Best Self Defense Knife for your Wife/Daughter/Girlfriend,etc

Mr. Clean said:

Trained or not, an edged tool in close quarters can be used to good effect using instinctive motions. I won't attempt to argue that training won't make someone more effective. But, if you don't believe that a blade is effective. Choose a partner, give them a knife (not a trainer) and try and take that knife away. Bring determination, bandages, a cell phone and remember the numbers 9-1-1.

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Well, you're talking about a training situation here, aren't you? I'm talking about the person walking in an empty parking garage or darkened street who is carrying a blade and gets attacked. My totally non-empirical sense--based on a lifetime of watching lions and lambs--is that most people will go down without even drawing that weapon. My concern is--did the fact that they were carrying it embolden them to get into a situation that they were not prepared to handle?

Mr. Clean said:

Surely you don't mean equate the ability to use a knife (or even a gun) to that of flying a plane.

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Of course I am. However, I'm not talking about the relative skill to use the instrument correctly. I'm talking about the presence of mind to act quickly and decisively under extreme conditions.

Mr. Clean said:

I lean strongly on the side of doing whatever is necessary, with whatever tool is at hand, to protect myself (yourself). I can't imagine the scenario where I would shrink in fear because I might not have the necessary or sufficient training to use a tool at hand to defend myself or my loved ones.

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That's great, and I applaud you for your commitment. I myself never leave my house without a knife somewhere on my person, and I would use it without hesitation to protect myself or my loved ones. My point is that neither you nor I are the measure by which these situations should be measured. I can easily imagine the scenario in which, confronted for the first time with a dangerous situation, the brave dojo or gun club warrior goes down with his Spydero folder unopened in his pocket.

Spyderco Matriarch. Requires no training to wield, is small/light - but large enough to be devastating - and well.... it is remarkably devastating.

joel said:

Spyderco Matriarch. Requires no training to wield, is small/light - but large enough to be devastating - and well.... it is remarkably devastating.

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Damn, that thing is just plain scary....One look and your opponent will do an about face and run........

thirdeye said:

Damn, that thing is just plain scary....One look and your opponent will do an about face and run........

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Well... if you want scary - check out it's big brother, the civilian....

Here's an opion from someone who has been cut and stabbed in an attack. I've had about 12 years Martial arts and close quarters combat training. Twice I've been at the wrong end of a blade. The fact is if there is a sharp point or edge involved YOU WILL GET CUT. I'm here because I've had training. The first time, I was cut by my own knife. The attacker's momentum (he was a very large man) Knocked me down and I gave myself a nice slice across my bicept. Be aware of the risks of any weapon in a self defense situation. I've been far better off with my hands and my training, than with a knife and I'm very proficient with a blade. I'd strongly recommend pepper spray from fox labs.

The Nid Hog said:

Well, you're talking about a training situation here, aren't you? I'm talking about the person walking in an empty parking garage or darkened street who is carrying a blade and gets attacked. My totally non-empirical sense--based on a lifetime of watching lions and lambs--is that most people will go down without even drawing that weapon. My concern is--did the fact that they were carrying it embolden them to get into a situation that they were not prepared to handle?
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No, I was not referring to a training session. This goes back to my point that the most important thing some people can take away from a self-defense seminar or those couple of MA classes they took, is to be aware of your surroundings and prepare a plan of action. That person is going to already have their weapon either in hand or close at hand if they are in an area calling for high alert. You're arguments attempt to include the same group of people which I've already excluded as not likely to have a weapon in the first place.

The Nid Hog said:

Of course I am. However, I'm not talking about the relative skill to use the instrument correctly. I'm talking about the presence of mind to act quickly and decisively under extreme conditions.
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We'll have to agree to disagree on the relevance of that comparison. I'm far more confident in my ability to handle the latter than to attempt the former.

The Nid Hog said:

...I can easily imagine the scenario in which, confronted for the first time with a dangerous situation, the brave dojo or gun club warrior goes down with his Spydero folder unopened in his pocket.

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On this we can agree. And even yet I will always argue the point that it is far better to have the knife and not use it, than not to have the chance to use it. Ie. they could rise to the occasion. Unfortunately there are still places here where a bladed tool are banned, so it is also a pretty good idea to have some idea of what you would do in the absence of a traditional weapon.

About all a knife like that is good for is getting yourself into legal trouble at best. The better solution is to get training, get a CCW, and consider something like this:


Given proper training, a revolver with a laser sight is a VERY effective close-range self-defense tool, and the fastest way for a novice to become effective.

Joel, is the Civilian only tip-down carry?

Without reading all three pages... "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight". My wife wanted some Mace, I ended up talking her into getting her CCW and a CZ-P01 9mm.

Kit Walker said:

About all a knife like that is good for is getting yourself into legal trouble at best. The better solution is to get training, get a CCW, and consider something like this:

Given proper training, a revolver with a laser sight is a VERY effective close-range self-defense tool, and the fastest way for a novice to become effective.

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Yep - shooting someone won't cause legal trouble

joel said:

Yep - shooting someone won't cause legal trouble

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Depends on what state you're in, and the conditions that you shot them under. Before I turned 21 and could buy a handgun, I shot a home intruder six times in the chest with a .22 semi-auto rifle. I had my rifle back in two months, and the ******* got 5 years in prison for his efforts. I went to the police station to give my statement, and had to go to court for one day (which my employer paid for). That's it. If I'd had a better weapon, I wouldn't have even had to go to court.


Florida, the gunshine state!

GreatDane said:

Depends on what state you're in, and the conditions that you shot them under. Before I turned 21 and could buy a handgun, I shot a home intruder six times in the chest with a .22 semi-auto rifle. I had my rifle back in two months, and the ******* got 5 years in prison for his efforts. I went to the police station to give my statement, and had to go to court for one day (which my employer paid for). That's it. If I'd had a better weapon, I wouldn't have even had to go to court.


Florida, the gunshine state!

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Sounds like Nevada. Just don't shoot anybody outside your home.

TimmyBoston said:

Joel, is the Civilian only tip-down carry?

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Nope - it can be carried in either configuration. The knife is drilled/tapped on both the top and bottom for the clip hardware. This is a very large, heavy knife though - i'd stick to the matriarch.

I'm having a hard time making up my mind between the options there. Gun vs knife vs spray vs hand-to-hand (all of this with or without training)?

I guess it depends on the real use of the weapon, doesn't it? Is it for intimidation, do you want to inflict pain, disable, or even kill the attacker? I think there is an important distinction there, and in a way it depends on the person and situation. You might not want to kill the person (here in Canada using a gun and killing the attacker would probably not constitute self-defense, but maybe in the USA) and there is a chance that the person just can't be scared. You have to react quickly, too. How long between the time she realizes the danger and the time it's too late to react? In my opinion the gun is a terrible choice. Martial artists out there can (and will) correct me if I'm wrong, but the right reaction at the right time might compensate for a lack of physical strength in this kind of situation, wouldn't it? I know a solid kick to the groin or fingers in my eyes would surely make me stop doing whatever I was doing.

Here carrying pepper spray is illegal, but a small bottle of any other spray (like insect repellent) will blind someone painfully just the same.

GreatDane said:

Depends on what state you're in, and the conditions that you shot them under. Before I turned 21 and could buy a handgun, I shot a home intruder six times in the chest with a .22 semi-auto rifle. I had my rifle back in two months, and the ******* got 5 years in prison for his efforts. I went to the police station to give my statement, and had to go to court for one day (which my employer paid for). That's it. If I'd had a better weapon, I wouldn't have even had to go to court.


Florida, the gunshine state!

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With our new president in office, this will likely not be the case in the future.... assuming we can still buy ammo for our firearms.

Thanks for the pepper spray tips guys, I did place an order for a Fox Labs Mean Green Pepper Spray Trainer Kit this evening.

joel said:

Nope - it can be carried in either configuration. The knife is drilled/tapped on both the top and bottom for the clip hardware. This is a very large, heavy knife though - i'd stick to the matriarch.

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I was curious about the Civilian for myself. But I think it's too big even for me.

I am looking for a Matriarch right now, that's a great looking knife thanks for the tip.

joel said:

With our new president in office, this will likely not be the case in the future.... assuming we can still buy ammo for our firearms.

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Exactly why I'm looking for a firearm for myself at this time, but that's a whole other thread.

As we say YMMV

This is a great thread for bringing out strong felt opinions. As someone else said, when a knife is used someone will get cut. Many times when someone is killed by a stab wound the killer is found by the DNA left on the knife. How did it get there you may ask, when the person stabbing with the knife contacted something hard (say bone) and their own hand slid down the knife and sliced their hands open. If a women manages to stab an attacker and in the process severs the tendons in her hand then what?

Knives are far trickier for self defense than guns or pepper spray.