What’s a good knife?

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

As far as i know, you cannot.

If you cannot, why are you recommending that people use that as their justification, knowing it is illegal. If anyone were to follow your advice, while you are knowingly lying to them about it, they could end up in jail as a result. And what you wrote underneath this quote is about what's allowed when you are actually attacked by an animal, not the preparation for said attack, so it's irrelevant.

If its got a edge to it, you have to maintain said edge, it will ultimately aid you in causing damage. If its a needle design, you dont need to granted, you may need to now and then rehone the point. But unless you have a needle design most have a edge, and thus if you ever need to cut with it you can if you maintain it. It can also be the diffrence between cutting a vein or something or not when you plunge it into someone.

The edge doesn't matter since as he said it's mostly a stabbing weapon. And I've got knives from 15 years ago that still have their edge, it's fine as long as you aren't using it for other things (and the knives that I do use for other things like cutting rope/whittling/etc. you should be sharpening for that purpose, so your point would still be irrelevant.

Addendum: i did not reccomend or disaude somone from carrying a knife in my posts here, i just relayed a seemingly good practice to have and how some places let you carry some objects for animal defence and might not for humans. (but may let you use said objects on humans in their self defence law bemusingly enough)

Correction: You relayed information you do not believe is true about how some places let you carry some objects for animal defense. And you did not say some places, you said you can go down that route, as a blanket statement. It also is not bemusing when you are making up the rules.

 

[frank raud]

As far as i know, you cannot. But i doubt anyones going to cause you issues if you pull out your swiss army and stab a dog attacking you. Less than if you did that to a human anyway. You can use what ever objects at your disposal in self defence if the force is justifiable basically. Non lockable folders up to 3 inches can be carried without a defence needed. And if you have a defence for when you need one for a object, you carrying it is not under dispute. (this is obviously in public, if you are in your own house or garden you can keep what ever you want on you for what ever reason pretty much)



If its got a edge to it, you have to maintain said edge, it will ultimately aid you in causing damage. If its a needle design, you dont need to granted, you may need to now and then rehone the point. But unless you have a needle design most have a edge, and thus if you ever need to cut with it you can if you maintain it. It can also be the diffrence between cutting a vein or something or not when you plunge it into someone. We can probbly agree to disagree on this point, as it seems like a prefrence thing.


Addendum: i did not reccomend or disaude somone from carrying a knife in my posts here, i just relayed a seemingly good practice to have and how some places let you carry some objects for animal defence and might not for humans. (but may let you use said objects on humans in their self defence law bemusingly enough)

Here's the thing. Knowing that you cannot carry a knife for defense in the country where you live, you decide the best advise is to carry two knives. Now, if you're never stopped by the police, that's awesome. However if you are, for what ever minor reason, you now have to justify carrying two knives. "predominately for defense against animals" probably won't pass the sniff test with most police. Weapon laws are weird in many countries. In Canada, we are not allowed to carry anything for self defense. I can legally carry a broadsword down the street, but I should expect to get stopped and questioned. If I'm going to the HEMA club down the street, it is no problem. If I say I'm carrying it for defense, I get arrested.

Making broad statements about what someone should carry (or how many of an object they should carry) without taking into consideration the local laws is foolish.

If the requirement for doing damage was a knife had to be sharp, more thugs would carry scalpels. As it is, they seem more inclined to use gas station knives, which can't hold an edge, are made from cheap steel, etc., yet seem to cause massive damage when required

 

[Deleted member 39746]

If you cannot, why are you recommending that people use that as their justification, knowing it is illegal. If anyone were to follow your advice, while you are knowingly lying to them about it, they could end up in jail as a result. And what you wrote underneath this quote is about what's allowed when you are actually attacked by an animal, not the preparation for said attack, so it's irrelevant.

You can carry a blade though, and for self defence reasons you can use said blade in defence of yourself.* The issue i am having is, i cannot find anything on the laws relating to self defence on a dog. Be that explictly banning it or allowing it. They are property pretty much, and i cannot find a citation in the CPS self defence page to it or on the dangerous dog offences page. So im just going to apply reasonable grounds to use the force on it. (as its a criminal offence if it actually attacks you)

Intresting tidbit not related to anything: "It is a summary offence for a person to use, or permit the use of, a guard dog to protect any premises unless a handler capable of controlling the dog is also present and the dog is under his control, or unless the dog is secured so that it is not at liberty to go freely about the premises. A guard dog may not be used or permitted to be used unless a notice warning of the dog’s presence is clearly exhibited at each entrance to the premises, (sections 1 and 5 of the Guard Dogs Act 1975)."

I would personally if in poession of a lawful knife use it on a dog if it cannot be restrained, or i would at least retrive said knife and deploy it (if its a folder). As for jail, you can end up in there doing lawful self defence action and some other things like that. (quite political so just leaving it at that)

As for the last point, i thought i didnt relay it like that, i was contemplating in the addenum putting "i belive i didnt".

* I listed in the orignal what you need a reason to carry for and what you dont. I will repeat it here: Any non lockable folding knife up to 3 inches does not need a reason to carry, anything other than that does. (i will relay that more in depth as Raud has brought it up)

Addendum: The citations are obviously at time i looked, i dont recall knife law changing in that regard as its case law for the exemption on swiss armies. No change as far as i know has been had to carry law.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

Here's the thing. Knowing that you cannot carry a knife for defense in the country where you live, you decide the best advise is to carry two knives. Now, if you're never stopped by the police, that's awesome. However if you are, for what ever minor reason, you now have to justify carrying two knives. "predominately for defense against animals" probably won't pass the sniff test with most police. Weapon laws are weird in many countries. In Canada, we are not allowed to carry anything for self defense. I can legally carry a broadsword down the street, but I should expect to get stopped and questioned. If I'm going to the HEMA club down the street, it is no problem. If I say I'm carrying it for defense, I get arrested.

Making broad statements about what someone should carry (or how many of an object they should carry) without taking into consideration the local laws is foolish.

If the requirement for doing damage was a knife had to be sharp, more thugs would carry scalpels. As it is, they seem more inclined to use gas station knives, which can't hold an edge, are made from cheap steel, etc., yet seem to cause massive damage when required

The self defence agaisnt animal tatement, i had canada in mind. as i had it from 2 secondary sources you can carry some items for self defence against animals. (pednign state, i dont know how much autonomy is there)

Going to have to break this down, but the simple solution is, carry a swiss army and use it when appopriate for defence. The defences given for the blades does not include self defence, but if you are lawfully carrying it or any object you can use it in defence of yourself if the force level is reasonable. If a police constable stops you and searches you (needs "reasonable grounds" to do so, if they dont need that in your country i suggest protesting hardcore) and demands to know why you have 1 or 2 swiss army knives, dont tell them any reason. You are not required to provide a reason for the stated knives that arent lockable up to 3 inches in length. If you arent required to tell them something, dont. You only dig yourself in a hole, if they arrest you etc, request legal aid or request that you contact your lawyer. (they have to provide it to you or let you contact yours)

As for defences, they dont cover self defence, nothing on the page mentions animals. And i keep getting directed to hunting weapons. But if you were hunting, you cant do that on public land, you can carry what ever really, so if a dog comes over and attacks you, you shouldnt have much of a issue, only justifying the force on it.


Second from last point: Other people have stated "look at your laws", i would presume that would be common sense before taking any advice anyway. Secondly General carry advice say "make sure you keep it sharp" or stuff like that, isnt related to laws, its just general knife ownership and use discussion.


Last point: The requirement for a knife to do damage or any object that cuts/thrusts is a small surface area. Im not being abolutist here, but sharpning a edge on a knife doesnt hurt it at all and if the design for thrust knife has a edge, make sure its sharp, it wont hurt it in the slightest and be better than if you left it blunt or chipped etc. Needles by their nature, you only have to make sure the point is pointy, by needle i mean spike bayonets and that design of rondel and things like it, things with no edge.


Addendum: some of the law disucssion is divided between the two posts. I also only hit the high notes for some laws, feel free to read the sources etc. @Monkey Turned Wolf See below for some sources on it.

Sources: Selling, buying and carrying knives ( hit the high notes)
Self-Defence and the Prevention of Crime | The Crown Prosecution Service
Dangerous Dog Offences | The Crown Prosecution Service
Police powers to stop and search: your rights (hit high notes for stop and search in passing)

 

[jks9199]

No. A sharper edge will cut cleanly, a more jagged edge will tear and eviscerate. If you want to do the most damage with a knife, you use it to stab, not slash. Stabbing basically consists of sticking the point of the knife into the target, it doesn't need to be sharp. Anyone who has been stabbed by a flat head screwdriver will agree the tip doesn't need to be sharp to do damage.

You want the edge functionally sharp in the manner the knife is designed to be used. A sharper knife will cut or stab more deeply, will be more likely to penetrate clothing or other material, and is just plain safer for you. That doesn't mean a knife for combat needs to be honed to a razor edge -- but that it can't be too dull, either.

 

[tim po]

Hurting somebody with a knife takes little to no training. Defending yourself against a knife attack (assuming you can't run away) is an entirely different story.

Harder still is using a knife for self-defense if you aren't prepared to possibly kill or seriously wound your attacker and face all the legal, social and psychological fallout associated with that.

In short, carrying a knife for self defense is not the ideal choice for many people.

I carry a knife, most days, legal carry, 3" fixed blade. i wear it horizontally across my left hip in front, where i can reach it easily and invisibly-with either hand- from just about any position. I have trained extensively with knives.

That said, i would likely have to be holding my attackers wrist, to prevent him pulling his knife back out of my gut, before i would draw my knife for defense, and then i would not hesitate to open both of his femoral arteries..

there are no 'minor wounds' with a knife, none that will stop an attack, anyway. knives start at severe and go straight to life-threatening. you don't want a knife to be the only option for enhancing your defensive capabilities. they are a last-resort.

 

[dvcochran]

I carry a knife, most days, legal carry, 3" fixed blade. i wear it horizontally across my left hip in front, where i can reach it easily and invisibly-with either hand- from just about any position. I have trained extensively with knives.

That said, i would likely have to be holding my attackers wrist, to prevent him pulling his knife back out of my gut, before i would draw my knife for defense, and then i would not hesitate to open both of his femoral arteries..

there are no 'minor wounds' with a knife, none that will stop an attack, anyway. knives start at severe and go straight to life-threatening. you don't want a knife to be the only option for enhancing your defensive capabilities. they are a last-resort.

May I ask your area of study?
Most Filipino styles attack whatever is closest, progressing the severity with each attack.
It can be relatively mild at the onset.