Neck Knives? Good or Bad?

[JD Spydo]

On a shoulder strap yes, around the neck no.

Now this response has me thinking more about possible "safety issues" regarding Neck Knives. Wearing anything around my neck has me slightly concerned about the safety aspects of it. Which is something I've never heard talked about much regarding the wearing of Neck Knives.

Really when I think deeply about it over the years I've never really liked the idea of anything around my neck. Which is another reason I started this thread to begin with >> to get some feedback and some different ideas on how to use these types of knives. This shoulder option or my late best friend's "ankle option" both seem like a better idea to me. You could still use one of these Neck Knives but carry it and deploy it in a different manner all together>> and hopefully safer too.

[Doc Dan]

People have had their para cord get caught in something with bad results. A break away chain is better but can still cause problems. And, as I said above, running can have issues, as well. I chipped a tooth and got a black eye from running and it bouncing up off of my chest forcibly.

[JD Spydo]

People have had their para cord get caught in something with bad results. A break away chain is better but can still cause problems. And, as I said above, running can have issues, as well. I chipped a tooth and got a black eye from running and it bouncing up off of my chest forcibly.

Thank you Doc :) Because I'm now seeing that the safety issues of these Neck Knives is truly something to take a serious look at. On one hand I do like the extreme handiness of a Neck Knife but on the other hand I'm starting to see that the potential of some kind of an accident are much higher than I first realized.
That's one of the main reasons I really lost my first love for "Automatic Knives" ( Switchblades). I just loved the ominous sounds of deploying a really high quality Benchmade or Pro-Tech Switchblade but I pretty much traded all of them away. Because on two occasions I had one deploy in my pocket and on another occasion I had one deploy inside my work vest. I thought about it after the second scary accident and weighed out the possibility of being severely injured or maybe killed by my EDC horrified me. Those two incidents just made the idea of carrying an automatic ( switchblade) knife for an EDC not so wise from several aspects. I now only own one for a collector piece and no longer want to carry one.
With all that said I'm now deeply questioning the wisdom of Neck Knives just from the aspect of "safety" alone. But if there are safe ways to do this then I ready to hear what anyone has to say.

[Doc Dan]

Fishing line through two button holes to anchor the sheath? A light shoulder harness like that for a small handgun? How about one of those stretchy waistband holsters?

[James Y]

Besides the problems mentioned above, and the discomfort and accessibility problems (if under a shirt), there are other reasons I don’t like them. In the past, I’ve read people discussing neck knives as possible self-defense options. IMO, neck knives are NOT so great a choice in such a role.

Firstly, if it’s hanging from para cord, you have a ready-made garrote around your neck for someone to possibly grab and choke you with. Or even if he’s not choking you with it, he could still pull or yank it to jerk your head/body around. Even with a break-away chain there could be issues.

Secondly, if you’re in a situation where you’re grappling/rolling around on the ground, that neck knife could end up anywhere, since it will most certainly move around and be difficult to find, let alone access/deploy under stress. And if your shirt is tucked, it would be worse than useless, and better not to have it in the first place.

Thirdly, AFAIK, where I live, if I’m wearing a neck knife under a shirt, it’s a concealed fixed blade and illegal to carry. Technically, it is legal to carry a fixed blade openly, but who wants a neck knife hanging and swinging out in the open? It’ll draw all the wrong kinds of attention, including from the cops.

Jim

[JD Spydo]

Well with the overall drift I'm getting and the negatives that seem to be out-weighing the positives I'm doubtful I'll be joining this bandwagon any time soon. I"m getting more convinced that a sheath set up on the shoulder or my pick the ankle sheath is a much better option.

The safety issues concern me and just the idea of having anything around my neck in a bad situation isn't appealing to me at all. I'm sure they have their place and just the fact that OFF GRID magazine is doing some research on them is a curiosity.

Exploring lanyard type set ups are probably where I'm going to focus on.

[MichaelScott]

If I were younger and backpacking again, I would have a Helle Algonquin around my neck when in camp for the night. Handy. Available even in the dark and with a handle big enough to handle any in-camp stuff.

That Helle is a Swedish made knife isn't it? And by the way how long of a blade did you have on that Helle model?

Norway. made by people, by hand. Check out the Algonquin here: https://helle.com/collections/frontpage ... quin-knife

[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

[Jazz]

The idea is good, but really, where can you run around with a knife in plain view around your neck without looking like a lopper?

[bearfacedkiller]

The idea is good, but really, where can you run around with a knife in plain view around your neck without looking like a lopper?

Rural New England. While I seldom see folks with neck knives on (could be under a shirt) I regularly see folks with fixed blades on their belt. Nobody around here would pay any attention to a neck knife.

[dsvirsky]

The idea is good, but really, where can you run around with a knife in plain view around your neck without looking like a lopper?

Southwest Virginia. People rarely take notice of either a neck knife or a belt knife and the few comments over the years have all been positive.

[Jazz]

You guys are lucky then. I still get funny looks occasionally when I pull out my Delica wharnie at work.

[marty_bill_]

Well I'm pro neck knives and have packed them for years. All things said above could possibly happen. It depends on your lifestyle I guess. In public people rarely look up to even watch where they are going much less notice a neck knife. For me the pro's outweigh the cons by a large margin. I prefer the Esee CR2.5 in a kydex sheath. With Paracord and a plastic breakaway connector. I've swam in public pools with neck knives and most don't have a clue what it is. Much less the life guards. And nobody blinked an eye. They are so self absorbed they have no clue of their surroundings. But to each their own do what ya like. What I do know is at times when I couldn't have a folding knife in a pocket my neck knife was there. Finding the right neck knife is the hard part.

[JD Spydo]

Well I'm pro neck knives and have packed them for years. All things said above could possibly happen. It depends on your lifestyle I guess. In public people rarely look up to even watch where they are going much less notice a neck knife. For me the pro's outweigh the cons by a large margin. I prefer the Esee CR2.5 in a kydex sheath. With Paracord and a plastic breakaway connector. I've swam in public pools with neck knives and most don't have a clue what it is. Much less the life guards. And nobody blinked an eye. They are so self absorbed they have no clue of their surroundings. But to each their own do what ya like. What I do know is at times when I couldn't have a folding knife in a pocket my neck knife was there. Finding the right neck knife is the hard part.

One thing I've been wanting to ask you guys who EDC a Neck Knife is how you get around a few aspects of what you encounter by carrying one? For instance how do you deal with the unit swinging back and forth ?>> that to me would become annoying after a while. What type of sheath do you use that secures the knife properly?
Also in the deep summer I'm a guy who really sweats a lot>> so what would you use to prevent corrosion? Also what type of lanyard or cord do you use>> because I've found that a lot of different types of cord/string, twine really irritate my neck if I wear them enough. I'm sure there are ways to overcome these minor problems associated with EDCing a Neck Knife.

[dsvirsky]

One thing I've been wanting to ask you guys who EDC a Neck Knife is how you get around a few aspects of what you encounter by carrying one? For instance how do you deal with the unit swinging back and forth ?>> that to me would become annoying after a while.

This is one of the reasons weight matters. Light knives move less than heavy ones (simple physics -- think pendulum). Also, pancake style sheaths move less than taco style ones do (because they're wider).


What type of sheath do you use that secures the knife properly?

Preferably, you want a kydex (or other thermoplastic) sheath where either the knife "snaps" into the sheath or there is a thumb release like on the redesigned sheath for the ARK. With neck knives, I don't trust a sheath where the knife is primarily held in place by friction.


Also in the deep summer I'm a guy who really sweats a lot>> so what would you use to prevent corrosion?

If I'm really going to be sweating heavily, the ARK is currently my go to necker (I have a custom in LC200N on order). Under normal summer conditions, I find S30V and CPM154 sufficiently corrosion resistant.

Also what type of lanyard or cord do you use>> because I've found that a lot of different types of cord/string, twine really irritate my neck if I wear them enough.

Either paracord with a plastic safety connector or dog tag chain covered by the nylon shell from 550 paracord.

[marty_bill_]

One thing I've been wanting to ask you guys who EDC a Neck Knife is how you get around a few aspects of what you encounter by carrying one? For instance how do you deal with the unit swinging back and forth ?>> that to me would become annoying after a while.

With smaller neck knives simple 550 Paracord works fine for me. With larger neck knives I need a sheath with 2 eyelets at the tip of the sheath. Then I have a larger cobra paracord with loops on both ends where I put a small nitize carabeners to connect the neck strap to sheath. And it's custom length to fit my neck that I had to do myself. And you'll probably never eliminate all the swing but it does mitigate it better.



What type of sheath do you use that secures the knife properly?

I prefer kydex, but I do have a Bark River Caper necker knife that came with a leather sheath with a magnet in it to secure the knife and it has actually worked really well. Super design and perfect for me. With the kydex though the knives click in and out. So no problem there.


Also in the deep summer I'm a guy who really sweats a lot>> so what would you use to prevent corrosion?

That Caper necker is 20cv and a great knife. Very corrosion resistant. 1 ultimate neck knife is not something I've found yet. Different knives for different seasons and situations must be considered. And I would find 1 that's stainless of your preference and get a kydex sheath for it. There are a lot of kydex benders out there that can build a sheath to your knife.



Also what type of lanyard or cord do you use>> because I've found that a lot of different types of cord/string, twine really irritate my neck if I wear them enough. I'm sure there are ways to overcome these minor problems associated with EDCing a Neck Knife.

Paracord is my go to cordage. But where I melt the ends and stick them together I keep that down at the sheath end. So the cord is nice and smooth around my neck. I just recently got some Pop barrel connectors so if it snagged on something the knife would come off my neck. Well they work but come undone when I'm just pulling the knife out sometimes. So I put 1 single tiny drop of super glue on them to keep them from coming apart when pulling the knife but still able to come apart in an emergency. They are ok and work but for me kind of unnecessary. I don't work around spinning equipment or anything like that and my other method of just melting the ends and sticking together has served me well.

Also I can't stand the dogtag chain. It doesn't work for me. But maybe if it was in empty Paracord like mentioned earlier it might be good?

[marty_bill_]

These are my top 2 neck knives. The ones I grab the most. On the leather sheath I put the connection of paracord through the 2 eyelets.

[A.S.]

Paracord has always been my go to. It is cheap and easily replaceable. Ball chain chords are not he most comfortable to me. The key is a thin lightweight knife and preferably kydex sheath.

[marty_bill_]

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

[JD Spydo]

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?