Damn, I wish I could stay for this.

But I have to go to krav.

I love that there are now physicists on the case.

But also, it occured to me that if I'm close enough to the bad guy to hold the hammer head in my hand, then I really wish I had a knife.

I really wish I had a knife.

Precisely! Range -- you want to keep them as far away from you as possible, and have to do the least work possible to injure them. So if you don't have an AK47, grab the knife before using the hammer as a clumsy roll of nickels.

::really going now::

Well, you won't lose accuracy with a knife swing, but you will not have the same force as if you were using a hammer, held at the end. And with the hammer, it's all about accuracy, no? Better hope your opponent doesn't move at all on the downswing (or upswing, because i wont have the same degree of momentum trying to brain someone taller).

I we specifically talking about bringing either weapon down on someone's skull?

I think we're just generally trying to hurt the bad guy in my kitchen.

I think we're just generally trying to hurt the bad guy in my kitchen.

I think a hand blender might work if you could stay close to the plug.

I would think that it would also take more energy to continue fighting with a hammer due to its weight. That seems a liability. But I've never fought with anything that wasn't my fists, so I could be smoking crack.

I think one can actually throw a knife with a great deal of accuracy giving the more balanced weight. Hammer seems to depend on a perfect set of circumstances. A still opponent, a shorter opponent.

I'm still going with the knuckles.

But the hand blender blades have that plastic shield around them. Really, if I can get to the hammer, I can get to the electric drill, so....

Sean, I haven't been arguing theoreticals.

Okay, if we're not arguing theoreticals, we've both been awful short on specifics of circumstance, which, as Allyson's experiment shows, can vary a lot, and lots of other factors, such as experience, training, confidence, bravery, and adrenaline rush of the knife and/or hammer wielder affect the situation.

The point I've been trying to make is that most of those factors have a lot more influence on the outcome of the battle than the center of gravity/dangerous surface area differences between the two weapons.

Ah. Keep an empty beer bottle by the sink. Grab it by the neck. Crack it on the counter so you have a sharp, broken bottle and look crazy. He'll back away, and will likely sweep up the mess if you tell him to.