Neck Knives? Good or Bad?

[marty_bill_]

Here is another favorite necker. Victorinox fruit knife about $7-$8 and super handy.

I'm kind of a fan of Victorinox knives. Here lately they've been coming out with some very nice looking fixed blade knives. That "FRuit Knife" you have pictured>> is that sheath a factory sheath that comes with the knife? If not then where did you get it?

No it's not factory. I bought the knife and sheath on Etsy. I forget the guys name. But look up Victorinox pikal with kydex sheath. They are kinda hard to find but you can always keep the sheath and pitch the knife and get a new one off Amazon.

[Kels73]

I've owned neck knives made by Murray Carter. The ergonomics were amazing. When carried under a shirt as an EDC, deployment is easier than one might think; however, I feel that a folder clipped to the pocket is easier yet.

A potential advantage is weight distribution. Instead of having a lot of weight on your pants, a neck knife allows you to move some of that weight elsewhere. This is helpful when you have a lot of other gear on your belt and in your pockets.

But in my opinion, the biggest advantage is experienced outdoors when a fixed blade is desired while camping or hunting during cold weather. A neck knife carried outside of the jacket is much easier to deploy and redeploy than a belt knife that is buried under several layers of clothing. And because the carry cord is on the outside of the jacket collar, you don't even notice it.

[JD Spydo]

I can't help but think they are kinda dumb. The only one I think that would be useful is the Cold Steel push daggers, but in my country a push dagger is a prohibited weapon and will send you to jail. The problem is a neck knife is either too big and too heavy, or it's too small to be useful.

What ever happened to good ol boot knifes as your super secret agent back up knife? Oh wait no one wears boots anymore lol

My late best friend sold me on Ankle Sheaths about a year before he passed. He even used them with his STREETBEAT model as his main EDC. In the last two years i got him to carry/EDC a TASMAN SE along with his STREETBEAT.

Before he died he was looking into neck knives because his son was starting to like them and had bought a couple as well. But even if I end up with some type of neck Knife set up I like I'll still try to also set up a really good ankle sheath and knife as well.

[dsvirsky]

The problem is a neck knife is either too big and too heavy, or it's too small to be useful.

Just like the Dragonfly is too small to be useful?

[TheRaven]

I didn’t read all the posts....just the OP.

Good.

Didn’t native Americans carry neck knives for...thousands....tens of thousands of years??? Definitely not a fad.

[cbrstar]

I can't help but think they are kinda dumb. The only one I think that would be useful is the Cold Steel push daggers, but in my country a push dagger is a prohibited weapon and will send you to jail. The problem is a neck knife is either too big and too heavy, or it's too small to be useful.

What ever happened to good ol boot knifes as your super secret agent back up knife? Oh wait no one wears boots anymore lol

My late best friend sold me on Ankle Sheaths about a year before he passed. He even used them with his STREETBEAT model as his main EDC. In the last two years i got him to carry/EDC a TASMAN SE along with his STREETBEAT.

Before he died he was looking into neck knives because his son was starting to like them and had bought a couple as well. But even if I end up with some type of neck Knife set up I like I'll still try to also set up a really good ankle sheath and knife as well.

I'm really sorry for your loss. Sounds like he was a interesting and well traveled man. You might really enjoy a neck knife, I would just try something cheap to start off with. I tried one and disliked it but that's just my own personal preference. If this is for SD, they do make back knife holsters that completely hide a full sized knife on your back.

[markg]

I want to love them, and I have tried over the years. They work, but only if you get the right knife and sheath, and in the right context.

Unless you need a deep conceal and ease of draw is not a issue, they are not the greatest for self-defense carry. If you are rolling around on the floor with someone, who knows where that knife is when you go to draw it.

Summer carry can suck. In the winter you often wear multiple layers and you can have the knife between an undershirt and something else. This can be uncomfortable and depending on the materials of the knife, can be a bear when it comes to corrosion.

Neck knives are a pain to re sheath and demand using two hands.

Anymore, for me, they are a "specialty carry." Kayaking, backpacking, around camp, or possibly when you don't have pants with pockets. I have wanted to like them, but they are just not great for EDC uses.

Of the ones I have tried that I liked. May favorite is the Emerson LaGriffe, the old Spyderco SPOT was similar and I liked it too. The Spyderco ARK is nice and is one of the few that is comfortable without an undershirt (and with H-1) it can handle the sweat. The CRKT Minimalist is a good inexpensive choice. TOPS makes some nice options too.

[JD Spydo]

Anymore, for me, they are a "specialty carry." Kayaking, backpacking, around camp, or possibly when you don't have pants with pockets. I have wanted to like them, but they are just not great for EDC uses.

Of the ones I have tried that I liked. May favorite is the Emerson LaGriffe, the old Spyderco SPOT was similar and I liked it too. The Spyderco ARK is nice and is one of the few that is comfortable without an undershirt (and with H-1) it can handle the sweat. The CRKT Minimalist is a good inexpensive choice. TOPS makes some nice options too.

I used to have a couple of the Spyderco SPOT models. They were interesting but much too small for any of my practical uses. The Spyderco ARK model would make much more sense to me but only in SE. Last night I finally found my neck sheath for a Dodo model that I bought from Mike Sastre quite a long time ago. The Dodo might be one I would consider for they type of use.

I'm kind of thinking along your lines that neck knives are a specialty type knife only ideal for certain applications. I doubt I will ever EDC one unless some type of advanced sheath comes along that I find advantageous. But I'm still finding it interesting that OFF GRID magazine is taking a serious look at neck knives because they are a very serious and pragmatic type of publication. OFF GRID magazine is not given to fads or hype as a general rule. That's why it's one of the very few survival type magazines I read anymore. And I recommend the rest of you to check them out.

[markg]

The SPOT, like the LaGriffe, is a self-defense "get off me tool." The ARK is that too, but I find the other two more useful for me. If used for the intended purpose they are quite useful, but anything else not so much.

I'll take a look at Off The Grid. Thanks.

[JonLeBlanc]

They seem useful if one needs to cut something five inches from ones chest!