selfdefenseknives's posterous http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com Most recent posts at selfdefenseknives's posterous posterous.com Sun, 26 Jun 2011 10:36:25 -0700 Self Defense Knives - Knife Safety http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-knife-safety http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-knife-safety We have talked about how to choose a knife and some of the differences
between self defense knives on the market.  Let’s take a step back and
talk about knife safety.  This may seem a bit counter-intuitive given
the topic of self defense, but safe and proper handling of your knife
is critical in order to minimize the chance of injuring yourself.  If
you have chosen a good quality knife, the blade will be extremely
sharp and will stay sharp.

First, if your knife is not in your hand it should be folded and in
its sheath.  If you set it down somewhere it could injure you or
someone else accidentally.

If you ever drop your knife, do not try to catch it.  It can do
considerably more harm to you than will happen to it if it hits the
ground.  There should be some good repair shops in your area who can
help you if your knife is damaged (just do a search for ‘knife repair
city, state’).

Do not use your knife for prying.  With few exceptions, knives were
not designed to pry and doing so can damage the knife such as breaking
off the tip or chipping the blade edge.

Keep your knife sharp and clean.  A sharp knife will do what you ask
of it and a clean knife will open when you need it.  A dull or dirty
knife may be difficult to open and may snag during use.  If you have a
blade that locks, dirt can prevent the locking mechanism from
functioning properly which can result in the blade closing or opening
unexpectedly.  Use a sharpening stone to sharpen your knife instead of
a power grinder which can make the edge brittle.

If you are handing your knife to someone do so by handing it to them
handle first.  For added safety you want to be holding the back of the
knife blade close to the handle.  Hold the blade between your thumb
and index finger with the blade pointing toward the sky and the back
of the blade resting between the knuckles of your thumb and index
finger.  This minimizes the chance of the blade slicing your hand when
the other person takes the knife.

Always keep the blade facing away from your body. In other words,
never cut towards yourself.  No matter how skilled the handler, a
blade will eventually slip and can do some serious harm.

To recap:

    Store your knife in its sheath
    Do not try to catch a falling knife
    Do not use your knife for prying
    Keep your knife sharp and clean
    Hand a knife to someone handle first with the blade pointing away from you
    Always keep the blade of your knife facing away from your body

In a future post I will provide some more information about caring for
your knife.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1258764/crktm1614m_hi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hcGgVYuab19RE John selfdefenseknives John
Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:34:00 -0700 Self Defense Knives - Spring assisted vs Switchblade http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-spring-assisted-vs-switch http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-spring-assisted-vs-switch

If you are thinking about buying a knife, you should be familiar with a couple of key differences between the types of self defense knives available on the market.

Switchblades, or automatic knives, are knives that open with the press of a button.  The key thing to look for when identifying an automatic knife is that the button is on the handle, not the blade.  These are typically either out the front (otf) or side opening knives.  Many of these knives are ‘single action,’ meaning the assistance is only on the opening action.  ‘Double action’ or ‘dual action,’ as you may have guessed, refers to assistance on both the opening and the closing.  Dual action is most prevalent amongst otf knives and rather than a button, they typically have a slider.  It is important to understand that many states have laws restricting/prohibiting these types of knives.  Please familiarize yourself with laws in your area before making a purchase.  The Benchmade Infidel is an exceptional otf knife.

Spring assisted knives, or assisted knives, require some additional effort on the part of the user.  Beyond the press of a button, the user typically presses on a peg or a flipper.  The peg requires the user to make a small circular motion using their thumb, while the flipper requires a simple thumb press.  What distinguishes an assisted knife from an automatic knife is that the user is interacting with the blade or something attached to the blade as opposed to a button on the handle.  After some pressure has been applied and the blade begins to open a spring kicks in and opens the knife the rest of the way. Usually the assistance kicks in around the 25% open mark, but this varies some from knife to knife.  Assisted knives come in both side opening and otf, with side opening being considerably more prevalent.  The advantage of this type of knife over one that must be opened manually is speed and an improved ability to open the knife with just one hand.  There are fewer legal restrictions on this type of knife, but please check the laws in your area before making a purchase.  The Smith & Wesson SWMP5LS M&P Linerlock is a good entry point for an assisted knife.

To recap:
   1.      Switchblades (a.k.a. automatic knives) open at the press of a button, which is located on the handle
   2.      Switchblades can be single action (automatic opening) or dual action (automatic opening and closing)
   3.      Spring assisted knives require the user to open them approximately 25% before the spring mechanism takes over
   4.      Check the laws in your area before making a purchase

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1258764/crktm1614m_hi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hcGgVYuab19RE John selfdefenseknives John
Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:42:25 -0700 Self Defense Knives - I got my knife, now what? http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-i-got-my-knife-now-what http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-i-got-my-knife-now-what

So you purchased a knife and have spent a little time getting familiar with it and seeing how sharp it is.  Let’s take a moment to make sure you made the right choice for you.

What I want you to do now is pause and just hold the knife in your hand.  Does it rest comfortably in your hand?  Most knife handles are sculpted with places for each of your fingers and these don’t always suit everyone.  When you clench your hand around the handle do you feel in control?  You may be applying force with this knife so you want to make sure that you can wield it appropriately and that it won’t slip or rotate in your hand.  Does the knife have a good weight to it?  This is personal preference, but I prefer a bit of heft to a knife.  If you got a folding blade, am I able to bring the blade out at will?  It should only take a couple of seconds for you to draw the knife and extend the blade.

It is very important that you spend some time practicing using your knife.  You want to be prepared in advance for the unexpected, not fumbling around for your knife when you need it most.  If you have a sheath for your knife I want you to practice, with the sheath where you will wear it (e.g., on your belt, etc.), quickly removing the knife and extending the blade.  If you bought a smaller folding knife that is connected to your keychain, I want you to practice fishing your keys out of your pocket (or purse) and getting your hands on the knife and extending the blade.  Same process for your pocket, or wherever else you might be carrying your blade.  You should keep practicing until you can consistently draw and extend the blade with one hand.

Always remember to be cautious when handling a blade.  Stay tuned for more information about self defense knives.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1258764/crktm1614m_hi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hcGgVYuab19RE John selfdefenseknives John
Sun, 29 May 2011 15:59:00 -0700 Self Defense Knives - How to Choose http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-how-to-choose http://selfdefenseknives.posterous.com/self-defense-knives-how-to-choose

If you are trying to decide what kind of knife to use and have spent any time looking around on the internet you have probably found a lot of people just telling you that "it depends."  While that is true, today I am going to help put a finer point on exactly what you should be looking for when choosing from the wide variety of self defense knives on the market.

The first thing you want to consider is how you intend to carry the knife.  If you will be carrying it in a sheath you can use a fixed blade knife, which is generally slightly faster drawing and slightly more reliable than user assisted blades.  If you are comfortable having the sheath on your belt, that is great, but this doesn't work for everyone.  If this doesn’t work for you then you want a knife that folds away into its handle.

The next thing to consider is knife size.  You could use a very small knife, but it's not likely to put fear into the heart of your assailant, so I wouldn't suggest anything shorter than 3 inches.  You might be thinking, bigger is better, and while nothing is as shocking as you carrying around a machete, it's obviously not practical.  On the upper end of the spectrum I recommend a blade of not longer than 5 inches.  

Now let's consider the type of blade, there are serrated, straight, or combination straight/serrated.  Simply put, straight is the best option here.  If your assailant isn't scared away when they see the knife and you actually find you have to use it in combat you are going to be making slashing motions, which is what a straight blade was designed for.  Serrated blades are for sawing various materials and don't serve a useful purpose here.  If you find a blade that's combination straight/serrated that meets all of our other criteria, then go ahead and get it.

Whatever you choose, please check the laws where you live to make sure you are in compliance.  I don't want any of you going to prison for carrying a knife that you shouldn't be.

To recap:

1.      Choose fixed or folding

2.      The blade length should be between 3” and 5”

3.      Straight (or straight/serrated combo if necessary)

I will be posting routinely, so please check back.  If you have a question please leave it in the comments.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1258764/crktm1614m_hi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hcGgVYuab19RE John selfdefenseknives John