looking for self defense knife....thoughts on behind the back option......bob

Mine is a sp101 federal, less than that is my wrestling and street skills...

Can you give us more detail on what you are looking for?

Size
Factory
Custom

When you say behind the back option are you referring to belt carry or over the shoulder?

A big ass Bowie. 🤠

brtbladeworks (Ben Tendick) would most likely be my first go to guy for a stout fixed blade fighter. https://brtbladeworks.com

A Phill Hartsfield would be pretty high up there as well. But he is no longer with us and I believe his son has slowed down or stopped making. So it would be second hand market.

Ernest Emerson would be very high on my list for a folder.

RJ Martin would be just as high on my list.

If you want bling then I could recommend that too but sounds like you are looking for a workhorse fighter.

mch….belt carry...and you are right,workhorse….nothing fancy... size wise don't want a big assed knife...thanks for the recommendations...bob

4" to 6" Kwaiken would be my pick as far as blade design goes. I would most likely go chisel ground as well.

Let us know what you end up going with.

Clinchpick or similar, they are designed to be worn in front near the centerline. See ShivWorks for some useful info.


mike r

I like my Benchmade infidel OTF automatic for self defense

What characteristics make for a 'self defense knife' ?

Bud Nealy is a knifemaker that has a line of SD blades, and offers 3 position sheaths with them.

http://www.budnealyknifemaker.com/

Bud has some great designs. His Pesh-Kabz being my favorite.

Hard to get horned up over CPM 154, I wish he would venture into better steels.

Edited Dam auto correct

That would depend on your style of fighting with a knife and your style of grip. I am a fan of the Filipino Grip. In my opinion the Tanto/Kwaiken is the most versatile design there is in a fighting knife. It can be used very effectively using a variety of grips and fighting styles.

Bad idea bringing a knife to a gun fight...

This is true.

However in some cases it is the only option. Also a Plan B is never a bad idea. Learning to fight with every weapon you can puts you a head of the rest, and light years a head of the majority of criminals. Can you take down a criminal with a pen from your seat on an airplane? I know 100% you can not with a knife or a gun!

So you've actually taken down a criminal on an airplane from your seat with a pen?

No I have not. But I train for every situation. Your Life Your Fight. You decided how prepared you want to be when and if that time arises. It is no different than training for anything else in life, it all comes down to what you want to be good at and how good you want to be. I also practice my butt off on chandelles and Battue's, yet in 35 years of hunting have yet to see a real bird fly like either of those! So do you bring anything of merit to the conversation or are you just trying to stir the pot? My example is to get people that honestly have an interest in personal defense to thinking outside of the box. It could save their life or someone else's one day.

Compelling, thanks.

The OP didn't give us much information. Why he needs the knife (instead of a gun)? Where he's going to be? Etc. To use the old cliché--the best defensive knife is the one that you have on you. There aren't many places that you can carry a full size knife and not carry a firearm.

I didn't see anywhere in the OP's post that he said in lieu of. However seeing we know where about the OP lives you are correct there aren't to many places that carrying a gun isn't an option. There can be other reasons behind carrying a knife over a gun.

Most of the time I just carry an Ontario RAT 1. Decent all-arounder that you aren't afraid to use.


I do have a few knives more along the lines of close in defensive use. The karambits can have a lot of fancy moves, but also very effective with gross motor skills, like punching, slashing, and hammer fist blows.

top to bottom,

Gerber Guardian
Spyderco Military
Ontario EOD
Derespina Chiroptera Karambit

right mch…...I need to check the laws here in mt.…..thinking post office....banks ...etc....know no guns...need to check size of knives......also, why not have.. as you said basically another option......bob

Does Ontario make any tactical pencils? Thanks from a frequent flyer.

No idea.

No Ontario doesn't. Most companies stick to pens.

Here are a few pretty well knowns that do make pens

Zero Tolerance, Schrade, Gerber, Surefire, Boker, 5.11, Cold Steel, Benchmade, Smith and Wesson, and CRKT. A long with a bunch of custom makers as well. I am sure you could get a custom in pencil form.

a pencil would be better than a pen.....the tip would "break away" like a nosler partition….leaving the main body to plow forward..


an added benefit ….the lead tip left inside could deliver the " death blow" via poisoning in 25 to 30 years.....with no trace of foul play...bob

I would like to think my Zero Tolerance 0456bw or 0562ti would be up to the task!

Grin

You know the saying, It's not the arrow it's the Indian! Same with the knife. Any knife can be made to work in the hands of a skilled user.

I worked in the Philippines for just under two years on three islands. With my interest in knives I was lucky to be able to study daga/baraw (name dependent on island) the majority of the time I was there, reaching "bihasa"...roughly "master".

I carry a talonite Rob Simonich Bitterroot 'round my neck (same knife I wore in the PI) and a Tom Krein TK-4 Mini Bowie in CPM 3V in a kydex sheath with tek-lok small of back just as you are asking...


And:

If faced with a knife fight would either run like hell, or pull my 26...

It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission.

I have a good friend who is a former Navy SEAL who served in Vietnam. He said he carried a Gerber Mark II fighting knife. He said it worked quite well for him. He also said a knife collector who collected Vietnam memorabilia offered him a great deal of money for it along with a picture of him in Vietnam with the Gerber on his pistol belt. My friend turned him down as it meant a great deal to him.

Might work for the o.p.

L.W.

Anyone that wants to be in a knife fight is just a stupid SOB! You are 10 steps ahead of the majority with your training. You have also learned the more important thing, try to avoid at all cost. At least if you are ever in the position of having to fight, you have a solid foundation.

In a knife fight, you don't get cut if you know what you are doing. The idea is to cut the other guy and not get cut yourself. Seems obvious when you think about it.

This post clearly shows that you have never been in a knife fight, you have never trained for knife fighting, and well I'll leave it at that!

Big difference between cutting someone, and being in a knife fight.


About the difference between a sucker punch,
And a good old toe to toe slugfest.

Except the damage is a bit worse than a broken nose and "coon eyes".

I think I get what you're saying, Bill. I have your book and stuff by James Keating, Fred Perrin, classic Rex Applegate, etc...

My take re "self defense" vs "combat" is that the idea of knife fighting as a duel where you square away and have at it like in the movies is rather fantastic if not quixotic.

I've stood in more than one kali or krav maga session where with paint sticks being used to simulate edged weapons some very well trained guys ended up with way more ink on them than I'd care to endure as real cuts. So, personally part of "if you know what you are doing" would include the option of getting the hell out. I would fight if there was no other option, but damn sure wouldn't do that trading cuts bs 'til both guys look like zombies. My first teacher stressed only take a cut if you deliver a kill.

That's not even getting in to the legal issues that would inevitably ensue in many locales.