Civilian vs Matriarch 2 Wave?

Which is the better defensive knife?

  • Civilian (with zip tie “wave” mod)

  • Matriarch 2 Wave

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M

Mitch Taldison

Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Messages
87
Due to the nature of my job, I find myself flying here and there around the country every so often on business, and bringing along a gun is simply not possible. I also go to areas where firearms are absolutely prohibited. Much of my traveling is in Texas and areas with lax knife laws, so a large folder is a legal and convenient defensive option for me.

Looking to get either a Civilian or Matriarch 2 Wave. If I got the Civilian, I would do the zip tie “wave” mod (I have it on my Delicate and like it) as well as swapping the clip to the proper side for “wave” carry.

I owned a Civilian for a short while and was impressed by it. But is the Matriarch 2 just as effective an emergency last ditch defensive weapon? It is considerably cheaper, lighter, a bit more compact, and is already set up for wave pocket usage of course. But if the Civilian is the superior weapon, then I will buy it. Money is no object here.

So, between the two, bottom line up front, which would YOU rather have in your pocket if being attacked and you didn’t have access to a firearm?

Thanks gang,

-Rosco
 
I'd probably pick neither and bring my Yojimbo 2.

But it would still have to go in a checked bag so that would be a drag.
 
I've had several civilians and I would certainly choose one of them over a matriarch. The wave is very specific to its draw it's very difficult to draw without wave.
 
I've heard horror stories of TSA entering your checked bags and confiscating knives. I know you said money is no object but I'd be pissed if someone confiscated a knife I enjoyed.

But for Texas surely you'll have no problem. I believe the Civilian was the original and had a slightly different design, so maybe go for the improved Matriarch with the lightweight Endura frame and integrated wave.
 
There are a whole host of OTHER knives that I'd prefer to (and can/do) carry for SD than just the 2 mentioned but, as between those 2, I'd prefer the Matriarch2.

Personally, I'd never carry any knife w/a kludge (like a zip tie attached) to make it do something that it wasn't originally designed to do. So, I'd never put a zip tie on any of my Spyders. Doesn't matter if it's a Civilian or any other Spyder.

Also, in terms of the knives themselves, if you own (or can buy) both or either of these knives, I don't see the point in buying a Civilian and putting a zip tie on it when you could just buy a Matriarch2 instead. Yeah, the blade is a little over 1/2" longer but the longer length can be a detriment in close-in fighting and really isn't a good reason to choose the Civilian over the Matriarch IMO.

But, it's really a matter of personal preference. If you like the Civilian better and if it would constantly bug you to carry the Matriarch instead of the Civilian, then buy the Civi and put a zip tie on it and be done w/it.

FWIW, I own over 120 Spyders including over 20 specifically designed for SD and while I own a Matriarch, I do not own a Civilian. Just my preference.
 
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lieferung said:
I've heard horror stories of TSA entering your checked bags and confiscating knives. I know you said money is no object but I'd be pissed if someone confiscated a knife I enjoyed.

But for Texas surely you'll have no problem. I believe the Civilian was the original and had a slightly different design, so maybe go for the improved Matriarch with the lightweight Endura frame and integrated wave.
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Bruh, the hole in the blade is where you run your cable lock through before locking it to the inside of your luggage. Can’t do that with thumb studs
 
Oh and get a Delica. Mike Janich carries a Delica. Delica has a drone trainer to practice with. Get the Delica
 
twinboysdad said:
Oh and get a Delica. Mike Janich carries a Delica. Delica has a drone trainer to practice with. Get the Delica
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Actually, if you want to mimic a Civilian or Matriarch and carry a knife that you don't mind losing, a cheap Spyder hawkbill would be my choice.

The Byrd Hawkbill (BY22SBK), which you can get online for just $24, immediately comes to mind for this purpose.

With the Byrd, you could cut somebody up cut , toss the knife away (after wiping your prints off of it) and not worry about it. LOL! ;)
 
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Matriarch for me

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That’s not confiscation, that’s stealing...there are no prohibitions against having knives in your checked luggage.
lieferung said:
I've heard horror stories of TSA entering your checked bags and confiscating knives. I know you said money is no object but I'd be pissed if someone confiscated a knife I enjoyed.

But for Texas surely you'll have no problem. I believe the Civilian was the original and had a slightly different design, so maybe go for the improved Matriarch with the lightweight Endura frame and integrated wave.
Click to expand...
 
nephron said:
Civilian, it was designed for what you have in mind.
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That wasn't the question the OP as asking.

He was asking if you'd prefer to carry a Civilian w/a zip tie so that he could wave it or a Matriach2 w/the wave feature already manufactured into the blade.

It's already well-known (based on Spyderco's description of the knife posted above) that the Civilian was "designed" for LEO use BUT that was before they began making the Matriarch and other knives where they've added the Emerson wave tab to it, which in addition to the Matriarch also includes the Endura and Delica.

The question I'd ask is why isn't Spyderco making a Civilian w/an Emerson wave tab too?

Seems like an obvious thing to do, given all of the other models where the wave tabs been added. It would also make it unnecessary for people to resort to the warranty voiding modification illustrated in the photo that WValtakis WValtakis posted above in order to add one to their Civilians.
 
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sgt1372 said:
That wasn't the question the OP as asking.

He was asking if you'd prefer to carry a Civilian w/a zip tie so that he could wave it or a Matriach2 w/the wave feature already manufactured into the blade.

It's already well-known (based on Spyderco's description of the knife posted above) that the Civilian was "designed" for LEO use BUT that was before they began making the Matriarch and other knives where they've added the Emerson wave tab to it, which in addition to the Matriarch also includes the Endura and Delica.

The question I'd ask is why isn't Spyderco making a Civilian w/an Emerson wave tab too?

Seems like an obvious thing to do, given all of the other models where the wave tabs been added. It would also make it unnecessary for people to resort to the warranty voiding modification illustrated in the photo that WValtakis WValtakis posted above in order to add one to their Civilians.
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RiFY9MF - Copy.jpg
 
The Civilian is thicker and heavier than the Matriarch, that's why I got one, easier to carry & conceal.
 
If your so concerned with fast opening why not carry a fixed blade if it's legal for you

I've been carrying the ronin 2 lately personally while I think the civilian is bad ass I feel like a defensive knife loses some versatility if it cant stab

If I had to choose between the two I'd go with the matriarch its damn near the same thing for half the money and has a real wave
 
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