Blade Lengths: Advertised vs Reality

F

FullerH

Joined
Nov 25, 1998
Messages
12,632
Sal, I had cause to measure the blades on my Delica98 and on my BF Native. The Delica is advertised at 2+7/8" and measures 3+1/32" while the Native is advertised at 3+1/8" and measures 3+3/32". This may not seem much, but that 1/32" could be a problem with a pissy cop in a jurisdiction such as DC with a 3" limit. Now, I will state that the guard at the Archives raised no objection to the Delica last March when I had take my daughter there to see our foundational documents. Any comments?

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
Arlington, Virginia

 
Spydercos earlier catalogs offered both a cutting edge measurement and an overall blade length measurement. Mine measured at 2 7/8 cutting and 3 1/ 32 OAL. Probably consisitency differences in the manufacturing process. I believe the current catalogs that accompany its white boxed folders provide only the cutting edge measurements. So to play it safe for legal reasons take the OAL blade length measurements.

L8r,
Nakano

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"To earn a million is easy, a real friend is not."
 
So my question as a resident in a 3 inch limit zone for concealed is how do you measure? From the longest edge, or from the part closest to the central pivot to the point? Has anyone ever run across someone with a ruler, or is it strictly a matter of police trying to find justification to pull someone in and the length rule works for them. Thanks.
Dave Jung
djung@tacomaclick.net

 
Dave,

My proposition would be to measure the maximal way blade can penetrate when you plunge your knife into something. You haven't to plunge really; it's enough to measure the distance between blade tip and maximally protruding handle point. This is just my opinion, cops can think differently.
However I think blade length limitation is not the best way to reduce crime. It's a bit too simply to be proper: this guy has 3" blade - he's GOOD guy, but if he has 3+1/32" long blade - he's BAD guy.


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Sergiusz Mitin
gunwriter
Lodz, Poland

[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 19 December 1999).]
 
Hugh - In early blade length dimensions, I used cutting edge length because I felt is was a knife and a knife is an edge (The blade supports the edge and the handle controls the edge).

This met with resistance because of "legal blade lengths". so we began listing both.

Then space problems (in ads & catalogs)lifted the edge length. Now, we are going back to listing both again but it will take a while to make all of the changes in all of the areas listed.

To add confusion, the new model of Endura & Delica are slightly larger than the earlier ones and I don'think that all of these changes have been reflected in our literature yet.

sal
 
The interesting thing is that visit to the Archives when the guard held it up to some kind of a measure and cleared it for me to carry. Either they have some leeway or his measuring device, which I could not see, was not very accurate. I am going to go with the advertised length of 2+7/8" if I am ever asked. I also have my C19 which measures at 2+7/8" and is a very high quality knife.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
Arlington, Virginia

 
Different people measure blade length in different ways. Here's a link to a thread about specific court cases. I posted about a Colorado case where blade length in a folder was measured from the tip of the blade to the pivot joint.

Of course, this method of measurement doesn't just measure the blade. It also measures part of the tang and, consequently, part of the handle.

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Cerulean
Denver, CO


 
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