I have a few of the older USA made Blurs around here too. That is an amazing EDC knife, LOVE them. They are somewhat hidden since my son appropriated two of them last time he went “shopping” in my man cave/office. my kids have a habit of doing that… My daughter doesn’t even ask. She just looks at something, picks it up, says “mine” and just like that magically it belongs to her so she just walks out admiring her latest treasure. I’ve lost a few firearms that way too. 
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I have a couple of Kershaw’s made in China knives. They are ok for the money but nothing special. I recently picked up one of their USA made folders that I am very happy with.
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It was oh, 2008 or so if memory serves. back then kershaw would honor their lifetime warranties no questions asked. they didnt care how you broke it, if you sent it in theyd replace it. When they moved a bunch of their lines to chinese manufacturing all that changed and their “lifetime replacement warranty” became a defect and manufacturing warranty only and they started refusing to warranty a lot of knives. I have 2 broken ones in my knife box that the kershaw rep refused to warranty years ago. that was when i started buying CRKT knives
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No problem, my friend. My odometer just rolled over 72 yo and there was a time when I, too, feared no one. My health isn’t great but I can still do the things I used to do but what once took half a day now takes 2 days or more with a great many breaks in the process. I’ve had my Permit To Carry since 1976 and I have had a Buck 110 on my hip since 1971. Not the same one but it’s still there. I can still walk fairly well but I have to be careful on stairs. It appears that you’re doing what you have to do to be as prepared as possible given your handicaps. Keep it up.
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Wow. Happy to hear it turned out OK for you. Could have easily gone bad, such as what if there was no racket or defense tool; just your own hands.
Might not apply here, but you reminded me of that old idiom:
" It’s not the size of the dog in fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog ".
No doubt good “big ole boy” saw your strong spirit, which may have helped him realize, you’re no “push over”.
Luv.
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I wanted to point out. I’ve trained with Karambits since I was 15, and with the time and opportunity, I had a chance to choose a blade, I still chose to use an improvised weapon rather than one of the knives I had on me and it’s not because I was untrained. I chose to go to a weapon with more reach because, as has been mentioned, even if you “win” you have a very high potential to be be in the ER. Just like the guy who “lost”.
Very rarely does anyone “win” a knife fight clean.
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Not to go too far off topic, but I have a child going away to college. Knife blades must be under 2 inches. This rules out even normal sized multi tools. He has the smaller line of Gerber multi tools so he’ll take that for odd needs around his dorm room.
Any recommendations on a sub 2 inch locking folder?
This would be general use knife not for self defense.
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You might want to check out Smokey Mountain Knife Works. They seem to have everything from “tiny” to the “fantasy, ridiculous.”
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Kershaw Chive. 2” blade assisted opening. Disappears in you hand, opens in nano-seconds and it’s a scary little tool. Keep it scalpel sharp and don’t use for daily chores. Strictly a SD weapon not a box cutter. Buy him a little Case knife for his other pocket for daily chores. The two purposes should not mix.
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Thanks. I love Kershaw speed safe knives and carried one for years. However, local press where I live indicated a man got charged for possession of one under the knife laws of our state. Not actually illegal, but DA in my county filed charges anyway. Will have to check the laws in the state my son will be in college
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A sharpened Flat head or Phillips screwdriver makes a good Dirk. 
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This apparently happens a lot in some parts of CA even though they have a law on the books that specifically states that assisted opening knives are legal:(
The chive that @Enzo_T pointed out looks like a better sub two inch than what I have. But the one I have has worked well for me:
Looks like Amazon still has some in stock for a really low price:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I1XOTXC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
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If you really want to give him a SERIOUS advantage in self defense buy him one of these. With the cap on it is a great tool that can be used like a Kubotan. And it does not looks like a “tactical” pen so it won’t raise an eyebrow even with TSA.
Then have him take a class in use of Kubotan for SD. There are a gazillion good YouTube videos out there too. But actual hands on classes are usually offered at Krav Maga places, and a few basic lessons in Krav Maga wouldn’t hurt either. Just a few sessions is enough to put him above 98% of everyone out there.
So unlike a knife, no one will ever stop you from carrying this pen anywhere. I have several of them and have taken them all over the world and best of all you can fly with them on you. When I fly, and when I’m roaming around in foreign countries where any type of weapons are frowned upon, I always have at least one pen on me and a length of Kevlar chord tied around my waist all the time (that’s a whole discussion on its own).
AND, this all metal pen with the cap off is a fearsome stabbing tool. Buy him a Grays Anatomy book and show him where are the gushy parts are. Neck, groin, eyes and last resort between the ribs are all pretty serious show stoppers. A roll of the sharp tip accross a forehead will produce a massive bleed into the eyes of an attacker.
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I carry a roll of quarters wrapped with clear office tape. A newspaper or magazine are also really good and finally a belt with a good sized buckle.
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I always carry a pen both for signing paperwork and as a potential improvised self defense tool.
I like the one below because you don’t have to bother with taking the cap off but it is still just a sturdy metal pen that no one will give you any trouble over carrying. It comes with an online link to instructions on how to use and what to target.
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Thanks. I appreciate this.
The knife question wasn’t really for self-defense. Looking for a utility pocket knife, but I appreciate the recommendation.
My son will be at a very conservative private university in a conservative state. I’m not worried about his physical safety on campus. For his freshman year, he won’t need to leave campus much.
Sophomore year and beyond he will be regularly off campus due to the nature of his degree program that requires many hundreds of hours of practical experience in the field. He will be in non permissive environments for many tactical type tools. He may not even be able to have his cell phone out. I did just buy him a smart watch with a cell signal.
I’ve never been a big tactical pen guy. I am a pen snob and only use Pilot G2 pens. I do like this bolt action pen. Probably wouldn’t try taking in on an airplane, but unlikely to get a second glance most places.
My son uses a different type of pen. I need to get him a metal pen that uses the ink he likes.
I am also building him a dorm room emergency kit. Not exactly a bug out bag, but something like that.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B086YKRHJG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
(Edited to fix the link.)
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I also think a tactical flashlight without an aggressive bezel is still one of the best EDC defensive tools that you can carry everywhere.
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While odds of trouble are likely incredibly low you can never be 100% certain.
I live in a virtually crime free town and I still make sure to at least have my pepper gel, pen and a pocket knife on me when I’m hanging around the house.
A sturdy flashlight is a good idea so long as it isn’t so large that it gets left at home. But I prefer the pen. It is a little less out of place to walk around with in your hand during the day if you sense trouble approaching. It also focuses all the power of a strike into a much smaller area and can penetrate deeper. Both of which could potentially stop a threat quicker than the added blunt force from a typical pocket flashlight. Though either one is a good force multiplier for repeated hammer strikes over just using the bottom of your fist.
Also I have seen some interesting pain imparting techniques that a pen can be used for when facing a threat that doesn’t necessarily justify inflicting significant damage.
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