Pocket Knives

[ray_g]

Quite a few people who responded to the recent poll/thread about "man-bags" (or whatever you want to call it) mentioned carrying pocketknives regularly. Some also mentioned carrying handguns, and many RFF'ers (from a thread several months ago) are also hunters or shooters.

Going back to your "pocket knife" - are we talking swiss knife or a Benchmade AFCK here?

Let's hear those stories.

[back alley]

swiss army and a not very expensive ruko.

[Ergo]

Case,Remington and Winchester only.

[jcline]

I've got a benchmade on my belt at all times... how did you know?

[sf]

12 inch, classic Ka-Bar. Super nice knife. A bit excessive to carry around all the time, though.

Here is a picture of it :

http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecent...ages/1217j.jpg

Case knives are sweet. I'd have bought one, but the Ka-Bar was just glaring at me in the case. Such a nice leather handle. Feels SO nice in the hand.

[Joe Brugger]

Swiss Army 'Tinker' variation

[akptc]

Real men don't need no stinking knives...

[SRMC]

Benchmade-Emerson CQC-7 or Buck Strider.

SRMC

[sf]

Originally Posted by akptc

Real men don't need no stinking knives...

I'm not a REAL man. I'm superman.

[lubitel]

I used to carry a pocketknife with me all the time and a harmonica.

how many people carry a harmonica around? Marine band or a plastic thingy?

[varjag]

Originally Posted by lubitel

I used to carry a pocketknife with me all the time and a harmonica.

how many people carry a harmonica around? Marine band or a plastic thingy?

Lee Oscar in my bag

[Andy K]

Unforunately due to a knife carrying youth culture, and after many stabbing incidents resulting in dead children, carrying a knife is illegal over here. Even Swiss Army knives are considered an offensive weapon.

[lubitel]

O, Lee Oskar! I heard they were good. I like the Hohner Golden Melody.

[varjag]

Originally Posted by lubitel

O, Lee Oskar! I heard they were good. I like the Hohner Golden Melody.

I also have Marine Band and Huang, used to have Special 20 but blown a reed. Lee Oskar I like most, although I now don't play harmonica as much

[clarence]

I carry a Leatherman Super-tool around. As far as I know it doesn't need a license or a permit.

Clarence

[Andy K]

Originally Posted by clarence

I carry a Leatherman Super-tool around. As far as I know it doesn't need a license or a permit.

Clarence

You are correct it needs no permit or licence. But if you are found carrying it by the Police without reasonable cause to be carrying it (ie as essential for your work), depending on the blade size you will likely be cautioned and the knife confiscated or you could even be charged with carrying an offensive weapon.

See here.

[clarence]

Originally Posted by Andy K

You are correct it needs no permit or licence. But if you are found carrying it by the Police without reasonable cause to be carrying it (ie as essential for your work), depending on the blade size you will likely be cautioned and the knife confiscated or you could even be charged with carrying an offensive weapon.

See here.

Thanks a lot for the link. There is no instant release mechanism though, and the largest blade does not exceed 3 inches, so I doubt it would be a problem, unless I was entering a high security area, right?

I tend to just put it in my bag and leave it there wherever I go.

Clarence

[VinceC]

I've been carrying a Dutch army knife for about 25 years. I was in the American army on a training exercise in either the Netherlands or Germany and traded my "hell on wheels" unit insignia for it. It's a fairly austere chrome pocket knife (that's actually made by Swiss army knife folks). In recent years it has been an increasing hassle to carry it at airports and into government buildings. But I probably use it half a dozen times a week, opening packages, taking advantage of its small screwdriver or hole-punch.

[Ken Ford]

I've carried a knife daily for years, but they keep getting smaller and smaller. My current carry knife is a small Kershaw Ken Onion design that is clipped to the rim of my jeans pocket.

In addition to the G36 I carry when out of state, of course.

[bmattock]

Spyderco CoPilot:

http://www.code3-eee.com/images/Prod.../925-C09RS.jpg

Very small, serrated edge, clips to my inside pocket and can be opened easily with one hand.

Although I have never been trapped in a vehicle by a seatbelt that would not release, I worked in law enforcement long enough to see it happen, and what happens to people who cannot escape from burning vehicles. This is no guarantee, but at least I'd have a chance to cut myself or someone else free - the blade is designed to saw through nylon webbing like a hot knife through butter. And it also doubles as a lovely eBoy box opener. I used to carry it on my plane trips until they banned it post 9/11.

Here in North Carolina, no one gets overly excited when they see a person with a blade in their possession. That madness has not infected us yet. Strangely, despite carrying a pocketknife daily for many of my 45 years, I have yet to stab any small children to death. Perhaps tomorrow.

As to 'real mean' not needing knives - real men use appropriate tools and don't fear sharp or pointy things or see them as psychological replacements for their sadly lacking wedding tackle.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[Andy K]

Here is page 1 of 30 pages of search results for 'school stabbing' on the BBC news site.

http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/...0&go.y=0&go=go

[bmattock]

Originally Posted by Andy K

Here is page 1 of 30 pages of search results for 'school stabbing' on the BBC news site.

http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/...0&go.y=0&go=go

And obviously, it was the owning of a pocketknife that forced them to run around stabbing people with it. They weren't just bad people who would have used whatever they had access to - if we take away their pocketknives, we'll make law-abiders out of them.

R-i-g-h-t.

How strange I haven't felt the need to stab anyone so far. Perhaps I am immune to the siren call of the steel.

Of course, I also keep loaded guns in my house, and thus far have manage to avoid running amok up and down my street, randomly blasting strangers and picking off small children.

I wonder how I manage.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[Andy K]

Originally Posted by bmattock

They weren't just bad people who would have used whatever they had access to - if we take away their pocketknives, we'll make law-abiders out of them.

I think the thought behind the law is fewer knives = fewer stabbings (deliberate or accidental). It is the same thinking behind our gun laws, guns are heavily restricted (to mostly clay shooters and farmers etc.) and therefore we have many fewer shootings than countries which have no gun restrictions.
I have several knives, I never feel the need to carry any of them in a pocket, like Clarence the most I'll do is slip a small multi-tool in my camera bag.

[akptc]

Originally Posted by bmattock

... As to 'real mean' not needing knives - real men use appropriate tools and don't fear sharp or pointy things or see them as psychological replacements for their sadly lacking wedding tackle.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

Totally agree. Now, big Chevy trucks, that's a different story altogether

Seriously though, I used to carry a small Swiss Army knife on my key chain, forgot all about it most of the time, until a very angry airport security guy chewed my head off when he saw it. So I am knife-less now, haven't really missed it yet.

[VinceC]

In the United States, kids can't get legal booze until they're 21, so, because it is forbidden fruit, teens often binge themselves silly (and not a few die of it). My older couple of kids grew up in Europe and had a fairly take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward alcohol because they could order a beer at any restaurant if accompanied by a responsible adult. They were really startled by the attitude toward drinking when they arrived at their American colleges. Prohibiting possession of something really doesn't address the root problems of its abuse or misuse.