Budget Self Defense - Cheap Knives

Budget Self Defense - Cheap Knives

by Rain Face

Budget Self Defense - Cheap Knives

by Rain Face

Someone's going to get killed trying this on some hophead skimp on the 24 Divisidero... Me? I've carried an AMT .380 for the past twelve years, after I started to get too lazy to schlep a 9mm Walther. For those less hardcore, I'd suggest the following:

The best self-defense bargain in America today is the fabulous $2.95 Snap-Blade utility knife. I picked up one of these on a whim when I needed to slice some dead carpet. It was a revelation!

For the uninitiated, these are plastic retractable-blade knives with blades that break off about 1/2" at a time to present a new point. From the standpoint of a utility knife, they are a huge improvement over the single-blade utility knife that's been around forever, but when it comes to its practicality as a personal defense weapon, it _really_ shines. With a new blade, these open in a flash with one hand and present nearly 4" of absolutely razor-sharp steel. Though the blade will snap if the proper holder is used to break it, it is otherwise quite strong. I can't imagine the kind of wounds even an inexperienced knife-fighter would inflict with a few good slashes - disemboweling & throats cut clear to the vertebrae come immediately to mind.

As if this weren't enough, they are cheap enough to throw away after use and if one of the pebble-surfaced ones are used, they won't hold fingerprints. Otherwise, give them a heavy scraping with 000 sandpaper. The thumb knob turned inward, it will generally not be detected in a cursory patdown. If it is, it looks more like a "legitimate" tool than a weapon, plus a tremendous number of occupations use them as tools of the trade, arguing for lawful possession.

Final tip - get good quality blades, like Stanley. They are sharper & stronger.