Need advice..for a knife

[jmiller676]

I am completely new to knives..other than gutting a deer or filleting a fish. At my current work there is a no firearms policy, (its locked in my car) so I am looking for a good defensive knife. I am not looking for a Ka-Bar style knife but a good EDC knife. Something I could tuck in the belt or on my boot. Like I said completely newb and wanted to know some of your setups and any advice/tips for them.

 

[Westside]

Talk to Bradknives, knifelady, and Tyler34 they are the three best knife people on here. Sorry QUE. Then buy form brad if you want a folder or knifelady if you want a fixed blade.

 

[grunt soldier]

are you going to use the knife for utility stuff or is this strictly going to be a self defense weapon?

 

[jmiller676]

are you going to use the knife for utility stuff or is this strictly going to be a self defense weapon?

Strictly self defense..I'm thinking about this one. It's fixed blade, thin, can fit on my leg just about anywhere Sting - Double Edged Fixed Blade

looks like it will fit my needs.

 

[jmiller676]

And I like this style of Ka Bar but not sure how far the handle sticks bacjk

TDI Ankle Knife and Rig - Plain Edge

 

[Knife Lady]

I have the TDI ankle knife in stock. It is a nice knife. I also think you should consider the ESEE Izula or even the ESEE 3 or even a TOPS knife. If I knew your price range that would help. But I definitely think staying with a fixed blade for self protection and a useful tool is the best option. The sting is an ok knife but for the money and the warranty I would go with an Izula it is a better deal all the way.

 

[jmiller676]

I have the TDI ankle knife in stock. It is a nice knife. I also think you should consider the ESEE Izula or even the ESEE 3 or even a TOPS knife. If I knew your price range that would help. But I definitely think staying with a fixed blade for self protection and a useful tool is the best option.

I was liking the handle of the TDI it just seems it would fit my hand better and give me a "sure" grip. The Izula series is nice but the handle is just so slim I'm not sure about the grip issue.

 

[Knife Lady]

The Izula handle too slim? I have the handles to go on them or look at the IzulaII which comes with handles . Your decision. Just throwing some ideas out there.

 

[jmiller676]

I am probably mistaken with the bare handle. (.156") just under 3/16

 

[Knife Lady]

You need to hold them in your hand to get a real feel for them. To me that is a lot in a knife on how it feels in your hand.

 

[jmiller676]

Thanks for the advice. I'll be hitting a few stores to check them out and see whats comfortable. I figure if you cant get a good grip on a knife theres no use in having it.

 

[tradertator]

Here are my favorites for defense.
Neck- Emerson LaGriffe
Boot- Zero Tolerance boot
Folder- Spyderco P'Kal

 

[Lead Head]

Most employers that have a "no weapons" policy usually includes knives. Just to be safe, get a copy of the employee manual and read it carefully. Don't ask anyone, just read it for your own protection. Policies exist to fire people but they usually say it's to protect others in this case. How backwards.

Either way, if you wear boots that extend well above the ankle, go with a boot knife. A leather boot that does not have a pad at the top also works better if you just want to use the clip. A thin boot knife can even be worn on the inside. You can get use to it unless you walk a lot.

Make sure it is secure regardless. Some even use a Chicago Screw to mount the sheath to the boot. A boot knife will become like wearing a firearm. You will forget it's there until you need it. If you need a boot knife, it's probably too late talk your way out of it.

Evade first then deploy !

If I could devise a secure way to mount a boot knife upside down, this would make for better deployment. No luck so far.

Deployment/access is the main drawback. It's for deep cover/last resort.

This is my last boot knife used. Now I keep it hand in my vehicle but use it in the boot on the bike.

Knife Outlet - TOPS SS07 Street Scalpel

It's odd by some standards but I like that it's a chunk of metal like a shiv/shank street weapon. The edge is okay but it's designed for stabbing. If needed, you could probably cut through a trunk lid if by some chance you were tossed in a trunk.

It could be about an inch longer though. I braided a 2" cord on it for feel, etc.

Check out Tops Knives anyway. They are a bit more pricey than some but it's worth a look at some of their designs.

 

[acarnahan]

Cold Steel AK47 or Recon1 folders ($60ish)
Zero Tolerance 300 or 350 ($110ish)
Kershaw skyline ($35 @ walmart)
Spyderco Endura w/ EmersonWave
Spyderco Delica (little smaller than Endura)

 

[grunt soldier]

if its strictly for self defense a fixed blade is your best option imo. mercop runs a lot of training and posts the video, the folks who don't have a lot of training and grab there folders while in stressed situations tend to not get them opened and in use. so if you haven't had a good amount of training stay away from folder for purely self defense. the kbar tdi is something a good amount of folks use and its a decent knife for the price. you don't have to go for a boot knife just because. you can get a much bigger knife and run it in a IWB sheath, just like you do for you guns and the knife will literally disappear. it will only have on band on it vs the 2 bands on the holster so that makes it even less noticeable and we have even gone as far as to make them w/ tuck-able loops so you can still tuck your shirt in no problem and no one is the wiser ( well at least not the sheeple and non gun/knife folks)

the tops shiv is a good little knife and anything from esee is also. Knife Lady is site sponsor and is a dealer for esee and tops. she has great prices and you would be supporting a local business, (she is also just a plain cool lady to speak with)