Knife Advice
Well...to give a small amount of background on my situation, I live in a tougher neighborhood that has gotten worse in the past few months and a few events in the past month have led me to consider purchasing some kind of knife for protection in case the worse happens and I need to protect myself.
I would like to know what would be the best purchase and how I would go around doing this. As of now, I am thinking of getting a switchblade or something similar because I don't want to have an open blade lying around my room (I do not plan on carrying it outside with me) and I do not want to spend a large amount of money (under $100 for sure, under $50 preferable) because I do not have the funds.
So any recommendations on what type of knife I should get, where I should get one (I was thinking of a gun store but I'm not sure), legality, and any other advise?
If you don't have experience with a knife, I'd go with a bat instead. Or mace. Or brake cleaning spray. (Learned that one here on the Cellar.)
You have to get awful close with a knife.
a switchblade That's jail time in most states. imho. In your home, go bat or firearm. Only in the house.
Pierce. Picture the scenario. Are you really looking for a weapon for defence, or to threaten an attacker into submission/ retreat? I agree with Glatt & Buster that something like a bat (and an attitude) is far better at persuading a would-be robber that he's picked the wrong house. And more effective at a distance if substance abuse gives the attacker a false sense of invulnerabilty.
However if it's truly self defence - ie you are worried about your physical well-being, then I'd go with Syc. Use your body as a weapon, then there can be no worries about intention.
If you're not convinced you have the attitude to wield a bat as a dangerous weapon, or the discipline to train in self defence - move. Better a live realistic Pierce than a wounded or dead heroic one.
Just buy a gun.
Ask Merc for advice...or one of those other loonies around here. Or people who work with loonies. ;)
unless your knife goes "BANG!" and sends projectiles at your would be assailants... I'd skip the knife altogether. Keep a meat cleaver next handy if you want, but a blade is pretty pointless in the hand of an unskilled person. IMO
although one of those Klingon knives from The Wrath of Kahn would be pretty awesomely scary.
They shall fear your mighty Bat'leth!
You shall do MIGHTY COMBAT
People will RESPECT you and your vertical blinds
Until the transportation safety man takes it away.
Pierce, I would seriously advise against getting a knife unless you know how to use one.
da nan nan na, na na.
You can't touch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JomHWt7p6-cOr brake cleaning spray. (Learned that one here on the Cellar.)
Another good already-in-the-home weapon: batteries or a bunch of coins inside a sock. You can do some serious damage swinging that around, though it does require a little more coordination than a baseball bat.
If you don't want to spend a year becoming very proficient in martial arts, I'd recommend taking a self-defense class. My mom made me take one as a teenager, and I still remember the techniques. Defensive use of your body without needing any strength or skill. Plus, you get to practice on a guy in a big padded suit, which is fun.
Yep...I'm a hammer girl!! Lucky I met a hammer man....:)
Econo-size can of Aqua Net + Bic lighter = flame thrower
a few events in the past month have led me to consider purchasing some kind of knife for protection in case the worse happens and I need to protect myself.
What sort of events? What to you mean by "the worse [sic] happens"? Street Mugging? Man-rape? Break-ins? what?
Monster has the right of it: the nature of the events is going to determine the level, range, and force of the self-defense gear. If it's gunfights, you're not going to live bringing a knife to them. Burglary or strongarm robbery, well, there you're talking knifework. If you're that kind of hardass. To be efficient at knifing somebody, you have to be damned mean, and efficiency is the core and essence of self-defense fighting.
A bat or baton-type object, the more innocent-looking the better, helps as a nonfirearm defense for your home or your vehicle, depending on where you need to defend against a threat. Under "baton" -- a 5-cell Mag-Lite. It's just long and heavy enough. Hold the lightbulb end and strike with the other end, using the bulb end as an aid to keeping your grip. You can also guard with this, gripping it at either end and parry/blocking with the midpart of the shaft. This thing hits like two tons of bricks, though, like a deadblow hammer, and if you menace policemen with it they will shoot -- because they know how hard it is to heal comminuted bone fractures. But I don't think the cops would be too annoyed if you crippled an attacker hitting him with a Mag-Lite. And they cost less than fifty dollars.
Factory fighter knives generally inhabit a bracket between $50-$100. Essentially, you want a thick blade and a small crossguard, like an Army surplus place's Ka-Bar. A folder is nice in its way for carry, but it takes mighty sturdy design to even approach a sheaf knife's strength. You'd like onehanded opening, and there are legal-'most-everywhere actions for this. Spyderco folders offer both strength and some models opening singlehanded. They also are very good edgeholders.
Switches are legal about nowhere, and even balisongs are harder to find than they were, though they are fun to learn to manipulate. However, mine's bitten me when I had a stupid moment. So watch it with these guys.
The cleaver I sell costs over a hundred. You can get cheaper, but ours hits like an axe -- and looks innocent to boot, being a piece of kitchen cutlery. Knocks frozen hamburger and frozen burritos right in half.
Lee: Did you know Kim carried a gun?
Abernathy: Yes. Now, do I approve? No. Do I know? Yes?
Kim: Look, I don't know what futuristic utopia you live in, but the world I live in, a bitch need a gun.
Abernathy: You can't get around the fact that people who carry guns, tend to get shot more than people who don't.
Kim: And you can't get around the fact that if I go down to the laundry room in my building at midnight enough times, I might get my ass raped.
Lee: Don't do your laundry at midnight.
Kim: Fuck that! I wanna do my laundry whenever the fuck I wanna do my laundry.
Abernathy: There are other things you can carry other than a gun. Pepper spray.
Kim: Uh, motherfucker tryna rape me? I don't wanna give him skin rash! I wanna shut that nigga down!
Abernathy: How about a knife at least?
Kim: Yeah, you know what happens to motherfuckers carry knives? They get shot! Look, if I ever become a famous actress, I won't carry a gun. I'll hire me a do-dirt nigga, and he'll carry the gun. And when shit goes down, I'll sit back and laugh, but until that day, it's Wild West, motherfucker!
-----------
Now that that's out of the way, a switch will get you jail time. Personal experience. So will a balisong (butterfly knife).
A knife is good, but you might want to consider a machete.
If you're not taking it out of the house, concealing it is no problem.
Check your local Army-Navy for different types of knives.
Ask them if the can get one for you.
Leave a contact number.
(If you're nervous about people knowing about it, get a prepaid cell.)
IF they ask why you want it, it's for cutting down small trees.
(The reason I say this is that if you tell them it's for home protection, the first thing they'll start thinking of is "If he hits someone with it, it'll get traced back to us, and the victim'll sue us......" and so on.)
Now, it was mentioned "move".
Good idea, but if you don't have funds, moving might not be an option right now.
A polypropylene bat (The Brooklyn Basher) is a nice option.
Aluminum bat.
Axe handle.
2 foot steel pipe.
www.CheaperThanDirt.com
Just remember, be careful.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Always have an escape plan.
Your stuff can be recovered or repurchased.
Your life, however....
An axe handle can be considered a weapon, get an axe.
My truck is home to two (2) 5-cell Maglites. Hung on belt straps from door handles. Used for inspecting my truck in the dark. Maybe one or two other uses I don't talk about.
There is also a 2 lb sledge for freeing stuck things, big can of WD-40, a Leatherman pocket tool, a short loaded plastic club for banging on tires, 9 inch long stick air gauge for checking tire pressure, I smoke so there is a handful of lighters strewn about, a can of starter fluid to get that big diesel started on cold mornings, a dozen or so load straps with ratcheting buckles, an all-day sucker that I never seem to have the time to consume, a handful of keys on my ring that I cannot seem to remember where they go anymore (I really need to thin that ring down, someday. I'm NOT a janitor), two load bars on the back of my cab, sharing space with a push broom with a wood handle (for sweeping out trailers), a spare air line, some rope for tying down loose freight, an extra pair of boots (Marine combat boots with long laces) in case I ruin my usuals, rolls of quarters for laundry and vending machines (out of which I sometimes eat, unfortunately), sundry tools on a small, handled canvas bag, a piece of angle-iron with notches (so I can pull out nails left in my trailer floor), a grab handle on my muffler that I keep meaning to fix and a few other things that escape me at present.
Did I mention that weapons are forbidden on our trucks?
I have no weapons as per company policy...... or do I?
How about a junkyard dog, or at least a recording of one?
... Keep a meat cleaver next handy if you want, but a blade is pretty pointless in the hand of an unskilled person. IMO
Great pun, lookout.
Use whatever you feel you will be able to use on another person. A
tire-knocker or
big-ass Maglite are good choices for me, specifically, because I'm not afrid of blunt-force somebody. Stabbings, though, are right out.
Lee: Did you know Kim carried a gun?
Abernathy: Yes. Now, do I approve? No. Do I know? Yes?
Kim: Look, I don't know what futuristic utopia you live in, but the world I live in, a bitch need a gun.
Abernathy: You can't get around the fact that people who carry guns, tend to get shot more than people who don't.
Kim: And you can't get around the fact that if I go down to the laundry room in my building at midnight enough times, I might get my ass raped.
Lee: Don't do your laundry at midnight.
Kim: Fuck that! I wanna do my laundry whenever the fuck I wanna do my laundry.
Abernathy: There are other things you can carry other than a gun. Pepper spray.
Kim: Uh, motherfucker tryna rape me? I don't wanna give him skin rash! I wanna shut that nigga down!
Abernathy: How about a knife at least?
Kim: Yeah, you know what happens to motherfuckers carry knives? They get shot! Look, if I ever become a famous actress, I won't carry a gun. I'll hire me a do-dirt nigga, and he'll carry the gun. And when shit goes down, I'll sit back and laugh, but until that day, it's Wild West, motherfucker!
-----------
.....
A knife is good, but you might want to consider a machete.
....
You can't go there and leave that hanging.
move to a different 'hood?
If you're thinking of doing mortal damage to an attacker with a knife, understand the knife to the heart trick only works well in Hollywood. Ribcage and other stuff is hard to force a knife thru.
holy crap foot, thats as bad as getting rickrolled
Thanks for the advise.
I talked to my roommate and we are either going to get a bat or some sort of firearm.
good lord - get a bat or a big friggin stick - leave the knives and the firearms to those who are properly trained to use them.
A friend of mine told me that he has strategic positions throughout his entire house, such as inside the pantry in the kitchen, where he has weapons, like lead pipes, hanging up on hooks. No matter where he is, and no matter where a home invader is, he is sure that he could get to a weapons cache. Obviously he's put a lot of thought into this.
Where do you even get a lead pipe? Does this friend restore 150 year old houses?
He meant lead pipe like "leed" pipe. They're at the forefront of pipedom. They are the pipes all other pipes seek to emulate. They are the pipe-iest.
Thanks for the advise.
I talked to my roommate and we are either going to get a bat or some sort of firearm.
Well you could get firearms...
But I think a bat would be better for scaring them off...
...or distracting them
I got one question. Are you prepared to kill someone. Like, dead.
No going back, not alive anymore. If you are, then get a large caliber handgun, and practice with it. If you want to take your time, then get a bat. The ones with the weighted end and a spring on the bottom are cool. Knives are dangerous cause they get slippery when used, hard to hold onto unless they have cool grips that are made for that kind of thing. They are also easy to get into the wrong hands and be used on you.
What ever you decide to do, the most important thing you can have and you can't buy this one is: your attitude, and how you carry yourself in this world. That will generally determine who fucks with you and who won't. If someone should fuck with you, this will also determine if the ever fuck with you again.
I can't carry a weapon because the US government says I can't--- but I DO like Jinx's idea of an Eco can of Aqua-Net and a Bic. Brilliant!
Plus, classy and theatrical.
Truck diesel pumps run at up to 60 gpm. They have a range of ten feet. I had to use one the same way Burt Reynolds used a gas can and a glass in "Stick".
Only fight I ever had out there and it was an anticlimax.
One flick of my Zippo and he drove off, soaked with a few gallons of diesel.
A friend of mine told me that he has strategic positions throughout his entire house, such as inside the pantry in the kitchen, where he has weapons, like lead pipes, hanging up on hooks. No matter where he is, and no matter where a home invader is, he is sure that he could get to a weapons cache. Obviously he's put a lot of thought into this.
Flint, is your mate just particularly paranoid or is there a justifiable reason for having so many 'weapons' around his house? I can't imagine being that afraid of a home invasion. I don't even lock my doors half the time when I go to bed because I'm just not worried. Surely your friend is a one off right?
Hmm apparently "rate my ink" don't like hotlinking. Sorry about that. Try this instead:
Firearms:
can someone correct the spelling of the thread title please? or, at least advise me as to who can correct it. i'm SO not a grammar or spelling nazi, but this one bugs me for some reason.
You can't go there and leave that hanging.
Nice.
I didn't have the pic, or I might have...
And there probably are local resources for firearms combat training -- concealed carry courses, self defense courses. You haven't heard much about them because they don't have big advertising budgets. AFAIK, next town up the road from me has a successful business handling just that. The places to look into these are a gun store or a range.
The usual cost for a basic gun self defense course is around $150 and it runs three days.
Unless you're already in either Philippine escrima or SCA broadsword fighting, it'll take even more training if you're starting from zero to wield bat, stave or baton as effectually. Tools are good, all us opposed-thumb primates agree; power tools are better.
Aliantha; just sounds to me like Flint's friend is determined and prepared to win. Regardless. I do not regard this as remotely strange -- but then I understand the self-defense mindset. It's not paranoiac: it's insurance.
I'd go with the bat. If you end up in a tussle and misfire a gun, unless you are well-versed in self-defence techniques, chances are that gun will be taken right off you and you'll be the one as gets shot.
[eta]
Aliantha; just sounds to me like Flint's friend is determined and prepared to win. Regardless. I do not regard this as remotely strange -- but then I understand the self-defense mindset. It's not paranoiac: it's insurance.
That explains such a lot :P
I've been re-reading this thread and the question occurred to me: how likely is your home to be intruded upon in this threatening fashion? Are the defensive measures appropriate to the level of threat?
Home invasion is the purview of drug dealers and their associates. I suspect almost nobody outside the trade is impacted. Most "normal" robberies occur when nobody is home.
I agree with the consensus, an untrained person with a knife is asking to get cut up or worse.
I've been re-reading this thread and the question occurred to me: how likely is your home to be intruded upon in this threatening fashion? Are the defensive measures appropriate to the level of threat?
The chance would be small but it is still there and I don't want to be caught off-guard.
I favour the baseball bat as a defensive weapon. It has good amounts of plausible deniability, especially if you own a ball and glove as well.
Yeah, if you're going to use a bat, you need balls.
can someone correct the spelling of the thread title please? or, at least advise me as to who can correct it. i'm SO not a grammar or spelling nazi, but this one bugs me for some reason.
thank you, behind the scenes, un-thanked moderator! much respecK
There is a lot of talk about "taking a gun away from you," with or without misfiring. There doesn't seem to be a lot of real-world basis for this Hollywood stunt, especially if the gun defender is not willing to go paralytic and is determined to win.
Martial-arts mindset, again.
Doesn't take a lot to fumble a gun if you are suddenly put in a position that is frightening and without precedent in your life.
I talked to my roommate and we are either going to get a bat or some sort of firearm.
If you don't feed the roommate much, it'll become mean enough to attack an intruder for you. Otherwise, think human shield!
Just buy a gun.
Ask Merc for advice...or one of those other loonies around here. Or people who work with loonies. ;)
Hey!
Yea, my first thought was just buy a gun and learn to use it.
I suggest pole-arms. A nice halberd, bardiche, or spear will fuck a fool up while keeping the pointy end far away from you.
(I'm only kidding.)
I suggest pole-arms. A nice halberd, bardiche, or spear will fuck a fool up while keeping the pointy end far away from you.
(I'm only kidding.)
Yup.
Bust his fucking head to the whitemeat.
Raiders of the Lost Ark ... even Indiana Jones got tired of the bullshit in the market place and just blew the big dude away.
You ain't no Indiana Jones. :headshake
Doesn't take a lot to fumble a gun if you are suddenly put in a position that is frightening and without precedent in your life.
DanaC, that is why you
train, and such instruction is available generally, if somewhat thinly spread, over all the United States. Assiduous training teaches you to function in spite of fear, novelty, or startlement. Martial arts stuff again. Those without it can't grok it. Those who have it wonder at the not-grokking.
A gun is not a magic wand -- it is more like a musical instrument. Like a musical instrument it repays practice; the more diligent the better.
Polearms, glaives and halberds, work well in their mètier -- out of doors, and as long as the other guys didn't bring along too many matchlocks and other gonnes. In house hallways -- use thrusts. But if the other fellow is brisk enough to deflect your point into the wall, the drywall is likely to swallow your warhead end right up.
That's when you want a shotgun for backup -- skeet loads, which are light and small pelleted, which both reduce overpenetration (handy in civil situations) while still delivering a smack like a hard driven deadblow hammer. It won't spray the whole wall at home defense ranges though: the shot charge will essentially make one hole, not much wider than the bore. Always think of it as a bullet, just finely divided and heavy. The light charge of a skeet load also means the report of firing is less likely to cross your eyes and bring down the ceiling, touched off indoors. This is why your preferred gun for this fight should not be a rifle -- too big a boom and too penetrative a bullet.
I think I did say in an earlier post, if you get a weapon, also take some training on how to use it.
Good idea, even with polearms. ;)
Doesn't take a lot to fumble a gun if you are suddenly put in a position that is frightening and without precedent in your life.
In which case they are in no worse a position than they started; if you are in a life-threatening situation already and you screw up a potential save, you are still in the situation.
If you are truly concerned about your safety taking a firearms course should be top priority. I would suggest getting a handgun which is small enough to carry around everywhere you go, but the hardest hitting in that range. Familiarity is better than the stopping power of a shotgun you don't have, or only pick up once a month.
If you are not willing to take a training course, then you don't really feel you are in danger. In that case I suggest getting a folding pocket knife since they are handy to have around and will make you feel better. Keep in mind that without training fending off a potential attack is not an option; if they come at you unarmed intending to take a knife from you they probably can (or are just crazy, which is possible). Your best bet is to never let them know you have a knife until they are already bleeding out, and assume that in the process you will lose a few fingers. Knife fights are no fun for anyone involved.
Pierce, I would seriously advise against getting a knife unless you know how to use one.
If what you want as a sole protection device, then I agree with this statement. A cop friend of mine said unless you're skilled, it would most likely be used against you. He recommends having a mace because you can ward off an attacker from a distance with it. The reason why he gave this advice is because I carry a knife for protection. :D Carry a knife, but use a mace. ;) If you really want a knife, I'd recommend a Kershaw. I forgot the specific term but this line flips open really, really quick, and it's legal. I forgot which style my friend recommended. But here's a link and you can browse to find the style and size you may want. Good luck!
Are we talking about
Mace here?
Or
a mace?
I'd go with that - distance action, lots of jabbing potential. And it would enhance any home.
Made me smile, SG.
Although, I think your picture is a scepter.
Scroll down
this page to see a battle mace. Just $109.95 for the nice steel one.
That's a mace only a motha could love.
Made me smile, SG.
Although, I think your picture is a scepter.
Scroll down this page to see a battle mace. Just $109.95 for the nice steel one.
Ohhhhhh...the Battle Mace looks nice! :D LOL....and it's made by Paul Chen too! I have a Paul Chen sword. :cool:
I can't edit my post above so I'll add the information here to reduce posts. If anyone is interested in the Kershew knife, do a search on Kershaw Onion, Leek, or Chive. There are size differences.
A pump shot gun for hme defence is Preferable ,
Hell the sound Alone is enough to make a baddy Shit his drawers
http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/popular12558/shotgun.mp3Ceremonial maces at least in England have a somewhat curious design history.
Carrying a mace for opening Parliament, IIRC, the order of the day was to carry this weapon inverted -- peaceful intentions but royal muscle behind 'em, and all that. The mace also got fancy, and an ornamental knob or finial adorned the end of the haft.
Said finial was about the most visible part of a mace being ritually carried inverted.
Said finial got bigger and fancier. Eventually the base of the mace got bigger than the head was, which was shrinking, atrophying with time.
So guess what you're looking at now!
Made me smile, SG.
Although, I think your picture is a scepter.
As per UG's post, it's a ceremonial mace. It's a symbol of power as opposed to a hitting stick ;)
As per UG's post, it's a ceremonial mace. It's a symbol of power as opposed to a hitting stick ;)
Now I'm visualizing hawkeye holding the ceremonial mace up to a burglar and shouting "This is my ceremonial mace. It is a symbol of my power."
Actually, that might work if you looked crazy enough when you said it. Plus, the CM is much more decorative. So there you have it.
Now I'm visualizing hawkeye holding the ceremonial mace up to a burglar and shouting "This is my ceremonial mace. It is a symbol of my power."
Actually, that might work if you looked crazy enough when you said it.
That was actually a legitimate technique they taught us in self-defense class as a teen. There was a supposedly firsthand story about one woman who woke up to find an intruder in her house, and for some reason (it was unclear whether this was deliberate on her part or she just lost it) she began singing some kids' song at him. He stared at her for a few moments, and then just left.
If nothing else, it could buy you some time.
ring ring ring ring ring BANANA PHONE!
Here's something new in the world of knives.
The WASP.My answer for home defense, the Black Bear Classic... so far it's Home Invasions Repelled: 2, Personal injury/loss: 0. I'd love to be able to legally carry this bad boy around.
Coldsteel or nothing at all.
Cold Steel makes some exceptional knives. I especially like their San Mai III blades (as in the above Black Bear Classic) and I own a Magnum Tanto II, San Mai III, (pictured below) that I bought when it first came out on the market about two decades ago. Blades of proper length and structure can reach vital organs even through heavy clothing and soft body armor. These knives are fine performers and a good buy compared to custom knives; however, they are not cheap and already represent a third to half the cost of a personal defense firearm.
[ATTACH]18922[/ATTACH]
I wonder how badly that knife would play in a jury trial. Better off on trial than dead though.
Cold Steel sells some fine field knives. I can get all excited about the Cold Steel Trail Master Bowie, particularly in the smaller blade size for general civil use. If I were contemplating having to get in a knife fight with one on a Texas sandbar, then I'd tote the larger.
But then, I do own a Museum Replicas claymore, after all... and one of their dirks.
I wonder if the WASP has any tendency to blow itself back out of the wound under its own gas pressure.
@ Griff
Yes, better to be judged by twelve than carried by six. I selected my knife for field use in military scenarios when I was on active duty. It's now stored with other disaster preparedness gear: I use a firearm for personal protection. When neither firearms nor less than lethal alternatives are a viable option (for whatever reasons), I'll opt for a knife that is optimized for rapid incapacitation and not just deterrence. Given that there must be justification for the use of deadly force before a knife is employed, it is the most humane choice in the event of a fatality.
Here's something new in the world of knives.
The WASP.
Now that is just weird. There is something available now that performs a similar function without being needlessly esoteric, and is very reliable.
A "powerhead" or "bang stick" is a steel shaft with a length of tubing at the end which serves as a chamber for a cartridge. The chamber has a firing pin at the back which generally has some sort of safety mechanism. To use it you simply press the business end into the target; the pressure will force the cartridge against the firing pin and discharge it into the target. The minimum length of the shaft is 18 inches, and the general maximum size cartridge is for a 12 gauge shotgun shell.
A 12 gauge shotgun shell discharged point-blank *will* stop whoever is coming after you, and afterwards you still have at least an 18 inch steel rod to fend them off. Of course, you might as well simply use a firearm at that point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BangstickHere's something new in the world of knives.
The WASP.
If you load it with a nitrous oxide cartridge, will it make 'em die laughing?
I carried this in my ruck. It was a very usefull tool. I had it made by the 2nd Gurkha Brigade's goldsmith when I did a US/British exchange to Hong Kong in 1987.
Looks like this:
Some of the toughest troops I ever had the chance to meet.
I call that a knife!
What's the little divot in the blade, just above the hand?
I call that a knife!
What's the little divot in the blade, just above the hand?
The "
blood dipper".
Khukuri Notch:
The most appealing and distinctive part of the khukuri is the notch or “Cho” cut into the blade directly in front of the grip and the bolster. The Cho or “Kaudi” in Nepalese that separates the khukuri from the world of knives arouses much interest because of its unique shape and utility objectives. Practically the notch works as a blood dipper to prevent the blood or fluid from going towards the handle so that firm grip can be maintained throughout the execution and also as a stopper to stop Chakmak (sharpener) from reaching the handle area when sharpening while running down the edge of the khukuri blade. Similarly the notch also has religious significance as it signifies the Hindu fertility symbol (OM) and represents the sacred cow’s hoof (as cow is worshiped in Nepal).It is also believed to have been developed as a device for catching and neutralizing an enemy blade in close combat. However, myths like notch being a target device to capture an enemy’s sight within it and hurl the blade like a boomerang to snick of his head is not true as khukuri is never thrown. As well the notch being a can opener or rest curvature for index finger of the using hand while slicing are all fictitious. The first khukuri blade ever known to the modern mankind had the Cho and some drawings found in an Indian temple around 600AD also depict it in the blade. Almost all khukuri that originated in the past had the legendary notch and even the modern ones continue to carry this distinctive tradition.
They should call it a blood dripper, not a blood dipper.
It's just like drip rings on a kayak paddle.
Mu dad has a nice collection of knives. He keeps them mostly in a nice wooden box. We tease him, and call it "Dad's Killin' Box." lol
Well...to give a small amount of background on my situation, I live in a tougher neighborhood that has gotten worse in the past few months and a few events in the past month have led me to consider purchasing some kind of knife for protection in case the worse happens and I need to protect myself.
I would like to know what would be the best purchase and how I would go around doing this. As of now, I am thinking of getting a switchblade or something similar because I don't want to have an open blade lying around my room (I do not plan on carrying it outside with me) and I do not want to spend a large amount of money (under $100 for sure, under $50 preferable) because I do not have the funds.
So any recommendations on what type of knife I should get, where I should get one (I was thinking of a gun store but I'm not sure), legality, and any other advise?
Some of the toughest troops I ever had the chance to meet.
So, Pierce, did you pick up a Ka-Bar at an army surplus place? That's likely an excellent ratio of Bang for Buck.
{Edit} Right, you guys were going to get yourselves a big stick.
My outfit now sells a 2 3/4" blade lockback folder, the first one-handed-opening Cutco design, with a pocket clip so you don't have a high profile when carrying.
For somebody who wants a high-tech kukri, there's
this one, endorsed by the American Bando Association, with which I once studied -- got promoted in, too.
Another model of the same thing, much less expensive.
Note -- no notches.
I still stand by my advice...unless you're
Dan Inosanto, or well-trained by experts such as SEALs, don't try using a knife. It's too easy to slip into the wrong mindset and make a serious mistake.
After putting a new roof on my porch I have four pieces of half inch all-thread that are about four feet long.
I highly recommend it as both a deterrent and and effective weapon.
Makes interesting bloody, serried bruises and marks.
Makes a slightly more whispery sound while in motion too.
Let me say up front that I hate violence.
But I learned long ago the hard way that someone else may decide for you that you have to deal it.
There's been some very good advice offered here for you.
If I can add a couple considerations also:
- in fights there are things like pace, timing, distances, that all affect its outcome.
- any swinging weapon has to be pulled back before it can be swung again
- in that time you are pulling back you are off the offense and on the defense, and in the process likely creating openings that your opponent can take advantage of. I would rush in, changing the distance to my advantage while the attacker drew back his bat.
- most fights end up as very close range deals that often go the floor
- bats clubs, etc. are for a longer range and don't do well in close quarter combat
- clubs and the like were discarded for bladed weapons for some very good reasons, one example- my brother was attacked by a guy with a baseball bat who hit him very hard with it. My brother turned his back to the blow allowing the guy to initiate the fight and when my brother was driven to his knees by the blow- he reached up and pushed a knife into the guys gut.
It took months for my brother's bruise to heal, but the bat swinging attacker did his healing in a hospital, and was lucky to at that!
Someone posted about not seeing the knife until too late... very true! (like in my brother's case) Don't tip your hand by showing your weapon in advance.
Last, buy a gun legally, and take classes to learn to use it properly.
Buy a revolver, not the cool semi-automatic which can jam on you and leave you with something to throw at your attacker. :eek:
So, dont take a club to a knife fight; and don't take a knife or rock(semi-auto) to a gun fight IMHO. :rolleyes:
Your local sheriff will tell you that a shotgun is best for home defense, mine did.
In the rush and chaos of that moment, a shotgun won't be nearly as likely to miss if not well aimed. And should you totally miss(unlikely in close quarters) its far more intimidating, being able to blow someone into pieces.
Don't buy new, buy a used one in good working condition; one that you won't mind losing to the police as evidence should the undesired event ever occur.
I hope this can be of some help to you.
- Rumi
Mostly good advice there, Ruminator -- welcome to the Cellar, btw!
But allow me to insert a few modifications, for instance about handguns jamming. Semiauto designs more recent than say circa 1911 are a lot better about reliability, because basically they've had nine decades of experience now in arranging semiauto actions to make jams less likely.
It is possible, though not at all easy, to jam a revolver.
With a semiauto, jamming can usually be cleared immediately, like about a second, without tools. Some designs are not prone to the stoppages others may suffer, such as the 1911-type "stovepipe jam," which you clear by swiping the stuck, vertical standing cartridge case out of the ejection port with the heel of your left hand. Jack the slide and you're ready for battle again. Most semiauto jams get cured by "tap/rack/bang" drill. If the slide didn't go into battery -- not all the way in -- bump it with the heel of your hand. If it won't go, grab the slide and rack it back, ejecting the cartridge it didn't feed, and let it run forward again to pick up the next. Unless something's very wrong, it'll feed this cartridge the way it's supposed to, and you can go bang bang again.
A bad primer isn't a jam, but is alarming in time of trouble. Cure is still the same: rack the slide to eject the offender, and chamber the next round. The work of a mere moment.
Jam a revolver, though, and you've probably got something so messed up it's going to take some time on a workbench with armorers' tools to sort things out. You'll likely have to take the gun apart to get at what's wrong, like something down in the lockwork that revolves the cylinder and actuates the hammer.
Modern semiautos like the Glock operate so simply it's like picking up a double-action revolver anyway, and Glocks and similar actions (Smith & Wesson makes one) benefit from those nine decades of experience and are designed very jam resistant from the start.
It is also easier to shoot a semiauto rapidly and accurately. Revolvers necessarily put their chamber up high, so there's a lot of leverage when you touch a round off and it cranks the piece around in your hand. This effect is marked with large magnums, unless these have a very long and heavy barrel fitted -- the difference in behavior between an 8" barrel and a 10" silhouette shooting barrel on a .44 Mag is very great. The first bucks up on you, the second backs into the web of your hand and spanks it. Semiautos keep their barrel line lower to your hand, all the workings of the system are automatically powered and run backwards and forwards, so this kind of pistol is more ergonomic to shoot. It's a better fighting tool, overall. This is why semiauto pistols proliferate as they do -- more firepower, which has been true from very early on (8 for the 1911, 13 for the Browning HP 9mm, designed between the wars; now see 1911 actions with double stack magazines of 14 rounds in .45 and cut-down versions of the same pistol with 10, and 17 rounds of 9mm in a full-size Glock, or 19 with magazine extension buttplates, a little more bang with a little more bulk), more repeat-shot accuracy -- hits win better than misses, which is what a responsible gun owner seriously needs.
Police departments have pretty much universally converted to autoloading pistols. Weapon development tends toward the conservative, and police departments are particularly so. They are not going to take up a firearm that is only iffy. They have discovered it is important to shoot better than they used to be satisfied with, and this instrument does the job.
I have been upgraded with a tazer. Hammer out- tazer in! My dad came for a visit and made me take it. I like it, though now I have found that when I might really need it, I am unable to legally carry it. Bummer.
Just tell them Griff said it was cool to carry.
Thanks for the welcome Urbane Guerrilla.
I agree with your well made points.
My thoughts also went along the line of cost and what can be bought at a lower price thats going to be most reliable. It sounded like cost may be a limiting factor for him, ...but maybe not.
I personally also like a Sig, or S&W. And I know the Glocks have earned a great reputation in the field.
But unless things have changed alot, you can probably still buy a wheel gun in better condition for the money than an autoloader?
Also, in most home defense situations(actually inside your home) firepower isn't usually going to exceed the six shot capacity of a revolver is it?
(38 Special or 357 Magnum- my choices)
Not that theres anything wrong with greater firepower!
As for a bad primer in a revolver, just pull the trigger again. And unless you buy reloaded or cheap generic ammo, your not likely going to get a jam in today's modern guns, I agree.
The 357's kickback, yup, I hear you. Its a cannon alright. Definitely not a first choice for a smaller bodied person.
For price and all the rest of the considerations, piercehawkeye45, I again suggest the merits of a basic shotgun for "in the home defense". I keep a Police model Remington 870 ready at all times. (short legal barrel length)
Also piercehawkeye45, I suggest watching the movie "Death Sentence" with Kevin Bacon.
It very much perfectly applies to our discussion here in so many ways!
Especially the aspect of our not being able to accurately "count the cost".
I know the dad does about everything possible the wrong way, but it is still a great depiction of Murphy's Law altering how we think something will go.
And like was suggested, moving as soon as possible may be your best choice.
Wow, this thread ia a real beginning of an education for those not already having any such knowledge.
Good discussion.
Especially the aspect of our not being able to accurately "count the cost".
I know the dad does about everything possible the wrong way, but it is still a great depiction of Murphy's Law altering how we think something will go.
Good discussion.
I've not seen the movie, I'll watch it soon.
In the Army we have a saying, the first casualty in any contact is the plan. Ya, just never, ever know exactly how things are gonna go when the bullets start flying.
Dont assume that just because you Own a weapon you can use it , Get some Competent training !!!
Knowledge is Power !!!!!
Oh and I own a Glock , and I like it LOTS ,
but am thinking HARD about a revolver ,
SW haz some Cool looking new Wheel guns out !!
A Pump shot gun is best for home defence , even if its a 20 ga
#4 shot or larger at close range would be BAD for a Bad guy !!
I keep some of each around. You never know when you'll need one or the other.
A shotgun (Rem 870 Mariner) guards my house along with dogs. I carry Glocks (.40), wheelgun snubbys (.38spl), a Makarov (rarely...9mm) or even my big gun... a Para-Ordnance P14-45 with two spare mags for when I feel the need for more serious firepower. The handguns also guard the house as they are salted around in obscure places.
Carry ammo is usually either Cor-Bon, Federal Hydra-shok, Remington Golden Saber or Speer Gold Dot.
Training is ongoing and came before I bought my first gun. I've been lazy recently and haven't shot in about two years but life intrudes. One of these days I'll get back out to a range and burn off a few hundred.
I want to bring in my wife but finding a handgun to fit her small hands, in a light caliber (so as not to aggravate her arthritis and to avoid "flinching") that can also serve in a defense situation is proving difficult.
9mm or .32mag is effective and not to bad on recoil
For fighting the bad guys and limited mass to the pistol along with limited recoil, I'd pick 9mm too. .380 if you absolutely must.
The Glocks are famous for not pounding you when you bust a cap. There seems something absorbent about their polymer frame, and they've been building them to fit small hands too, reducing certain critically located circumferences.
I did not get a knife, just brought up a baseball bat.
I moved out of that apartment when it got absolutely trashed by a roommate. My apartment was also broken into later after I moved out as well so I guess my worries were legitimate.
Looking back, I don't know what the best response would have been for a break in, probably just getting out. I know for a fact that many people in that neighborhood do pack heat so attacking with a bat or a knife wouldn't help me there. My other roommate and I both do not want a gun, we did get an opportunity to get one BTW, because neither of us are trained and we would still be a great risk from using it and even having it. In this position, it would probably have been best to throw away any pride I have in defending my home because getting hurt or killed would not be worth it IMO.
It was an experience living there and I felt I have learned and grown a lot.
Good for you Pierce. I'm glad to hear that you were able to work out being able to move from what sounds like a fairly dangerous place.
- Rumi
Good for you, pierce.
I hope your new place is working out for you.
Welcome, Ruminator.
Thanks Crimson, I appreciate it. :cool:
Welcome Rumi, do you take your name from the excellent Sufi poet?
I think the name comes from the unpublished Gary Larson Far Side cartoon where a cyborg cow comes back from the future and kills people with its cud.
Thanks for the welcome Undetoad.
I know of the ancient Persian poet, philosopher Rumi, but no, I chose my name from the word ruminate and its definition. It is interesting though that it was his son who founded the Whirling Dervishes. And Rumi himself believed that dance helped one in making a spiritual connection with the Divine.
Since a teenager I have loved looking for the answers to the big questions in life and discussing them with people who can do it without getting all emotional in the process and start yelling.
Your Philosophy forum and the way everyone here discusses topics without wigging out is what actually prompted me to join this excellent community.
I'm not the type to jump in where I may not be wanted, so for the present I'm just letting everyone get to know me and I them.
I'm all too familiar with the other type who barge in and throw out a bunch of opinion and degrade threads to namecalling because I co-own and admin. the largest multi-fishing website here in Ohio.
Relationship is what is most important in life, I will say. :cool:
- Rumi
How does "multi-fishing" differ from "fishing?"
Thanks Clod, nice save. ;)
I should've written "multi species". :o
I'll go up and fix it. :cool:
Whoops, apparently the "Edit" option times out here. :)
Different species post on the site? :lol:
How very Kevin & Kell.
