Don't forget your knife could save your life! Respect it and choose well.

Originally posted by Jinglelord
reply to post by gazzachel

 

Not really sure what country you're in but I doubt kitchen knives are illegal...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d5079343b0f8.jpg[/atsimg]

Take up cooking as a hobby, a few pots and pans and one of those. If that is illegal you need to flee the country immediately!
Some formidable kitchen knives here...

I don't think we are allowed to carry any knife here in london haha.

Here's a quote from a goverment website.

"Carrying a knife

If you carry a knife to protect yourself or make yourself feel safer but don’t intend to use it then you are committing a crime. You are also more likely to become a victim of crime.

Your own knife can be used against you.

If you do want to know more about protecting yourself, there are much easier and safer ways to do it. You could, for example, take a self-defence course offered by your local council, or at a gym."

IMO the magnum kukri machete is probably on the most reliable survival knife. Since the balance of the knife is shifted toward the point of the blade by the curving of the blade, it makes it able to deliver considerable power with little effort. Not to mention the many possibilities it could be used for: cutting brush, chopping wood, defense, and probably some more useful applications. With it's high durability, you can be assured that it won't break anytime time soon.

reply to post by _Phoenix_


"...but don't intend to use it..."

Maybe its lost in the English to English translation but that makes little sense.

I can't even have a club (Like to hit someone with) in my car in California. So I understand stupid rules. I generally have a glass juice bottle in my cup holder. There is always a way around stupid rules... or just break the law and hope to not get caught.

I do think it is funny... first no guns, then no knives, next they will be banning sharpened sticks. I wish all the Anti weapon Americans could move to the UK and all the pro weapon British could move here. (Trust me the weather here is better you want to come here, and if you like London weather just move to Seattle).

reply to post by _Phoenix_


Yeah, take a class, and die if you are ever attacked by anyone...



I won't even post the videos I know that are fail idiots VS weapons....

If you think you could defend yourselves against a knife, you are deluding yourself. You will block with your forearm, then watch with terror as your arteries spit out blood faster than you can imagine..

reply to post by Jinglelord

reply to post by TKDRL


LOL yeah I know the whole thing is silly and confusing really.

reply to post by Jinglelord


Yeah, I'm pretty sure in a life or death struggle anything with a sharp blade would do. Unfortunately most women don't have the upper body strength that men do...I'm sure a man could snap my wrists and knock a knife out of my hands in an instant; unfortunately.

Originally posted by Jinglelord

Originally posted by Deebo
Nice little compilation. I carry a simple "officer issue" swiss army knife for normal utility. Never fails and only costs 15 bucks or so. My machete is an ontario and my main "combat knife" is a sog seal pup. I have gerbers and such too. One thing people need to be aware of is serrations. They are great for cutting tough things but SUCK for woodwork/camp use. As far as cheap knives you are generally correct, although mora's (made in sweden) are excellent knives and are loved by bushcrafters around the world, and they are only 8 bucks or so each. Other than the mora and swiss armies, you do get what you pay for.


Deebo

For every rule there are exceptions. You will of course be able to find special purpose knives for a lot less especially smaller ones. Ontario makes good Machetes and I'm pretty sure the one pictured above is Ontario. I was just thinking Cold Steel because of their habit of adding all sorts of junk onto their knives.

I've been eying the Sog Seal Pups for awhile, how do you like it?

I was going to talk about the serrations that are so popular these days. They are hard to sharpen, terrible for defense, (harder to pull out and keep in your hand) and pretty much only good for cutting rope. If you'e going to cut a lot of rope a razor is better. I just don't think the serrations are a useful add to most knives. That said I'm carrying a cheap Chinese made spring assist with a low quality pocket catch and serrations...

Do as I say not as I do!

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone and it's already falling apart after about a month.

Serrations actually would be great for defense, especially in a cold climate where you might have to defend yourself against a guy wearing a heavy jacket. It will rip right through it. They are just not good for "whittling" and making clean cuts/shaves on wood, which is what you would need in a wilderness survival situation. I love my seal pup, basically waterproof rust wise, the grip is textured in such a way that even when wet will not slip out of your hand. But you are right, if I had to pick just one blade style id ditch the serrations for overall use.

But that is why I have many knives, for different purposes. I have actually owned some "cheap" chinese knock off's that were pretty well built for the price. Cheap knives can be well built but what they generally lack is the quality of the steel. They ither sharpen well but don't hold an edge, or are a pain to sharpen. But I would probably pick serrations if I had to use it on a person, nasty wound. There is no 1 knife that will do it all, some are to big, some are too small, etc.


Deebo

Originally posted by iWokeUp
What a great thread ! I am currently wanting to buy a bowie knife, for my bug out bag...but i also want one that has an ankle sheath.
Im in the UK so were not aloud to carry one, but, hey, you never know what fool is lurking around the corner these days. I just want to be able to protect myself and my family..

So, question....is a Bowie knife the right one for use with an ankle sheath? And any ideas in the UK where i can buy one?

A bowie is generally not a good choice overall, they are just way too big for common tasks. But they do have their uses. Utility and defense, chopping or regular cutting are all a diff ballpark. For utility you generally want a plain edge knife 3-5 inches long, for combat 5-7 unless its an edc knife which most laws in the states limit them to 3 inches to legally carry concealed. Bowies are cool and all, but not very practical in most situations. But there is always the intimidation factor too.. I know if I was unarmed and some guy pulled a rambo knife on me, id run like hell, even if it was a small knife id be like oh damn, but you get the point. When choosing knives you have to be practical. Pick a tool for the intended job, therefore you want more than 1 knife.

One thing the OP posted was the Kukri, just the design of them make them vicious choppers and weapons. Cold steel's kukri got great reviews, for a 20 dollar knife, but I have since heard they are not the same anymore, they have outsourced their production overseas and are now made out of cheaper steel. Just do a lil research and find out what you need in a knife for your own personal uses.


Deebo

One thing I found out this hunting season is that I will always carry one of those cheap,lockback razor knives that was already posted,but with the hooked carpetéshingle type blade in it. It is without a doubt the best skinning and gutting blade I have used. I found out about them from a fellow coyote hunter,and they work awesome for making the initial cuts for skinning. I had it with me during this last moose season,and it proved just as effective on the moose. I`ve tried different gut hooks,and they work decent, but once you try this knife you`ll probably ditch the guthooks.I call it my little zipper,as it unzips an animal with the same effort you need to unzip your jacket.Even on the thick moose hide it was effortless. I did one half of the moose and another guy took the other side,and they were amazed at how well that little hook took that moose apart. Works good for the joints too,you can hook the ligaments and cut them really easy,no more jamming your knife into the socket trying to cut it free. For less than 10 bucks you have a great little knife that never needs sharpening. When it get dull,turn the blade around,and if you need more the handle holds spares.
As far as other knives go, I think they get less attention because they are so simple in construction. If you buy a good knife, all you need to do from there is keep it sharp and it`ll pretty much last you a lifetime if you don`t abuse it. You can`t handload for it, put different sights on it or buy high capacity mags. You can take courses in knofe fighting,if your interested, but most people would rather spend the time and money on firearms and firearms training.
I agree that knives are extremely useful,and never leave the house without my Swiss Army knife, but once I have a good knife I`m pretty much satisfied and don`t think about it much beyond that.

Originally posted by queenofsheba
reply to post by Jinglelord

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure in a life or death struggle anything with a sharp blade would do. Unfortunately most women don't have the upper body strength that men do...I'm sure a man could snap my wrists and knock a knife out of my hands in an instant; unfortunately.

I saw skinny Chinese woman in her 60s flip a 200lb man with little effort. The real great equalizer is the Chinese soft style martial arts. Your strength is only important if you don't train. If you are holding the correct knife in the correct way anyone trying to grab your wrist is going to have a very very bad day.

Being a woman or any person who is physically weaker than their attacker has many options to level the playing field. Being prepared, learning and practicing effective defense techniques can make you equal. Another thing to point out, women in general have a greater pain tolerance than men. If we speak in generalities you are more likely going to be able to keep fighting.

But yes, learn to use a knife and it will not be removed from your hands.

reply to post by TKDRL


Thank you for your reply TKDRL. I'm extra glad you mentioned sharpening an (axe/hatchet); it didn't even occur to me that these require stone sharpening by their very design -- and I have one in my BOB!

I'm going to make it a goal to learn how to use a sharpening stone. I now see this is a necessity.

reply to post by iWokeUp


I have to agree with the other poster who mentioned the difficulty one may encounter with a sheathed knife strapped by the ankle. This would also be a source of unhappiness if a law person were to pat you down.

There is a website business owned by a fellow who invented a unique little knife that is hidden right on a good looking Belt Buckle. They demonstrate how amazingly fast you may become with practice in producing the blade from its handy waiting spot.

It is easy to get at and fast to bring forward. Unlike a large fixed blade, it is not designed to possibly deter trouble by revealing you are armed. This little blade is meant for a viciously fast surprise defense, in one fell swoop motion. Nasty little article but when things get ugly I'd rather get the other guys blood all over me.

I apologize; I do not know the name of the product. I found this device when I was trolling about on eBay for "hidden blade" or something similar. Their website was advertised on eBay, one of the paid ads you'll see when you scroll down to the bottom below the auction listings. eBay prohibits the sales of a few things, but they are not afraid to generate revenue by paid link ads. I've also found websites that offer automatic knives using searches on eBay; again, you have to scroll down the page where you will see paid ads.

reply to post by Deebo


I pretty much agree with everything in the top two posts except for 2 points:

Serrations can be a hindrance in a combat situation because they can bind on heavy clothing. Granted they will cause more damage but I'm not sure it would be necessary at that point. If you don't believe me I actually tried tried the following experiment:

Put old beat up leather coat on some old furniture cushions. Serrated Smith and Wesson locking folder, and the non-serrated (These were really cheap at Big 5 Sports and I was trying to see how they held up before I decided to carry them, it was when I was a lot younger and had free time.) I noticed the serrated one was often harder to pull out from a stab and was usually a lot slower to drag on a slice. It did make a bigger rip when I sliced because it caught more. Also it wasn't every stab or slice where I felt more resistance only some of them.

So what I am really saying is there is a very minimal difference that nobody would likely notice, but you never know when that millisecond could mean your life.

As far as the Cold Steel Kukri, they make several. I would steer clear from the Machete ones as they are thin flimsy machete steel. Which is fine if you're looking for a machete. I haven't owned a Kukri since I was 13. My uncle bought me one from Nepal, a real authentic Gurkha one. I was so excited and it was awesome. Sturdy, quality, good steel... well my parents decided it was too violent and made me give it back to my Uncle. It has since disappeared and I can't find one to replace it! It just doesn't seem right to me to get a Kukri made in the US. I found a distributer in Indonesia some years back for authentic Nepalese Kukri but apparently they refused to ship to the US.

reply to post by LargeFries


Are you talking about the Bucklehead biker dude? Here is his site I've seen the ads but never purchased one so I have no idea how good they really are but it definitely looks faster than those fixed blade belt buckle knives that use the belt as sheath. I tried one of those once and it just seemed like a pain. I would like to try one of the Bucklehead knives one day.

People often forget that a small knife can often be just as effective as a big one.

reply to post by Jinglelord


Oh man, that is a very cool knife!

reply to post by TKDRL


Yeah I'm thinking I need one the more I think about it.

Also check out this keychain bottle opener...
And a tactical pen! This thing is insane...

Either way there are a lot of options for people who wish to conceal some protection on themselves. Careful though if you have a tendency to get searched by the police you don't really want these on you if they are illegal in your area.

I have personally lost 2 knives to police searches which were legal knives! One I forgot to take out of my pocket going into the courthouse for jury duty and they said they would hold it for me... well they didn't. The other was when I got searched because apparently I didn't look like I should be transporting expensive printers for my job and nobody answered the phone at work! Which really sucked because I was going to set up 100 computers for a site install and needed the knife to open boxes.

For out and out combat I have a Al Mar original "warrior". I think it was designed by Bob Taylor and the late Al Mar. It was originally designed for reverse grip fighting. i.e. in close and personal. When used correctly it is the most devasting knife I have ever held. For daily EDC I have a Chris Reeves "sebenza" and a SOG multitool. On my bob I carry Custom Tomakawk on a 42" handle that doubles as a walking stick.

reply to post by reluctantpawn


I gave you a star just because you sir have impeccable taste in knives!

As soon as I can afford it I'm buying the Ti-Lock by Chris Reeve. Al Mar knives are just fantastic. I haven't seen the design you mentioned but I have little to no doubt it is everything you say and you're probably understating it.

This is something I didn't really touch on here but I should bring it up for anyone else still watching:

There are quite a few very good knife makers who do custom and limited run specialty stuff. These knives are made by real craftsman who love the art and often you will get a tool that is superior to any of the mass produced junk you own period.

Knives coming in between 300 and 500 USD wouldn't be even a little uncommon and paying 10,000 + USD for a knife wouldn't be unheard of for someone who is serious.

This was my choice...way to big for daily carry but very useful from the kitchen to the yard, wood processing, etc...




...or... i133.photobucket.com...

Interesting thread. Ive worked through my share of el cheapo knives over the years and I finally found a couple of excellent quality and mid priced manufacturers.

Rat Cutlery/ ESEE RC4 has been at the top of my heap for quite some time as well as an Izula neck knife.

For something a little different, I grabbed a Bark River Bravo-1 not long ago. Edge maintenance (convex) is little different (finesse) than the conventional grinds and requires a different set up but cuts like a dream.

I had a Becker BK2 and loved everything about it until I lost it somewhere in Pisgah National forest.

I've been taking a closer look at some of gems from Blind Horse Knives like their classic Bushcrafter. Father's day is just around the corner.

Don't forget that every piece of beautiful steel needs some beautiful leather to match.
www.jreindustries.com...

Dream sheath. Too bad it costs way more than the Becker I need to replace.
www.hedgehogleatherworks.com...

Anyhoo, fun stuff keep it coming and keep it sharp. The only times I ever cut myself were with dull knives.