Thread: Straight Razor use as a weapon?

looking at my face when i first used a straight, i'd be more worried if it WASN'T shave ready!!

Actually with the exception of a throwing knife any knife is a close in weapon. If I had a choice between a knife like a auto knife and a holstered autoloader and I was within 10 feet or so I'd take the knife every time. In such an encounter the knife holder will win every time against the gun toater.

Straight razors were very much feared weapons used by gangs in many urban area years ago. One good slash to the neck and its all over. Street gangs used them just to cut up their opponents back in the 1950s. Iused to watch these police training video's before I retired and you'd be amazed how much damage a knife, even a small one can do let alone one in the hands of a true knife fighter, then its devastating.

Thanks a lot guys for the warm response. I'm not too sure if I found a definitive answer, but the historical use of the straight as a weapon seems to be fact as there were constraints on what people could legally carry. That makes sense. The only thing that sets me off though is the bigsplendur post about how the straight was a feared gang weapon...and he gave me the impression that he was a retired police officer! Oh well. Thanks again guys. I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by custommartini

Me? I'd take the bat instead, or a gun and 10 yards.

Believe it or not, 10 yards (10 meters, 30 feet) is a very important distance. This represents the minimum distance for most folks to draw a pistol from a holster. If the guy has the knife out, he can easily cover over 20 feet before most folks can draw a pistol and acquire the attacker as a target.

just to clarify, the gun would be unhlostered. I'm not a quick draw...close encounters are quite different. I'm very small, so I like the run around the corner and wait with a bat method...it's at the malandro (Portugese for...something like a streetwise kid) way i was taught. But My favorite method of close quarter combat is not being there.

"He who runs away, lives to run away another day!!!"

My g/f mother once dated a young lad who was a member of one of the notorious Glasgow Razor gangs .. Unknown to her of course .. Theres been many documentaries about these gangs and the mess they left some people in . It was more the scar value these thugs thrived on - you can imagine the scar a freshly honed razor would leave across someone - not pretty ..
Moving forward into todays world my own father was slashed from just behind his ear heading towards the front of his throat , the reason for trying to break up a fight - the weapon was most deinately a razor blade or a 'stanley' blade .

Another gang favourite here in scotland is two small blades like above with a matchstick between them . This makes the wound very very difficult to stich ...

just my 2 pence worth .. :-)

The Chelsea smile was/still is a particularly nasty way of getting your point across. The mouth was nicked either side with a razor. This was followed by a swift kick in the nuts which caused the victim to scream in pain. This in turn ripped the nicks and they split their own face from ear to ear creating a great big grin.

It happened and it still happens. It was most common in the days of the Krays, Mad Frankie Frazer and Americas favourite, Daaaaaaave Courtney. These people were the 'Gentlemen' type gangsters, polite and well mannered to the ladies and scared of their mums.

Nasty

Mat

Originally Posted by Plattapuslikesrice

The only thing that sets me off though is the bigsplendur post about how the straight was a feared gang weapon...and he gave me the impression that he was a retired police officer!

Why would that set you off? Don't tell me you're thinking of using a straight as a weapon?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Actually with the exception of a throwing knife any knife is a close in weapon. If I had a choice between a knife like a auto knife and a holstered autoloader and I was within 10 feet or so I'd take the knife every time. In such an encounter the knife holder will win every time against the gun toater.

Straight razors were very much feared weapons used by gangs in many urban area years ago. One good slash to the neck and its all over. Street gangs used them just to cut up their opponents back in the 1950s. Iused to watch these police training video's before I retired and you'd be amazed how much damage a knife, even a small one can do let alone one in the hands of a true knife fighter, then its devastating.

Remember tho, 90% of all knife wielders have no real idea how to use it. They "know" what they know from movies, which never show the correct way to use one, and it's pretty easy to spot the tells of their knowledge or lack of by the way they hold the knife. It's also not too tuff to defend against an unskilled person with a knife if you know what you're doing. A heavy shirt or jacket in one hand that you can "batt" at them with and roll around your forarm works wonders.

Depending on the gun I would be carrying and the intention of the assailant- I would choose a double action snub revolver over a knife at up to 20 feet over a knife unless the guy's whole purpose was to kill me, then it really doesn't matter. Easier to draw and fire a snubbie, even with the attacker right at you. You may get cut, but he's getting shot, and point blank with a .38 is gonna hurt.

Seems everyone is very cautions about nicking or chipping their blade everytime they shave, and I've seen the pictures of razors that have lightly toughed a faucet, or been dropped on the counter.... I imagine to drop it once on the street and it becomes pretty useless for anything with an average size chip.

I would think anyone choosing to carry a razor as a weapon instead of a good sturdy knife is doing it to create or project an image. A calling card if you will. In CQC situations, a knife can do anything a razor can and a whole lot more. I'd take the knife every trip of the train.

That said, I have heard a few stories of young people in the NY area carrying DE blades in their mouths and being able manipulate them well enough to slash victims suddenly and unexpectedly. This could be an urban legend. I don't know for sure.

Jordan