The Best Knives for Self-Defense in Any Situation
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Carrying a knife isn’t a light decision to make. It’s a deadly weapon — and one that can seriously injure someone with minimal effort. However, the dangers of a blade also make it one of the most effective ways of keeping yourself safe, both as a deterrent to violence and a force multiplier if things do come to blows. When it comes to choosing the right blade, though, there are a multitude of options available, and finding the right one — one that makes sense for your needs and will not fail you in action — can be a confusing process.
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To help narrow the playing field, SPY called Sifu Anthony Fontana — a self-defense expert and instructor in Jeet Kun Do, boxing, Muay Thai, and several other fighting systems — to give us a short list of the best blades in different styles. But one of the first things out of his mouth was a word of warning that everyone should heed. “Everyone has a primal instinct of how to survive,” Fontana says. “But you have to have both awareness of the situations you might be going into and the willingness to defend yourself. A knife is very intimate. Are you willing to go to jail if someone attacks and hurts you, and you hurt them?” Those are the stakes when you carry a blade, but he says it’s still what he would choose any day to keep him alive in a fight.
BEST OVERALL
Fox Cutlery FX-597 DART
Buy Now On Amazon $184.98
This will surprise no one, but the best-in-class pick here also topped our list of best self-defense weapons of any type. The Fox Cutlery DART is a wicked folding karambit-style knife, with a shaped grip and curved blade designed to deploy quickly and do serious damage. Fontana personally carries the DART — but more importantly, he has the training to use it. The karambit’s steel ring at the bottom can serve as a miniature brass knuckle and the blade’s razor-sharp tip can stab and slash. Its opening system is unique — it’s designed to catch on your clothes as you draw the knife and deploy instantly — but will take some practice to master. This is not a knife for the casual user, but it is the best option for a master.
BEST BUDGET FIXED-BLADE KNIFE
KA-BAR USMC Fighting Knife
Buy Now On Amazon $99.99
The KA-BAR is an American classic — the original knife created for the U.S. Marines, it has withstood the test of time and remains one of the best possible tools any hiker, camper, or prepper can have in their gear bag. It’s built with quality steel and has a rugged, no-frills design — it’s also versatile enough to do everything from splitting wood to fileting a fish. (Also, if it’s good enough for the Marines… Well, actually, I’ve heard the Marines often get terrible gear, but their knives are a big exception to that. Either way, the KA-BAR won’t let you down.)
BETS SMALLER FIXED-BLADE KNIFE
KA-BAR Investigator
Buy Now On Amazon $42.48
For this category, we go to the original KA-BAR’s little cousin, the KA-BAR investigator: a shorter, curved knife designed to slip into a waistband or onto a vest or body armor rig. You get the same KA-BAR steel guarantees, but in a much smaller and more concealable package.
BEST "PUSH-KNIFE"
Cold Steel Safe-Maker II
Buy Now $54.99
The versatility and practicality of the other offerings on this list aren’t the Safe-Maker’s forte. Instead, it’s a knife built for doing damage. A push knife has a minimal handle and is supposed to be held between your fingers, allowing you to stab with a punching or pushing motion. You wouldn’t use it for cutting up cheese in the park or peeling an apple — this thing is made for combat in a tiny deadly package. If that’s your flavor, go for it. Fontana says he likes the design if you’re ready for that kind of action.
BEST FULL-SIZED KNIFE
Cold Steel Kukri Plus
Buy Now $764.99
If you looked at all the other recommendations and thought, “you call that a knife?” this one’s for you. The Gurkha Kukri Plus is an absurd, full-size, foot-long blade that would be easy to stash in a car or below a counter, but pretty ridiculous to carry around concealed. However, if you’re in the wild and want something big and sharp to tote on your pack or in your kit, this is a blade to consider, Fontana says.
Frequently Asked Questions About Knives
What about butterfly knives?
Here’s where Fontana has a major point of contention: butterfly knives look incredible and definitely have an intimidation factor, but Fontana says you have to be “really skilled” to deploy them correctly. No one wants to get knocked on their ass while they’re trying to flip around their trick knife.
How should I train to use my knife?
This is a massive question, of course. There’s basically no ceiling to martial arts — you can train for a lifetime and still be a student. But some basics can massively increase your familiarity with a weapon and could be the difference between good and bad outcomes to a fight. Fontana says that “the blade educates the hand,” which means that simple motions — ones you would make with your hand — are usually preferred. The blade is an extension of your body, the human substitute for an animal’s claws or teeth. There are many martial arts you can practice, including Kali, Eskrima, Filipino Martial arts, and Fontana’s specialty, Jeet Kun Do, but any self-defense class will probably walk you through the basics of working with — or against — a blade.
How should I carry my knife?
There’s no point in carrying a weapon if you can’t use it. That means if your weapon is in a place where you can’t get to it easily, it’s no weapon at all. How you carry your blade depends on your choice of weapon, your own body, and the clothes or equipment you’re wearing. The key to this is trial and error. If you know you’re going to be carrying in casual clothes, wear them and practice drawing or deploying your blade from several different positions. If it’s slow or clunky, try a different spot. If it impedes your movement, try a different spot. But if you find one that feels natural, you still need reps — practice drawing with both hands as much as possible, because you’ll never know when you’ll have to do it for real.
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