I'd really like to start some kind of martial arts.. do you guys recomend Karate or TKD??

well I have done karate and I enjoyed it.a lot...
I did some kind of no-contact karate which was more about discipline but I liked it...
TKD is much more demanding and you can get hurt too,but I heard it makes you tough...
now you got to choose

Hmm alright.. which one would help you more in defending yourself out there in the real world. Do either of them use weapons or are they all hand on hand contact?

I did a little karate, about 6 weeks and ill be starting again soon hopefully but from my experience and what ive heard karate and most likely other martial arts arent the best thing for self defence, my theory is that with karate you learn to adopt a certain stance and are taught moves that are best when an attack comes from a specific place or person or angle and you have plenty of room to swing your body etc.. but in the street it could be a guy who just walks up to you and demands your money, you might be in a tight space or it could be a case of face to face combat in which case specific self defence classes are better.

However, MA's (One member here seems to be rather proficient in several MA's and so can help more) are really good for teaching you general fighting skills and confidence, discipline etc... but for actual self defence you would be better to go to a SD class as they will teach you how to use objects like telephones, brooms, stones, anything you can find to take the other guy down and they wont be afraid to tell you to go kicking in the balls (literally) if you need to where karate will generally stay away from "dirty" tactics like slamming a brick into their head (dont do that.. bad idea!)

SO if you're looking for a hobby and some self defence go for a MA, thats what im going for, a hobby, fitness and a bit of SD but if you purely want hardcore self defence i would suggest an SD club or even Judo or more close contact MA's. for example my dad went Judo and could easily throw someone over his shoulder into a wall... slightly more useful than trying to throw a roundhouse kick in a corridor or against a wall.

but i guess in the end its personal preference and to define exactly what you want to learn, pure self defence or all the other perks but slightly less SD?

Well I know it isn't one you suggested by a few people I know do kick-boxing and they have shown us demonstarations before and it all seems it would be practical and useful in real life. You are also taught the use of some weapons once certain belt levels have been reached etc. However you can only use most martial arts in self defence and need a licence I believe