Self Defense Blade

[Fragunov]

I am a college student in an extremely rough part of my home city. I find myself walking a good distance on and off campus from my car, work, or a friends off campus house. Basically I'd like some recommendations for a fixed blade or large folder that is quality enough for self defense if (God forbid) the necessity arose. My price range is between 1 and 40 dollars. Id prefer it to be in black with an extremely serviceable sheath. Perhaps some rescue capabilities, and preferably not serrated. Thanks!

[bladechick777]

I'm Taking A Look For You Now!

[jzmtl]

Read this over before you decide on this route: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/knifefighting.html

If you decide to go ahead, cold steel makes a lot of cheap fixed blades, take a look here: http://edcdepot.com/search.aspx?manufacturer=13

[Grant Lamontagne]

I would not suggest a knife for self defense if you can avoid it.  With the modern day zero tolerance policies at schools everywhere you are more likely to get thrown out of school than you are to actually use it.  If you want or need something for self defense I'd suggest a baton and/or pepper spray, and more importantly, get some kind of training to use said items.  Otherwise, whatever you have, knife, stick or spray is very likely to be used against you.

If you are willing to put the time in to some training- and I mean proper training then anything you have on you can become an effective weapon, and every day items like a pen or backpack is a hell of a lot easier to defend in court.  I realize that it's better to be judged by twelve than carried by six, but it's even better to not f*ck up your whole life while defending yourself.

I know you probably aren't going to listen to my advice- at your age I probably wouldn't have either but take it from someone who has been in a lot of street fights, bar fights and so on- it's not worth it to carry a knife for personal defense when there are so many other options available to you that won't get you kicked out of school, a criminal record and/or jail time.

Def

[bladechick777]

Folders:
Kershaw Vapor III Black
Kershaw Scamp
Kershaw RJ-I

Or Actually... Kershaw Guy Offers Some Blems.
If You're In The USA.
Here's Some That May Fit(7"+):
RAM Black 1910CKT Blem
Price:$39.00

Tanto Groove 1730TBLK Blem
Price:$30.00

Blur 1670BLK Blem
Price:$35.00

He Has A Black Leek Blem For $25.00

Blackout 1550 Blem
Price:$29.00

Black Shallot Blem
Price:$38.00

Brawler 1990
Price:$25.00

RJ1 1985
Price:$25.00

You Can Get A Scamp For $20 On Amazon.

Take A Look At:
Byrd Knives
CRKT
Buck
And Many Others.

Fixed Blades:
Kabar Becker ESEE Eskabar
Ka-Bar Becker Necker
Buck PakLite Caper, Black
Buck PakLite Skinner , Black Traction Coating
Buck PakLite Large Skinner, Black Traction Coated Handle
Buck Hartsook Neck Knife, S30V, Black Oxide Coating, Molded Nylon Sheath

[bladechick777]

You Really Wouldn't Need A Large Knife...
A Small Knife To Make Small Puncture Wounds To Hurt Long Enough While You Get Away Would Be Perfect...
But The Guys Are Also Right.
I Always Carry A Knife, But Not For Self Defense. If I Needed It For Self Defense... It Would Be There.
But A Kubaton Or Pepper Spray Would Get The Job Done.

There Are Also Small Personal Stun Guns... Look Into Laws For That Though.

[bladechick777]

If You Get A Knife.. I'd Look Into Getting One You'll Actually Use.
I Forgot To Mention The Meyerco Maxx-Q.

I've Met Someone Who Carried A Cheapo Knife For Self Defense... Well I Taught Her How To Do File Work And Such And All The Things You Could Do With A SAK And Showed Her A Few Nice Barlows....

Well She Now Owns And Uses I Might Add(They Were Mine):
Meyerco Maxx-Q All Black PE Bowie.
Victorinox Pink Classic SD.
And Took One Of My Barlows Haha.

She Uses The Maxx-Q For Everything... Cutting Tasks, An Antennae For Her Phone, And Sleeps With It Near Her Bed If Needed For Self Defense.

She Uses The Classic For Things A Small Blade And Nail File And Scissors Are Handy For.

And The Barlow Is More Of A Show Knife For Her Lol.

And This Girl Has NEVER Had To Use Anything As Self Defense.
We Live In One Of The Most Dangerous Cities In The United States. Columbus, Ohio.
She Takes The City Bus Regularly, Walks In Bad Neighborhoods, Hangs Out On Campus.
I Walk A Lot, Hang Out In Some Places That Aren't The Best And Have Yet To Need To Use A Knife For Self Defense.

So Chances Of Actually Needing A Blade For Self Defense Is Kind Of Rare.
Would I If I Had To? Hell Yes I Would. Would I Do All I Could To Avoid Using A Knife? Yes.

[jekostas]

Forget the knife.

Get a nice, sturdy 2AA flashlight that you can bash around people's heads and not worry about it breaking.

If someone in this "bad neighborhood" you're worried about really decides to do you harm, they will jump you from behind.  Likely with numbers.  Knives have a very, very limited role in self defense.

[bladechick777]

Honestly... If Someone Is Looking For A Quick Robbery, A Knife May Just Scare Them Off.
If They Are Seriously Trying To Cause Harm Or Pull A Gun.. Well What Can You Really Do With A Knife?

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I agree with all the sentiments above.  I'm a college professor and we have a campus law that no student is allowed to carry any blade over 2" on campus.  Our by-laws are a bit biased toward faculty though, and as a faculty member, I'm exempt from that by-law, so I do carry my SAK Outrider in my EDC bag, and I randomly rotate through my different Spyderco's for EDC carry as well.

But as Jessie said, if someone is really intent on robbing you, a knife isn't going to do you much good.  Save up and get yourself a quality LED light with a high output strobe function that you can access quickly (Quarks are a good brand for that), and if you're really concerned about it, get something you can put a strike bezel on.  There are some on the market now days that there are no laws against and will mess someone up just as badly, if not worse, than a medium size knife.  A quality strike bezel will not only cut flesh like a knife but also give you the effect of an impact weapon as well, doing additional damage.  The best thing to do is not put yourself in a situation where you're going to be at risk, but if you really want something for personal protection, get a good, bright light with a strike bezel, and a can of pepper spray too.

[bladechick777]

Actually... How About This?
Get Yourself A Whole EDC Set Up.

Knife - Check Your School's Rules. It May Be 3" and Under. In That Case.. Get A Spyderco UKPK Or A Spyderco Persistence. Or A Spyderco Native. Maybe A Delica?

Pen - Get A Tactical Pen - Most Of These Can Be Doubled As A Self Defense Weapon.. Kubaton.

Flashlight - High Powered... Turn This On While You Are Walking. This Will Help. You Will Have Light And Someone Is More Likely To Notice If Something Happens To You.

Multi-Tool - Not Only Is This Handy.. But It Has A Knife On It... And Also.. Would Hurt If You Hit Someone With It With Good Force Behind It.

[jekostas]

Unless you are trained in using knives or kubotans, they make extremely poor self defense weapons.  They require movements based around either fine motor skill (knife drawing and control) or the ability to aim and hit specific targets under stress (kuboton at pressure/control points).  Not only that they require you to be in very close range to your attacker.  This requires training.  A substantial amount of it.  There's a reason why even though LEOs are generally armed with both guns and knives, they also carry a nightstick or baton.  Simple to use, simple to deploy, no fancy movement required.

Just... just get a flashlight.  A heavy one you can whack someone over the head with.  Strobes are useful in this situation for disorientation but even a strong enough light in someone's eyes will give you 10-15 seconds to extricate yourself from the situation (meaning run like hell to a well-lit area).

[asupernothing]

No.
This feels like a repeat of a thread from a few months ago.
You do not get a knife for self defense. The fact that you are asking for advice indicates that you do not have the proper training to use a blade defensively. Without proper training, if you are ever in a dangerous situation, the only thing I can guarantee is that you will get hurt.

I don't mean to sound so negative, but this topic just seems to get beaten to death.

[mvyrmnd]

I tend to agree. I believe anyone that carries a knife for the explicit purpose of self defense is going to wind up in hospital or a morgue. A knife is a tool, not a weapon. It just happens to be a pointy tool.

[jekostas]

Oh, and for the love of God  - if someone wants to rob you, GIVE IN.  If you're seriously worried about being robbed, carry a dummy cell phone and fake wallet, wear a cheapo dollar store digital watch.   You can get 1:1 replica iPhones off of ebay for $7.  Criminals aren't going to stop and examine what you give them, they'll take it and run.  If they do stop to examine what they got, YOU take the opportunity and run.

Trying to pull a knife in that situation is a dangerous escalation.  What if they're carrying a gun?  Or a baton?  Or have buddies waiting around the corner as "backup"?

And if you're really, truly worried about your safety, walk with friends or get a Campus Security Officer (or a few of them) to walk with you.  That's what they're there for.