MrsFosforos

I am a Spyderco fan too. I use a little Spyderco Spin for everyday utility type needs.

Spyderco sells knives of similar styles with Japanese and Chinese blades -- the chinese are cheaper, but I've been told the steel is a lower grade & might not hold the edge as well - so it's something to be aware of when you're price checking.

My husband has a Spyderco Endura distributed through Lone Wolf (and has a glock armoror's tool included) -- just as a nifty accessory. He changed the position of the clip, but later the screws came out of the belt clip. Just a phone call to their customer service dept and they put new screws in the mail for free.

Knifeworks.com is a reliable site with some of the best prices.

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Phoebe

So Jbum wasn't joking, eh?

What does "assisted opener" mean?

boricua

After manually initiating the act of opening the knife, say with your thumb, a device such as a spring will complete the opening and locking of the blade.

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unloved

The blade steel in the Taiwanese made knives is lower grade and it doesn't hold an edge as well as the Japanese (Seki City) made blades. It's not terrible, but the price difference between the two isn't huge, so I stay away from their Taiwanese knives.

Spyderco also makes some models in Golden,CO using premium blade steels. The Native LW is a good one and you can get them for less than $50.00. Some Wal-Mart stores even carry them.

Hey, they do have some good prices. Thanks for the link.

CutleryShoppe.com is another excellent, trustworthy online dealer. Some of Jeff's prices are better than knifeworks.com, some aren't, so I'd check both before making a choice.

psychophipps

YourCornerStore seems to have the best prices on the internet that I have seen. I just bought a NIB Street Beat for $145 shipped from there.

EvilMonk

TheBladeShop.com - Benchmade Knives, Kershaw knives, Microtech Knives and Much More.

This is my recommendation:

CRKT M-16

This is the Columbia River Knife and Tool Company. They have a knife series called the "M-16". It is by far the best value for a lower price that I've ever used. They worked well in Iraq, and lo and behold, they operate well here too.

If you go to the site above, you'll see the knife and it's many variations. They can be quite large, or quite small. The one I got my sister for college is only about 3 inches folded. Mine is 5 inches folded.

They all have many great options such as:

1. Many different styles of blade, from drop point (rounded) to tanto (angular).
2. Ambidextrous use right out of the box.
3. Two methods of opening. Thumb-stud assisted (as described above), Index slide (you open it by sliding your index finger along the back "spine" of the handle. Look at the pictures, and you'll see a little "stud" at the base of the blade; that's what you flip with your index finger. My favorite.).
4. VERY secure lock system that holds the knife open. It's also very easy to use since it is located right where your thumb rests.
5. You can adjust (with a small TORX wrench) where the clip is located on the knife. This allows you better (depending on your preferences) access and opening options.

Hope this helps!

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unloved

WARNING: DO NOT order from the site linked above. They're crooks. They charge your card immediately, notify you about a week later that the item you ordered is 'backordered', and you'll likely never receive your knife. They'll give you a runaround if you can even get anyone on the phone.

There are several threads on bladeforums.com full of stories. I am still trying to get a refund for a knife I ordered (but never received) from them over a year ago.

mercop

Well since you said a defense knife and not a utility knife my recommendations are slim. The reason is that just like with a firearms you will need training to use a knife effectively in a self-defense situation. Also, will you be carrying it in support of a firearm? That also has a lot to do with it. I have a single recommendation for anyone with your question....Spyderco Endura/Delica with the trainer. Ok, I guess that is two:)

All the Kershaw knives are great, along with top notch customer service. The problem with most knives suggested is the the fact that they don't have a trainer available. The second problem with assisted knives is that if for some reason the blade comes in contact with something as it opens it stalls requiring you to finish opening it with your thumb. Since there are only three ways to know if your knife is open...look, hear, feel, the idea of the blade closing of the back of your finger should give you the creeps as it does me. Just my $.02.- George

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psychophipps

Depending on your local laws, I would go with a fixed blade. Easier to deploy, faster to deploy, and there are some really nice small fixed blades out there. It would also be very easy and relatively cheap to have a trainer made by simply tracing the blade out and dropping it off at your local machine shop.

mercop

Hey bro, what production fixed blades do you like for SD? I find that there is a horrible lack of production fixed blades for SD, and any that are around you can add $30 - $40 to replace the POS OEM sheath they come with. My two favorites, neither still in production and both with POS sheaths were the Spyderco Lum Fixed Blade and the Polkowski Casper Companion. In reference to the latter, buy them if you find them. I have one put up for each of my kids.- George

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