I prefer one of these:
This is the Gerber MK I Survival knife, the little brother of the famous Gerber Mark II of VietNam fame.
The Armorhide finish on the hilt and guard are very ergonomic and easy on the little lady's delicate hands, and with it's tough 5-inch blade it's easier to conceal than the Sykes-Fairbairn. There's one going on E-Bay right now for $37 bucks, which is a steal.
Umm....I already have one of those, too....LOL!
[it's not like I *love* daggers or anything although my biker friends call me "Eddie Scissorhands" because they never know which or how many are secreted upon my person at any given time]....;]
The Sykes handle problem can be overcome by rolling rubber O rings onto the handle.
You have to buy several sizes to accomodate the different groove diameters but it works great.
The "death grip" the O rings provide pretty much eliminates the cross-piece problem.
*If* [God forbid] I ever had to use it, I'd go for a solar-plexus upward stab or a simple straight into the throat thrust.
That way I'd avoid the possibility of breaking the tip off on hard bone.
[yes, I'd be much more concerned about the welfare of my beautiful knife than the perp]
Heck, I just love the thing because it's sexy....;D
Plus, it's long, thin, matte black and so nearly invisible that it can be neatly and discretely slid into the inside of a tall black boot.
We have a half Nez Perce, half Irish friend who hand-knaps flint and obsidian knives.
You should see some of the daggers he's made me.
Wicked sharp things that conveniently masquerade as objets d'art.