The Spyderco Civilian was designed to be used by people with limited or no formal instruction in knife fighting.
I still think for the best combo of SD/EDC an Emerson with the Wave would be hard to beat.
The knife is not a great weapon.
I had an Emerson. I had the famed CQC7, actually. It was a perfectly decent knife. It had the nice tanto shape, chisel grind, etc. But I could find comparable knives at a substantially lower price. In spite of its name, I didn't think it stood out as a "fighting knife." The ergonomics also leaves something to be desired. I don't know about their other knives, but they seem expensive. For an EDC, I'd count on the certainty of eventually breaking or losing the knife. If I had an Emerson, it would be my safe queen except I don't like its looks.
I have a knife with the "Wave" feature. It's a nice convenience, but it doesn't seem all that useful for fighting. If you practice, you can draw, open your folder, and cut in one stroke fairly fast. If you need the fraction of the second that you save from opening the knife with the "Wave" feature, you're already in the fight. In that case, I might just forego drawing the knife and get an advantage in timing instead.
On the other hand, some people really swear by Emerson knives. You have to find one that fits your needs, budget, style, etc.
You sure about that?
Yes, when compared to a machete or a baseball bat a folding knife offers very little in terms of an advantage. Who ever has the bat has the reach and will be able to hit you before you are able to cut them. And obviously compared to a pistol the knife becomes even less desirable as a SD option.
I'm going to have to disagree with a lot of people in this thread. All these especially against this and that type scenarios. I mean if you could plan for every situation it would be no problem right. Your gun would be drawn and the bad guy would just be standing there not moving! But that isn't how stuff works. A lot of people only semi well trained are very very deadly with in 21 feet of you with a knife. I mean deadly enough you won't be able to even draw your pistol. Or cock the bat/machete back and swing. The above post just makes no sense to me. Yes if we were old school out on the battlefield fighting with swords and clubs a folder would be silly. But in this day and age it is a very valuable tool in your toolbox for survival. If we are fighting and nobody has a gun out yet we are going to be in pretty close. It won't be pretty and your both probably going to bleed. The key is to make the other person bleed more. You may take a hit from the bat but in the process if you stab that knife up under his armpit he probably won't be able to swing it again. Hell even if you miss and just get a nice deep slash on his arm it would be hard for him to keep using it.
You sure about that?
Kawtech's story feels very realistic to me, as it sounds like other encounters I've heard. I'm sorry for what happened to you, but I'm glad you gained some crucial fighting knowledge from it.