Mike A’s everydaycarry.com pocket dump is pretty basic. Keys, Leatherman, wallet, gun, knife. The blade in question: a Spyderco Tenacious. We’re talking G10 grips and a 3.39″ blade fashioned from Cr13MoV steel. On sale for just over $40. Awesome. Only . . .
Do you, the everyday carry gun guy, feel confidence that you’d know how to use that or any other pocket carried knife?
Not for cutting steak or opening Amazon packages, obviously. For defending yourself and other innocent life should your gun not come into play, or run out of ammo.
Do you have any knife training at all? If so, what’d ya learn. If not, why not carry a flashlight with a crenulated bezel instead?
If I had to use my knife (no gun for whatever reason), an ambush would be my best bet. If not, I’ll sacrifice my left arm and do my best to end the fight.
Zero knife training. I’ve carried a 4″ Cold Steel Recon for 3.5 years whenever legally possible (too paranoid to put it next to my bed). I don’t carry it for SD really.
A “crenulated bezel” looks like something that’d chew up my pants. Also, a knife is a far better weapon for stabbing than a flashlight. Flashlights in SD are for blinding, not poking.
Knives are nasty, bloody, and lethal without being overly good at stopping threats. I would rather not use them.
Knife training makes one aware of two things very quickly. First – that if you have to use a knife to defend yourself things have definitely gone wrong (south / sideways). Second – that using a knife for self defense is going to be bad.
My knife fighting instructor said this “In a knife fight the winner is going to the hospital & the looser is going to the morgue”.
Neither, after more than a decade of hand to hand training including training against knives I prefer to have my hands unencumbered. I do have a little bit of defensive knife training, but not enough to be particularly comfortable. The one nice thing about fighting someone who has a knife or club or chain is that they tend to forget that they have other limbs that can attack besides the one with the weapon, this can give you a slight advantage.
“If your mind is in your sword, your mind will stop in your sword.” – Takuan Soho
i carry a knife for the utility of opening things, .355 and up is my preferred method of self defense. My knife and my flashlight are both tiny to save room for another mag. Smitty has it right, NOBODY wins in a knife fight.
My EDC knife is a Gerber Applegate/Fairbairn Combat Folder and I absolutely will not be reaching for it in a defensive situation.
I’ll rely on the more primitive blunt force power of my DeSantis City Slicker (loaded with thick, heavy pesos) and my ever-present Cold Steel Irish walking stick.
🤠
Limited knife fighting in king fu training. Enough to know that the strikes and fighting theories are similar enough empty handed vs with a weapon that I have the same level of confidence either way. That said, my gun is always on me. The one time I had to brandish my knife (too young for ccw) the 5 guys surrounding me couldn’t decide who wanted to be the first to get cut. Two of them had visible knives. I managed to get in my car and escape. No one was harmed.
Yes and yes.
The main takeaways from the training that I’ve had are these:
Small fixed blades, especially push daggers are the preferred tool unless you’re basically a master of the blade. Opening a folder under stress, especially since you already may be wounded or dazed is questionable. The downside is ease of carry.
Double edged knives, like an FS knife, are preferred for you to have scary as fuck if they have them. They cut both ways, making them hard to trap and easier to use if you have to/choose to switch hands.
If you find yourself in a situation where the other guy knows you have a knife before you use it, switch hands constantly to prevent them from knowing where the attack will come from. Know the blade design and how it’s meant to be used.
There are no hard and fast rules for defending against a knife. Knife defense is fucking hard. Sometimes you have to trap the knife and sometimes you have to counter the knife. Deciding how and when is the key. Exchanging your eye gouge or throat punch for his deep slash to your neck is a losing proposition.
Be very, very vigilant if people start to get close to you. In most cases, if you’re not paying attention, by the time you know there’s a knife it’s already cut or poked you repeatedly. Again, know your blades and their designs, limitations etc. If you do see and can identify the blade it gives you some information on how it can and can’t be used against you. You should know the same things for your knife.
Finally, avoid fights, especially knife fights. No one really wins a knife fight but the losers often die or wish they did.
Lot’s of good info here guys.
I still think the Kershaw Skyline is the best pocket knife for the money. Made in USA versus China.
The only thing I feel confident is saying is that I don’t like bollock daggers. A little bit creepy.
Well if one could hit someone with the end of a flashlight, I’d guess he could just as easily stab him …..
Men carry knives. If you do not carry a knife, is it because your spare tampons take up too much pocket space?
re: tominindianoplace
http://kershawguy.com/products-page/blems-factory-seconds/kershaw-1760-skyline-folder/
a little more belly than i like, but the 14c28n is good sandvik stainless for 32 dollhairs.
if you can find a ~sprint run~ with a steel upgrade it’s probably worth it.
i found a kershaw dividend in m390.
I don’t bother with a knife. I just carry a second gun.
Jeez, the “you need to train 25 hours a day just to hold a knife” crowd is a pain. Like the Ghurka officer training a new guy to use a kukri, “lift up and swing down hard, training complete”, knife use is simple. Cut the hands out of the way and stab at the chest, neck and face. Repeat. An aggressive mindset and surprise is what you really need. And if you can, run like hell in the other direction.
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