Carrying a knife . . . .

[Peter Hartwig]

There is an old saying about a man who carries a knife is worth a dollar more an hour. Not because he has a knife, but he has a prepared mindset.

I can't think of a better reason - with it I feel more prepared for what may unfold, without one I feel decidedly unprepared, to the point of distraction.

One of the best stories I have heard on the forum was about a members grandfather interview for a job, and the owner asking to see his knife. He determined what sort of employee the man was likely to be from the way he cared for his knife(told better originally)

 

[SteelJunkee]

It clearly divides the knife industry in two groups those who make tools and those who make weapons.

It ends up to the user to determine what he is going to do with it. You will rarely see knuts EDCing stuff out of context of the thing they have to do in real life.

The other... They are not knife people. It`s there that you start to find knives that are barely usable for anything else than combat.

Where to put the separation between them ? What happens to fine brands like BUSSE etc... They make combat grade knives, but almost all of them are never used for combat....

Nowadays kitchen knives are the most used in crimes around the globe... how do we class them ??? Will parents be forced to lock-up the knives in their kitchen ?

When we confiscate knives to students, I always feel the guy with the nice Spyderco was not going to do anything wrong with it, but the other one with the dollars store potato knife, is another story.

So imo it will be impossible to part out this megalomess and every decisions is a case to case scenario, where good judgement will have to be used.

 

[jackknife]

In the end, it's up to the individual to carry or not carry a knife. But...there's been verified reportable incidents where the possession of a knife saved a iife. And the lack of, cost some person there own life. Like the old lady in the Boston shopping mall that stumbled and her scarf got caught in the escalator. She was slowly stalled and chocked to death while people shouted for someone with a knife. Apparently in that mall, not one frigging person had a knife.

Or my own incident in January of 1991, when an idiot driver lost control of her old Datsun B210 and spun out on a patch of ice and rolled it three times and came to rest upside down with a fire in the engine compartment from the battery being tossed over and shorten out on the greasy engine block. Crawling into the car, her weight from her obese body was jamming the seat belt so even with both thumbs I couldn't release it. I used the sheep foot blade of my Buck stockman to cut the seat belt and drop her on her worthless head and crawled out of the burning wreck.

Without that Buck pocket knife I would have had to abandon her to choke to death from the smoke inhalation. The little inch and three quarter blade going through the seat belt saved her life.

You may never need a knife to save a life, but it does happen once in a while. It happened to me once I a 77 year long life )so far), so odds are you may never need it. BUT...when you do, nothing else will do. You don't need the latest Hollywood death dealer zombi killer one hand flipper, but any little sharp piece of steel will be better than nothing.Even a little SAK classic. And the fact that such tiny keychain knives do exist, I don't see why anyone would NOT carry even a tiny knife like a classic or equal size little pen knife that you can actually forget you have on you till you need it.

 

[Winch]

I too had a situation where I had to cut a guy out of his seat belt. He had rolled his jeep into a stream and he was upside down. Big, heavy dude. I don't think it was life or death, but as for the driver hanging upside down, well, he seemed to appreciate the help.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

The line of arguing that knives are weapons severely undermines the approach that the main advocacy groups are taking, which is that knives should be seen as tools and not weapons. The point is that they should not be seen as instruments of crime and violence (like guns are).

Arguing a pro 2A point does not go far in many of the places that have the strictest restrictions on knives. I guarantee that many New Yorkers (NYC) don’t care for the assertion of ones 2A rights, quite the opposite in fact.

The point is, leave the 2A arguments to guns and help knives be seen as the useful tools they are and not as instruments of crime.

I can appreciate your comment, it's good to know what people are thinking, but if any principality comes for your knives it IS a simple matter that knives HAVE BEEN defined as 2nd Amendment weapons. They are not legally allowed to be restricted.

Now that said, some cities, counties, states and Congress have restricted 2nd Amendment implements.

My question to you is why did YOU and your fellow man allow them to do that and what are YOU doing to overturn their position? Do you donate to all of the 2nd Amendment groups? Have you called and written your Congressman?

 

[Mecha]

In the end, it's up to the individual to carry or not carry a knife. But...there's been verified reportable incidents where the possession of a knife saved a iife. And the lack of, cost some person there own life. Like the old lady in the Boston shopping mall that stumbled and her scarf got caught in the escalator. She was slowly stalled and chocked to death while people shouted for someone with a knife. Apparently in that mall, not one frigging person had a knife.

Or my own incident in January of 1991, when an idiot driver lost control of her old Datsun B210 and spun out on a patch of ice and rolled it three times and came to rest upside down with a fire in the engine compartment from the battery being tossed over and shorten out on the greasy engine block. Crawling into the car, her weight from her obese body was jamming the seat belt so even with both thumbs I couldn't release it. I used the sheep foot blade of my Buck stockman to cut the seat belt and drop her on her worthless head and crawled out of the burning wreck.

Without that Buck pocket knife I would have had to abandon her to choke to death from the smoke inhalation. The little inch and three quarter blade going through the seat belt saved her life.

You may never need a knife to save a life, but it does happen once in a while. It happened to me once I a 77 year long life )so far), so odds are you may never need it. BUT...when you do, nothing else will do. You don't need the latest Hollywood death dealer zombi killer one hand flipper, but any little sharp piece of steel will be better than nothing.Even a little SAK classic. And the fact that such tiny keychain knives do exist, I don't see why anyone would NOT carry even a tiny knife like a classic or equal size little pen knife that you can actually forget you have on you till you need it.

My brother just had to cut a seatbelt to get someone out of a crashed car just last month! Except it wasn't a Datsun, I think it was a Subaru, which wasn't on fire (it just went off of the steep edge of a country road at lowish speed), and the person in the car wasn't obese which is rare. Obese people were relatively rare in 1991, so both of you had a rare person seatbelt/knife save.

 

[SteelJunkee]

In the end, it's up to the individual to carry or not carry a knife. But...there's been verified reportable incidents where the possession of a knife saved a iife. And the lack of, cost some person there own life. Like the old lady in the Boston shopping mall that stumbled and her scarf got caught in the escalator. She was slowly stalled and chocked to death while people shouted for someone with a knife. Apparently in that mall, not one frigging person had a knife.

Or my own incident in January of 1991, when an idiot driver lost control of her old Datsun B210 and spun out on a patch of ice and rolled it three times and came to rest upside down with a fire in the engine compartment from the battery being tossed over and shorten out on the greasy engine block. Crawling into the car, her weight from her obese body was jamming the seat belt so even with both thumbs I couldn't release it. I used the sheep foot blade of my Buck stockman to cut the seat belt and drop her on her worthless head and crawled out of the burning wreck.

Without that Buck pocket knife I would have had to abandon her to choke to death from the smoke inhalation. The little inch and three quarter blade going through the seat belt saved her life.

You may never need a knife to save a life, but it does happen once in a while. It happened to me once I a 77 year long life )so far), so odds are you may never need it. BUT...when you do, nothing else will do. You don't need the latest Hollywood death dealer zombi killer one hand flipper, but any little sharp piece of steel will be better than nothing.Even a little SAK classic. And the fact that such tiny keychain knives do exist, I don't see why anyone would NOT carry even a tiny knife like a classic or equal size little pen knife that you can actually forget you have on you till you need it.

The only time I cut a car seat belt was in a scrapyard, just to see how my knife would fare.... I was ready.

Your comment always cut it... Jackknife

 

[22-rimfire]

The Kim family was GPS navigating in Oregon winter when they got marooned. Really went well for Mr. Kim.

I feel sure they were in part using their GPS. There is no way I would have been without a Gazetteer traveling where they were going. Too many possible things could happen and having topo info is really useful even if it is at a fairly small scale. I have the Gazetteers for many states including Alaska which I have never visited.

GPS units (the portable ones) are REALLY useful in my vehicles. I like the portable ones as I can move them from vehicle to vehicle as needed. I have been really impressed just how useful they are. On occasion, they lead you astray. Once I was headed up on a mountain in my general area to a job site. I knew my way but I was hoping there might be a better route. Followed the GPS and it took me on a road I had never driven on..... until it turned into dirt, then leaf covered, and then a big pile of dirt blocking further motor vehicle travel due to a bridge being out. Caused me to be really late getting to my destination. So, in unfamiliar territory, I keep my tablet available for general viewing (if cell phone service is available) along with paper maps of some sort. I do the online address search taking heed of the directions and route, then printing out as a backup. It has worked well for me overall.

You mentioned traveling long distances..... these days, there is no way I would be without the GPS to track my progress even if I knew my way without even looking at a map. Little pieces of information like entrance and exit ramp info on freeways along with distance to next map reference point are really useful.

Have always wondered why my GPS gives me certain directions around home.... I figured out that it avoids routing me on one road because there is no stored speed limit information which impacts their ETA information. There are also other biases built into the units.

On the knife subject, carrying a knife is EXTREMELY useful especially in emergencies. The seat belt cutting incidents above demonstrate the need. I know there are store bought seat belt cutters, but you toss them in the glove compartment or where ever you store such things and never look at them again, often for years. You need to cut a seat belt and the knife is IN your pocket ready to go. Even the little SAK Classic works for this although I'm not a big fan of them.... they are just too small to depend on for most things. I would much rather have a peanut in my pocket any day of the week.

 

[stabman]

Lots of us carry a knife, pretty obvious. How many carry a first aid kit and keep their first aid and CPR updated?

Me!
And I carry a flashlight, plus Naloxone in case I come across overdose victims...I feel a strong case of superiority coming on.

(Oh yeah, I carry knives also)

 

[gadgetgeek]

Me!
And I carry a flashlight, plus Naloxone in case I come across overdose victims...I feel a strong case of superiority coming on.

(Oh yeah, I carry knives also)

Well sir, that is because you are a superior human being, and its a feeling well earned.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I can appreciate your comment, it's good to know what people are thinking, but if any principality comes for your knives it IS a simple matter that knives HAVE BEEN defined as 2nd Amendment weapons. They are not legally allowed to be restricted.

Now that said, some cities, counties, states and Congress have restricted 2nd Amendment implements.

My question to you is why did YOU and your fellow man allow them to do that and what are YOU doing to overturn their position? Do you donate to all of the 2nd Amendment groups? Have you called and written your Congressman?

What you have taken is a very US-centric position, one which doesn't apply by my estimate to about a third of BF. So even if non-US members are only 10%, its still a discussion that should be had by itself, considering that the OP was regarding utility. It took quite a few years for the Australian legal system to codify the utility and therefore legal carry of many types of folding knives, and many other legal systems also have "justifiable carry" frameworks based around utility. I'm not trying to take away your soap-box, I just think it belongs on a different intersection.

But if we were to have the discussion of knives as self defense weapons, most violent crime that happens out in public where I live are impromptu bar fights, the main weapons are pint glasses and bottles. Carrying a knife for SD would do nothing but have more guys with a knife in hand when a fight started. Its also not that big of a deal, armed muggings are super rare, no one carries cash, and wallet plastic is increasingly useless to anyone other than the owner. So for me, its pointless, and the legal framework does support that.

 

[Bad Ninja]

I never leave my home without a knife and a light in my pocket either. At least an SAK Farmer in my back pocket, a main clipped folder, a Maratac light and a .22 mag Derringer, depending on my mood, I may carry a bigger revolver or a .380 of some sort. But always at least an SAK and a Derringer.

Minimal Every Day Carry.
I live in a free state.
Spent half an hour at the gas pumps today discussing bulk ammo prices with a local Police Officer.

Most of the locals here carry knives and Glocks everyday. Even in church..lol

No one here is freaked out by someone carrying a knife.

 

[Captains1911]

I always have on my person something bright, something sharp, and something lethal. I usually have something medical not that far away either. It makes life easier, and it makes me more useful in general.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

What you have taken is a very US-centric position, one which doesn't apply by my estimate to about a third of BF. So even if non-US members are only 10%, its still a discussion that should be had by itself, considering that the OP was regarding utility. It took quite a few years for the Australian legal system to codify the utility and therefore legal carry of many types of folding knives, and many other legal systems also have "justifiable carry" frameworks based around utility. I'm not trying to take away your soap-box, I just think it belongs on a different intersection.

But if we were to have the discussion of knives as self defense weapons, most violent crime that happens out in public where I live are impromptu bar fights, the main weapons are pint glasses and bottles. Carrying a knife for SD would do nothing but have more guys with a knife in hand when a fight started. Its also not that big of a deal, armed muggings are super rare, no one carries cash, and wallet plastic is increasingly useless to anyone other than the owner. So for me, its pointless, and the legal framework does support that.

I moved out of Chicago last year. I'm not going to go in to it, but before I moved out I was attacked by 5 males on the South Side of Chicago and the only thing that stopped them from beating me senseless was a lil Benchmade pocket knife. I did not wave it around. I did not thrust or slash at anyone, I drew it to my right hip, and said, "KNIFE!" They stopped beating on me, let me alone and I walked away. My years of martial arts training made me comfortable in making the decision to draw the knife when I did.

Knives are not magical self defense weapons, but they do work.

I am sorry that not all statements on BF apply equally to each and every jurisdiction.

 

[marcinek]

I moved out of Chicago last year. I'm not going to go in to it, but before I moved out I was attacked by 5 males on the South Side of Chicago and the only thing that stopped them from beating me senseless was a lil Benchmade pocket knife. I did not wave it around. I did not thrust or slash at anyone, I drew it to my right hip, and said, "KNIFE!" They stopped beating on me, let me alone and I walked away. My years of martial arts training made me comfortable in making the decision to draw the knife when I did.

Knives are not magical self defense weapons, but they do work.

I am sorry that not all statements on BF apply equally to each and every jurisdiction.

Quite a story! Glad to hear just showing your little Benchmade was enough to scare off 5 attackers. Amazing!

 

[sharp_edge]

Quite a story! Glad to hear just showing your little Benchmade was enough to scare off 5 attackers. Amazing!

Or maybe just shouting "I have a gun!" would have scared off those attackers even more quickly in this case? What I am more curious about is what if the attackers ignored the lil Benchmade?

 

[22-rimfire]

Then he would have kung fu'd them and shattered their self images.

 

[rje58]

Wow. Just wow! I have highlighted some of the quotes below from Barney Fif...er, Wannabee, I mean, Marcinek.

Unbelievable. I've always wondered what he was up to! I guess now maybe I'm beginning to see it might be a mission to mold us into "thoughtful, considerate, intelligent, civic-minded folks", rather than the "overcompensating whackos with fetishized tactical "killing junkie terrorists" bents" he sees "many" or "plenty" of us (BF users) as...

Of course, carrying knives is an option (at least in free countries and locales) and should not be the criteria for judging someone's character.

He's probably gonna sic somebody on me. But if I would have posted that "... plenty of the (people on BF) ... are overcompensating whackos with fetishized tactical "killing junkie terrorists" bents" - I would be the one EXPECTING to hear from a moderator.

I'm surprised that he's never met KNOWN anyone who DOESN'T carry a knife, that isn't "thoughtful, considerate, intelligent, civic-minded". That's what ALL means, right?

(above paragraph edited to correct a word that I "misspoke". "met" changed to "KNOWN")

I carry a knife. I find knives useful and I like them.

All the people I know who do NOT carry a knife are thoughtful, considerate, intelligent, civic-minded folks who have a million better things top worry about than what's in my pants.

I have encountered many people who DO carry knives...most of them through BF. And plenty of them were/are overcompensating whackos with fetishized tactical "killing junkie terrorists" bents. By far not the majority, but we all have met them.

 

[jackknife]

Or maybe just shouting "I have a gun!" would have scared off those attackers even more quickly in this case? What I am more curious about is what if the attackers ignored the lil Benchmade?

Or when he shouted "knife" one of the stompers didn't pull a gun and shoot him. A most likely outcome in D.C. or Baltimore.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I am sorry that not all statements on BF apply equally to each and every jurisdiction.

That's the crux of my point. If you had made statements that reflected that they didn't apply everywhere, and that you were talking about specific cases, it makes your argument stronger. A blanket statement that isn't universally true just makes your stance more confusing. There are threads for the discussion you are having, they are in P&T.