me.

 

[Boattale]

I tried many of them and wanted to like the concept. Only one I found which didn't annoy me too much was the Buck Hartsook Smidgen.
Very light and I have an aftermarket minimalist sheath for it as the factory one is really bulky.

The Smidgen is not for defense though, just a useful little knife.

I bought some neck knives (Ecos I think they were) for the women I was deployed with years ago as some 3rd party nationals working on the camps got into the habit of attacking women in the showers as they figured they had nothing on them then. Neck knife helps to address that so long as they never took it off. Yes, odd use case I know, but a viable one.

Shower defense was the whole reason for design and production of the SEARK. For that purpose, neck knife makes all the sense in the world. For any other purpose, I honestly feel I have other much better options.

 

[GEM]

I've worn one to matches but it was really Cosplay. In my work life, under my shirt? Why - a folder on my pocket was fine. Lots of folks had them. It wasn't a big deal.

 

[Meeks36]

I worked at a place for a long time that I could not carry a knife over 2", and could not display one at all. So no clipping on a folder, and digging out a small folder is a pain.

I carried a folder daily, and you can pull one very quickly...especially if your shirts button up. Tucked T-shirts, not so much.

I usually carried a CRKT Minimalist Wharncliff.
https://www.crkt.com/minimalist-wharncliffe.html

I have one I keep in my truck hanging from the rear view mirror. I figure it’s better then my paw paw carrying a filet knife on his sun visor. Could be a problem in a bad wreck. Hope I never find out!

 

[hso]

I have a Spyderco ARC.

Designed by our own JShirley.

 

[Switup]

I tend to wear mine camping and hiking in the summer months when fire making is more of a luxury than a necessity. It works pretty well busting up kindling. I pocket carry though as I find it a lot easier to work with than neck carry.

 

[ms6852]

I wear one when I go fishing, use it to cut line or bait, and also use one when I walk for exercise tucked in under my T shirt because the extra weight could bring my warm up pants down since I carry a .380 in my pocket.
https://www.bladehq.com/item--CRKT-Folts-Minimalist--7033

 

[lemaymiami]

All the comments here are about defensive knives designed to be carried on a lanyard - but there is a different neck knife category that anyone involved in big game angling would be familiar with. It's a safety knife made out of a flat piece of steel that looks somewhat like good sized question mark - with the edge on the inside of the hook shape. It's purpose is for mates on big sportfishing boats to be able to cut themselves free when a really big fish tangles them up in the leader, and if not able to free themselves, are in real danger of being dragged overboard and drowned. Each year worldwide one or two mates are killed by big fish (fish above 500lbs, some approaching or exceeding 1000lbs) and at the boat, the mate is hanging on to ten to thirty feet of very heavy leader by hand... after the angler has done his (or her) job and fought that marlin, tuna, swordfish, or shark up to the boat.

Although certainly available some never have one on their person.. If I were running a big boat, mates and all - they'd be mandatory on the job for safety... No, they're not designed to be carried concealed since you only have a few seconds to use one if everything goes south and you're being dragged to the transom out in blue water...

 

[JShirley]

I think most neck knives are not well done. A combat knife on a lanyard is not a good neck knife. That's why I rejected the first prototype that Spyderco made- it was a cool knife, but overbuilt for an "always knife".

I do like the original CRKT Minimalist a good bit. Yeah, the steel's not great, but it's good enough for the purpose.

John

 

[Frulk]

I carry this when backpacking the high country to fly fish. Have it on an extended metal dog tag chain so it hangs below mid chest and I can get to it outside the shirt easily when a fish is on. Nice and light and makes short work of cleaning pan fryers for dinner. Use it exclusively for fish. Only neck knife I have. Also carry a clipped folder as a back up.

https://knifeworks.com/cold-steel-cs20btj-bird-trout-knife-2-25-aus-6a-ss-blade-ss-handle/