When it comes to self-defense with a knife, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, it's virtually guaranteed to be messy — as the old saying goes, the winner of a knife fight usually goes to the hospital and the loser goes to the morgue. Second, there's a high likelihood that your knife will become expendable, whether it takes damage after glancing off hard bone or it takes a ride to the morgue along with the aggressor's body. Third, your defensive knife should be a simple tool, not some flashy blade decked out with spikes and serrations. These principles paint a clear picture of this tool's desirable characteristics — easy to control, affordable, simple, and effective for piercing and slashing. TOPS Knives set out to accomplish this with its new Street Spike.

The TOPS Street Spike is formed from a 1/4-inch-thick piece of the company's signature 1095 high-carbon steel, and hardened to 56-58 RC. The business end is ground to a simple 2.75-inch drop point, a versatile shape that's proven its worth everywhere from campsites to kitchens to street fights. The handle is skeletonized and absent of scales to reduce weight, but it features prominent finger grooves and holes that can be used to add a DIY paracord wrap.

To add grip and reduce the risk of corrosion, TOPS finished the steel in textured Black Traction powdercoat. Each knife includes a black Kydex sheath and multi-position spring steel clip, though it's said to be light enough to wear on a neck lanyard. MSRP is $100, but the Street Spike is currently available for $80 on the TOPS Knives site. As always, it's made in the USA. For more information, go to TOPSknives.com.

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Written by Patrick McCarthy