Looking for a Self Defense Knife?

[Naperville]

Big Brown Bear

https://youtu.be/E-c3LxQbcqg

[Naperville]

K390 vs S30V.... I think that VG-10 would be worse than S30V for cutting potential. The Spyderco Enuff 2 in K390 is what you want for self defense.

https://youtu.be/qBmEbk0kXSk

[Naperville]

The Power of K390: Steel Test Fine and Coarse Edge

- K390 Fine 1000 grit sharpening
Police 4, k390 925 cuts
Stretch 2, k390 1000 cuts

- K390 Coarse 400 grit sharpening
Endela k390 1125 cuts


https://youtu.be/PndsmWy_km8

[Naperville]

Knives are tools. Guns are for self defense.

You need to watch Doug Marcaida, my friend... You have a lot to learn

Doug is excellent. I've learned a few tricks from him. Some of his work he took down....must have had complaints but I know the videos very well.

[Tristan_david2001]

Depends on your daily carry blade limit.

[Mr_Whiskerz]

The Power of K390: Steel Test Fine and Coarse Edge

- K390 Fine 1000 grit sharpening
Police 4, k390 925 cuts
Stretch 2, k390 1000 cuts

- K390 Coarse 400 grit sharpening
Endela k390 1125 cuts


https://youtu.be/PndsmWy_km8

If the knife fight takes 925 cuts to get out of, you have bigger problems than blade steel selection.

[aicolainen]

I don't understand why everyone brings up a gun being a better option when the topic of knives and self-defense comes up. It seems like a really obvious thing, but is anyone actually insisting that a knife was a better option for it to merit mention? I also find it interesting that people try to distinguish knives from weapons so often, insisting that they're only tools, that they're terrible self-defense options, etc. I don't see it much on here, but if you mention knives and self-defense on r/knives, you'll get about two dozen arm-chair martial artists screaming at you about how terrible knives are for self-defense.

I'm just curious about what the agenda to it all is. Referring to r/knives again, there seems to be a lot of people there from the UK where restrictions on knives are very stringent and they're mostly viewed as weapons. It seems that those people want to try to insist knives aren't weapons as a way to de-stigmatize them. Maybe they think if less people considered knives as weapons, there wouldn't be so many restrictions on them. That seems like a reasonable agenda, though I tend to disagree with the assertions.

On the other hand, I can't really think of a good reason people constantly bring guns into the discussion. I wonder if it's because people spend so much money on their guns, and carrying a gun is such an immense responsibility, that they see a suggestion to carry a knife as an implication that it's a way to avoid that cost and care? That's kind of a flimsy premise, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Personally I find it very frustrating when someone asks, "What knife should I get for self-defense?" and someone says, "A gun." It really kind of ignores the millions of people who cannot possess and/or carry guns in the U.S. for one reason or the other. I have the misfortune of having been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution when I was a teenager, plus living in a state where I can't get my firearm rights restored. Kinda stupid that a felon can get their rights restored in my state, but not someone with resolved mental health issues, but that's a different rant. So it's kind of a slap in the face every time someone tells me I should get a gun, or that I should get my rights restored.
8< ——

I think you’re reading too much into what people say about this.
I don’t know anything about self defense. Not with a gun, not with a knife, not even with my limbs. I still think it’s reasonable to assume that a lot of people planning to get a knife for self defense has not thought this decision trough very well. Some has indeed, but if you already have the training and experience required, would you really be asking an open question like that on reddit or a forum where you know nothing about the respondents qualification?
I think anyone suggesting a gun in this case isn’t just out to hurt the feelings of all those who can’t go buy a gun for self defense, that’s like >90% of the worlds population, but rather to point out that a knife is a poor choice without some not easily obtainable prerequisites. A gun, if the option is available, is in most cases a better equalizer of force. Personally I have the body composition of a Kenyan long distance runner, which means I can outrun most people that doesn’t specifically train to be fast runners, but one good hit from someone with more substantial body mass and I’ll probably break in half. If I were to use a knife for self defense I would have to put in a bloody lot of training to mitigate my physical shortcomings. On the other hand I’m a pretty good shooter. So while I’ve never trained for self defense, I’ve been hunting since I was 12 and a competition shooter in ISSF-, IPSC- and national programs since I was 14. With little or no training I’d be much more comfortable defending myself and my family with a gun. And I think this is applicable for a lot of people who lacks the physical requirements of a natural born knife fighter. Even with little or no prior gun experience.

That said, I don’t want everyone and their grandmother to walk around with a loaded gun, so for my own safety and society as a whole I rather everyone who isn’t very proficient with a gun carry a knife.

I understand this is a lot of opinions coming from someone who can’t legally carry neither a gun or a knife for self defense. But that is also my point, with the legal limitations being the same for both I can objectively say that I’d prefer a gun, and it’s also what I think would serve most people best.

Now, there is kind of a loophole even here, but it’s murky and not legally predictable. A knife is a tool, so you can carry a knife if there’s a legal and justifiable reason for it. Actually the same is true for firearms, they are considered tools too, but in very limited scenarios. If I’m hunting, practicing or competing, firearms are a tool. In every other situation they are weapons. This is very different for knives, that can be considered tools i most situations, and hence I think it’s reasonable to think about them in more generic terms as tools.

I guess we might never reach agreement on all of this, but I do agree with you’re knife choice and reasoning behind it. And I’ve come to the same conclusion. Since I neither can (legally) or even want to carry a dedicated self defense knife, if I ever feel the need for something that could work as dual purpose I’ll chose my Manix 2. And will probably change to a Manix 2 salt when it’s available.

[Hopsbreath]

I don't understand why everyone brings up a gun being a better option when the topic of knives and self-defense comes up. It seems like a really obvious thing, but is anyone actually insisting that a knife was a better option for it to merit mention? I also find it interesting that people try to distinguish knives from weapons so often, insisting that they're only tools, that they're terrible self-defense options, etc. I don't see it much on here, but if you mention knives and self-defense on r/knives, you'll get about two dozen arm-chair martial artists screaming at you about how terrible knives are for self-defense.

I'm just curious about what the agenda to it all is. Referring to r/knives again, there seems to be a lot of people there from the UK where restrictions on knives are very stringent and they're mostly viewed as weapons. It seems that those people want to try to insist knives aren't weapons as a way to de-stigmatize them. Maybe they think if less people considered knives as weapons, there wouldn't be so many restrictions on them. That seems like a reasonable agenda, though I tend to disagree with the assertions.

On the other hand, I can't really think of a good reason people constantly bring guns into the discussion. I wonder if it's because people spend so much money on their guns, and carrying a gun is such an immense responsibility, that they see a suggestion to carry a knife as an implication that it's a way to avoid that cost and care? That's kind of a flimsy premise, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Personally I find it very frustrating when someone asks, "What knife should I get for self-defense?" and someone says, "A gun." It really kind of ignores the millions of people who cannot possess and/or carry guns in the U.S. for one reason or the other. I have the misfortune of having been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution when I was a teenager, plus living in a state where I can't get my firearm rights restored. Kinda stupid that a felon can get their rights restored in my state, but not someone with resolved mental health issues, but that's a different rant. So it's kind of a slap in the face every time someone tells me I should get a gun, or that I should get my rights restored.
8< ——

I think you’re reading too much into what people say about this.
I don’t know anything about self defense. Not with a gun, not with a knife, not even with my limbs. I still think it’s reasonable to assume that a lot of people planning to get a knife for self defense has not thought this decision trough very well. Some has indeed, but if you already have the training and experience required, would you really be asking an open question like that on reddit or a forum where you know nothing about the respondents qualification?
I think anyone suggesting a gun in this case isn’t just out to hurt the feelings of all those who can’t go buy a gun for self defense, that’s like >90% of the worlds population, but rather to point out that a knife is a poor choice without some not easily obtainable prerequisites. A gun, if the option is available, is in most cases a better equalizer of force. Personally I have the body composition of a Kenyan long distance runner, which means I can outrun most people that doesn’t specifically train to be fast runners, but one good hit from someone with more substantial body mass and I’ll probably break in half. If I were to use a knife for self defense I would have to put in a bloody lot of training to mitigate my physical shortcomings. On the other hand I’m a pretty good shooter. So while I’ve never trained for self defense, I’ve been hunting since I was 12 and a competition shooter in ISSF-, IPSC- and national programs since I was 14. With little or no training I’d be much more comfortable defending myself and my family with a gun. And I think this is applicable for a lot of people who lacks the physical requirements of a natural born knife fighter. Even with little or no prior gun experience.

That said, I don’t want everyone and their grandmother to walk around with a loaded gun, so for my own safety and society as a whole I rather everyone who isn’t very proficient with a gun carry a knife.

I understand this is a lot of opinions coming from someone who can’t legally carry neither a gun or a knife for self defense. But that is also my point, with the legal limitations being the same for both I can objectively say that I’d prefer a gun, and it’s also what I think would serve most people best.

Now, there is kind of a loophole even here, but it’s murky and not legally predictable. A knife is a tool, so you can carry a knife if there’s a legal and justifiable reason for it. Actually the same is true for firearms, they are considered tools too, but in very limited scenarios. If I’m hunting, practicing or competing, firearms are a tool. In every other situation they are weapons. This is very different for knives, that can be considered tools i most situations, and hence I think it’s reasonable to think about them in more generic terms as tools.

I guess we might never reach agreement on all of this, but I do agree with you’re knife choice and reasoning behind it. And I’ve come to the same conclusion. Since I neither can (legally) or even want to carry a dedicated self defense knife, if I ever feel the need for something that could work as dual purpose I’ll chose my Manix 2. And will probably change to a Manix 2 salt when it’s available.

God made some men tall and some men short. Sam Colt made all men equal.

[vivi]

K390 vs S30V.... I think that VG-10 would be worse than S30V for cutting potential. The Spyderco Enuff 2 in K390 is what you want for self defense.

https://youtu.be/qBmEbk0kXSk

No one here thinks K390 is a bad steel. We all like it. There's no one that needs convinced it's great. We're just saying other steels make more sense.

K390 wouldn't be my first choice for a dive knife either.

[Naperville]

The Power of K390: Steel Test Fine and Coarse Edge

- K390 Fine 1000 grit sharpening
Police 4, k390 925 cuts
Stretch 2, k390 1000 cuts

- K390 Coarse 400 grit sharpening
Endela k390 1125 cuts


https://youtu.be/PndsmWy_km8

If the knife fight takes 925 cuts to get out of, you have bigger problems than blade steel selection.

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

This is pretty much what the military (& 2) was made for, right?

[Naperville]

K390 vs S30V.... I think that VG-10 would be worse than S30V for cutting potential. The Spyderco Enuff 2 in K390 is what you want for self defense.

https://youtu.be/qBmEbk0kXSk

No one here thinks K390 is a bad steel. We all like it. There's no one that needs convinced it's great. We're just saying other steels make more sense.

K390 wouldn't be my first choice for a dive knife either.

Just trying to be as informational on the subject as I can. I don't have the answers so I relied on others to discuss the knife and steels.

[jwbnyc]

No.

The Military is not specifically a self defense knife.

[Naperville]

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

This is pretty much what the military (& 2) was made for, right?

I prefer the Native Chief over the Military but I'll end up with a Military II.

[Enactive]

The Power of K390: Steel Test Fine and Coarse Edge

- K390 Fine 1000 grit sharpening
Police 4, k390 925 cuts
Stretch 2, k390 1000 cuts

- K390 Coarse 400 grit sharpening
Endela k390 1125 cuts


https://youtu.be/PndsmWy_km8

If the knife fight takes 925 cuts to get out of, you have bigger problems than blade steel selection.

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

"Put an end to him" sounds more like bloodthirst than self defense.

[Naperville]

The Power of K390: Steel Test Fine and Coarse Edge

- K390 Fine 1000 grit sharpening
Police 4, k390 925 cuts
Stretch 2, k390 1000 cuts

- K390 Coarse 400 grit sharpening
Endela k390 1125 cuts


https://youtu.be/PndsmWy_km8

If the knife fight takes 925 cuts to get out of, you have bigger problems than blade steel selection.

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

"Put an end to him" sounds more like bloodthirst than self defense.

As a teen, I was tormented for around a decade, chased down and beat up 2 to 3 times a week. FOR A DECADE. I have a blood thirst all right, I take out thugs.

I don't need a knife to defend myself against one guy. The last fight I was in - in 1987, I fought 4 collegiate level 1st string football lineman and knocked the first guy out with one strike....and while he lay on the floor convulsing one of his buddies tended to his needs. Which left me with 2 guys to fight. And we fought. I made mistakes that I will not make again. I'll use a knife to stand them off, and if need be take out all 4 of them.

[Mr_Whiskerz]

If the knife fight takes 925 cuts to get out of, you have bigger problems than blade steel selection.

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

"Put an end to him" sounds more like bloodthirst than self defense.

As a teen, I was tormented for around a decade, chased down and beat up 2 to 3 times a week. FOR A DECADE. I have a blood thirst all right, I take out thugs.

I don't need a knife to defend myself against one guy. The last fight I was in - in 1987, I fought 4 collegiate level 1st string football lineman and knocked the first guy out with one strike....and while he lay on the floor convulsing one of his buddies tended to his needs. Which left me with 2 guys to fight. And we fought. I made mistakes that I will not make again. I'll use a knife to stand them off, and if need be take out all 4 of them.

Oh, we got us an internet bad-*** here.

Come on dude, we're here to talk about knives, not rationalize bloodlust.

[TkoK83Spy]

Naperville, all due respect, but you are also in your 60's and working on getting more into fitness, which is great. But you really shouldn't stress and worry about worst case scenarios, or even put yourself into situations where self defense is needed. Just my opinion.

[Naperville]

The intended target is not going to be standing their buck nekid. I may have to go through a ton of very tough material to put an end to him.

"Put an end to him" sounds more like bloodthirst than self defense.

As a teen, I was tormented for around a decade, chased down and beat up 2 to 3 times a week. FOR A DECADE. I have a blood thirst all right, I take out thugs.

I don't need a knife to defend myself against one guy. The last fight I was in - in 1987, I fought 4 collegiate level 1st string football lineman and knocked the first guy out with one strike....and while he lay on the floor convulsing one of his buddies tended to his needs. Which left me with 2 guys to fight. And we fought. I made mistakes that I will not make again. I'll use a knife to stand them off, and if need be take out all 4 of them.

Oh, we got us an internet bad-*** here.

Come on dude, we're here to talk about knives, not rationalize bloodlust.

Oh no.... you're the "internet bad-***" clearly. You called me out. I'm a holy man, like a monk that doesn't react well to thieves, creeps and thuggery. If you know what is good for you though you'll RUN MY PLATES before you get bonked on the head by this monk.

When is the last time you've had to fight 4 to 5 guys at once? It's how it works in places like the South Side of Chicago and many other places. I roll with it.

[Naperville]

Don't forget, this "internet bad-***" recommends the Spyderco Native Chief, and the Spyderco Enuff 2 for self defense.