Hi Mr. Janich,Michael Janich wrote: ↑Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:02 amDear Knife1:
I also received your e-mail regarding this question, but thought I'd answer here to contribute to the discussion.
Years ago, I used to do my "Pork Man" demo with a Cricket to show the cutting power of a small blade. While the Reverse S did a great job of demonstrating how devastating a small blade can be, the other design attributes of a Cricket make it less than ideal for self-defense. Specifically, it's difficult to draw and open quickly and doesn't offer a full grip that allows cutting leverage and the management of impact shock when you cut with power.
The smallest knife that offers a four-fingered grip and reasonable opening speed is the Dragonfly. The soon-to-be-released Dragonfly with Emerson Opener would be an even better choice. The only down side is the lack of a trainer. That's why the Delica 4 Lightweight is still one of my favorites. If necessary, it can be "snubbied" to meet extreme blade-length limitations, yet there is still a trainer to allow you to do the skill training that is really needed if you're going to rely on any knife for self-defense.
A small knife can definitely be a viable weapon, but only if it is wielded with skill. That skill doesn't have to be extreme, but it does have to be the result of actual training. If you're not actually going to train in the use of a weapon (any weapon), don't carry it.
And, yes, awareness, avoidance, deescalation, and boundary setting--all the "soft skills" of self-defense, should all be applied before any physical skills. If you're not going to do any physical training, be extra aware and vigilant, as those skills become your only defense.
Stay safe,
Mike
Thanks so much for your reply. I was actually considering the Dragonfly prior to my post but because the Cricket has a reverse S blade I thought that perhaps for a self defense application it was superior to the Dragonfly. I'll take a look at the Dragonfly, thanks for the suggestion.
Just to entertain a hypothetical, hypothetically speaking between the Cricket and the Ladybug assuming that you can somehow get an equally good grip on both of these knives will the Cricket because of it's reverse S blade prove significantly superior to the Ladybug or will both prpvide the same cutting power and ability?