Fixed Blade for EDC advice

R

Rich22

Joined
Mar 26, 2019
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3
Morning



First post here, trying to gain some knowledge and seeking some opinions. I am in the market for a fixed blade for EDC. Now that I have a fairly decent setup and the pocket room to do it I would prefer this over a folder. This will be almost entirely for defensive purposes and not for a great deal of other tasks, I may cut box strap or two with it but I will not be cutting wood or using it as a pry bar. That said I do want a quality piece. I have about 11 inches of pocket space to play with for the OAL of the knife (this gives a couple inches of room in the pocket), I would like at least a 4.5 inch blade with preferably 5-5.5. Large but not huge Plastic or similar grip and kydex sheath. Black blade would be great, edge retention is not that important since it really will not get much use but obviously it would be nice not to have to resharpen that much. I would like to keep this sub 150.00, I have seen a large number of options and am having a hard time narrowing it down since I have spent the last 10 years researching and buying guns since my last knife purchase. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I recommend the Spyderco Bill Moran drop point, a famous classic bladesmith. Great feel, fit and finish, and nice sheath. This is my field knife when hunting and camping. Not crazy heavy like many fixed blades are.

 
Rich22 said:
Morning



First post here, trying to gain some knowledge and seeking some opinions. I am in the market for a fixed blade for EDC. Now that I have a fairly decent setup and the pocket room to do it I would prefer this over a folder. This will be almost entirely for defensive purposes and not for a great deal of other tasks, I may cut box strap or two with it but I will not be cutting wood or using it as a pry bar. That said I do want a quality piece. I have about 11 inches of pocket space to play with for the OAL of the knife (this gives a couple inches of room in the pocket), I would like at least a 4.5 inch blade with preferably 5-5.5. Large but not huge Plastic or similar grip and kydex sheath. Black blade would be great, edge retention is not that important since it really will not get much use but obviously it would be nice not to have to resharpen that much. I would like to keep this sub 150.00, I have seen a large number of options and am having a hard time narrowing it down since I have spent the last 10 years researching and buying guns since my last knife purchase. Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

.... so you owns multiple guns, yet want to carry a big fixed blade for self defense?
which begs the question: why bring a knife to a gun fight?

Or do you have actual knife sd training? (And also lost your cc permit recently or something?) Just curious
in any case, if it really is for sd a few questions remain:

do you want a guard? karambit style? dagger style (2 edges?)

check out kabar bk16, esee 4, bradford guardian 4 or 4.5, ontario 499, or the tops/buck 655 short nighthawk
 
The Spyderco Street Bowie is the knife you are looking for. It was designed by a master at fighting knives Fred Perrin to be excellent for SD while being light and comfortable enough to carry anywhere.

Honestly some training with knife fighting will do worlds more to help you with a knife than having a specific fighting knife. Depending on your training one type of knife may appeal to you more than another.

In otherwords if you get some training in you’ll know what you are looking for in a knife.

But I think you will be very happy with the Street Bowie.
 
I would look at the Becker/KaBar BK16, the cold steel recon tanto or the kobun,
And can second the recommendations for the Spyderco street beat/street Bowie.

For the very little use you are describing you could always get a tactical mora, inexpensive, lightweight, and cuts like crazy.
I wouldn’t feel underknifed in the least with a mora.
 
dirc said:
.... so you owns multiple guns, yet want to carry a big fixed blade for self defense?
which begs the question: why bring a knife to a gun fight?

Or do you have actual knife sd training? (And also lost your cc permit recently or something?) Just curious
in any case, if it really is for sd a few questions remain:

do you want a guard? karambit style? dagger style (2 edges?)

check out kabar bk16, esee 4, bradford guardian 4 or 4.5, ontario 499, or the tops/buck 655 short nighthawk
Click to expand...

Valid questions especially since I did not elaborate. The knife for an SD role for me is last ditch/dropped gun/fight off a gun grab/contact distance type of circumstance, I find it extremely unlikely I will ever need it for this purpose but then again, I put my chance of needing a Glock at around 5% and I take that with me every time I leave the house and a knife has infinitely more "utility" then a gun.

I do have some knife training, not nearly as much as I would like but I do plan on getting more and some good practice as well.

Preferably not a Karambit since I have no experience with them and single edged would be my preference.

I will check those out , thank you
 
Lapedog said:
The Spyderco Street Bowie is the knife you are looking for. It was designed by a master at fighting knives Fred Perrin to be excellent for SD while being light and comfortable enough to carry anywhere.

Honestly some training with knife fighting will do worlds more to help you with a knife than having a specific fighting knife. Depending on your training one type of knife may appeal to you more than another.

In otherwords if you get some training in you’ll know what you are looking for in a knife.

But I think you will be very happy with the Street Bowie.
Click to expand...


Thank you, that's an option I hadn't seen yet. I will look into it more but at first glance that looks to fit pretty much everything
 
Fixed blades are great for use. I have started carrying a 5.5" wide bladed Condor Crotalus as a work knife. It's a bit overkill, but I set the kydex sheath up with a homemade belt loop so that it stores high and tight without the need of fiddling with a snap. I have decided to go with something more utility based over SD as I do have a carry permit and little in the way of knife training. It generally runs about $100 online. I found mine for $78 at a LGS. It was older stock from before Condor had to raise their prices. I could probably cobble together a pocket sheath for it, but the handle is more hand-filling and chunky, so back pocket carry wouldn't work. I could carry it in my front pocket, but it would eat the entire pocket space.

I like the Spyderco suggestion. Looks like an SD knife that could be pressed into utility service.
 
I carry a gun and a folding knife regularly. Generally, I treat the gun as a defensive tool and the knife as a utility tool. I've thought about back-ups but an extra fixed blade usually ends up in the same category as spare magazines or a back-up gun. It just takes up too much real estate in a lot of outfits for comfortable all-day carry.

When I travel to places that violate gun rights but allow knives, I'll often carry a fixed blade. If you plan to carry one inside your pocket, get one that releases from the sheath with a thumb press. I've carried the Ruike Jager this way. It's a good knife that comes in at under half your given budget. The Jager is 9" overall with the sheath and flat enough to manage with the belt clip removed. Of course, the type of pants matter.

Another idea could be carrying a smaller fixed blade on your belt. This can be tricky depending on what you wear but it does have some advantages. The Ka-bar TDI is marketed to law enforcement and considered a good "get off me" knife. The premium Hinderer models of that knife retain with a thumb button. It's a neat feature and I'd like to see it on more sheaths. You could also try something horizontal in the appendix range or near the belt buckle. Le Duck from Outdoor Edge has an interesting sheath and could work in this role.

Whatever the case, I'll be curious to see what works for you.
 
I like the street bowie a lot but I think for a "get off me" knife you want something with a shorter blade if the assailant is close against you, like a Street Beat. SOCP is good too but more stabby than slicey.
 
The Microtech/Borka SBK is everything a fighting knife should be. The only spec it doesn’t meet on your list is they start out at around $280 if you can even find one for sale anymore. It is hands down the best “fighter” I own.65CEE917-7B4E-4481-BAA2-E10B30AD72A9.jpeg
 
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