Good pocket-legal knives?

[Finius]

I know we have a couple of knife fans here, so...

 

I work in what is basically a warehouse and regularly find myself wishing I had a knife for the various bits of physical work I have to do (general maintenance, dealing with pesky cable ties, opening packets of biscuits in a manly way and such), mostly because scissors are just too much of a pain to carry about.

 

What I want, is a pocket-legal, non-swiss-army knife. I don't want a multitool, or swiss army because I just won't ever use the extra goodies they have.

 

Why does it need to be pocket legal if I have a valid reason for using it? Because I don't want to leave it at work (one of my colleagues has a very frequent five-finger-discount on anything he sees) and I often go from work to various activities/places and so it needs to be something that the police cannot object to.

 

What does pocket legal mean? By my interpretation of the law;

1. It MUST fold.

2. It must NOT lock when the blade is open.

3. The blade cannot be more than 3 imperial inches long.

4. It can't be a gravity/butterfly/other one-hand open style.

 

 

Let me know if any of you know of anything that fits the bill!

 

[Baz JJ]

I agree with your interpretation of the law

 

https://www.gov.uk/find-out-if-i-can-buy-or-carry-a-knife

 

As to a knife, I carry a small rescue knife when I work with boats - you should always have a knife when you work with ropes.

 

Otherwise its personal choice

 

 

http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/the_gerber_bear_grylls_scout_knife/

[Finius]

I've seen the Grylls knives and they look close! The only issue is they lock!

[AK47frizzle]

I don't why butterfly knives are illegal; they are less practical than any other knife out there, they are only good for showing off or for recreational purposes. It just folds in a different way that is less practical. The grip isn't that great either.

 

anyway.... http://www.uk-legal-knives.com/engraved-spyderco-grasshopper-knife-c138-personalised-penknife-47-p.asp?gclid=CjgKEAjwt4-dBRCDnaTUn-mC_0oSJAC4Q6kGlrD-i2ofK_0FVsHKR8T-fyBemkyC-xJe0xURXV14hfD_BwE

Doesn't lock and you can engrave your own name on it.

[Baz JJ]

Oh yes, sorry, just googled it quickly.

 

Try this site

 

http://www.uk-legal-knives.com/folding-work-knives-77-c.asp

 

Otherwise have you looked at rescue knives as they normally have a serrated cutting edge and a blunt end.

 

When sailors used to join sailing ships in the bad old days, the captain used to have the ships carpenter break the tips of their knives off, so they couldn't stab each other.

 

I've seen the Grylls knives and they look close! The only issue is they lock!

[Finius]

Bounced from the Spyderco knives over on that site and whilst looking for reviews, found thebushcraftstore and this knife here: http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/tbs-boar-folding-pocket-knife---turkish-walnut---perfect-every-day-carry-knife-16332-p.asp

 

Going to email them and see if I can get a black pouch for it instead...

[Mike636]

Your definition is pretty spot on really, you can have "illegal" knifes on you if you have a good enough reason such as joiners carrying Stanley knifes.

[Baz JJ]

The Boar knives that you've found are nice. Good choice of handles.

 

I was interested to see that the law allows you to carry a knife if you do reenactments ?

 

Could that be read as you could wear a real knife as a prop at Airsoft milsims ? Cant see that it would be necessary and I have my Cold Steel trainers, but just curious.

[Finius]

The Boar knives that you've found are nice. Good choice of handles.

 

I was interested to see that the law allows you to carry a knife if you do reenactments ?

 

Could that be read as you could wear a real knife as a prop at Airsoft milsims ? Cant see that it would be necessary and I have my Cold Steel trainers, but just curious.

 

I imagine it would only apply to period-specific knives in terms of re-enactment.

 

However, I would also say that knives do have a place as part of a toolkit for airsofters and thus, would be allowed under the law...Whether site owners see it that way is another matter (most that I know don't allow them into the safezone, let alone onto the field)

[Tariq]

http://www.coldsteel-uk.com/store/Folding-Knives.html

[Samurai]

This is what I have: http://www.victorinox.com/ch/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Category/Classic/Classic-Range-65-mm/Executive-81/0.6423

It's only 65mm long. I'll admit it's not very manly but it's vay more useful than a manly one.

[two_zero]

Generally if you want quality as well as a cheapo user, go for Victorinox. Tinker give you a real nice set of tool, and the plastic red are the least intimidating legal carry knives around, which is good if you get stopped by the police or generally while using them. If you want something a bit 'cooler' you can go with the alox series. The Pioneer series also have a bit more robust blade (love that blade), while the cadet is very skin and pretty much disappear in your pocket.

~as for the SD Classic / Executive. Excellent knives, if you find me without my SD Classic I am probably traveling by airplane or something. However, would not recommend to use them on cable ties.

 

if you want something really sturdy you can go with Svord Peasant (and just file away 1mm making it sub 3") or just get the mini version (2,5"). These are one of the few folding knives (locking blades included) that I trust to put thru heavier tasks. They are also very cheap. On the downside, the grind can be a bit uneven and sometimes they come without a tip. they are made from high carbon steel that rusts if not cared for properly. Some also say the tang going into the grip while open makes it not carry legal... It have not been proven in court, and tbh, I would not want to be the one that get tired for it.

Spyderco! Many swear by the UKPK... I dont. I think the spring is ridiculously weak making it pretty much useless. however mine is sent to repair, so will let Sal and they guys at Spyderco decide if it a lemon or not. other than that, I have never held another knife that achieved the perfection in design that UKPK has, locking or non locking. Native LTW is the only one that even comes near, but it lacks the deep carry wire clip.
as for the Grasshopper, it's an excellent knife, very pleasant blade shape also, feels nice to use. Kiwi seems really nice as well, thou it's been reports on spring failure.

Can always go for a non locking Leatherman. bit heavy and bulky but hey.

Enzo PK70 are suppose to be really good knives and they sure looks amazing!

 

Oh and the Boker Plus subcom 42 comes in a non locking version. Only ever owned the locking version. but it feels like you're holding a much bigger knife. A little masterpiece, no wonder it is so popular

Wouldn't touch Gerber Bear Grylls with a stick, but that's just me. and in all fairness, one of the most amazing knives I've had is a Gerber (thou it's damn ugly and a tad bit heavy).



oh, I see the Spyderco PITS folder have been released... better have a ton of money thou!


Edit:
Did not see the no swiss army knife part... thou I do not agree with your reasoning. even if you do not use the tools, the knife part beats most other knives on the market. in either case... considered Victorinox pocket pal or solo?

[Spatch]

Firstly I would check with your employer as most H&S compliant companies do not allow folding blades in any way, the HSE say it must be a 'safety blade' which are the covered type purely of plastic construction, most company insurance will not cover you in the event of any incident whilst using non HSE/company provided and compliant equipment bud

[two_zero]

oh what have we become....... thou as long as you dont wave it around openly, that wont hardly matter.

[Finius]

Firstly I would check with your employer as most H&S compliant companies do not allow folding blades in any way, the HSE say it must be a 'safety blade' which are the covered type purely of plastic construction, most company insurance will not cover you in the event of any incident whilst using non HSE/company provided and compliant equipment bud

Strangely, as a mostly-qualified lawyer, who advises lots of people on lots of law in my spare time, ive already checked this angle...

 

You raise a good point for anyone else looking into this though

[Happy]

oh what have we become....... thou as long as you dont wave it around openly, that wont hardly matter.

Or start throwing it when you're bored - never ends well

[TacMaster]

I love my little Gerber STL 2.5.

420HC Stainless steel construction with a black titanium finish. 2.6" fine edged drop point blade.

Light as 2 light things.

 

 

 

Other than that, I really like my original Leatherman PST. It's 13 years old and is spartan in features compared to the newer models like the Wave. Sadly it's discontinued, so I think you'd really like a Freestyle.

All it has is a clip point partly serrated fine edge knife and pliers with wire cutters built in.

 

[Finius]

Does the gerber sti lock? Looks lovely and is the right sort of thing but if its a locking blade its not pocket-legal

[TacMaster]

Does the gerber sti lock? Looks lovely and is the right sort of thing but if its a locking blade its not pocket-legal

 

Sadly it does- I think you can get them custom made without the lock. Might be a little more expensive than the standard RRP

[two_zero]

framelock:


42,5 gram, not bad

[two_zero]

if you want something tactical looking, Böker XS keeps getting good reviews and is not too expensive:

[TacMaster]

My favourite knife by far. Amazing for utility usage

[Caliber]

I don't why butterfly knives are illegal; they are less practical than any other knife out there, they are only good for showing off or for recreational purposes. It just folds in a different way that is less practical. The grip isn't that great either.

 

I remember playing with a butterfly knife in Malta last year, and I can kind of see why they're illegal. They're more practical than you'd think, didn't take me long to get the hang of opening it and having it comfortable from straight out of my pocket (Literally a split-second unsheathing). I read up on the legality of them, and apparently they're illegal mostly because of their intimidation factor (a load of bollocks if you ask me, that's like outlawing martial arts because showing it off could be intimidating).

 

As for on-topic, I've heard good things about Buck knives. I have a Buck locker myself and it's pretty good, comfortable in my hand, good blade, and has a little clip on it so I can carry it whenever lock knives are legal to carry. I'm guessing they do folders, but I'm not too sure. You could probably DIY a locker into being a folder though (Never tried nor read about that kind of DIY, so I'm not sure if it's even possible).

[two_zero]

 

I remember playing with a butterfly knife in Malta last year, and I can kind of see why they're illegal. They're more practical than you'd think, didn't take me long to get the hang of opening it and having it comfortable from straight out of my pocket (Literally a split-second unsheathing). I read up on the legality of them, and apparently they're illegal mostly because of their intimidation factor (a load of bollocks if you ask me, that's like outlawing martial arts because showing it off could be intimidating).

 

As for on-topic, I've heard good things about Buck knives. I have a Buck locker myself and it's pretty good, comfortable in my hand, good blade, and has a little clip on it so I can carry it whenever lock knives are legal to carry. I'm guessing they do folders, but I'm not too sure. You could probably DIY a locker into being a folder though (Never tried nor read about that kind of DIY, so I'm not sure if it's even possible).

there is no practical argument why balisongs should be illegal. I've been flipping a fair bit (in Sweden, with legally obtained knives) but I can still open a tactical folder at least as quickly as I can open a balisong. And with a Emerson hook or a fixed blade you don't even need to consider deployment.

 

it is a shame that balisongs are restricted, but it's not a great loss either.

[AK47frizzle]

 

I remember playing with a butterfly knife in Malta last year, and I can kind of see why they're illegal. They're more practical than you'd think, didn't take me long to get the hang of opening it and having it comfortable from straight out of my pocket (Literally a split-second unsheathing). I read up on the legality of them, and apparently they're illegal mostly because of their intimidation factor (a load of bollocks if you ask me, that's like outlawing martial arts because showing it off could be intimidating).

 

As for on-topic, I've heard good things about Buck knives. I have a Buck locker myself and it's pretty good, comfortable in my hand, good blade, and has a little clip on it so I can carry it whenever lock knives are legal to carry. I'm guessing they do folders, but I'm not too sure. You could probably DIY a locker into being a folder though (Never tried nor read about that kind of DIY, so I'm not sure if it's even possible).

Tbh the flipping and the tricks do seem intimidating but I'd rather have someone do that do me rather than come right up and stab me with a kitchen knife which is much more pratical and efficient. I mean, the fact that it is design to close up and be concealed in your pocket is not a sufficient reason; I could easily hide a small knife up my arm and whip it out when I want to. I used to be able to do loads of tricks with them (training version) but it just didn't seem that great at compared to kitchens knives at cutting and handling. A normal knife just grips better.

 

With a normal knife, no unsheathing involved, whip it out and stab a few people.

 

Buffterfly knife, take it out, do some fancy tricks to scare people, get punched in the face.