scorpius... impressions?

[clovisc]

i was curious who owns and carries a scorpius, why, and what they thought of the knife.

i think the shape and weight and overall looks of the knife are fantastic, but is it practical? hmm...

i do lots of walking around at night, particularly in bad/dangerous places, and have found that the scorpius is less than ideal. a couple observations...

-- i have trouble opening and drawing the knife while wearing winter gloves, which is no good, because allegedly, the enlarged spyderhole is supposed to make for easy gloved opening. yet while wearing the same gloves, i have NO problem opening my chinook II.

-- when handling the knife with bare, sweaty hands, it's sort-of slippy, because of the stainless steel handle. i definitely wouldn't want to rely on this knife if i were scared or nervous and in a defensive situation. if it wasn't stainless steel, it would be a completely different story...

-- the blade size seems a bit too small to cut through the heavy layers of clothing of your average urban thug type.

-- also -- for self defense, i'd rather have a larger knife designed to deliver slashing cuts which cause more non-fatal shock and alarm to the attacker... not a thin, small blade better suited to stabbing and manslaughter charges.

-- even though the blade is sized to be legal, the knife looks pretty mean and weapon-ish. i imagine police officers would be more inclined to think of it as a "weapon" rather than a "tool," and would therefore be more likely to make trouble over it.

but i DO like the way the knife looks and feels in my (unsweaty) hand. but sadly... it's a little too weapon-ish for me to carry and use in social situations at work... so this knife will probably spend most of its time as a display piece.

(although today, it did a great job of cutting a blister on my foot.)

[denn]

i do lots of walking around at night, particularly in bad/dangerous places

basically you must simply avoid that what you said. also, keep in mind that using a knife for SD is only 'allowed' in case of extreme danger to yourself or a loved one. the law takes this very serious, meaning that you cannot use your knife legally on someone else when there are options of running away, screaming for help, fighting hand-to-hand,etc.....

only if there's absolutely no way out of your situation and the situation is escalating so bad that you fear you will end up beaten/shot/stabbed to death.....only then should you pull a knife as a last resort. don't walk around the streets depending on your knife all the times, and don't be aware of you carrying your knife all the time. primary use/carry is for tool-purpose, SD is in extremes only.

by the way, i can imagine your impressions on the Scorpius, even though i don't own one. you might consider a Manix instead, which doesn't look menacing, but will work and handle better than the Scorpius. an ATR is good too (i got one, it's great!). although some people may find it looks 'menacing' as well. conclusion: get a Spydie with a G10-handle and relatively large blade, carry it, but don't really use it for what you had in mind, unless there's no way out.

PS. sorry for the long text :p

dennis

[clovisc]

good points, denn.

a lot of times i don't have much choice about where i'm walking, though... and i've been in too many bad situations involving me almost getting beaten/shot/stabbed to death.

while i don't know if i could EVER bring myself to use a knife in self-defense against a person -- it's sort-of conforting to know that if need be... if things get too crazy... i can choose to try save my own life.

my primary concern is more with dogs than people. as ridiculous as it may sound, i've lived in neighborhoods -- specifically the poorer parts of the west end of atlanta -- where PACKS of feral dogs roam the streets. if i'm walking somewhere and a dog attacks me (you might laught, but it HAS happened), SD with a knife is a much more realistic option than it is if a person attacks me.

the point of my post was... if i DO need to try to save my own life... i would have less confidence in a scorpius than i might in a different knife with a more grippy handle and a larger, different shaped blade.

the scorpius is expressively designed as a tactical SD knife... so i was judging it accordingly.

i am very curious what other people thought about the knife.

[Hannibal Lecter]

If predators of the four-legged variety are more of a concern than the two-legged type, OC/pepper spray might be a better choice for defense than a knife, IMO. Generally non-lethal and very quiet for use in urban or heavily populated areas without causing too much attention to be directed at you. For feral dogs, I would much rather have my katana than a folding knife of any variety.

I might also consider...

http://www.packing.org/state/index.jsp/georgia

if two-legged predators are a concern. I find a firearm tends to be more of a deterrent to violent crime than any blade, when carried legally and intelligently.

If such a possible escalation of hostilities is not for you, a Surefire light is also a good choice as a non-lethal alternative. I carry one daily for just that reason, even though I have a permit to carry a firearm. Most of my potential confrontations would likely occur in low light, and a Surefire is a wonderful way to disrupt someone's dark adaptation long enough to beat a hasty retreat.

Just food for thought.


Ta,


H

[budman1950]

I carried the Scorpius for around 6 months as a general purpose knife. Yes, slippery, but I fitted bath tub non-slip pads to it and haven't had any problems since.

[clovisc]

hannibal -- you seem pretty intelligent. have you read or seen or heard of william vollmann's "rising up and rising down" -- a "history of violence" in 3,500 pages? it just came out, and it's got some tremendous thoughts on carrying weapons, and how and why violence is justified, or has been justified throughout history.

the work attempts to completely dissect the notion of violence... especially when pertaining to self-defense... with the hope of establishing what vollmann calls a "moral calculus." there's really NOTHING else like it out there!

[Mr Blonde]

In all fairness, I don't think the Scorpius is designed as an MBC knife. I believe that it was designed as an urban utility knife with a few attributes that come in handy should you have to use it for self defense, like the enlarged opening hole, pressure point tail on the handle and the acute point of the blade. It's MBC abilities have been mentioned and they are definitely there, but Spyderco certainly didn't design this knife to carry with you as a primary defensive folder when going out at night. You may want to consider the Civilian or Chinook II for that purpose.


Wouter

[Hannibal Lecter]

hannibal -- you seem pretty intelligent. have you read or seen or heard of william vollmann's "rising up and rising down" -- a "history of violence" in 3,500 pages? it just came out, and it's got some tremendous thoughts on carrying weapons, and how and why violence is justified, or has been justified throughout history.

the work attempts to completely dissect the notion of violence... especially when pertaining to self-defense... with the hope of establishing what vollmann calls a "moral calculus." there's really NOTHING else like it out there!

I regrettably have not, but rest assured I shall. I appreciate the information and shall obtain a copy with due haste.

To quote a bit, "I have been in a state of hibernation" so to speak, in that I haven't really given a lot of serious thought to self defense issues for the past couple of years. Since beginning my new job as of August 3 this year past, I have been approached by numerous co-workers soliciting my thoughts on these subjects due to my background and training.

It has become more of a daily issue for me of late due to the numerous murders taking place within a couple of miles of my workplace. While these do not yet directly threaten, it is only a matter of time before they start to hit a bit closer to home. Hence, a Glock 19 has recently rated high on my list of "must have" acquisitions. The Kel-Tec P-32 is a great, flat, light EDC nasal decongestant from ****, but I prefer something with a bit more punch.

Hence, the love of all things Spyderco. Experience has taught me that most assailants in my "neck of the woods" will not take a firearm as seriously, as they do not think someone would have the necessary wherewithal to fire it due to legal concerns, etc. A blade, on the other hand, is taken more seriously due to its silence and stealth.

I personally will never initiate potentially lethal violence against another human being without serious provocation, on the level of feeling my safety or very life is threatened. At my age, precious few offenses carry the death penalty, at least in my eyes.

Again, my gratitude for the information on the book. I believe that all who carry a weapon for self-defense should educate themselves on the legal, moral and ethical ramifications of using said weapon against another one of God's children. Make the decision *now* whether or not you *could* use it, and under what circumstances you *will* use it.

It may just save your life.


Ta,

H

[GarageBoy]

Just grab a fogger or OC spray