If you're gonna go to prison for defending yourself, might I suggest sending your attacker straight to the grave? No sense in beating around the bush, right? In a world of real freedom, i.e. personal responsibility, you really shouldn't take action without expecting to defend that action with your life. That's what is called War. Don't declare it unless you come ready for battle. But hey, if you get tossed in the slammer for defending yourself, that's just God giving the opportunity to work other miracles. There are always options. Seriously.
I always carry a knife...which can be funny at times. Like when someone at school asks me to cut something... Which I do ....then invariably they ask : "Why do you have a knife...? " Or serious... We had a student in a wheelchair have seizure while being secured on the bus.... Her arm shot out and wrapped around the seat belt...causing the belt to tighten across her neck... The "safety cutter" for lack of a better term , that the bus driver tried to use ...was worthless... So I cut the seat belt about a foot above her ( the student ).... All ended well , expect that it was a brand new bus and the first thing I did , was cut the seat belt.... Every once and awhile someone at school will get all in a huff , 'cause I carry a knife....they usually drop the matter after that story. The knife I carry , would be one of the ones I show below... Depending on my mood....its not like I'm toting a 16 inch Bayonet or Conan's sword here.... Andy
That electrician's knife is my full time, all the time, carry. The one I have in my pocket RIGHT THIS MINUTE, is that very tool. It's my third of that ilk that Uncle Sam saw fit to provide me with when I was serving.
Those knives sure are handy...and they get as sharp as the dickens. The US marked Camillus "followed me home" , from my time in the Army. Andy
Is the TL-29 Electrician's knife a Camillus, or something less common? My USMC issue TL-29 was always in a magazine pouch on one of the shoulder straps on my H-harness. It had a parachute cord "dummy cord" that was attached to the strap and was wrapped around the knife in the pouch. I'd just pull it out, drop it, and then follow the cord with my hand until the knife was in hand. I did something terrible to the primary blade, leaving in resting on the shackle, but this made it a one handed opener, even with mittens on. I retired with that TL-29, and it's become part of a large collection of them.
I've seen TL29s that were not Camillus, but by far the majority are Cams from dot mil stocks. Sucky steel, will take but not hold an edge very well. They are made for cutting wire insulation and not much else. However, mine has been into some serious edge destroyers. The first two i had were tossed when sharpening brought the point above the separator, and started poking holes in my pockets and fingers. If anyone else currently makes one, I'd be willing to do some testing.
Mine's a Camillus.... I have seen a Schrade version a time or two...but most that I owned or saw were by Camillus. Andy
When a knife gets like that , you can "lower the point / blade" by ... Filing the "kick" down on the tang of the knife blade. The "kick" is the angled part of the tang , just past the edge part part of the blade. By doing this you can get a few more years of service out of the knife. If you look at the red handled Case trapper in my picture ...you can see the "kick" .... Andy
Marbels is making a Chinese knock off of the Camillus. It's under $10 USD . If I ever find one I'd get it.
I was on rescue for a plane that went down ,1992 . It was up side down and the crew were unconscious and strapped in , the straps wouldn't release . Rescuers had no knife and no scissors to free the crew, I was the only one with a knife that day . I find it disgusting that not one fireman sheriff, paramedic, ambulance attendant had a knife. And I guess it's still that way .
This is my left front pocket knife rig. The green lanyard with double fisherman knots to adjust the length is attached to the knife, the purple lanyard with the ring is just slid up under the belt clip. Looped around my belt the knife rests just off the bottom of my pocket so I can retrieve change without revealing it. (I was working another project with purple paracord, and will make one in black soon, which won't show against black trousers.) The draw of the knife is quick, easy, almost silent, and one handed. I grasp the lanyard, pull the knife briskly off the ring, drop the lanyard over my wrist, and the knife falls right into my palm where I can hit the assisted opener. I've done this drill a lot, and have all the lengths set just right for me. Since it's a left handed knife, it's rigged upside down from the factory set-up. This is an upgrade from the original small dog collar that had originally held two of the rings. Having the collar on my belt all day with a steel ring on it was a liability around cars, so I eliminated it. Now when I pull the knife off at work, I can just tuck the loose end into my trousers and present minimal risk to new paint jobs.
I forgot to mention this until I saw it in the picture. Blade locks... the kind that keep the knife from opening, to me, are as out of place on a knife as a cross bolt safety on a lever action rifle. I've carried a Kershaw Leek with an assisted opening blade for so long I can't remember what I paid for it. Never had a problem with it coming open when not intended. I had a huge problem with it not opening when intended because of the stupid lock. Since the lock is plastic, I just took another blade and sliced off the locking tab. The only reason I didn't delete the whole safety mechanism is that it offers an extra screw if one was to ever get lost from the clip. (None of the screws in either of my Leeks have ever shown any sign of loosening.) A knife that won't open is as useless as a gun that won't fire.
One of the combination pouches I made for my self, truck remote, cell phone, flashlight, and pocket knife, I provided for carrying the knife open like a fixed blade ,It is very handy working around the ranch here . When I got a new phone and made the new pouch to accommodate it, I forgot to reestablish the dual use knife portion. With another new phone I may do this again .
Here is one that I always carried... at least in the field or when on deployment. Its a BlackJack model 5 with some tools of the trade.... Andy
I always have 2 knifes on me.a 2 bladed folding knife in my pocket.and a clip on lock blade,cliped to the outside of same pocket.
I have a Camillus that was issued to me around 1974 and an Imperial I picked up at a flea market a few years ago but I rarely carry either. I prefer a Case medium Stockman most of the time along with a Buck 112. I'm still amazed at how many men do not carry a knife at all.
Maybe one of these will fit the bill: ($40) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007QCOL0/?tag=survivalmonke-20 ($10) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GOJRRQQ/?tag=survivalmonke-20 ($16) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UV371S/?tag=survivalmonke-20 ($25) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00176H2DE/?tag=survivalmonke-20
City living ,a box life will handle most things of an industrial nature, but thats where it ends . Doing physically demanding work requires a knife that can dig deep in cuting rubber foam, opening crates, trimming wood, dressing meat, trimming wire insulation, cutting rope , prying open damaged doors, ect........... Some folk have a knife purely as a defensive weapon ,no use for it otherwise . these are those that make having a knife on the negative side, not that a negative side has no place ,all things have a negative side, it is reality. Having a computer can have a negative side. But the narrow view of something is what we are fighting . just like the narrow view of the gun. To be succinct ,I believe that it is important that people see us using our knives as the tools they are ,doing practical jobs that would otherwise be more difficult. Why do you cary a knife ? This one should be able to answer ,no matter who's asking and without hesitation.
The most trivial reason I can think of is opening letters. I hate paper cuts, so the mail gets a knife treatment. I don't generally us a pocket knife on food even in the field, there's a separate knife in the kit for that. Other than that, it's just a handy dandy thing to have just in case.
