Carrying a knife

but makes those with potentially malevolent intent either think twice, or guilty before they pull it out and brandish it.

The rising incidents of knife related crime would beg to differ.

I am sure I have recounted this story on here before.

I was once strolling through tweed green and noticed a man with two kids maybe a 12year old daughter and 9 year old son. The daughter was looking a little pissed off, the dad a little bit anxious, the boy grinning from ear to ear. I asked if everything was okay and the dad pointed at his daughter's wrists. Which were ziptied together and by the looks of things the son had really yanked them hard.

I was swiftly able to save the day. I whipped out my trusty rambler, and using the tiny joke of a blade sliced though the offending ziptied.... Nah, used the scissors. The blade is for eating apples like a hard man.

Anyway I do carry a swiss army knife most of the time, mostly the very small rambler but on a walk I have a huntsman because I whittle the odd thing and also it has a saw for when the opportunity arises I can produce a good stick.

squeezy cheese.

there's 14 ways to kill with a tube of that (if we count heart attack as one)

A mate of my brother used to be heavily into kung fu, maybe still is - competitions and exhibitions all over the UK.  Ages ago, he and a mate got random-stopped driving home in the middle of the night (used to be quite a thing on the A19).  I can't remember how it happened but the copper ended up looking in the boot, where there was a lovely selection of knives, swords, a trident, those clicky-clacky things on chains 'n' shit.  Luckily some fresh medals and their fancy-dress outfits too 🐱‍👤

winston

I used to cycle from Saltdean to Uckfield, lovely commute - though all my colleagues thought I was crazy. So did I sometimes in winter.
I used to work at the secondary school in Uckfield. cycling home late after a parents evening or performing arts event was something special.

I stopped cycling when I moved to Brighton - that was a route I didn't enjoy.

I used to own one of these original Italian stilettos. Sold it a long time ago to a collector. Bought it off a Chinese chef I was working with at the time. Crocodile type of handle if it remember, but not sure but it was some sort of unusual handle i can remember that. But not the plain black.

And I might have one of this style called a 'lever lock' though if I remember the top 1/2" is snapped off. No idea where the 2nd one is, possibly somewhere in the parents house.

Both are switchblades, the lever lock one spring operated by a simple piece of bent metal in thee holder slot, which you could fold out and bend it a bit more or straighten it, to strengthen or lessen the spring effect of how fast it opened.

I used to cycle from Saltdean to Uckfield, lovely commute – though all my colleagues thought I was crazy. So did I sometimes in winter.

Did you stop with a warm, freshly buttered croissant hand rolled in thighs of a virgin whilst wistfully looking at the view knowing you’d found a good use for you opinel?

Conversely to many on here, I'm surprised how many people never find a job to do that is easier with a small edge to hand. Or maybe I'm not, they just come and ask me to do it. Perhaps it depends if you're a "handy" sort of person or not?

Are attitudes being sculpted by the fear pushed via mass media? Are people just getting more and more used to everything being served up in some sort of "convenience" form? Prefer to go and buy a solution, or do without, rather than work with what's in front of them?

I find it slightly sad that so many folks on here seem to think there's anything odd about having a penknife with you most of the time; and worse that many are being, frankly, insulting about the "type" of person they think does - as if it is covering some flaw in their personality; a crutch for their masculinity; a show of their "power". It may be those things in the case of huge zombie knives; in the case of legal penknives though, it's more a small sign, a quiet declaration perhaps at most, of competence.

In my RH trouser pocket, you will pretty much always find a hankie, a Lipsyl, nail clippers... and a pen knife. Sub 3", non-locking. Since childhood. I currently like friction folders, they can be designed to be safe in use without breaking the law. I have, um, many penknives; I like the sheer variety of designs that end up doing the same job. I have just one locking folder for camping, a Leatherman which stays at home, and also a Topeak Alien with locking blade in my saddlebag (so there will always be reason to have that when it's with me).

I am a very normal, boring, person. I have a family hatchback, not an SUV. I have a professional medical job. I am a Scout Leader (which may, or may not, have any bearing on knife use). I cycle. When you're looking about for a knife, I will be handing you one. Carefully - it's sharp. I can also help with broken nails, but you probably wouldn't want my hankie, and I draw the line at sharing my Lipsyl.

I will also be very likely to have a torch to hand as well, but that's somehow got less "odd" since everyone has a mobile with an LED on the back.

those clicky-clacky things on chains ‘n’ shit

Deeply bobbers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deely_bobber

or Clackers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clackers

Did you stop with a warm, freshly buttered croissant

Yes, sometimes I did stop at one of the many beautiful points. And I did enjoy a coffee from my flask, along with a variety of treats. It's quite an adventurous commute.
... and yes, at the time I used to carry a leatherman in my tool kit
... and yes, sometimes the knife came in handy.

I can’t remember how it happened but the copper ended up looking in the boot, where there was a lovely selection of knives, swords, a trident, those clicky-clacky things on chains ‘n’ shit

I got asked once by a cop what I had in my bag.
I had to resist the urge to say "swords. Why?" and instead go for "fencing sabres".
He thanked me and walked back to his mate in the car which was behind me at the lights.
I was on a scooter and the bag was an odd shape somewhat between a gunbag and a guitar case. I think they had been debating what it was for the last couple of miles they were behind me and took the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity.

Operation Blade was a huge success in Scotland but it meant we saw a lot of people who were convicted of carrying a knife, the assumption was also custody got a while. It was national policy and police and crown office didn’t have much wiggle room. While I never experienced any workmen I did meet guys who had it in their “fishing jacket “ etc

I don’t know the position in England but given the news I certainly wouldn’t risk carrying a knife.

Conversely to many on here, I’m surprised how many people never find a job to do that is easier with a small edge to hand. Or maybe I’m not, they just come and ask me to do it. Perhaps it depends if you’re a “handy” sort of person or not?

I don’t carry or use a knife daily and can honestly state I’ve never had to rely on anyone else that does carry one to do something for me. Mainly because I’m quite handy! I genuinely can’t think of a situation where a man with a knife would’ve ever come in handy for me. This is a classic STW thread.

but makes those with potentially malevolent intent either think twice, or guilty before they pull it out and brandish it.

Does it? In which case why is knife crime on an ever upward trajectory despite these laws?  Based on the statistics, the laws are an abject failure. They are completely ignored by those they are aimed at and serve only to inconvenience the law abiding.

"knife crime increased by 90% between 2012/13 and 2019/20 in England and Wales. And, though it fell in 2020/21 due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, it has since increased in 2021/22 and 2022/23, and is now 75% higher than in 2012/13".

Have my Civivi with me today. Sometimes it'll be a SAK Farmer, sometimes a Leatherman, sometimes I'll have nothing.

Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't. Always annoying when you want one and haven't got it, when normally you would have

Legal carry

All of my keys have some variety of Victorinox knife on them and have done since I was 10y old.  The only time they’re off the keys is when I fly.

Yeah I’m really struggling to think daily when I’d need a knife always in my pocket. No fear of them, I from farming stock and also a keen blood sport enthusiast at one time. The knife came in handy then as well it was carried for a purpose.

Can’t say I’ve ever carried lip balm.

Have my Civivi with me today. Sometimes it’ll be a SAK Farmer, sometimes a Leatherman, sometimes I’ll have nothing

Totally OT but your thumb looks ****ing massive!

Totally OT but your thumb looks **** massive!

🤣 Completely normal double jointed thumb 👍

(Hotel room btw)

Don’t use the kettle.

Mine have been used for all sorts of things from belt repair, to cutting out wood slivers (buried too deep for tweezers or pushing/sucking) , pencil sharpening to rope cutting (fishing net wrapped around a porpoise) fruit peeling to euthanising a poor fox that had half the inside of its head hanging out.  And of course, stubborn clothing tags and wine bottle opening.

I once had to bury one in Battery Park as they wouldn’t let me visit the Statue of Liberty with it on my person and wanted to bin it.  I collected it a few hours later.

@johnx2 >

can we do mouse mats now? What is the useful function served by a mouse mat?

1) It's a throwback to when mice had balls (careful now) and a textured surface was important.

2) It protects the desk. Genuinely, I've just started using a mouse mat because my three year old desk has a bald patch.

3) People will buy them.

Have a set of folding scissors/belt cutter in the central compartment of the car in case of emergency.

In the history of ever, has anyone found themselves having to cut their way out of a car?

if you’ll all just stop posting on this thread about how you would all live my life differently!

(I’ve just found a small Wenger folding knife in my desk draw. It also has a corkscrew and a bottle opener so if I turn into an alcoholic I’m blaming STW)

Drawer.

Am I reading this correctly. There are people who carry knives and butter/spread around with them? I’d arrest someone for that combo any day.

I genuinely laughed out loud at this. "Excuse me sir, but you appear to have an illegal knife on your person." - "Yes, but have you considered..." produces half a pound of Lurpak.

It’s a daft bit of legislation and the stats tell the story that it obviously isn’t working. I’m 50, have a shotgun certificate but in the eyes of the law can’t be trusted to walk up the road with a small lock knife in my pocket. It’s barmy. There’s a shop in the village here that even sells Bowie knives and crossbows.  My truck often contains a fixed mora knife and usually an axe or two and a brush hook or similar. Maybe some chisels in there and some silky saws and even a chainsaw sometimes. Sometimes I’m driving my truck in the woods but sometimes I might go to the shops in it, I would rarely clear it all out. What’s the difference in that or going to the same shop in my camper a that has a kitchen drawer full of knives etc? Worrying about all this stuff isn’t helping those kids that are murdering each other as someone said earlier. It’s a complete red herring and has been put in place to paper over a massive societal crack just to say something has been done. It’s nuts but symptomatic of the society we live in and the politics that we see as normal.

I’m surprised how many people never find a job to do that is easier with a small edge to hand

Username checks out.

🤣 Completely normal double jointed thumb 👍

Curious. I've just checked, my thumbs are almost identical and I've never considered them unusual. It looks like you need to cut down on smoking though.

It’s a complete red herring and has been put in place to paper over a massive societal crack just to say something has been done.

Of course it is. Banning knives doesn't stop yoots from carrying knives, it just empowers the police to charge them for it. A knife ban which was actually effective would just mean they'd all carry screwdrivers instead.

It’s nuts but symptomatic of the society we live in and the politics that we see as normal.

I'm less convinced over the "society of today" argument. That's just an old man shouting at clouds. We've had antisocial thugs for as long as we've had people, it's not a modern-day phenomenon.

It’s a daft bit of legislation and the stats tell the story that it obviously isn’t working. I’m 50, have a shotgun certificate but in the eyes of the law can’t be trusted to walk up the road with a small lock knife in my pocket

You can walk with a knife in your pocket if you have justification for it, spearing Kerry Gold wouldn’t be one. Having a shotgun licence is irrelevant, you surely know the strict conditions for having one?

I had one for about 10 years. Didn’t renew it when the kids came along. As I currently stands I’d unlikely get it renewed just now. I can however buy a knife.

have a shotgun certificate but in the eyes of the law can’t be trusted to walk up the road with a small lock knife in my pocket.

If you have a valid reason to carry the knife you can. Not dissimilar to the shotgun really.
If you are going shooting game then having the shotgun and knife would be fine.
However the police finding either on you in a city centre pub ten minutes before closing would not go down so well.

Anyone carrying a locking knife as a matter of course safe in the knowledge that they’re sufficiently white and cuddly that you’ll  never be stopped and searched and if they are, the jolly nice policeman will easily be able to identify them as a jolly fine chap and send them on their way - consider this

If the nice officer treats you differently because you’re white and wearing a fleece and you’re not black with a north face jacket, it might look like he’s a teensy weensy bit racist. Police officers hate being caught being racist. Get stopped with a locking knife without an excuse beyond “they’re might be cheese” and you can be certain you’re having a day in court. And it will ruin your day

you may not like that, but the law doesn’t much care what you think of it.

(White cuddly man, old enough to fondly remember whittling sticks in the woods but now largely happy to live in the real world)

I am surprised how much concern there is over carrying a small knife. I have had a Leatherman CS1 on my keychain for 10+ years and find a use for it probably twice a week. It has a non-locking 4cm blade a small screwdriver and some fairly useless scissors.

The most common use is opening packaging but it have used it to do things like create a tyre boot from an punctured inner tube.

I also have a Gerber Dime which lives in my laptop bag. It has pliers, scissors, a box cutter and a 3.5cm blade. Not as good quality as a Leatherman but the pliers are useful and it has a bottle opener :).

Do people really never need to use a knife? - how do you open boxes, remove tags etc?

Do people really never need to use a knife? – how do you open boxes, remove tags etc?

I rarely come across random packages in the street that I'd want to open.

If I'm at home, I just get whichever sharpish instrument happens to be closest. It's a lot less overall effort to go fetch a knife when I need one than carry one 24/7 on the off-chance I need to open a box.

I also(this is no doubt not a surprise now to many here) have a victorinox signature small penknife that lives in my wallet, along with a small Trend flat fine diamond sharpening thingy.

Thats lived in there since the early 90's, and has a little nail file/screwdriver,tweezers,toothpick,scissors(long blunted) and small blade- blade is 1 1/2" long.

I think this is more acceptable to stw as its one of the limited edition ones and has a mountainbike on it 🙂

You can get fined for not carrying one here (not really, though all garden/hardware stores sell massive machetes and various locking knives). Fines are massive for carrying in public, but no responsible adult would be searched without reason.

Agree about the EDC lot. It’s definitely got a lot of crossover with gun rights, sovereign citizens and pseudomilitary LARPers.
Bit harsh. 😂

Also bloody stupid. As is this:

Going shanked in case you need to slice an apple? Who on earth needs to slice apples at work? Or tomatoes. Don’t say chefs. I find biting does the job.

Shanked? Seriously? Did you grow up in the prison system, or does using an inflammatory term like that make you feel in some way more self important?

UK knife law is ridiculous. It only affects the law abiding, it dumbs down and infantilises us, it slowly and surely erodes a small aspect of personal freedom and it does nothing – absolutely nothing to stop knife crime. It’s enacted by cynical politicians to appease the pearl clutchers and red tops knowing fine well that the scrotes it’s aimed at will completely ignore it.  Tackling the deprivation, inequality, poverty and other social issues which cause violent crime is far harder, so better to enact another meaningless piece of legislation to be seen to be doing something. The extra controls on lock knives are particular stupid, as a locking knife blade is a safety feature designed to prevent injury.

Now that shows proper, clear thinking - the sort of crimes carried out in recent months where youngsters have been murdered by some other teenager, in a couple of cases as young as fourteen, are nearly always premeditated, and the weapons are almost always a kitchen knife stolen from the family kitchen, or shoplifted from a local hardware store, or else something like a screwdriver, which is in someways more dangerous, because a flat-bladed screwdriver can punch through pretty thick materials, is safer to carry concealed, and easier to dispose of.
And as above, if someone is intent on carrying an illegal weapon for illegal purposes, then clearly they aren’t going to give a shit about whether what they’re doing is illegal, are they?

To the sanctimonious pearl-clutchers on here, try some actual joined-up thinking before finger-wagging at anyone who dares to say they carry a pocket knife with them.
I actually used to take a little two-blade Wilkinson Sword pocket knife to school, I used it to sharpen my pencils in art and technical drawing, because the sharpeners in the classroom used to keep snapping the points off - I could get a nice fine point on a pencil to do fine construction lines with, and also quite easily shove it into someone’s neck or eye!

The only time I don’t have a knife with me is if I’m going into a music venue that’s likely to have detecting equipment set up, like O2 venues, in which case it gets left behind. I actually had one of my Opinel knives in my bag today, but normally I only have my Heinnie CRKT Pilar, which is specifically made for Heinnie by CRKT as a U.K. legal carry - their U.K. legal carry versions of locking knives have  dark red handle scales to identify them.
This one I used to carry much of the time, but I stopped just in case I lost it; it has too much family history to risk losing it - it’s owner was carrying it when he was killed at Arras in WW1

This is my Pilar, a beautiful little knife, very simple, no back spring, just strong friction on the blade to help prevent it swinging closed on your fingers, and a deep choil at the base of the blade that stops the blade closing on your fingers while actually being used.

I was using it today for cutting back some brambles that were starting to grow out across a stile onto a path, but there isn’t a day goes by without me using it for something; often stupidly thick plastic packaging that teeth or fingernails can’t possibly break through.
It gets used for trimming dead or damaged branches or stems on plants as well.

Most people need to carry a knife on a day to day basis in the same way they need to own an SUV. The motivation behind it is pretty similar.

Bollocks. Yet more stupid hyperbole. *rolls eyes*.

All those carrying a knife most days, what do you use it for? Do you eat an apple with cheese like my long gone grandad did?  Do you do knot tying demos to the descendants of the Famous 5?

All the things that my teeth and fingernails can’t do.

Next!

It’s a shame you can’t get tins with ring pulls.

Drac, there are plenty of tins that don’t have ringpulls; I have several tin-openers that just will not open modern cans because of the way the rim is constructed - I have s couple of those little keyring openers, they are extraordinarily good at opening pretty much any can you can get.

defbladeFree Member
Conversely to many on here, I’m surprised how many people never find a job to do that is easier with a small edge to hand. Or maybe I’m not, they just come and ask me to do it. Perhaps it depends if you’re a “handy” sort of person or not?

Are attitudes being sculpted by the fear pushed via mass media? Are people just getting more and more used to everything being served up in some sort of “convenience” form? Prefer to go and buy a solution, or do without, rather than work with what’s in front of them?

I find it slightly sad that so many folks on here seem to think there’s anything odd about having a penknife with you most of the time; and worse that many are being, frankly, insulting about the “type” of person they think does – as if it is covering some flaw in their personality; a crutch for their masculinity; a show of their “power”. It may be those things in the case of huge zombie knives; in the case of legal penknives though, it’s more a small sign, a quiet declaration perhaps at most, of competence.

In my RH trouser pocket, you will pretty much always find a hankie, a Lipsyl, nail clippers… and a pen knife. Sub 3″, non-locking. Since childhood. I currently like friction folders, they can be designed to be safe in use without breaking the law. I have, um, many penknives; I like the sheer variety of designs that end up doing the same job. I have just one locking folder for camping, a Leatherman which stays at home, and also a Topeak Alien with locking blade in my saddlebag (so there will always be reason to have that when it’s with me).

I am a very normal, boring, person. I have a family hatchback, not an SUV. I have a professional medical job. I am a Scout Leader (which may, or may not, have any bearing on knife use). I cycle. When you’re looking about for a knife, I will be handing you one. Carefully – it’s sharp. I can also help with broken nails, but you probably wouldn’t want my hankie, and I draw the line at sharing my Lipsyl.

I will also be very likely to have a torch to hand as well, but that’s somehow got less “odd” since everyone has a mobile with an LED on the back.

Exactly my thoughts, sir! I am a descendent of a very, very, very long line of sapient hominid tool-users, and among the very earliest of those tools, carefully worked from hard stone or volcanic glass, were knife blades. Those toolmakers were Homo Neanderthals as well as Homo Sapiens, and those tools go back at least 100,000 years. Knife blades and hand axes are the two most common tools found wherever signs of human or human-adjacent existence is found.

Ask yourselves, why is that, exactly? It wouldn’t be because a sharp blade is an extraordinarily adaptable tool, would it?

Which is why I’ve carried a knife practically every day for most of my close-on 70 years.
I don’t carry a SAK, because the design makes it all too easy to have the blade fold shut across the back of my fingers, which has happened a number of times, cue much cursing, copious amounts of blood and time wasted finding something to stop said bleeding. That can’t happen with my Pilar.
I do have a Gerber multitool, in case I might need a saw, or a pair of pliers, but I can absolutely guarantee that my Gerber gets used maybe once every few months, the Pilar, or an Opinel, several times a day.

This thread is hard work

Want to carry a knife with you of varied and non-specific reasons?  Cutting fruit, freeing small children from zipties, escaping burning cars?  Thats cool - you are 100% within your rights to do so - no need to waffle on about the decline of society, wokeness or the nanny-state..... you are not being oppressed. It just needs to be the size of a normal penknife (ie: less than 3") and not have a locking blade.  SAK or anything similar is more than sufficient for that kind of manley behavior.

Want to carry a knife bigger than that, or with a locking blade?  Fine, you can do that - you just need to have a good reason for it.  What a "good reason" is will be decided by the policeman who finds it on your person.  The law is specifically written to allow for the application of judgement - which is a good thing, but it's not your judgement, it the judgement of somebody else - hence good advice would be to ask yourself whether a normal penknife is sufficient  rather than a large/locking blade.  Opinels seem to be a particular bone of contention as people seem to regard them as "old timey penknives" whereas they fall into the locking category, even if tiny with a rounded tip.

The law is specifically written in a way to allow whining old farts like us to continue to carry around our penknife for varied, non-specific purposes, whilst allowing to police to arrest somebody carrying a 5" sabatier tucked into their waistband down the local park, even if they claim to use it to slice tomatoes for their midnight sandwich.

Batfink has it.

Countzero is miles off.

I have s couple of those little keyring openers, they are extraordinarily good at opening pretty much any can you can get.

They are. One less reason to carry a knife but I also don’t carry tins around with me in the outdoors. If I did I’d probably just get one of the many with a ring pull.

Do people really never need to use a knife? – how do you open boxes, remove tags etc?

I use my hands for both those things. Snap tags and, wait for it, take the tape off the package or use the handy pull tab a lot of them tend to have. I know, crazy! On the rare occasion I can’t remove a tag by hand I’ll use scissors. Unless you’re lost in the wilderness you probably don’t need a knife. Wanting one is fine, needing one just comes across as odd.

Using a well made, nicely designed, sharp knife is a pleasure. Yes they may be unnecessary, but so are expensive watches, pens or cars. This thread has reminded me that I haven't bought one for a little while so I'm going to have to remedy that.

Do people really never need to use a knife? – how do you open boxes, remove tags etc?

Exactly, I carry mine so I can swiftly kill dogs I meet on trails . The little saw on it also allows me to dismember the corpses (and those of their owners too). You couldn’t do that with your liberal, woke, snowflake scissors.
I'll give you my penknife when you pry it from my cold, dead hands (or a nice policeman takes it off me).

Good work there Batfink.

Shanked? Seriously? Did you grow up in the prison system

Er no. Not seriously, a joke. Possibly not that funny middle aged guy gansta talk that made my kids laugh when they were at home. I didn't bang off, I just brandished it; saw a bad man doing gymnastics; your whole crew they was jumping ship... Kind of thing . Anyway...

I am surprised how much concern there is over carrying a small knife.

I don't think I've seen concern - other than warnings not to get caught. Have to say I was only very vaguely aware there were rules about flick knives etc, whilst having what I'd call a normal amount of knives/tools at home.

I'm just slightly amused by the the amount of shite some folks put in their pockets in the morning. I guess that's being (going?) pepared... Alright a smiley this time 😁

Also, this thread has gone a long way without posh chef's knives coming up. Come on stw!

Putting aside for a minute whether or not anyone ever has a legit use for a knife. I am surprised that everyone is so accepting, welcoming even, of bad law that they acknowledge doesn't work.

If UK knife law has only succeeded in creating angst on a cycling forum and failed to stop a huge increase in knife crime, what is the point of it?

The point of it is to make it possible to arrest someone if they find them with an inappropriate knife.  In this way it works.

What knife for middle-aged office worker who didn't realise he needed one?

This has reminded me to look for a mini multi tool with pliers for stubborn presta valves that keep sticking. But it hasn't convinced me that I need a switchblade in my pocket at all times.