Anybody carry a folding knife open?

No statewide size limit, But there are county, and city ordinances though. I used to work in a town that had a 2" blade length limit. I asked a city cop about this, even my swiss army knife wasn`t legal, And he told me it was just a tool for them to use. He said that if I were pulled over, I probably wouldn`t be hassled since I was working and not a trouble maker.
 
Harayasu said:
Okay, an opened folding knife is still a folding knife, but would carrying a folding knife open and locked be different than a fixed blade knife from the point of view of a LEO? Just wondering.

I never carry a folding knife opened.
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There have been cases where because the knife was carried in the "Fixed, open position" it was ruled a fixed blade. I would ask a local cop or DAs office before thinking this is a legit loop hole. I wish I could remember the specifics on the case I'm thinking of.

I did carry my A100 in a leather sheath I had made for another knife, when the other knife got too dull and I'd put it in my car. Worked well enough in the cold wet conditions I was working in, so usefulness wise I see the point of it, but legally its worth a phone call if your state has different lengths or concealment laws for fixed and folders. CT does not distinguish between folding or fixed, and doesn't mention concealment at all, so it was completely legal for me to do that, plus there aren't many cops out on the river in april if it weren't. ;)
 
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Planterz said:
Why?:confused:
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Here's one possible reason. Spyderco makes some really nice serrated folders in H1--folders that, when open, make for good emergency knives. I've seen where some folks into rafting/kayaking have had sheaths made to fit these knives in an open position.
 
Also, if it's rather cold and you have heavy gloves on complicating opening & closing. Or you are doing really messy work where the inside of the handle/lock is going to get gunked up & you'd rather not stick the folder back in your pocket because of the dirt/grime on it. Pretty easy to rinse out a kydex sheath with a drain hole.
 
Folderguy said:
Carrying a fixed blade may not be possible, for different reasons.
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I do not see how carrying a folding knife already deployed would look in the eyes of the law or anyone else. Sounds to me like that would be a 1 way ticket to jail or at least an arrest. All it takes is 1 person to say, "Yes officer, that man over there was waving his knife around in a threatening manner and I was afraid for my life". Aside from that, it's just ridiculous and seems like something in the realm of mall ninjitsu.
 
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Poez said:
Drawing folders with one-hand opening is fast and easy. Any andvantages of carry that forlde in open position is simply not worth the inconvenience. What is the point? Are we living in a movie?
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In combatives courses, you would be amazed at how many "fast" folders fail to deploy fully, or get dropped.
Fixed is always best, if you can carry them.

I love Opinel's design. I often thought of a sheath for an open Opinel. Hell, as cheap as they are, you could lock it open, and pin the lock ring "permanently". Glue it, seal the wood, etc.
 
The Gerber Parabellum came with a convertible sheath and could be carried open or closed. While it was a folder the parabellum was really too big to be carried in a pocket.

Grizz
 
manowar669 said:
In combatives courses, you would be amazed at how many "fast" folders fail to deploy fully, or get dropped.
Fixed is always best, if you can carry them.
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Wont ever waste my time and money on that...
Why anybody living here and now would select a knife as their self-defence weapon of choice is an absolute mystery for me...
I knew that thread would lead us into knife self-defence swamp. ;)
 
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Nope - that means belt carry and if that's the case I'd rather carry one of my smaller fixed blades.

I've only seen a few larger folders designed for fixed blade carry - like others said the Pohl Force, and the Extrema Ratio RAO. Both beasts.
 
Poez said:
Wont ever waste my time and money on that...
Why anybody living here and now would select a knife as their self-defence weapon of choice is an absolute mystery for me...
I knew that thread would lead us into knife self-defence swamp. ;)
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Interesting.

I wanted to know about a POU or philosophy of use to make things easier and you seem to want to make this into a self defense issue. And since you "knew" this, it's now become a self-fulfilling prophecy for you. Since you call it a swamp, I suppose you've willingly chosen to get mucked up in a swamp.

Not my favorite place to be.

It's always amusing to see how some "jump the gun" on this stuff.
 
Poez said:
Wont ever waste my time and money on that...
Why anybody living here and now would select a knife as their self-defence weapon of choice is an absolute mystery for me...
I knew that thread would lead us into knife self-defence swamp. ;)
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I agree. A knife is a poor SD choice. Hell, I carry a Vic Alox Soldier, definitely not a weapon there. I have attended courses as a guest, I would'nt pay for one. The only reason I posted what I did was because of the post that said a folder was as fast and reliable as a fixed blade, and it isn't.
 
manowar669 said:
...The only reason I posted what I did was because of the post that said a folder was as fast and reliable as a fixed blade, and it isn't.
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Sorry, but my post did not say that. I only ment that:
Poez said:
Drawing folders with one-hand opening is fast and easy. Any andvantages of carry that folder in open position is simply not worth the inconvenience. What is the point? Are we living in a movie?
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I did not even challenge that there could be some advantages... I mostly ment that the chances were slim and advantages not that gross - so why to do it every day year after year...
And there must be better ways - absolutely agree with you. ;)
But that is OK - next time I will try to put it more clearly. And I certainly do not want to go into arguments about the best ways to harm anybody... :D
 
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Ok, some time has gone by since the last post in this thread, and I thought it might be worthwhile to recap a bit, and offer a few reflections. I've copied below some of the more salient reasons why someone might want to carry a folder open in a sheath. Besides the practical advantages listed below, there is another one, which is that it is still a folder and can be folded up and carried normally. Try that with a fixed blade!! LOL BTW, I have some cool fixed blades that rarely get out, unless I'm headed out hunting or something like that.

So, in no special order, here are some helpful ideas:

Usefulnesswise.jpg



Messy.jpg



Emergencyknives.jpg



Arthritis.jpg



And now, for a brief response to two posts:

Selfdefenseswamp.jpg


Where did the idea come from that this was to be used for a self-defense purpose, or that it would be the primary use of the knife, or a supposed weapon of choice? Whoever is thinking like that may be in for a lot of trouble.


Poezlast.jpg


And what's this about doing it every day year after year?? I really don't get that one.

Also, what's this drivel about wanting to harm somebody? It sounds like you're angling for some controversy here.
 
I'm way late to this party but the varying regional legislations are going to be a huge factor here. NC state law clearly states the pocket knife must be carried in the closed position to be exempt.
 
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