darinberry

I have alot of firearms and unarmed combat experience,but the knife is something i have neglected to seriously study and use.I want to start learning.I would like to know a good place to start?Good personal protection knives?

BOSS

Darinberry,

Knives can be an EXTREMELY effective piece of equipment. If you look at 'knife' cultures, particularly Asia and the Philippines among others, where many are very knife orientated (as firearms are harder and more expensive acquire), you can see individuals that can inflict a massive amount of injury, up to non-surviveable, in a matter of seconds. And we aren't talking with the 'super-bad, high $$, psudo-tactical' specials that are becoming as much as a fashion statement as an edged tool in the US. This is with realitively low-tech, low cost instruments (affirming that is the operator, not the tool, once again). And people that are dedicated enough to carry two+ knives tend to be very serious indeed.

Most folks that carry the more costly knives here have probably never had any formal training or used them to do more than open boxes and what not, which is fine. Knives can be one of the handiest things to have in your pocket. There is always a box to be opened, a staple to pried, etc. etc.

But getting back on point (get it?), while most any knife can serve various rolls if circumstances require it, there are obviously some that are better than others at a specifc task. It would depend on what you are looking for and what you local laws allow. Are you looking for a fixed bladed knife or a folder? Presuming you are like the vast majority that prefer the convience of the folder (which is usually more in compliance with local laws), there are tons to choose from and if you stick with a quality name brand, it's hard to go wrong. Most good folders are going with quality stainless steels these days (154CM, 440CPM, G2, ATS34, BG10) and these are usually so good that most will never know the difference between one or the other in routine use.

There are blade styles: spear point, tanto, clip, drop point, bowie style, serrated, combo edge, etc. Tanto's tend to offer very deep penetration capabilities but sacrifice some utility. Clip, Spear or drop points are are very popular and offer decent penetration and utility. These are probably the best all around compromise unless you see a need to be punching through car doors or something similar.

There are different grind patterns (convex, flat, hollow), etc, but that is getting a little too complicated: the good makers usually use a decent pattern appropriate the intended purpose of the knife, so you don't have to worry about it too much. I do tend to avoid single side (chisel) grinds however. Some may argue strength, but I basically see it as a cost saving measure during production. I prefer grinds on both side of the blade.

Next you get into handle materials such as synthtics (Zytel), G10, Micarta, and metallics. The synthetics usually give up some strength for weight, where the metallics can get a little heavy. However, Titanium ($$$) and anodized aluminium are two of my favorites Micarta or G10 over metallic liners can offer a good compromise for some people. You will need to decide based on your needs.

Then there different locking mechanisms, tradition on the spine of the knife, Walker-style liner locks, Benchmade-style Axis locks, etc. etc. The liner lock seems to be the most popular these days as it does allow for one handed operation. I will not delve into automatic locks (i.e. switchbaldes)as I am less knowledgeable about them, tho they basically are internal and usually released by the same button that opened the blade.

There are formal knife/counter knife courses out there, and several videos. If I recall correctly, Gunsite may have done one (I've never seen it). The names 'Street Steel' and 'Surviving Edged Weapons' also come to mind, though I don't know how available they may be. I am certain a search on related terms will give you plenty of hits.

As for info and shopping for knives you can check out:
tripleaughtdesign.com
mdenterprise.com
knifecenter.com
bladeart.com
knifeart.com
1sks.com (onestopknifeshop.com)
agrussell.com
cutleryshoppe.com

They can give you more than enough information.

Good recommendations: a decent folder with either a G10, Micarta or metallic handle, blade in the 3 inch range no less than 1/8 inch thick of quality material (154CM or comprable), a clip style blade with a little bit of belly to it. I am also highly partial to partially serrated blades. A pocket clip is also very desirable.

Keeping it simple, it is hard to go wrong with a Spyderco, Benchmade, SOG, Cold Steel, or Gerber in the sub-$100 range. If you can't find a suitable knife from one of these three, you have some have some strange preferences. I carried a Spyderco ProVenator for about 10 years. And while not super 'tactical' it is still the standard by which I judge all other real world knives.

While more expensive, Emerson Knives puts out a very solid product. His Mini-Commander is an outstanding knife design for all around use IMHO.

Strider also puts out some very stout folders that are probably as close to a fixed blade knife as you will come with something that pivots.

Less tactical, but an extremely good knife is the Chris Reeve Sebenza, but usually up near $300 and thus not suitable for alotta folks.

While the above is all the exciting tactical stuff, I will leave you with (hopefully) a couple sobering thoughts. It has been said of knife fights, the winner goes to the hospital, the loser to the morgue. While knives can be great, if you wind up in a knife fight, you are in very grave danger, and your chances of not getting cut are slim. Remember, you're going to have to be close enough to touch them, which means they will be able to touch you. In the world of bloodborne pathogens and similar diseases, swapping blood with the criminal element is not something you want to get close too.

Hope this helps. Stay safe,
BOSS