Fixed blade EDC

Just get yourself a Buck 119, and a horizontal sheath for it. Of course, you can spend a LOT more money than that and get something just as good.
 
buck 102, maybe too small handle but a convenient size, I seriously doubt you are Going to need a knife to fight off a wild deer. I have the 117 and is like a smaller 119.
 
Knives are horrible for self defense, what I consider the absolute last line of defense. With that said, buy something that is easy to conceal, easy to access, durable, and that has a design that helps prevent your hand from sliding from handle to blade.

If you can, I would advise to always de-escalate, walk away, avoid the fight if possible. I also advise to learn and practice using a gun and obtaining a carry permit, of course, if that’s legal in your area. If not some other options, again, if legal in your area, that I think are better than knives are: collapsible baton, OC spray, taser.
 
A knife for self defense is a better tool than many realize. There's a LOT of people out there who are not afraid of getting shot, but NOBODY wants to get cut. Something about innards becoming outtards, and having to hold yer guts in on the way to the hospital just ain't as cool as getting dumped outta yer friend's car a half-block from the E.R. parking lot with a gunshot wound, I guess. But a blade in the hands of a determined victim can be a powerful deterrent. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and I'd go for the Dan Wesson .45 Commander on my hip before I'd grab my knife.
 
Spyderco offers a number of compact, affordable FBs, as does Cold Steel. Fallkniven has its new R2 Scout in Elmax, though its price is pretty outrageous.
 
De-escalate the situation as others have said. Run or walk away if possible. If you absolutely must fight, prepare to fight to the death. You will get cut, probably seriously. A blade at least 4" long is enough to get to the vitals. A knife is better than your hands, but in this instance, even a long stick is better, to stay out of reach of the other knife. This is just my humble opinion though.
 
Like others have said, a knife isn't the greatest weapon for self defense. Is pepper spray/mace allowed in your country, state, etc. ? Pepper spray has the advantage of giving you some distance from an attacker.

That being said, another vote for a RUIKE Hornet knife. Good size, RUIKE apparently goes a good job with their 14c28, lightweight, and affordable.
 
gazz98 said:
Like others have said, a knife isn't the greatest weapon for self defense. Is pepper spray/mace allowed in your country, state, etc. ? Pepper spray has the advantage of giving you some distance from an attacker.

That being said, another vote for a RUIKE Hornet knife. Good size, RUIKE apparently goes a good job with their 14c28, lightweight, and affordable.
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I agree with all of what Jeff says : )

Another point to consider, holding a knife can be a negative in a fight, it's like having one hand tied up - you're gripping the knife & not able to use it for much else.
2 well trained open hands will take advantage of this, grab you/your wrist, or enact holds which will instantly remove any advantage a knife may have provided

this is why training is so critical, and always brought up in these discussions

the result is simple, most people would do better in a fight with bare hands, allowing them to grab/lock/control your opponent
using a knife curtails these options, and you're left with disabling strikes to cut tendons etc (if you're skilled), or stabbing... which never ends well for anyone

so yes, a knife may be enough to frighten people to back down
if they don't back down... all bets are off, you better have some basic training using them in sd scenarios
 
Another vote for the Spyderco Street Beat. I carry one IWB every day along with a Swisschamp. You can adjust the Gclip to horizontal very easily. It’s a great utility knife, and as a last ditch defensive tool it would do well close in I think.
 
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JWright214 said:
Knives are horrible for self defense, what I consider the absolute last line of defense. With that said, buy something that is easy to conceal, easy to access, durable, and that has a design that helps prevent your hand from sliding from handle to blade.

If you can, I would advise to always de-escalate, walk away, avoid the fight if possible. I also advise to learn and practice using a gun and obtaining a carry permit, of course, if that’s legal in your area. If not some other options, again, if legal in your area, that I think are better than knives are: collapsible baton, OC spray, taser.
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Agreed but I'm not sure about the "better than knives" stuff. I'd put a good fixed blade ahead of any of those as a primary defensive tool, assuming a decent sheath carried correctly. All of those things seem to have much more value as secondary tools and can be good alternatives to deadly force in the right situations. I feel like a primary tool needs to be better at definitively hitting the "off switch" on whatever is trying to hurt or kill me or my family.

I've spent some time training and practicing with batons. Collapsible batons share the deployment problem of folding knives. There is the extra step of needing to extend the baton and that can go wrong. A possible reason to put them ahead of folders is that they don't share the risk of self-injury from deployment failures during a scuffle. Of course, if you do get it out then you do have a slight reach advantage in fights where that matters. There is some overlap between the range of encounters where a folder can be helpful and where a collapsible baton can be helpful.)

OC sprays and tasers will vary depending on how they are set up. Both can be excellent deterrents when used effectively. Unfortunately, there are challenges in using them effectively. They don't always work and at least with the sauce, it can work both ways.
 
dirc said:
Another point to consider, holding a knife can be a negative in a fight, it's like having one hand tied up - you're gripping the knife & not able to use it for much else.
2 well trained open hands will take advantage of this, grab you/your wrist, or enact holds which will instantly remove any advantage a knife may have provided
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This is almost impossible at full speed.
 
Chronovore said:
Agreed but I'm not sure about the "better than knives" stuff. I'd put a good fixed blade ahead of any of those as a primary defensive tool, assuming a decent sheath carried correctly. All of those things seem to have much more value as secondary tools and can be good alternatives to deadly force in the right situations. I feel like a primary tool needs to be better at definitively hitting the "off switch" on whatever is trying to hurt or kill me or my family.

I've spent some time training and practicing with batons. Collapsible batons share the deployment problem of folding knives. There is the extra step of needing to extend the baton and that can go wrong. A possible reason to put them ahead of folders is that they don't share the risk of self-injury from deployment failures during a scuffle. Of course, if you do get it out then you do have a slight reach advantage in fights where that matters. There is some overlap between the range of encounters where a folder can be helpful and where a collapsible baton can be helpful.)

OC sprays and tasers will vary depending on how they are set up. Both can be excellent deterrents when used effectively. Unfortunately, there are challenges in using them effectively. They don't always work and at least with the sauce, it can work both ways.
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Honestly, I think we are saying the same thing, just articulated in a different way. The self defense I’m speaking of is basically following the force continuum starting with de-escalation and ending with deadly force. If we are strictly speaking of life or death then my recommendation (of what someone could have on their person in a public setting) would be handgun and then knife. I was using a broader definition or range of self defense, including threats where lethal force is not a necessity. I agree with all of your points, you are correct, I’m just saying there are instances that the less than lethal would be better options. Again, most of this is based upon legality and not my personal preference. Personally, I think that any self defense situation that arises could potentially be deadly and you should be able to defend yourself accordingly. Unfortunately the legal side of things doesn’t agree with me. Hopefully that makes sense.
 
Long story short, my attorney told me that just pulling a knife is felony assault in this state. Yeah, I know, "Judged by twelve--carried by six..." blah, blah, blah. If the state is willing to take your case before a jury, it's because they are confident that they have enough evidence for a conviction. Very few criminal defendants walk out of court smiling. The Man doesn't care about your definition of self defense, how the law in your jurisdiction defines it is all that matters.
 
Ya if I had the option a solid defensive pistol is going to be leagues better than knives for self defense. That being said, if you are intent on picking up a small knife to use in a pinch, the Bradford guardian 3 and 3.5 are very good knives for that application and you can pick up kydex sheaths and a mini tek lok on the bradford site that will accommodate horizontal carry.

On top of that, there are several ESEE blades that would fit this role. The ESEE 3 in S35vn and contoured g-10 scales with a teklok for horizontal carry would do just fine in this role. The ESEE Izula 2 would likewise be a decent fit though probably a smidge small.

White river knives also makes the Model 1 in several configurations that would serve as a small defensive fixed blade if it came to that.
 
cbach8tw said:
What about a Kabar Mark 1?
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Off the top of my head I don’t know of any horizontal carry sheaths for the Mk1 (of course that doesn’t mean there not out there), but I really like this idea. Imo it’s one of the better “budget” fixed blades on the market and would be great candidate for a custom sheath. The factory one is usable but nothing to write home about.
 
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