WhiteMarshJohnn

I was thinking of getting a fixed blade knife that is sharp on both sides - I guess that's considered a dagger - to keep in my bedroom closet in case an intruder should invade my world. I've seen this type of knife ranging from $30-$400. I would like to keep my spending well under $100, but I still want a knife that kicks @##!. What would you suggest?

The_Dunedan

Whoo boy...

Look, my old man always used to say that the best way to win a knife-fight was to not get in one, and that the second-best way was to bring a gun. If you're in the market for home-defense, buy a 12-bore, stuff it full of 000 Buck, and move forward from there. Without very specific training and a -lot- of practice, a knife is more a hazard than a help. Yes, in well-trained and motivated hands, a knife is a deadly weapon. But unless ( or until ) you posess that kind of training, a good shotgun will see to all your Burgalar/Zombie needs.

Now, for a kickass knife under $500, I can't speak well enough of Arms & Armor. For a bit less money, Museum Replicas Ltd. is a decent source as well. One of the members here, Fire, owns a cutler's shop and can probably give a more detailed reccomendation; I know he thinks highly of Chen/Hanwei.

Slims

I would much rather go with a ball bat than a knife. If you get in a knife fight you have to accept that you are going to get cut, possibly very badly. I would rather stand back and crunch someone than have to get close with a knife.

If you insist on a cheap edged weapon, a machete is nothing to sneer at.

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Fire

I sell blades for a living, and untill recently, my store had a training area in the back where the local Kali, arnis, escrima class met- a class that I took, along with numerous other martial arts. I have done professional high risk security, bouncing, and some useless desk riding security gigs-

A knife is a poor choice for a home defense weapon-
if you are interested in a knife to own, then I will continue in that vein toward the end of the post....

as to self defense and the knife/ other weapon- There is little that will stand up to a gun in the hands of a well trained user- If you are willing to seek that training, i recommend a gun- shotguns are available in your $ range- If you do not like the idea of using a gun, then you will need training every bit as much, with whatever you go with.

1- It takes training- while a profcient fighter need not accept the idea of being cut in every fight, it is always a possibility, ( the old maxim that in a knife fight you will get cut, I believe in fact comes from the old style of military training, wherein the non dominant arm is held out to block, grapple and accept a cut if need be- this is a way to train a lot of men quickly, and is acceptable in some cases, especially when a modern trooper is unlikely to engage in a knife fight- it at least strove to keep the troop alive while allowing him to dispatch an opponent) While you may not get cut in an encounter, be aware that even among trained combatants, it is common to get killed in a knife fight- in the philipenes, in fights among gurros, it was said ( no good confirmed statistics here, sadly) that half the fights ended in mutual slayings- in japan in a samurai duel the figure I have heard is that one in three ended in mutual death....I know that it is not your intent to get into a knife fight, but stats show its a loosing game- and you will be far too close to the enemy for comfort

I must respectfully disagree with the idea of the bat as a home defense item, simply because that you need a lot of room to swing it- according to the FBI stats, a lot of people get bats taken and used on em- I also do not recomend a sword either, for the same reason- It is much harder to take from you though, but try sometime using a boken in your house- it can be an enlightening experience- Machete's are better, and have more reach than a knife, but IMHO if you do not choose to use a gun, then I recomend an Asegi- A short spear, one of which is currently available from cold steel knives, and which provided plenty of reach, without needing a lot of room to swing- plus it is very intuitive and easy to use, and cheap- PLEASE NOTE- the weapon, and that means any weapon, does not give you any skill with it- be it a knife, sword, bat, spear or gun, LEARN TO USE IT- practice with it indoors, know what in your house will get in the way, and how much room you have to work with- and remember, lots of dead idiots thought having a weapon made them safe, when knowing that weapon's propper use would have..... PS- another good choice for home use is SABER brand self defense spray- They have a pepper foam model that mounts to a wall bracket, and that stuff does work (the foam wont contaminate the air in the house)


Now then, if you are in the market for a good blade, Heres my two cents- First of all, decide if you want a modern piece, or something in the historical repro category-

For modern knives, I recommend cold steel, SOG, CRKT, linder, and boker - all of them offer good double edged fixed blade knives...

For historicals, Museum replicas limited is good, as is arms and armor, and Cas Iberia, and Paul chen.....

Beware anything from pakistan, and a lot from china- if looking at a no name, assume the worst and remember that it is hard to fuck up a slab tang, even in pakistan..........

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Mauser

Whoah! This isn't a movie or a video game.

A knife is not a good self defense weapon in almost any scenario! Like was mentioned before, get yourself a shotgun with some 00 buck. Best self defense weapon ever made.
Also regarding a knife, it's not only the training, and the fact that you have to get very close to your attacker, but a lot of people when the time comes can't do it! You'd be surprised how hard it is to shove a knife into a person. Especially when you're probably going to have to do it multiple time just to stop this attacker.

If you want a knife for collecting or cool factor, great! Self defense, stop here!

WhiteMarshJohnn

Thank you for your input and advise - everyone, please feel free to keep your knowledge and experience coming. As far as the bat solution - I have something that Truckers use called a Tire Thumper - I'm thinking of getting another one for the house - it looks a lot like this one: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=204601
The end is actually weighted by steel inside. I think it makes a nice club and there are not the length issues which Fire brought up in reference to using a baseball bat.
I like Fire's advise about the mace. I found a page with Sabre brand pepper spray - does anyone have a favorite of the ones listed on this page? I don't know which to buy.
https://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp...S&Category=992
I spoke to a friend who is a gun enthusiast. I think it might be wise to purchase a revolver pistol - easy to use and I can teach the Wife and kids to use it as well. Between the club, gun and mace....we should probably be covered in our home. I still have an unexplainable urge to purchase a mean nasty double edged fixed blade knife - even though your information has been an eye opener to say the least.

A short spear. What an interesting idea. That's something I never would have considered if someone hadn't suggested it. I guess you could charge with it to stab, swing it to cut - smash someone in the head with it. I don't think it would be a good idea to throw it - not the short spear anyway.

sasKuach

Seems a knife would be better for carrying with you. That tire club thingy oughta' do you well as will the revolver. You can leave those things loaded without worrying about magazine springs wearing out.

Plaid13

I would say if you want smoething for self defense in the home other then a gun get something thats practical for other stuff as well. A nice sledge hammer axe baseball bat crow bar anything. If you do have to use it for some reason you will want something with a little reach to it so you dont need to get as close as you would with a knife. Other then stuff like that might want to consider a big mean dog. They are fun and clean up things you spill in the kitchen.

longbough

get a gun.

the only thing better than a gun is a good dog.

a lot of folks who are interested in getting daggers, swords etc. think they have to justify their interest as a practical means of self-defense. Let's be honest, there's nothing wrong with thinking daggers are "cool" and to have one for that purpose alone. Just be honest with yourself. You want a toy.

I have guns and knives ... my guns (and my dog) are my first line of defense. Some of my best knives are more like my "toys."

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"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi

tenchi069

best home defense ( non firearm ) is a fire bat. It is a baseball bat that is about 18 inches long, not as tapered on the handle with a hole and rope through it. http://www.masterguard.com/escapeaids/firebat.html They are small, useful for other than home defense ( i.e. breaking a window in the event of a fire ), and they will not accidentally cut a young one around the house.

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Mauser

Springs wear out from use, not being under compression. I found my grandfather's army issue hi-power still loaded with a full mag, and the spring was fine after 20 years.

Topper

For the record Mauser is correct about the springs.

Sounds like you really just want a dagger, but can't justify the price for the one you would like to have to the wife without using the "home defense" angle..

A firearm is the best choice, but comes with a ton of responsibility (in terms of training, safety, children in the house, and legal use of course). Perhaps you already have, but I’d also highly recommend you research exactly what your local laws are regarding home defense, use of deadly force, etc.

Also, as a side, in general depending where you live, I suspect the law enforcement and in the end your local prosecutor would bat less of an eye if you were using something more mainstream for self defense (especially if you ended up killing someone) then perhaps an "exotic" weapon like a sword, spear, etc. Also in many places it’s legal to carry a firearm (if your state allows carry permits), but many states ban carrying large fixed blade knives, batons, etc.