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I need a self defense knife under 3.5” for my wife. Preferably a backlock because that’s what she knows how to use. The matriarch is too long at 3.57”. I was considering a serrated delica wharncliffe. Thoughts?

Edit: or maybe the endela?

When I saw the title of your post my first thought was wharncliffe delica. It has amazing slicing power in a thin and relatively compact package . The shape of the handle seems to accommodate a lot of different sizes of hands and the frn makes a great surface to grip with nervous hands. You may want to consider PE over SE though. I question the SE blade getting hung on heavy fabric in a real life situation. Good luck with your decision!

Swick? No lock and gross motor skills.
Maybe a push dagger if only for defense.

Before giving up on a different lock type, perhaps you could have her test out a Yojimbo to see how she does with it. It's hard to beat a tool specifically designed for a task and the Yojimbo was designed specifically for personal defense.

Burton Knut wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 8:28 am

Swick? No lock and gross motor skills.
Maybe a push dagger if only for defense.

I’d agree with Burton Knut and along that line, I have a Subway Bowie. An advantage of a fixed blade is there’s one less step to deploy it. It’s already open.

Yeah. Swick or that smaller perrin bowie.

If you like the Matriarch otherwise just Dremel the blade down to make it legal (assuming that's the issue).

Otherwise my choice would be a wharncliffe Rock Jumper.

This might not be popular but what about something simple like a Tenacious. You can get a 8Cr in SE or PE for short money. The knife has a strong liner lock that is easy to use, good grip, good length, light weight and could be used as a normal pocketknife when needed. If your not trained how to use it, I don't think you needed a dedicated self-defense knife. I mean Michael did just fine on Halloween night... :)


Spyderco Tenacious Lightweight Folding Knife FRN (3.375" Satin) C122PBK from BladeHQ only $56.25. Same price for a SE too at many stores.
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Spyderco- ... ht--102053

hobbyist wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 7:52 am

I need a self defense knife under 3.5” for my wife.
Thoughts?

Get her a "dual purpose" knife, not just a dedicated "self-defense" knife. She'll be more likely to use it on an everyday basis, become familiar with it, and carry it at all times. A "self-defense only" knife will become secondary and eventually forgotten.

More important than the knife is the user of the knife. Someone standing there with a knife saying, "You'd better leave me alone," might be somewhat of a deterrent... maybe. But there's no ambiguity when the intended victim whips out the knife and lets the red juice out of the attacker. Proper training helps good citizens develop the mindset to make decisions regarding the appropriate response.

PM Sent

I'm no authority on self defense, but neither is your wife (I assume), so at least I can look at this from a relatable viewpoint.
The advice about opting for a dual use knife resonates with me. I don't typically put any thought into self defense, so the idea of carrying a dedicated SD knife is very unrealistic to me. But if ever in the slightest doubt I carry the user knife I assume to fit best into a dual use scenario.
And for me it's the Manix 2 LW. It's light, it has some self close bias (though not as much as most backlocks), it has a very acute tip and it provides a secure grip with a very defined finger guard.
I've never been in a self defense situation, but I've put down wounded white tails with just a knife, so I've learned the hard way the importance of a finger guard when using a knife on something that doesn't want to be cut.

What the Manix 2 LW doesn't have is a the familiar backlock for closing, but when the time comes to close the knife she has all the time in the world. She can use two hands or just put the open blade in her purse and close it when the adrenaline returns to normal levels. Opening the thing is where it matters, and this will be a very similar experience across the Spyderco lineup.

Going by reputation the backlock is among the stronger locks. It's still my uneducated opinion that (C)BBLs and Compression locks are slightly more confidence inspiring in my view. It may not be deserved, it's just how I feel. And to be clear, I use Spyderco backlocks for 95% of my folding knife use, so I have a lot of faith in that lock too.

There are tons of Spyderco knives under 3.5 inches that may work for self defense. These are my favorites:

Dragonfly (stay away from the round nose wharncliffe)
Native 5
MicroJimbo
Subway Bowie

Obligatory...
Your wife should have several self defense options prior to the knife.
Avoiding the situation
Long distance running
Gun
Mace
Taser
Etc.
Knife/baton/fists should usually be the last resort for someone who is at a disadvantage and being attacked.

Danke wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 12:32 pm

Legit question, why the Micro over the regular? The regular is also under 3.5"

some good suggestions in here already, but i'll add this one. the delica wave is a great choice for self defense. add a signet ring and it makes for a quick deployment as well, even from a potential compromised position. it takes some practice to get consistent with it, but self defense requires practice anyway. (speaking of which... please bring back the wave trainers, spyderco)

anyway, it just so happens to also be a great knife. even with the wave and signet ring, it's still useable as a normal knife for normal cutting tasks. i may send my daughters off to college with these.

phaust wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 3:26 pm

Danke wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 12:32 pm

Legit question, why the Micro over the regular? The regular is also under 3.5"

YES, the Yojimbo would work too.

I did not go through all of the Spyderco knives on Knife Center's website.

phaust wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 3:26 pm

Danke wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2024 12:32 pm

Legit question, why the Micro over the regular? The regular is also under 3.5"

I think the overall package is better. It's built on the experience from the Yojimbo and the 2. Also the tip appears less fragile.

The Ronin could be an alternate but some folks will find a bigger fixed blade inconvenient. It's no good if it's not carried all the time.

It's not a backlock, but the Lil Temperance was designed specifically for this. I'd strongly consider the Lil Temperance 3 LW. It is an amazing knife.

Already mentioned but to recap:
Delica
Lil temp
Yojimbo
Not necessarily in that order.