Manual del Baratero - A Review

tom hyle · 8th April 2005, 02:13 PM

All very interesting. Really, basically no traditional folding knife is really intended for violence, and the idea that they are tends to arise in just the sort of sheltered/oppressed environment described in Spain, where the disarmed develop an exaggerated horror of weapons and anything weaponlike. Folding knives, like any small knife, are certainly no equal match to a club or dagger, but are often resorted to (here and now in N America, I very strongly assure you) for emergency self-defence, and it is thus helpful and not at all fantastical or unrealistic, for them to be designed and selected with features that aid in that, such as locks, points, swedged spine. Butterfly knife is one some N Americans get real excercised over now days; how silly; a very ordinary locking folder style; nothing especially violent about it. The only exception is for switchblades, which are, and frankly always have been, like unto the giant folders, largely basically a toy. No few folding knives I can swat in half with my left hand, if they're held securely enough not to drop, and none of them are the ideal weapon, but they do have their uses; you can let all the blood out of someone in a grapple pretty well with one, if it's sharp (this is the most valuable feature, followed closely by a decent sturdiness, fast easy opening, then a lock, point, concealability, legal nonweapon status, etc.)

8th April 2005, 02:13 PM	#25
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	All very interesting. Really, basically no traditional folding knife is really intended for violence, and the idea that they are tends to arise in just the sort of sheltered/oppressed environment described in Spain, where the disarmed develop an exaggerated horror of weapons and anything weaponlike. Folding knives, like any small knife, are certainly no equal match to a club or dagger, but are often resorted to (here and now in N America, I very strongly assure you) for emergency self-defence, and it is thus helpful and not at all fantastical or unrealistic, for them to be designed and selected with features that aid in that, such as locks, points, swedged spine. Butterfly knife is one some N Americans get real excercised over now days; how silly; a very ordinary locking folder style; nothing especially violent about it. The only exception is for switchblades, which are, and frankly always have been, like unto the giant folders, largely basically a toy. No few folding knives I can swat in half with my left hand, if they're held securely enough not to drop, and none of them are the ideal weapon, but they do have their uses; you can let all the blood out of someone in a grapple pretty well with one, if it's sharp (this is the most valuable feature, followed closely by a decent sturdiness, fast easy opening, then a lock, point, concealability, legal nonweapon status, etc.)