EDC self-defense and quality...

[ToneGrail]

If I were to theoretically want a knife for a last ditch self-defense option/EDC tool, it would have to have the following:

1) Some sort of traction plan to keep my hand from sliding forward or dropping it.
2) A belly for utility uses.
3) It can't be too expensive where I would be afraid to really use it or lose it, but it can't be a total cheapo that will fall apart either.
4) No springs or complicated mechanisms to fail or get gunked up.
5) Flow through pillar design for easy cleaning.

That's why I EDC a Spyderco Tenacious. It seems to be the best all around utility/defensive option that covers all the bases. No frills but gets the job done.

 

[Trogdor]

If you ever have to defend yourself with a knife you're having a pretty bad day. With that being said I carry a cold steel rajah 2 pretty much every day. For its size it rides very well in a pocket. https://www.google.com/search?q=col...oAQ&biw=768&bih=928#biv=i|1;d|7fLZM8h_4Ecd-M:

 

[Yoshi]

If you ever have to defend yourself with a knife you're having a pretty bad day. With that being said I carry a cold steel rajah 2 pretty much every day. For its size it rides very well in a pocket. https://www.google.com/search?q=col...oAQ&biw=768&bih=928#biv=i|1;d|7fLZM8h_4Ecd-M:

Dude! That thing is gigantic! How deep are your pockets?

 

[Okiegunner]

I agree with CB51...However I do have 3 different knives that I will occasionly alternate for carry.

A SOG Vulcan, Zero Tolerance 0700 and sometimes a Protech/Emerson CQC7.

Usually the SOG (VG10) or the ZT (S30V), both decent steel blades. The CQC7 (154CM) at twice the costs of the other knives is a little bit much to risk losing for my EDC.

 

[Trogdor]

Dude! That thing is gigantic! How deep are your pockets?

Well, I'd say averagely deep? I have never had pockets I couldn't get the pocket clip to bottom out on with it.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

For a self-defense knife/EDC, I would first point out that you are very likely to be substantially injured during a knife-fight; as such, I can only recommend you use one to get to a defensible position/safe location.

I would also recommend taking martial arts classes that are applicable to wielding a blade, or knife-fighting specific training; you are more likely to cause injury to yourself than your enemy if you do not know how to properly hold/handle it.

Also be sure to familiarize yourself with DC knife laws.

My suggestions come from unfortunate personal experiences related to self-defense, and are not definitive, but merely what I've come to believe.

===

Requirements
1) No curved blade. Unless you are *very* capable, chance are you will only make superficial cuts to their body. It is also likely that you will not be able to utilize the blade while maintaining a fist (for punching/blocking).

2) No teeth/serrations. Except in the case of a curved blade, serrations only make it likely your blade will "stick" in your enemy. This means an increased chance of you losing your blade, damaging the blade mid-fight, or cutting your blade-hand due to slippage.

3) Dependable locking system. For an EDC, you'll probably be using a folding knife; the single most important determining factor of blade dependability is the locking mechanism - a cheap knife will fold on your hand during impact, thus injuring you instead of the attacker.

4) Steel quality. For defensive purposes, you'll want to ensure the steel quality is made for durability as opposed to cutting ability. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blade_materials An example is that Benchmade 154CM is great for cutting, but will likely shatter/break if you stab into bone.

5) Handle/grip fits how you intend to hold the knife; handle material. I personally fight with the blade down and facing away from my center mass; as such, I had to ensure that the grip material and handle design would allow me to hold securely onto the knife with a full-force downward strike. Furthermore, I would choose an aluminum handle (as opposed to polymer).

6) Blade design - Tanto. The tanto-style knife reinforces the point to allow for better penetration during stabbing, which fits my personal style. Different fighting styles make use of different blade designs - determine what fighting style fits you best, and plan accordingly.

7) Deployment method. In my opinion, a good EDC Defense knife will either be spring-deployed (depending on law or can be reverse-carried (opens upon withdrawal from pocket). In MD, a spring-deployed blade (safety assist - Kershaw/Benchmade) is legal; in DC the rules are ambiguous.
===

I personally chose to carry a Kershaw Blur Tanto for self-defense, as it meets all of these requirements to a reasonable degree. If money is not an issue, you should consider Zero Tolerance (premium Kershaw). I have since switched to the Kershaw Blur simply because I use my knife more for cutting than defense; the lack of a reinforced tip is not worth the trouble of sharpening the knife.

For defense, a high quality, straight-edge, full-tang blade (KABAR) is infinitely better - too bad they aren't legal in MD/DC

 

[NickZac]

For a self-defense knife/EDC, I would first point out that you are very likely to be substantially injured during a knife-fight; as such, I can only recommend you use one to get to a defensible position/safe location.

I would also recommend taking martial arts classes that are applicable to wielding a blade, or knife-fighting specific training; you are more likely to cause injury to yourself than your enemy if you do not know how to properly hold/handle it.

Also be sure to familiarize yourself with DC knife laws.

My suggestions come from unfortunate personal experiences related to self-defense, and are not definitive, but merely what I've come to believe.

===

Requirements
1) No curved blade. Unless you are *very* capable, chance are you will only make superficial cuts to their body. It is also likely that you will not be able to utilize the blade while maintaining a fist (for punching/blocking).

2) No teeth/serrations. Except in the case of a curved blade, serrations only make it likely your blade will "stick" in your enemy. This means an increased chance of you losing your blade, damaging the blade mid-fight, or cutting your blade-hand due to slippage.

3) Dependable locking system. For an EDC, you'll probably be using a folding knife; the single most important determining factor of blade dependability is the locking mechanism - a cheap knife will fold on your hand during impact, thus injuring you instead of the attacker.

4) Steel quality. For defensive purposes, you'll want to ensure the steel quality is made for durability as opposed to cutting ability. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blade_materials An example is that Benchmade 154CM is great for cutting, but will likely shatter/break if you stab into bone.

5) Handle/grip fits how you intend to hold the knife; handle material. I personally fight with the blade down and facing away from my center mass; as such, I had to ensure that the grip material and handle design would allow me to hold securely onto the knife with a full-force downward strike. Furthermore, I would choose an aluminum handle (as opposed to polymer).

6) Blade design - Tanto. The tanto-style knife reinforces the point to allow for better penetration during stabbing, which fits my personal style. Different fighting styles make use of different blade designs - determine what fighting style fits you best, and plan accordingly.

7) Deployment method. In my opinion, a good EDC Defense knife will either be spring-deployed (depending on law or can be reverse-carried (opens upon withdrawal from pocket). In MD, a spring-deployed blade (safety assist - Kershaw/Benchmade) is legal; in DC the rules are ambiguous.
===

I personally chose to carry a Kershaw Blur Tanto for self-defense, as it meets all of these requirements to a reasonable degree. If money is not an issue, you should consider Zero Tolerance (premium Kershaw). I have since switched to the Kershaw Blur simply because I use my knife more for cutting than defense; the lack of a reinforced tip is not worth the trouble of sharpening the knife.

For defense, a high quality, straight-edge, full-tang blade (KABAR) is infinitely better - too bad they aren't legal in MD/DC

You make a lot of great points, but I have to disagree on shape. The Spyderco Civilian and Matriarch were specifically made for Federal Agents that had little-to-no knife training and needed a 'last ditch' extraction knife. They have been used successfully on many occasions, and it is one of the few knives to run for decades unchanged...and perhaps the only knife made solely for the purpose of cutting people. Someone without any experience can do a LOT of damage with one...and someone with can do even more. The tendency of a Reverse S Curved blade to naturally cut deeper as it goes is an advantage too, as is the ability to 'peck' at areas such as the eyes or face, contour to defense postures that avoid the user being cut with their own knife...IMO they are the best when it comes to blocking and it makes it an ideal defensive weapon because strength is irrelevant. If someone tries to grab the hand with the knife, they are getting cut badly...and when they jerk away due to the pain/reflex response, the slash goes even deeper. Years ago, agrarian farmers who had multiple tools to harvest crops used their curved tools for war...and so what was to become the karambit has been one of the most popular knives for years (although I agree use of a true karambit requires significant training). Knives designed by Sal Glesser, Tony Marfione, Massad Ayoob, Emerson, James A Keating, Bram Gunting, Lynn Thompson, and others as true defensive knives have all had curvatures. There are absolutely good knives for self defense without curvatures...but there are many good knives with curves (hawkbill, reverse S curve, bowie, 'wide-belly', upswept tip, etc.), many with serrations. And I agree training is absolutely critical, because a tool is only as good as the user.

 

[cb51]

Seldom do I carry a folder as a primary deadly force option. Most of the time my EDC folder is a Chris Reeve Large Sebenza. Sometimes a Strider Suspect SMF. Long before I tried to used them as open knives I would use them as closed impact weapons, since that stops a fight faster. YMMV- George

Blunt force truma will stiop a fight faster. When I was back in college and studying for my Criminal Justice degree to become a police officer, I did a paper on Sir Robert Peel. He formed the very first real metropolitan police department there in London. When Robert (whose name became synonymous with 'Bobbies) was first setting up the London Metropolitan Police department, he was investigating what to arm them with. Since the pistols of the day were one shot and slow to reload, and unreliable in wet weather, he was going to go with a short sword. One of his recruits, a seasoned sailor from the Royal Navy, pointed out to Robert that in a ship to ship action that involved boarding the enemy ship or close action fighting on a crowded deck, most sailors actually preferred a belaying pin over a short cutlass or boarding ax. The blunt force from an impact of nice English oak or Ash tended to put down the opponent immediately, where sword or puncture wounds took too long. Broken bones disabled faster than stab wounds. Sir Robert then went with the short wooden night stick and the rest is history.

I never go 'downtown' without a nice stout hickory, hornbeam, or blackthorn walking stick. It goes everywhere, unlike a knife, and gives me 34 1/2 inches of range.

 

[NickZac]

Blunt force truma will stiop a fight faster. When I was back in college and studying for my Criminal Justice degree to become a police officer, I did a paper on Sir Robert Peel. He formed the very first real metropolitan police department there in London. When Robert (whose name became synonymous with 'Bobbies) was first setting up the London Metropolitan Police department, he was investigating what to arm them with. Since the pistols of the day were one shot and slow to reload, and unreliable in wet weather, he was going to go with a short sword. One of his recruits, a seasoned sailor from the Royal Navy, pointed out to Robert that in a ship to ship action that involved boarding the enemy ship or close action fighting on a crowded deck, most sailors actually preferred a belaying pin over a short cutlass or boarding ax. The blunt force from an impact of nice English oak or Ash tended to put down the opponent immediately, where sword or puncture wounds took too long. Broken bones disabled faster than stab wounds. Sir Robert then went with the short wooden night stick and the rest is history.

I never go 'downtown' without a nice stout hickory, hornbeam, or blackthorn walking stick. It goes everywhere, unlike a knife, and gives me 34 1/2 inches of range.

I agree! A knife that can be used as a close-range impact weapon can be very useful...especially given in some instances it may be possible to grab the knife but not deploy it. I've always been fascinated how many interpretations of this there are. The 'glass breaker' on folders is often designed for more than just glass. If you only tap the glass breaker of the Umnumzaan against the skull lightly, you can still really, really feel it. Cold Steel has made a metal ball at the end on the handle very popular. The Gunting is a very interesting design because it is designed to be equally as dangerous when closed as open when used by a skilled user...and it is very, very effective at targeting pressure-points and weak parts of the body. Some Emersons also have unique designs for the stated purpose. There are so many designs (and I love them all).

The push dagger is interesting in that it can be used for both cutting and impact at the same time, and some of the handles add on to one side of the grip to make it an impact weapon regardless of if it has been removed from the sheath.