Axis Lock == Gravity Knife?

mr44

mr44

Joined
Dec 16, 1999
Messages
383

Or so it seems according to Kanadian Kustoms...

My local dealer was expecting a shipment of BM 730s this week, and since I had the day off I planned on going up there and gettin' me one! Well, I got on the phone and it seems that the 730, as well as all the other Benchmade Axis lock models in the shipment were not allowed into the country this time around. They are apparently meet the criteria of "gravity knives," and although I'm not happy about it, I do have to agree that they open way too easily for my legal comfort.

The tiny 705 that they did have in stock opened almost all the way when I simply released the lock with the closed blade facing the floor, and gave it a little "bounce" with my hand. A full-size, heavier bladed model would be child's play to flick open with hardly any effort at all. I figured I'd post this as a heads-up Canadians, and to other forumites who live in areas where "gravity knives" are verboten...

Oh well... The law truly is an ass. I can still "draw and fire" a tip-down Spyderco faster than any so-called "gravity" or "flick" knife, any day... :-)
 
We are fortunate in the Golden State to have recent litigation regarding “opening devises”, like the thumb stud, to leave an “out” for knives like the Benchmade Axis Series. Sorry to hear about the recent difficulties, maybe the next batch…?

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA
 
Yeah.. Maybe next batch will get through after they reconsider. I know that this happened with the Kershaw Ken Onion models. When they first came out, Customs said "nope, these are automatic knives," but upon actually reading the Criminal Code it was determined that they are ok to enter. I personally wouldn't carry one though. I just know that a cop would probably threaten a prohibited weapon charge, and then offer to let me off if he could "confiscate the knife so that it can be destroyed..." Yeah right.

Now if only my dealer gets in some of the better Onion models beside the 440A-bladed Black Out (Why? why? why? This knife is far too cool to have such crap steel!) I'll probably get one.
 
I agree about the Kershaw/Onion models. The Mini-Task has just about reached the top of my list, but I am concerned about the legality. The new Boa might be an even bigger problem, as it has an assisted opening devise that could be easily taken as a button.

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA
 
For anyone (like me) who lives in a state where 'gravity knives' are illegal, simply tightening up the pivot of an axis lock makes it not swing out easily. That way if you get stopped by the police, the knife will not drop open.

Has this actually helped anyone out (I've never been questioned about my knives, except by rent-a-cops)?

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
[preaching to the choir]
I still can't understand why the authorities anywhere would care how you open your pocket knife, as long as you don't cut anybody after you open it.
[/preaching to the choir]

A gravity knife is a knife that drops when you let go of it.
rolleyes.gif



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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
mr44,

Man, keep your voice down!
smile.gif


I have one of these on the way to Australia, the last thing I need is some Customs officer adding it to his collection
wink.gif


Though they let in my 18in HI AK Khukuri after it was inspected.


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“Now that I’ve had my say, however, you may be wondering - don’t I sometimes get called a Nazi? Yes, name-calling, in which conservatives such as myself are so loath to indulge, is a favourite tactic of the liberals. I have often been called a Nazi, and although it is unfair, I don’t let it bother me. I don’t let it bother me for one simple reason. No one has ever had a fantasy about being tied to a bed and sexually ravished by someone dressed as a liberal.” P.J. O’Rourke – ‘Give war a chance’
 
Ash, you shouldn't have any problems getting a BM730 into Oz.

As far as Customs go, it doesn't fall into any of the categories for Schedule 2 restricted goods. If you do have any problem, let me know. I can quote chapter and verse of the Customs regs on knives.

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"..it is foolishness and endless trouble to cast a
stone at every dog that barks at you.."
 
Trevor,

Thanks, I'm not to worried, but you know how things are in this country now. Even a suggestion of it being a grevity knife would get it impounded.

Ash
 
I home that that local store is not S&R cause i was planing on going in in the next 2 weeks and buying one to replace the 875 sentinal i lost

bayden
 
If you tighten the pivot pin down on the BM Axis Lock Models, this should take care of the legal concerns..
 
mr44,
This is a little off topic, but it refers to your comments about the Blackout and the "crap steel".
If I remember correctly, the Blackout has a TiNi coated blade.
I took a SOG Autoclip that is TiNi coated 440A steel and I greatly enhanced the edge retention by grinding the edge down to where there is nothing showing but the TiNi coating and then grinding only the right side of the blade at a 20 degree angle. This left the left side of the blade with the TiNi coating all the way down to the edge. I then stropped the resulting burr off the edge and was left with a razor sharp blade.
I did a rope cutting test before the modification and the out-of-box razor sharp edge sliced about 40 pieces of manila rope before it started to go dull.
After modifying the blade I went back and cut more manila rope and got about 150 cuts and had to quit because I was too tired to continue and the blade was slowing up a bit. It still shaved hair and was probably good for a couple of dozen more cuts but I'd had enough and stopped at that point.
My point is if you like the blade and don't like the steel, this particular model can be made to perform with a little effort.
As soon as I get back to work, (I'm off right now with a pair of herniated disc's in my neck and awaiting surgery), I'll be getting a Blackout and perform this same modification on it as I really like that SpeedSafe mechanism and I know this mod will greatly enhance the edge holding of the 440A.


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My new bumper sticker:

Let me tell you about my SIFU!

[This message has been edited by misque (edited 03-26-2000).]
 
pyro1 - Sorry dude. S & R is indeed my "local" (60min by subway and bus ;-( dealer.)
They had one BT2 720 plain edge and a couple of 705s in stock as of Friday evening, and they basically said "If you want an Axis lock, get one now."

Others- Yeah sure, tightening up the pivot is all fine and good, but do think a distributor is going to do that to a 50-knife shipment? Also, I don't believe customs actually checks each and every knife. They probably just add the brand and model # to a list once one has been declared undesirable, and then simply seize all subsequent examples...

misque - The mods to your knife may work, but what about when the coating wears off? At the price point of the BlackOut, the steel should be at least AUS-8 period. My CRKT knives cost me about 2/3 the price of the BlackOut, and they are both AUS-8 with all-metal construction. My Mini-Stryker was cost about the same cost as the BlackOut, and features an ATS-34 blade and titanium liners. So there. :-)
 
mr44,
The coating is about Rc90. It will not wear off in the near future and if it does, you simply resharpen the blade and strop it again. No big deal.
My apologies for the seriously lagging response time, but I've just recently moved to a new house AND just had a cervical fusion surgery performed last Thursday so you can imagine how busy life is right now.
And, about your Mini-Stryker. Does it have a Speed-Safe Mechanism? A Titanium Nitride coating? All the extra fitting and finishing required for the proper installation of an assisted opening type mechanism? Maybe that has something to do with the Black-Out's price-point. Ya think?
So there.
smile.gif


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My new bumper sticker:

Let me tell you about my SIFU!

[This message has been edited by misque (edited 04-10-2000).]
 
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