Thread: Need a Knife

Originally Posted by faesce

This definitely looks like a great knife to my untrained eye, however after some research I've noticed it's a particularly heavy knife in comparison to others @ 6oz+ partial due to the pommel. As I'm sure you have a lot more combat experience than me, is it wise to use such a heavy knife for strictly self-defense purposes?

I don't carry my knife for self-defense per se. It's just there. The M16-14ZSF has a nice sounding solid "thud" when it opens, and it is plenty big enough for daily carry. If I am otherwise unarmed in a new area, though, I look ahead for possible danger as well as expedient weapons. In a self-defense situation that I can't retreat from, an edged weapon is my last choice. In Iraq I carried a MkII Gerber, then the Voyager X2. These were more for show than use as I also carried an ASP and had my spare barrel and (as a last resort) helmet if my SAW was not practical or down.

As for the Ka-Bar, I think I see what is so fascinating. The knife itself is the same as one that was given to me a couple of years ago.

I've personally achieved a brown belt in kenpo, and I'm quite fit. I also practice with my trusty two incher quite a bit, and I have several books and videos on knife fighting that I use as guides or suggestions for practice, so I'd say I'm secure about my level of proficiency with a blade for self defense. Just to clear up any concerns anyone might have

I have a few questions.

Is the ability to open a knife in an "icepick grip" useful, or just fancy? Out of sheer curiosity, I tried and found that I could without much extra effort. Of course, I can't really find a viable way to carry my knife that would lend itself to icepick drawing.

Is serration good, bad, or useless (for a self-defense knife)? I don't like serration myself.

Does a tanto point offer any significant advantages or disadvantages over other commonly found tips, such as clip, drop, and spear-point blades? I admit that I prefer them completely for almost completely aesthetic reasons, but from my limited knowledge of physics (A average in 2nd year college-level course) it seems that first point would spread out the force of an impact, allowing the second point to pierce effectively. They look as if they'd be quite stable for stabbing, as well.

Presently, I'm considering the following knives:

Amazon.com: Columbia River Knife And Tool M16-01KZ EED (Every Day Carry) 3-inch Zytel Black Folding Kife with Autolawk and Spear Point Razor Edge Blade, 7.125-inchT otal Length: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Schrade SC60BT Extreme Survival Black Blade Tanto W/ Glass Breaker: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Schrade Nitro Magic Black S/S Handle Black Tanto Pl.: Sports & Outdoors

Martial arts training is good but there is probably no substitute for actual, dedicated, knife training. What you have is definitely better than nothing, though, I suppose.

If you practice with your knife, you probably already know that transitioning from a blade-upward grip to an icepick grip is very quick and easy, so I wouldn't worry too much about whether it's possible to open it from that position. There doesn't seem to be any reason why you'd ever be in trouble if you couldn't open the knife directly from an icepick grip. Serrations don't really matter much for slashing. They are mainly useful on utility knives for tough cutting, and for allowing the knife to cut effectively despite not being very sharp. Tanto points are very strong and penetrate well when stabbing, but the Tanto blade profile is just about the worst possible shape for cutting, which makes Tanto points utterly retarded on utility/outdoorsy knifes. They are less retarded on fighting knives, but still probably kind of pointless unless you expect to be stabbing cops through their vest.

If you want a really good blade profile for a self-defense knife, look at the Emerson Commander or knives with similar blade shapes. Chisel-ground edges are kind of fiddly when it comes to fine cutting, so it might not make a great everyday utility knife, but the blade profile is incredibly vicious and will really just slash the living fuck out of you. I know I've already come out against using a knife for self-defense, and I really don't want to advocate slashing people, but damn... for the knife's size, it's unbelievable how badly you can mess someone up with a Commander-type blade profile.

Do you think the Kershaw Storm II is a good knife?

Well, I have never handled or used one. But it looks good for the price. 13C26 is a mid-range stainless steel that's become popular recently, it is supposedly formulated with edge retention as it's #1 priority, which is nice. It's about in the same range as 440A (i.e., not top-shelf, but decent) but it has a bit more carbon in solution which means it can be hardened a bit more. Exactly how much Kershaw hardens theirs, I can't say. Aside from the steel, the blade profile looks pretty wicked for cutting (a lot like the Commander's, actually). I'd say it would be a good buy overall.

it's not about 'don't defend yourself' it's about 'don't use tools you don't know how to'

a situation where you're trying to defend yourself can escalate from being an unarmed scuffle to you and your assailant wrestling over your knife, and if I was in the latter situation, I would wish I was in the former. It's even worse if both of you have knives - neither of you is walking away without a serious injury if you end up fighting, even if you're trained.

Originally Posted by coqauvin

it's not about 'don't defend yourself' it's about 'don't use tools you don't know how to'

a situation where you're trying to defend yourself can escalate from being an unarmed scuffle to you and your assailant wrestling over your knife, and if I was in the latter situation, I would wish I was in the former. It's even worse if both of you have knives - neither of you is walking away without a serious injury if you end up fighting, even if you're trained.

That's the argument I'm trying to present.

People were killing, and defending themselves well enough before the invention of training and certification.


The use of a knife in a violent situation is not rocket science.


The footwork, grip techniques, and other minutia of the various martial arts associated with "knives" is, however, very complicated.

coq is right, an attacker doesn't have to be a "jedi master who will disarm you in the blink of an eye" in order for you to get stabbed with your own knife. I'm not saying that the attacker will necessarily take your knife away from you, I'm saying that in a physical altercation with a knife involved it's quite difficult for an untrained person to control the situation. Someone is going to be stabbed and it could just as easily be you as it could be your attacker.

Just to be clear, are you advocating drawing a knife on an unarmed assailant? Because completely irrespective of whether that puts you in danger of being stabbed with your own knife, that puts you in considerable danger of getting into severe legal trouble and going to jail for quite some time.

i'm just going to point out that, with training, you could disarm an assailant armed with a knife. with training, you could also prevent yourself from being disarmed in the case of a scuffle, regardless of whether the assailant has training or experience.

also, if the two of you are fighting over a knife, who knows who will be stabbed? someone will be, and it's just as likely to be you as him.

wow fuck you are a moron just shut up

fuck

coq you bastard

i think i just realized this is a mrdie-esque person i am arguing with, so i'm just going to stop now

Originally Posted by DAVIDSDIVAD

I did say that pulling a knife in a life or death scenario does not mean that the knife will automatically rocket into your gut.

Yeah but no-one said this would happen. What was said is that an untrained person pulling a knife in a physical altercation is at high risk of making the situation worse and/or getting injured with their own knife, so if someone is looking for a self-defense weapon to carry around with them, a knife is not a very good choice.

You are all over the place with whatever point you are trying to make, and I don't understand why on earth you would feel compelled to say what you just said.

Problem, Coqauvin?

in b4 syme

I see what you're saying, Syme.

I agree.


I think Crunker should go with the Ken Onion design.

I just got a KA BAR fighting/utility knife. It came with a leather sheath, but I'm getting a Kydex sheath, Boker Tek Lock, and a CRKT MercHarness just because.

For more practical reasons, I'm also getting a Buck 199. They should all hopefully be here by Friday.

So far, I haven't exactly used the KA Bar yet, but it's certainly a well-built tool.

This is embarrassing... but how does one close a framelock knife? >>

lol i forgot about this thread

I wanted to make sure I was doing it properly.

One handed usually. I think for safety you should use two hands but most of the time my other hand is holding something else.

I do it no handed

With your double, no triple, no quadruple fold katana deagle?

Deagle brand deagle