SD vs. EDC Spyders

[dialex]

I have my trusty Adventura as EDC. Always sharp. With regular cutting chores in mind and no official SD purposes (I heard rumours it's pretty good at meat slashing though...)

[The Mastiff]

There is truth to what the good Doc says about some people's fear of being cut. Others, it pisses off. It triggered a adrenalin dump in me that caused anger that the assailant only had a knife. I would tell them which part of their anatomy I was going to insert it into. Some backed down some didn't. The two times I was actually successfully stabbed it was 1) from the rear, the 2nd was an ambush which went into my palm as a last minute defensive manuver that got lucky. It went through and came out the back of my(weak) hand causing the knife to become unusefull to the attacker. Fighting back both times saved my life, no question.

Do something, anything. Preferably to gain the initiative. As with the Homeless persons post your appearence and alertness and demeanor could attract, or repel aggressive types. Joe

[Glock27]

I carry a Glock23 for SD and an Endura for EDC.
I Know this SD option is not available in areas without CCW.

I don't think it would be wise to bring a knife to a gun fight

G27

[Dr. Snubnose]

[quote="Glock27"]I carry a Glock23 for SD and an Endura for EDC.
I Know this SD option is not available in areas without CCW.

I don't think it would be wise to bring a knife to a gun fight ]

That... IMHO, is foolish thinking....I'd bring a fork and spoon with me If I thought it might help me get through the day!....Guns are not ray guns or lasers, they are man made pieces of machinery subject to failure at any given time...If you have a need to carry one gun they you have a need to carry many....and all other sorts of equiptment that will help you survive, otherwise I'd say stay home don't even think about going to the gun fight.....Doc :D

[Stenny]

Doc Snubnose's law: Bring as many guns and knives (not mentioning other gear) into any fight as practically possible... and then some :D
I like people that show that something thought impossible is actually well within human abilities.

[robo19x]

hmmmmm. . . .

just the other day. . . some road-raging fellow came at me with a pipe after i had stopped my car on the side of the road (he was break checking me and cutting off my ability to change lanes).

this is what happened to my arm:



i got out of my car and i had my trailing point lil temperance in my hand. it's all i had and it's one of the two spyderco knives i carry (i carry a poliwog for heavier tasks -- keeping the trailing point sharper for tasks that would require that).

when he saw that i had a knife, he started backpedaling which put him off balance. that was the only good hit that he landed before i tied up his arm with the one he'd just hit.

i dropped the knife behind me and fought back until there wasn't any fight left in him.

it was a crazy situation and i did okay for myself. . . and, even though i didn't (and. . . good god. . . i really didn't want to) use it. . . i think giving that guy enough reason not to go all out (because he didn't want to get cut) kept me from getting a cracked head. . . .

just so everyone knows. . . i keep the temperance good and sharp because i love the knife and i've often used it during photoshoots -- cutting gels. . . doing precision cuts. . . wrapping stuff with tape. . . etc. it's not really my self defense knife. . . but, it's the one that i'd always grab in that situation because i'm so used to it.

[kgriggs8]

A knife is a crappy self defense tool. Sometimes a crappy tool is better than nothing however. I carry knives that can used as SD weapons in a pinch but are not only for that purpose. I like my G-10 Police, Pacific Salt, Endura, Military and other knives like this for those reasons. I can use a Mili as an EDC but it is also a decent SD knife should the need appear.

I only own one SD knife, a Civilian. I never carry it because if I were ever to carry a weapon for self defense only, it would be one of my pistols and not a knife.

[robo19x]

if I were ever to carry a weapon for self defense only, it would be one of my pistols and not a knife.

same here. . . .

getting my CCW here soon enough. . . .

hehe. . . like a few others here, i have a nice SP101 that i'll likely end up carrying in a pocket holster a good deal of the time (whenever i'm not wearing the sig p220 in a shoulder holster -- IWB carry never has felt right for me).

[Glock27]

Dr. Snubnose....perhaps you need to buy better pistols. I shoot in competition at least twice a month (300 rnds.+). I use my carry gear, vest and all. I have never had any of my carry pistols malfunction. I do keep them reasonably clean.
The problem with using a knife for SD is that you must get real close to the bad guy. In *any* self defense situation, distance is your friend.
While forks or spoons might be used as a last resort, it would be foolish IMHO to count on them stopping a bad guy.
The best way to survive any type of fight is to never get in one in the first place........but if retreat is not an option, I'd pick a pistol over a knife any day.
The only time a knife or gun should be drawn is to stop life threatening activity.
G27

[Dr. Snubnose]

Dr. Snubnose....perhaps you need to buy better pistols. I shoot in competition at least twice a month (300 rnds.+). I use my carry gear, vest and all. I have never had any of my carry pistols malfunction. I do keep them reasonably clean.
The problem with using a knife for SD is that you must get real close to the bad guy. In *any* self defense situation, distance is your friend.
While forks or spoons might be used as a last resort, it would be foolish IMHO to count on them stopping a bad guy.
The best way to survive any type of fight is to never get in one in the first place........but if retreat is not an option, I'd pick a pistol over a knife any day.
The only time a knife or gun should be drawn is to stop life threatening activity.
G27

I do have better pistols and they are called Sig Sauers...but to be honest I always carry a revolver or two or three, cause I always want my guns to go bang when I pull the trigger....I train LEO's all day long with the Glocks, and I'm one of those that just hates it...I have seen too many jams with them once too often....I agree distance is always to your best advantage, but not all confrontations start from 40 feet away...most often someone is right up in your face talking junk....sometimes there just isn't the oportunity to even draw a knife or gun...better off sharpening your empty hands skills if you ask me....at least learn how to create space so you can effectively deploy your weapon of choice at close distance, for me the knife is in an easier place to reach than my firearms and if pinned against a wall say on my gun hand side there is no way I will clear leather....but I will be able to slice dice and stab if need be...so don't limit your options, it may save your life one day.....Doc :D

[robo19x]

The only time a knife or gun should be drawn is to stop life threatening activity.
G27

you know. . . that's the biggest thing i had trouble with after everything was over with. . . . the guy had that pipe, and when it became clear he was going to be right up on me, i had the knife in my hand. i couldn't decide if i wanted to do that (because there wasn't much chance of getting away), but it seemed like a reasonable thing at the time (in the interest of not getting my head caved in). after it was all over and recovering from the experience. . . that was a lot to think about.

i was wondering, though, what would have came down on me had i cut that guy when he was trying to bash in my skull. i'm sure i could try and research court cases where that's happened, but i'm not sure how well that would go over. . . even in west virginia. . . .

anyway. . . sorry for the thread-hijacking rambling. i can safely say, though, that i'm glad i had that lil temperance there with me.

[Dr. Snubnose]

same here. . . .

getting my CCW here soon enough. . . .

hehe. . . like a few others here, i have a nice SP101 that i'll likely end up carrying in a pocket holster a good deal of the time (whenever i'm not wearing the sig p220 in a shoulder holster -- IWB carry never has felt right for me).

Robo I hope you are a big man, cause I couldn't carry a P220 in a shoulder rig without looking like I'm walking around with car parts under my armpits....IWB has it's advantages as the shoulder rig has its disadvantages, like someone pinning the crossed arm in front of your body when attempting to draw....I really don't know too many professionals that will carry in a shoulder rig for that reason...best to learn (once again) to create space away from your opponent before attempting that kind of draw....Doc :D

[robo19x]

Robo I hope you are a big man, cause I couldn't carry a P220 in a shoulder rig without looking like I'm walking around with car parts under my armpits....IWB has it's advantages as the shoulder rig has its disadvantages, like someone pinning the crossed arm in front of your body when attempting to draw....I really don't know too many professionals that will carry in a shoulder rig for that reason...best to learn (once again) to create space away from your opponent before attempting that kind of draw....Doc :D

yeah. . . i like the shoulder rig mostly because i'm always wearing a loose jacket and i'm normally riding a motorcycle and like the idea of having something where i know it'll be there. i'm about 6'4" and weigh about 290 (yeah. . . i could stand to lose some -- maybe lose the love handles and carry IWB a little better, right?) -- either way, i have a lot of ME to hide the p220, haha. . . .

hmmmm. . . i couldn't find any recent photos of me where you could see that i have a lot of room to hide a full size .45. . . but, i did have this one i shot in los angeles last summer.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/24021 ... 60ee_o.jpg

i'm seated. . . but. . . i guess you can kind of see that i'm like one of those toy trains that's just built to a slightly bigger scale -- funny looking and not practically useful when everything else is built for someone smaller.

[Dr. Snubnose]

yeah. . . i like the shoulder rig mostly because i'm always wearing a loose jacket and i'm normally riding a motorcycle and like the idea of having something where i know it'll be there. i'm about 6'4" and weigh about 290 (yeah. . . i could stand to lose some -- maybe lose the love handles and carry IWB a little better, right?) -- either way, i have a lot of ME to hide the p220, haha. . . .

hmmmm. . . i couldn't find any recent photos of me where you could see that i have a lot of room to hide a full size .45. . . but, i did have this one i shot in los angeles last summer.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/24021 ... 60ee_o.jpg

i'm seated. . . but. . . i guess you can kind of see that i'm like one of those toy trains that's just built to a slightly bigger scale -- funny looking and not practically useful when everything else is built for someone smaller.

Robo ...Doc :D

[Agent Starling]

just so everyone knows. . . i keep the temperance good and sharp because i love the knife and i've often used it during photoshoots -- cutting gels. . . doing precision cuts. . . wrapping stuff with tape. . . etc. it's not really my self defense knife. . . but, it's the one that i'd always grab in that situation because i'm so used to it.

dude...glad you got out of your situation unharmed :)

I took the first of a three-part self-defense class in feb which was taught by a hi-level LEO, and he encouraged us to carry a 2.5" knife (he had a Benchmade on display :eek: ), to learn to shoot, to carry a kubotan, SD flashlite, pepper spray, whatever suits each person. I kind of wonder if the attitudes toward SD are different in different parts of the country, out west here there are a lot of people into shooting for sport and/or SD, there's a ton of guns clubs...so maybe there's more tolerance? i don't know.

what i do know is that i don't know of any one of my friends here who are into learning about SD, or even carrying knives for EDC...so I keep it my own business of how i would protect myself or a loved one IF it ever came to that. nuff said!

Agent Starling

[redyps04]

Whipping out a knife as a deterant is a great idea in theory, but what happens when the guy calls your bluff and you werent as serious about gaining the higher ground as he is? I would hate to be in the situation of having to decide then if it was the right idea or not. If the decision is ever made to, (God forbid), extend the thumbhole, it would have to be for no other reason than to stop an immediate, unmistakable, and unavoidable threat to my or my family's lives.

[A. Stanton]

I have voiced my opinion on this over on Bladeforums, I might as well do so here as well. First of all, I do not carry knives for self defense. I carry knives for their tool value. If I had to, I could use one or more of them for self defense.

If that ever happened, I would prefer to be able to look into the eyes of the investigating officers, defense and prosecuting attorneys, and the judge and say with complete honesty that I had that knife in my pocket because I used it to slice and butter a bagel for breakfast, cut my Subway Club sandwich into managable pieces at lunch, or whatever I had done with it that day, even if I was hooked up to a polygraph. No lies about "I keep it factory sharp in case I come upon an accident and need to cut a seatbelt".

Saying "yes, I carry this for the express purpose of using it as a weapon to protect myself" will come across as "I carry this weapon to hurt or kill people". It shouldn't be that way, but it is. One look at most of my knives will convince anyone that they are used for work, and not gently.

In the town next to me not too long ago, a man was jumped by a gang of young thugs while he was hiking on the rails to trails path. The man fended they off with a pocket knife, cutting one of the thugs in the process. When the thug showed up at the local emergency room, he was promptly arrested. No mention was ever made of the victim getting arrested.

[stonyman]

Good story A Stanton. I love hearing about citizens who protect there lives without any further harm toward them or there families. He was very fortunate both ways around. :cool:

[bladese97]

:spyder: :spyder: :cool: :spyder: :spyder: I don't use my Knives for SD either, but if I had to(God forbid), I'd be Clipin the P'kal :eek: :cool: :D

[clovisc]

starling,

i have a limited number of blades that i've decided will be SD only... my scorpius and waved d4 come to mind. i'll get very comfortable with these, and sometimes carry them if i expect to be somewhere where things are more likely to go wrong. avoiding bad neighborhoods, situations, etc. is key -- but sometimes they can't be avoided. when i lived in zambia especially, i tried to make sure i had one sharp-as-possible knife available at all times... especially while travelling.

up here in alaska, things aren't quite so intense. i mostly brought outdoor knives with me... most/all of my SD-only blades are back at my parents' house. if SHTF, i could certainly use an EDC knife for SD. or anything for SD... (i'd prefer a pole!).

i've recently begun using more knives i previously tagged as SD-only as EDC knives. (such as my chinook II).

anything can be used for SD. including EDC knives. and SD-only knives. SD only knives might be more effective, yes. you gotta ask yourself... how badly do you need a more effective SD folder?