Blending EDC with Self Defense

[ZMW]

For clarification on my request. I am referring to a scenario when CCW is not allowed (schools mainly) and when I am with my family, that means a 1 yr old and 4 yr old, so running away is hopefully an option but it may not be. I do have 5-6 years of martial arts training (BJJ and some boxing), but not edged weapon training. I do want to take a few classes just to review some basics.

My family and I go to a Jewish Community Center, and lets just say our facility is a higher value target then your average school or public place. No firearms allowed. In the event of a sh*t hit the fan scenario and I need to protect myself, family, and community, I was curious what would be best in your guys opinions.

Thank you all

Hey ZMW, for the record, I was just being silly and looking for a laugh in my post. Not trying to devalue the thread in any way. :) My real answer to your question remains the Military though. The long reach and secure grip afforded by the large blade and the larger handle make it one of the better blades in the lineup for emergency SD situations IMO.

All good! I just wanted to clarify so you guys understood what I was getting at. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Peacent, aside from the hawkbills and Lil Matriarch, the Pacific Salt I recognize, is the shorter bladed one a Salt-1?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

God-forbid that one would ever have to be in this situation, but, if you are armed with, say, a Pacific Salt or Matriarch or Civilian, and some violent attacker bent on damaging and even killing the person attacks, and you are able to seriously cut them and injure them, is it best to yell out and bring attention to what happened, and stay near the scene, so you could explain yourself to the authorities, or, run after you defensively-strike them, and try to get as far from the attacker as possible?

Or is this an inappropriate question to ask even on this EDC/SD knife topic? If it is, pardon me.

I would hope never to have to face such a situation and hope no one here would have to, either.

[chuck_roxas45]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

[Surfingringo]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

The 4mm blade stock maybe?

[SG89]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

The 4mm blade stock maybe?

:p

[vivi]

Try carrying the Military IWB behind your hip strong side. It vanishes until you need it.

I'm no SD expert but I feel the Police 3 or Military are good choices. They're two of my favorite utility EDC's, and the longer than typical blade would be an advantage I'd imagine.

You could also look into the Szabo folder. Its heavy enough I don't like carrying it IWB in basketball shorts, but its still possible if you tighten the waist band cord. I feel like its not quite as good of a utility EDC as the above two, which is why I tend to carry them more, but its still a very capable utility knife.

[chuck_roxas45]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

The 4mm blade stock maybe?

That could be it. I really was quite surprised and tried sharpening and trying again. Same results.

[jdw]

I wonder if the lil matriarch could handle some edc tasks. It might be what you are looking for.
Small, light, versatile. I don't have one, so I couldn't tell. Maybe someone else could answer.

It makes a great EDC. Not quite as versatile as a traditional blade shape but far more useful than most would imagine for many everyday tasks. I love my pe lil Matriarch and have carried it tons as my sole EDC.

+1 on this...It is far more useful than you would initially think. With a little luck I have even made a peanut butter sandwich with mine. I prefer the pe version as well. It's unobtrusive and very handy.

[Bill1170]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

The 4mm blade stock maybe?

That could be it. I really was quite surprised and tried sharpening and trying again. Same results.

My guess is the sweep of the blade. That gentle curve that's so useful for utility purposes is kind of opposite to the geometry of the Yojimbo, which concentrates force at the pointy tip. Seems the Military would tend more to slide off the target than to bite in.

[chuck_roxas45]

My guess is the sweep of the blade. That gentle curve that's so useful for utility purposes is kind of opposite to the geometry of the Yojimbo, which concentrates force at the pointy tip. Seems the Military would tend more to slide off the target than to bite in.

Excellent point

[ZrowsN1s]

My state is very prohibitive when it comes to fire arms. Basically I'm allowed to own one, and take it to the range, but I can neither open nor concealed carry here, it stays at home. There are over 158 different gangs in my city, 2 to 3 shootings a week (criminals largely disregard the strict gun laws), murders are not uncommon. You try to avoid conflict, identify potentially shady situations and people and avoid them before they become a problem. When trouble finds you, you can't always run, sometimes trouble corners you (trouble likes to attack in groups of 2 to 5 around here). I've had my life threatened by a complete stranger, it's terrifying. You hope it never happens to you, or your friends or family. But it does happen, I've lost 2 friends in the 38 years I've lived here, shot by nameless faceless killers never caught. Like I said you hope it never happens to you, but it does happen. I would carry a gun if the law allowed me to, pepper spray is one of the only legal non-lethal weapons here, no saps, no brass knuckles, or kubatons, can't carry a wooden stick.... thankfully my state is extremely liberal when it comes to pocket knives, no size limit if it folds. I'm reticent to bring a knife to a gun fight but if the worst happens, that is what my state mandates. I'm the first to say run away if you can, give them your wallet if you can't, hope for the best... but prepare for the worst. For me that means carrying a knife as a weapon.
:o please forgive the rant. :o

... So back to your question. You want a knife that can be used for self defense AND EDC that isn't too scary. The full flat grind delica 4 is small enough to be socially acceptable just about anywhere. And if you watch Michael Janich's Youtube videos on MBC you'll see it is very capable of being used as a self defense tool. The new para3 is probably worth a look. I carry a small edc blade on my left for public use, and my MBC knife in my right coin pocket. I'm currently carrying a native 5 and Yojimbo 2. :spyder:

[The Deacon]

For clarification on my request. I am referring to a scenario when CCW is not allowed (schools mainly) and when I am with my family, that means a 1 yr old and 4 yr old, so running away is hopefully an option but it may not be. I do have 5-6 years of martial arts training (BJJ and some boxing), but not edged weapon training. I do want to take a few classes just to review some basics.

My family and I go to a Jewish Community Center, and lets just say our facility is a higher value target then your average school or public place. No firearms allowed. In the event of a sh*t hit the fan scenario and I need to protect myself, family, and community, I was curious what would be best in your guys opinions.

Thank you all

Assuming you're in the US, just keep in mind that many states prohibit carrying knives on school grounds regardless of whether school is in session. However, if you regularly visit areas where knives are allowed but firearms are prohibited, you might want to consider owning a dedicated SD knife, like the Civilian or Matriarch. While any knife is better than no knife if push comes to shove, a knife that's never used for anything else will always be sharp. If that doesn't appeal to you, then just about any Spyderco with a 3" or longer blade can double as a weapon.

[anagarika]

There are several school of thoughts from people I consider respectable over Prac Tac on BF and here. It dictates what kind of knife or tools to use.
- Slashing muscle/tendons to disable movement, this is the emphasis by Mercop (over BF with his IET-Inverted Edge Tactics that deals with opening a folder and follow ups) and also by Mike Janich. The curved up Military & Para doesn't work well with this method. Yojimbo & Jazzlica do.
- Poking / piercing as distracting method, heavily debated over BF, shared by Ken Cox. This method favor anything pointy , even a screwdriver or stinger (comtech stinger) will do.
- Walking stick and no knife. Carl / Jackknife over BF emphasized this. He's not Jackknifeh of our forums here.

I'd say each has pro and cons and also depends on the modus. An attacker that seek to kill (i.e.) mass shooting has to be disabled. In that manner, cutting and breaking the structure (method 1 & 3) is preferable. Just consider which one is more effective and easier to use.
An attacker that seek to bully, any of the the 3 will do, and Ken Cox argues that a confident & prepared person will not attract such attacker.

I think the best combo is stick & a Delica (Jazzlica). I'm yet at age that I can carry walking stick and use it (culturally also not popular). Alternatively a strong umbrella can be carried as replacement of stick. For example: http://unbreakableumbrella.com/

Since family safety is a concern, any possibility to move to a safer area?

Good luck.

Edit to add: I haven't bought & tried the umbrella, practiced a bit of martial arts but nowhere an expert,these are what I have read and consider having interest in self defense and the legal issues surrounding it.

[PayneTrain]

Military. It's already my favorite knife to carry for every day use, and it's probably the folder I'd trust most if I had to use it as a weapon because it's so long and has plenty of handle to hang on to. But, like everyone else, I'd really rather not. The police would have to confiscate it afterwards.

[Evil D]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

The 4mm blade stock maybe?

That could be it. I really was quite surprised and tried sharpening and trying again. Same results.

I would assume it has to do with blade shape rather than thickness. The Endura has a straighter edge and less upsweep at the tip than a Military. Going by what we know of a wharnie and how they perform, and why they're such good slashers, the lower the tip means the better the cut when making a slashing arch.

Still, if all you have is a Military, I have no doubt you can do sufficient damage to a bad guy lol.

[Surfingringo]

I've tried cut testing a military and although it's one of my favorite knives, it just falls short in the slashing department compared to say...an endura. I don't know why that is but it's what my informal tests show.

I would go for a Yo2 for utility and for SD.

The 4mm blade stock maybe?

That could be it. I really was quite surprised and tried sharpening and trying again. Same results.

I would assume it has to do with blade shape rather than thickness. The Endura has a straighter edge and less upsweep at the tip than a Military. Going by what we know of a wharnie and how they perform, and why they're such good slashers, the lower the tip means the better the cut when making a slashing arch.

Still, if all you have is a Military, I have no doubt you can do sufficient damage to a bad guy lol.

You are probably correct (regarding blade shape)

[jdw]

How about a Stretch SE? I don't have one but they look like they are an
incredible slicer.

[mb1]

I toyed with this idea when I tried a Karahawk. I think it would work well for both, but like Paul mentioned, I never wanted to dull it. I also didn't like the ring making it obvious I had something unusual in my pocket. I would go clipless and deep pocket a Karahawk if I ever get another. They are wonderfully thin.

I keep a Matriarch 2 in my car only because we're not even allowed to keep guns in parked cars where I work.

Still, it would have to be a pretty dire situation to press a blade into defensive use. And for that, I'd like to have a katana within reach. Not because I'm a mall ninja, but standoff distance is everything. There are no real winners in a knife fight.

[JD Spydo]

I think that the Military would be my first choice but I also think that the Yojimbo2 is the best blend of SD and utility that you can get in a knife.

Yeah and the beautiful thing about the Yojimbo 2 is that it falls well within most blade length laws throughout the country. And with the C-36 Military being desired for SD uses it only makes perfect sense to offer it in full Spyderedge again.

Also that is another reason I've recently made the case for using fixed blades as EDC knives ( where the law allows of course)>> because in most cases especially with a lot of these newer tactical sheaths available on the market it makes most fixed blades a lot easier to deploy than most folders are.

Let's face the facts because it is a lot easier to have full confidence in a fixed blade in most cases. The Ronin model for instance is probably legal to carry in most jurisdictions throughout the USA.