The Cutlery Shoppe

[Guest]

As I understand it, each state has its own particular laws when it come to carrying knives. Some states, like in Massachusetts where I live, does have some restrictions. No double bladed knives, no autos, no balisong (butterfly) knives. I also believe that there is a restriction on blade length as far as fixed blades go.

It's not so much whether something is legal or not, it's more on the individual officer that your dealing with.

A few years back my car broke down on a somewhat major road. I was able to coast into a housing complex. Literally withing 10 minutes a cop showed up. Seems that there had been some break ins in the area and he wanted to know what I was doing on the property I explained the situation and he was a pretty decent guy. Thing is, he searched my car, and I happen to have a knife blank on the backseat. I had taken an old kitchen knife and cut out a different shape, I was planning on building myself a nice little camp knife. Now this blank was pretty rough cut, and wasn't sharp at all, it didn't even have handles on it. He said he was going to have to confiscate it. Since I didn't want to get into an argument, I just let it slide.

Again, it all depends on who your dealing with.

Then you have the general public who can also be a little antsy when it comes to knives. To some folks it's "That fellow is carrying a knife." To others it's "Oh my god, he has a knife!"

It seems that, to some folks, a fixed blade is more like a weapon than a folding knife. I just wouldn't want the hassle of carrying around a fixed blade.

[Guest adamsclimber]

There is a tool that I've looked into and I would love to pick one up. It's called the Woodsmans Pal. It's a short blade machete that has a brush hook as well as a type of hatchet blade. Be great around the campsite for gathering wood or clearing paths or campsites.

My brother in law bought me one of those a few years ago and I really like it. Honestly it stays in the truck tool box and base camp 90% of the time, but it sure is handy to open up brush and to set shooting lanes.

And with a couple of young kids handy to run it they can recut the path to the latrine rather quickly with enthusiasm while us older fellers "stratagize" around the cooler and fire..it just seems to run itself

[Huntster]

A few years back my car broke down on a somewhat major road. I was able to coast into a housing complex. Literally withing 10 minutes a cop showed up. Seems that there had been some break ins in the area and he wanted to know what I was doing on the property I explained the situation and he was a pretty decent guy. Thing is, he searched my car, and I happen to have a knife blank on the backseat. I had taken an old kitchen knife and cut out a different shape, I was planning on building myself a nice little camp knife. Now this blank was pretty rough cut, and wasn't sharp at all, it didn't even have handles on it. He said he was going to have to confiscate it. Since I didn't want to get into an argument, I just let it slide.

Again, it all depends on who your dealing with.

Thanks for that. It reminds me of how wonderful life is in Alaska.

Heck, I don't even want to visit America anymore...........

[Guest]

As I understand it, each state has its own particular laws when it come to carrying knives. Some states, like in Massachusetts where I live, does have some restrictions. No double bladed knives, no autos, no balisong (butterfly) knives. I also believe that there is a restriction on blade length as far as fixed blades go.

It's not so much whether something is legal or not, it's more on the individual officer that your dealing with.

A few years back my car broke down on a somewhat major road. I was able to coast into a housing complex. Literally withing 10 minutes a cop showed up. Seems that there had been some break ins in the area and he wanted to know what I was doing on the property I explained the situation and he was a pretty decent guy. Thing is, he searched my car, and I happen to have a knife blank on the backseat. I had taken an old kitchen knife and cut out a different shape, I was planning on building myself a nice little camp knife. Now this blank was pretty rough cut, and wasn't sharp at all, it didn't even have handles on it. He said he was going to have to confiscate it. Since I didn't want to get into an argument, I just let it slide.

Again, it all depends on who your dealing with.

Then you have the general public who can also be a little antsy when it comes to knives. To some folks it's "That fellow is carrying a knife." To others it's "Oh my god, he has a knife!"

It seems that, to some folks, a fixed blade is more like a weapon than a folding knife. I just wouldn't want the hassle of carrying around a fixed blade.

Interesting, but unnerving story. I miss the good old days when no one questioned me carrying a folding knife to school and we brought our rifles and shotguns to school for hunter safety classes.

[MagniAesir]

ESEE knives are made from 1095 steel, right now I have their HEST model. The beauty of ESEE is that they have a lifetime no bs warranty on their knives that transfers with the knife if you sell it. The only thing they don't warranty is rust.

Tuff cloth or plain mineral oil can be put on a carbon steel blade to prevent rust. I like mineral oil because it is food safe, while something like olive oil can go rancid.

Busse kin knives like Scrap yard knife works or Swamp rat knife works are also excellent value knives with a no bs warranty.

Bark River also makes great knives.

DMT make some of the best sharpeners out their.

Great link on information on knife steel http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828

Edited November 17, 2010 by MagniAesir

[MagniAesir]

here ya go Robert

dav

Highly recommended by a number of knowledgeable people (I haven't used one)

[MagniAesir]

If you like neck knives or small fixed blades check out

ESEE Izula, Izula 2

Becker, Eskobar, becker necker

[Guest adamsclimber]

Heck we carried them most of the time til the do-gooders stepped in..I got called out of class led to my car and was asked by guys I'd known most my childhood about bloody boots a rifle and knife in my car.(Local cops following the new law)

I turned and looked at the V principal and said the equivilant of WTF(I was only 17ish still hadn't learned to use all the "power words" effectively.)

They asked why these things were in my car...duh dummies its deer season here, I gotta go to work at 15:00 so I went out at 04:00 and got one.

And why aren't you asking Joe schmoe that had a deer on his hood? He's been deer hunting...no he shot it at lunch on his way home for a sammich. Mines hung properly dressed in the garage right now.

By the way you see that the deer is strapped to the HOOD of an 85-86 Toyota PU and I'm driving an 71 Super Beetle...whose the damned fool....heard Mr.Morrissey(the VP) chuckling as I turned and left

[Guest]

If I have my pants on,there's a Benchmade 520 in the pocket. If I'm going in deep, I'll pack my Gerber BMF. I can get some jobs done with BMF twice as fast as the Benchmade. Plus,the Gerber's sheath can carry other things that come in handy. IMHO,you can do small jobs with a big knife,but a small knife takes up too much time and energy on a big task. And,AAA+++ for the Woodsmans Pal.

Edited November 18, 2010 by Gunz and Bunnies

[Guest]

Very good topic!

I am a knife kind of guy, having carried one or another quite literally every day since I was in kindergarten (back then schools didn't freak about boys with pocket knives). I wrote my agency's policy on patrol knives and wrote & teach my state's only certified course on carry & use of patrol knives for LE. My preferred patrol carry knife is a Columbia River Knife & Tool M16. If you see me in uniform, I have that knife on me.

The pride of the extensive inventory is a Randall Model 8 my wife had made for me. It has a burl maple handle and a custom Randall Made left handed shealth. I used this knife to gut & skin the first & so far only bull elk I've ever taken.

The #2 of my fixed blades is a 5" Hattori Medium Fighting Bowie that I had customized by Sunrize River Knives. I had the stacked washer handle replaced with black canvas micarta sanded to 320 grip & shaped to fit my hand, new spacers in our HS's colors, and had them make up a left hand high ride sheath. I think this custom job is still featured on their website. This is one great knife for hunting, work, and defense! This is a knife I have with either on a belt or in the pack, whenever I'm hunting big game.

My workhorse in fixed blades is a 7" Camillus K-Bar clone I got when I was in the army in 79'. That knife has been all over the world, both during military duty and hunting and held up to every task I could come up with. I refinished the handle about 8 years ago, and it's ready for another lifetime of hard work. This knife is on my desk as I write this.

I have a fondness for big folding hunters for every day carry, as I like the bigger handle & blade for both work & defense. If I'm being discrete my civvie-carry knife is a CRKT Cruiser, if not I prefer belt sheath carried lock back folders like a Gerber Gator, or my all time favorite, the ever reliable Buck 110. I have a gorgeous custom LH sheath for my 110. I carry the Buck a lot.

I bought a Gerber Gator clip point as soon as they came out. That one went straight to my deer hunting pack where it has been for what has to be getting onto 20 years now. God alone knows how many deer & goats it has gutting & skinned. They made a limited run of them with blaze orange grips and it has been my eternal regret I didn't snag one when I had the chance.

Edited November 25, 2010 by NDT