WARNING!  Knife training and the use of a knife for self-defense are inherently dangerous activities.  Take these suggestions at your own risk.  The Martialist disclaims any liability resulting from injuries sustained while training using these ideas.  

DO NOT CARRY ANYTHING THAT IS ILLEGAL OR YOU WILL PAY FOR IT.  The Martialist is not responsible if you choose to break the law.

Okay, you've decided that you understand the responsibilities you accept when you choose to carry a knife for self-defense.  You've checked your local laws and you know what you can legally carry.  You have multiple options, and before you can decide how to carry your legal knife, you must decide what to carry.

What's it going to be?

Choosing a knife from among all the permissible sizes and types  is really a matter of personal style, of likes and dislikes.  I can offer some general advice, but the specifics are (yet again) up to the individual.  Here I offer what tips I can on the matter.

First, shall you carry a folder or a fixed blade?  Fixed-blades are stronger and generally preferable for self-defense, but they are less likely to be legal.  It is a lot easier, when confronted with law enforcement scrutiny, to justify the presence of a folding utility knife and/or tactical folder than to justify the presence of a fixed-blade knife.  Most tactical folders can be seen as utility pieces, but a fixed blade on any suburbanite or city dweller will be seen as a weapon only.

What blade shape do you prefer?  Do you like the strong angular lines of the Americanized Tanto, or is a clip-point blade more your preference?  Whatever knife you carry, it should be one you like.

What about exotic knives?  A balisong or butterfly knife has a lot of style and may appeal to you personally, but it's a lot more likely that a butterfly knife is banned where you live.  The same goes for other exotic or unusual blades.  You may really like stilettos, for example, but find you should avoid the stigma often attached to them.

Butterfly knives are often illegal.

Laws covering "gravity knives" may be an issue in your locality, too.  Sometimes a knife that simply opens using some form of inertia can be construed as a gravity knife, even though an accurate definition of "gravity knife" covers only knives specifically designed to drop open when a button is pressed.

This tri-fold knife from Cold Steel
might be seen as a gravity knife.

Pay attention to the name of your knife, too.  It sounds silly, but a jury or a judge will look more critically at a knife with a dangerous-sounding name than one that sounds more neutral or utilitarian.

The Blackie Collins "Ninja," whose name might evoke the 
wrong associations in court after a self-defense incident.

Depending on how you conduct your life, you might find that the knife you've chosen to carry is easy to tote some days but more difficult on others, depending on your wardrobe and activities.  You might want to find a knife sold with a multiple-option carry system.  That way you can change how you carry the knife depending on your needs (though be aware that this may cause trouble if you cannot instinctively deploy the blade -- it is better to carry a knife consistently).

This Camillus boot knife can be clipped inside a 
waistband or boot, worn horizontally on a belt, or 
worn IWB using a special loop built into the sheath.

If the knife you prefer is a simple locking folder that has no means of one-hand opening, don't worry.  Almost any knife can be opened with one hand using a forceful wrist-snap or the "New York Open."  If you must have a thumb stud, though, you can buy one and clamp it to your favorite locking folder.

The One-Arm Bandit can be clamped to a lockback, turning it into a
tactical folder.  As of this writing, the Bandit is available in two sizes.

If your need is primarily for utility rather than self-defense, you might carry a razor knife of some kind.  There are countless variations on the standard removable-razor-blade utility knife out there, including the Stanley Sport Utility Tools and folding clip knives that hold disposable blades.  Avoid these as self-defense tools.  Particularly after September 11, 2001, the associations people hold where razor blade knives are concerned are far more trouble than they are worth.  Boxcutters are also specifically illegal in some areas, owing to their popularity with juvenile offenders.

Folding razor knife.  Avoid carrying these for self-defense.

I keep coming back to this theme, but the choice of a self-defense knife is really not one that anyone can make for you.  Learn everything you can and make your decision an informed one.  You may feel free to e-mail me questions about specific knives and knife-related issues, but remember that I am not a lawyer.

I cannot be held responsible for anything you do.