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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Pocketknives/Kitchen Knives/Fixed Blades

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    • AnesthetistA
      Anesthetist
      見習いボス
      Joined:

      The 70 is definitely a toy, but TBH I think all OTFs are. I wouldn’t use any of them hard. That and a touch of pocket lint or fuzz and they go off track and become useless. Still, I like em and they open letters like a son of a bitch [emoji23]

      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

      IG: bluehandsslim

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • EisenherzE
        Eisenherz
        Iron Heart Deity
        Joined:

        My pick of the litter
        Böker Leo Damast III
        65-67 HRC
        By Markus Belbach


        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • JDelageJ
          JDelage
          啓蒙家
          Joined:

          OTF's are great as self defense tools, not much anything else IMHO. I am lusting after some of those Microtechs I have to say…

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          • mclaincauseyM
            mclaincausey
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            Are they? I can't think of a practical use for one. They are cool toys though.

            Think it, be it.

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            • DougNgD
              DougNg
              Joined:

              @JDelage

              I'm kind of curious how you qualify that they are "great" as self defense tools.
              I've been training in knife based martial arts for almost two decades and there is some crossover with the defensive firearms world, and I've never had an instructor advocate the use of an auto.
              I've had Microtech Ultratechs and Halos, and they are not nearly reliable enough for me to depend my life to.

              I know violence is not the answer, I got it wrong on purpose

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              • AnesthetistA
                Anesthetist
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                That’s been the common consensus from what I’ve read. Most ppl prefer a small fixed blade or more simple/robust folder with a heavy rated lock.

                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                IG: bluehandsslim

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                • mclaincauseyM
                  mclaincausey
                  見習いボス
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                  I don't know that there's a lock on the planet I'd trust for a self defense knife, but I'm certainly no expert.

                  The one thing about an automatic perhaps that could help in a SD situation is intimidation and deterrent effect if people are frightened away by the "scary" blade deployment, but that's certainly not something to bet your life on.

                  Think it, be it.

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                  • AnesthetistA
                    Anesthetist
                    見習いボス
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                    I think Spyderco’s compression lock, REKAT’s old Rolling lock, and a Chris Reeve framelock are plenty solid and strong for SD.

                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                    IG: bluehandsslim

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                    • JDelageJ
                      JDelage
                      啓蒙家
                      Joined:

                      Sorry - I should have said: "they're only potentially useful as SD tools." I do think they are a good compromise in terms of discretion & ease / speed of deployment but like others I would rather have a fixed blade if it's an option.

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                      • mclaincauseyM
                        mclaincausey
                        見習いボス
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                        Yeah, any lock, no matter how robust, is a potential point of failure relative to a fixed blade, so when your life is on the line you're gonna want a fixed blade in my uninformed opinion.

                        I don't think anyone here aside from maybe DougNg is looking to purchase a knife as a SD tool though. If, in a dire circmstance, that duty falls to a blade, so be it. I need the lock to work on the tasks I use it for, cutting, chopping, carving, slicing, piercing, and levering, and hopefully none of those on human flesh. Stabbing and slashing, gimme a fixie every time.

                        Think it, be it.

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                        • mikebarhootM
                          mikebarhoot
                          Iron Heart Deity
                          Joined:

                          Rollin with a Burch…

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                          • mikebarhootM
                            mikebarhoot
                            Iron Heart Deity
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                            ^^any knife is better than no knife and moot if not deployed at the right time.

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                            • mikebarhootM
                              mikebarhoot
                              Iron Heart Deity
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                              From a SD perspective.

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                              • mclaincauseyM
                                mclaincausey
                                見習いボス
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                                a) Unless it's turned against you and/or
                                b) escalates a fistfight into one or more sides attempting murder.
                                c) I personally might be better off without one in a scrap since I don't know how to fight with one in the first place. 😃

                                I was saying if you're getting a knife with SD as a use case, if possible I would avoid unnecessary points of failure like locks (no matter how robust) and for that matter deploying a blade versus just grabbing a handle under stress. That's a different question than whatever's in your pocket becoming a SD tool by necessity. This is just my version of common sense since I have no experience to draw from.

                                A firearm has a slightly different calculus for me since I know how to use one and it is a greater equalizer than a knife, though CC logic dictates that you walk away from any potential fight you can because of b).

                                TL;DR Get a Ka-bar if you need a fighting knife  😉

                                Think it, be it.

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                                • GilesG
                                  Giles
                                  IHUK Crew
                                  Joined:

                                  I'm so glad that the need for discussions like the above is virtually non-existent in my world.  Even if it were legal where I live, I'd never dream of carrying a knife or a firearm for self-defense.  I have a knife for opening shit and stuff like that, it's actually illegal in the UK because it locks, but 9 times out of 10 I forget to pop it in my pocket….

                                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                                  • mclaincauseyM
                                    mclaincausey
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                                    Haha! I mean even if you're worried about getting stabbed by a chav in London I'm not certain carrying a knife is your best defense. Using the terms knife and self-defense in the same sentence is a bit daft in the first place.

                                    Think it, be it.

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                                    • JDelageJ
                                      JDelage
                                      啓蒙家
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                                      What is daft is to say that knives have no role in self defense. Of course it is always better to walk away or run away from a fight (or even better, to not go where fights are more likely to start). It is also true that to pull out a knife during a 1-on-1 fistfight will get you into legal hell. However, in the unlikely case that a fight does involve you, you cannot escape it, and your life is at risk, a knife definitely can change things. For starters, it might just stop the fight from occurring.

                                      Now, the decision not to carry (be it a knife or a handgun) because the risk / reward is simply not worth it is perfectly legit. In the US I don't carry a handgun because the risk / reward is simply not worth it to me given my lifestyle.

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                                      • SeulS
                                        Seul
                                        Joined:

                                        I always carry one with a spare in my backpack - have never pulled it. It's also illegal to carry one here, but it's contextual… I can carry one at work, but not to work…

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                                        • mclaincauseyM
                                          mclaincausey
                                          見習いボス
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                                          I dunno, I'd think there are much better SD options than a blade. Brass knuckles, stun gun, pepper spray, baton, handgun, running shoes…

                                          Think it, be it.

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                                          • SeulS
                                            Seul
                                            Joined:

                                            Or right now: sweating profusely and coughing…

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