Switched over to Spyderco from BM and got the Yojimbo 2

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Nov 13, 2020
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3
I had several knives from Benchmade and my latest one was the 940. Before I ever had a knife, the first knife I found appealing was the Yojimbo 2, I loved that wharncliffe blade. I somehow never happened to buy it until now. I gave my 940 to my father in law but after handling this Yojimbo, I'm never going back to BM. I like the compression lock so much more since it doesn't have those springs and it is a simpler design where it just feels indestructible. Another thing I noticed is the quality and finish of the steel. I found no QC issues like I would find with BM. The Yojimbo has such a solid lock up there is no blade play whatsoever for the smoothness. On my Benchmades I would end up sacrificing blade play for a smoother open/close.

I was going to get the PM3 insteas in S110V with the daek blue scales for only $178 which I noticed was crazy how I would getting more bang for my buck unlike with BM. However so many people have PM3s and PM2s, I wanted something different. The Yo2 intended for self defense seems like it would cause more damage so I would have more faith in the Yo2 when it comes to defending myself since I've had instances with people and large charging at me. In my line of work doing pest control I have an issue with a dog that's either stray, belonging to some neighbor or loose from the customer wanting to tear me apart. I can't count how many times I've pulled my knife out on a dog (big ones only like XL bullies, German Shepards, and pitbulls) that one of these days I won't be so lucky. Hell today I got charged at by a massive pit bull not knowing he had a chain or not and all I could do was grab a nearby brick since I gave my 940 away. As much as I love dogs, I don't trust them one bit after so many bad experiences.
 
I would suggest pepper spray for dealing with aggressive dogs. In my experience, in most cases I can just spray the ground in front of them as they charge, and that is enough to turn them around. Only once have I had to actually spray a dog in the "face", and it was very effective in immediately stopping the dog's advance.

I have a Yojimbo 2 and it's a great knife! Super cutter! I have Benchmade knives, too, though, that I really like to carry. I have a Benchmade Grip with G10 scales that is an awesome carry knife. I haven't noticed blade play in my Benchmades. I started to say "I guess all mass produced knives have their issues" but then, custom knives aren't perfect, either. Well, not the ones I might be able to afford.
 
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I would suggest pepper spray for dealing with aggressive dogs. In my experience, in most cases I can just spray the ground in front of them as they charge, and that is enough to turn them around. Only once have I had to actually spray a dog in the "face", and it was very effective in immediately stopping the dog's advance.

I have a Yojimbo 2 and it's a great knife! Super cutter! I have Benchmade knives, too, though, that I really like to carry. I have a Benchmade Grip with G10 scales that is an awesome carry knife. I haven't noticed blade play in my Benchmades. I started to say "I guess all mass produced knives have their issues" but them, custom knives aren't perfect, either. Well, not the ones I might be able to afford.

Maybe pepper spray would work better too due to further range as well. I'd have to get bit at least once before using my knife.

I like how Spydercos open easier compared to BM if you're not using the axis lock to open. The detent generates more force by releasing it all at once causing more momentum whereas with a BM knife, you can open the knife just by swinging it hard enough without using your fingers at all. I'll think I flicked it out hard enough but my flick loses force early because the blade wants to come out so easily so many times I'd end up with the blade half way unlocked.
 
Get a can of bear spray. A dog can use his teeth better than you can use your knife. (Whether Yojimbo or BM)

BM will always have a better action than Spyderco. (and I have more Spydercos than BMs)
 
Get a can of bear spray. A dog can use his teeth better than you can use your knife. (Whether Yojimbo or BM)

BM will always have a better action than Spyderco. (and I have more Spydercos than BMs)

And a good can of bear spray will have a range of 25 feet. Be careful in the wind.
 
I can't count how many times I've pulled my knife out on a dog (big ones only like XL bullies, German Shepards, and pitbulls)

With a seriously fast / defensive / pain resistant breed your Yojimbo won't help much, sorry.

Nice knife though. A bit on the small side. Try the Yojumbo.
 
Agree with the others here. Short blades are terrible weapons against dogs, and you’re almost always guaranteed to take some damage. Bear spray’s the way to go. But even better to avoid the areas with rabid dogs whenever possible.
 
With a seriously fast / defensive / pain resistant breed your Yojimbo won't help much, sorry.

Nice knife though. A bit on the small side. Try the Yojumbo.
I love the YoJumbo design, but I kinda wish they went the whole nine yards. Why settle for a 4” blade? 5.5” would have been lovelier.
 
Yes, everyone's making great points - some breeds (like pitbulls) have lost, or lose pain response when attacking... pepper spray is the most effective, or a 2 foot stick/handle to stick in its mouth (large screwdriver or large pliers or hammer etc)

A knife would just be a bad thing all around, truly last resort only... (and honestly, if you're smart, even then you'd be better off wrapping your sleeve shirt around your first to use as defence instead of pulling a knife (a fist in a dogs mouth is an effective defensive move when being attacked (train yourself to not panic)))
 
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Love spyderco !!
I had an eye on benchmade but after seeing some members here needing to utilize the warranty. I have since lost that interest.

I have nothing bad to say about spyderco.
Great knives.

As for the dog problem... I would suggest using a tazer or pepper spray.
You're at a disadvantage fighting with a dog.
 
I have both and like both brands, have not had to send any in, a friend of mine sent his 940 in a year ago and had good results so I dunno.

About the dog problem, I would not want to hurt or kill anyone`s dog but if it meant me or him I would do what I have to do, atleast to get away from it.

I have an old saying about friends in the past that have told me that their dog will not bite, I always ask if they got their dogs teeth pulled, when they say no, I say, then your dog still has the ability to bite and you dont know what your dog is capable of.
 
Love spyderco !!
I had an eye on benchmade but after seeing some members here needing to utilize the warranty. I have since lost that interest.

I have nothing bad to say about spyderco.
Great knives.

As for the dog problem... I would suggest using a tazer or pepper spray.
You're at a disadvantage fighting with a dog.
Give Cold Steel folders a shot. You’ll never need another user knife, hehe.
 
I had several knives from Benchmade and my latest one was the 940. Before I ever had a knife, the first knife I found appealing was the Yojimbo 2, I loved that wharncliffe blade. I somehow never happened to buy it until now. I gave my 940 to my father in law but after handling this Yojimbo, I'm never going back to BM. I like the compression lock so much more since it doesn't have those springs and it is a simpler design where it just feels indestructible. Another thing I noticed is the quality and finish of the steel. I found no QC issues like I would find with BM. The Yojimbo has such a solid lock up there is no blade play whatsoever for the smoothness. On my Benchmades I would end up sacrificing blade play for a smoother open/close.

I was going to get the PM3 insteas in S110V with the daek blue scales for only $178 which I noticed was crazy how I would getting more bang for my buck unlike with BM. However so many people have PM3s and PM2s, I wanted something different. The Yo2 intended for self defense seems like it would cause more damage so I would have more faith in the Yo2 when it comes to defending myself since I've had instances with people and large charging at me. In my line of work doing pest control I have an issue with a dog that's either stray, belonging to some neighbor or loose from the customer wanting to tear me apart. I can't count how many times I've pulled my knife out on a dog (big ones only like XL bullies, German Shepards, and pitbulls) that one of these days I won't be so lucky. Hell today I got charged at by a massive pit bull not knowing he had a chain or not and all I could do was grab a nearby brick since I gave my 940 away. As much as I love dogs, I don't trust them one bit after so many bad experiences.




Using a knife to defend yourself against dogs is a terrible idea, but exactly what I would expect from someone that doesn’t like the 940.
 
I would suggest pepper spray for dealing with aggressive dogs. In my experience, in most cases I can just spray the ground in front of them as they charge, and that is enough to turn them around. Only once have I had to actually spray a dog in the "face", and it was very effective in immediately stopping the dog's advance.

I have a Yojimbo 2 and it's a great knife! Super cutter! I have Benchmade knives, too, though, that I really like to carry. I have a Benchmade Grip with G10 scales that is an awesome carry knife. I haven't noticed blade play in my Benchmades. I started to say "I guess all mass produced knives have their issues" but then, custom knives aren't perfect, either. Well, not the ones I might be able to afford.

Quoted for truth. Absolutely, defend yourself, but look at a less lethal option. You might be saving yourself a lot of legal hardship too.

I have a PM3. Besides a very small amount of blade play, it's a great knife.
 
I have both and like both brands, have not had to send any in, a friend of mine sent his 940 in a year ago and had good results so I dunno.

About the dog problem, I would not want to hurt or kill anyone`s dog but if it meant me or him I would do what I have to do, atleast to get away from it.

I have an old saying about friends in the past that have told me that their dog will not bite, I always ask if they got their dogs teeth pulled, when they say no, I say, then your dog still has the ability to bite and you dont know what your dog is capable of.

Yup, I've been bitten by dogs that "don't bite".

I'm a dog lover, and have a childish desire to pet every single dog I see. But I respect all dogs and keep in mind they have a mouth full of trouble, haha.
 
I like Spyderco better myself, good call. I really like the compression lock, it and the backlock are my favorites and Spyderco makes a lot of both. On another note, it sounds to me like some dog owners need to be more responsible in keeping their dogs locked up and under control.

Disclaimer: Aggressive dogs are very dangerous, if you go up against a dog unarmed that means to hurt you, there's no way to guarantee that you'll avoid serious injury or death. They are much faster and stronger than they seem. Professional assistance or a proper means of defense is recommended.

Disclaimer out of the way, I Figure this might be helpful as I have a little experience. My wife works for a vet so I've been exposed to big aggressive dogs a bit while helping with walking them or cleaning some stuff after hours. They are often scared in a strange place with strange people and just need time to adjust, just like having a person who is strange to them come up to their territory, they don't understand. A catch pole is best if you need to control them, but we even try to avoid that as we are trying to build trust between us and them. As a last resort a tranq dart works if they're completely out of control and you don't want permanent harm, but they can be potentially dangerous and we don't really use them.

Dog bites are terrible injuries, so if you are unarmed and you encounter a dog that looks agitated or shows signs of aggression, start with avoidance. Move slowly, back away slowly and put a barrier up between you and the dog, like a door or gate if possible. DO NOT RUN or their prey drive will ramp up and they will become more aggressive and start to chase. If this doesn't work and they come after you anyways, first watch your neck and the insides of your legs, they are bad places to get bit. Many dogs are capable of breaking an arm with their jaws. Your best bet is to try to get them by the collar, scruff, or neck and sweep them over onto their back and pin them. The goal is to immobilize their head, but be careful not to choke them much, this can make them even more scared and aggressive. If you manage to move QUICK and accomplish this, this alone will submit some dogs, as laying on their back is instinctively a submissive position, for the others it will give you time to muzzle or immobilize them. If you have nobody to help you, the dog remains aggressive, and you are in real mortal danger as a last resort you can cut off the dog's airway with an arm or a knee from this position. Please don't do this unless you have no other choice.

If it comes down to it and you have no choice but to use a knife on a dog, you better find a way to hold them or keep them latched on to something you don't care too much about or you'll get chewed up while they're bleeding out. My two best friends are English Mastiffs, and I can tell you if you think a knife alone is going to save you from a lightning fast 120lb.+ ball of teeth, fur, muscle and rage you have another thing coming.
 
940 is a fantastic slim carry full size knife. But its ergos as a user knife pales next to nearly any Spyderco. I'm a huge fan of all the LW models myself. My 3 most used LW models are the Native, Manix 2 and PM3.
 
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