Hello everyone.
I am in the market for a good EDC knife, and the Dragonfly 2 Wharncliffe appeals to me very much because of it's utilitarian design and cool sexy looks.
I love Spyderco's, and they are pretty much my only go-to option when in the market for a knife for various reasons.
California knife laws, in my particular city, are very weird in the sense that you cannot carry what is considered a "dangerous weapon" if you are "Loafing or loitering about".
Anything else is pretty much ok.
I work as a bike messenger, and I am technically always "loafing or loitering" when waiting for calls, taking a break somewhere, etc.
Thanks to Spyderco for making a bunch of knives that are technically under the legal limit!
So many < 3" options to choose from for a good solid EDC knife.
I'm afraid to carry a Native 5 (probably my favorite of all of the knives i've been looking at) because although it is technically under 3", when I look at videos of people measuring it with a tape measure device, it can still look like it is 3", particularly if you measure it from the tip to the very bottom of the choil.
The law is defined such that >= 3" is considered a "dangerous weapon".
So i'll probably have to sell the one that I own.
Really sucks, because that shape seems EXTREMELY useful if I were to ever need a knife on the daily as a survival tool, and it just seems to cover most/all bases for a knife.
It's also gorgeous.
The little native is too small and too expensive for what you get out of it IMO. But it's still on my list.
I can't afford a lawyer, so I very much doubt that I will be in a courtroom with a precision measuring instrument, so if I do get an EDC, I want one that won't even make it to the courtroom, and cannot in any way shape or form even be interpreted as breaking a law of some sort and cannot result in an arrest.
I don't ever do anything suspicious, give cops any kind of reason to question me, or even really get pulled over for any reason, but I want my bases covered.
I love the shape of the wharncliffe dfly 2, and in pretty much every situation where I would need a knife, that blade shape just seems much much better than a bellied leaf shape.
However, a dangerous weapon under the city ordinance ALSO mentions that a "straight razor, or razor attached to a handle" can also be considered a dangerous weapon.
So my question is:
In a situation where I run into the worst officer, who for whatever reason just has it out for me and doesn't like the way that I ride my bike or something, could the wharncliffe blade be interpreted as a razor because of it's straight shape? Would it even get past a judge (without a lawyer and a not guilty plea)?
I'm assuming that if they REALLY DID try to convict me for a "straight razor" wharncliffe, they would have to ban ALL wharncliffes from that point forward, and include them in their description of straight razors.
Also, am I being a little too worried with the native 5?
I know that most cops wont' care, but if I run into THAT ONE, who just "decides" that it's too long for his liking, without a lawyer, can I show manufacturer spec (which shows 2.95") to a judge and be good, or will it have to come down to something that I will need a lawyer to measure?
Again, I don't ever do anything (other than ride my bike kinda like a douchebag sometimes) that arouses suspicion, and I never purposefully put myself in any kind of weird, dangerous, or questionable situation, but I AM "loafing about" quite often.
It's really IMO the perfect EDC (hard choice between that and the para 3), and with S35vn, it will probably be the only knife I will ever need and cover most/all survival/utility situations. Just such a perfect size and shape IMO.
Thanks in advance.
I am in the market for a good EDC knife, and the Dragonfly 2 Wharncliffe appeals to me very much because of it's utilitarian design and cool sexy looks.
I love Spyderco's, and they are pretty much my only go-to option when in the market for a knife for various reasons.
California knife laws, in my particular city, are very weird in the sense that you cannot carry what is considered a "dangerous weapon" if you are "Loafing or loitering about".
Anything else is pretty much ok.
I work as a bike messenger, and I am technically always "loafing or loitering" when waiting for calls, taking a break somewhere, etc.
Thanks to Spyderco for making a bunch of knives that are technically under the legal limit!
So many < 3" options to choose from for a good solid EDC knife.
I'm afraid to carry a Native 5 (probably my favorite of all of the knives i've been looking at) because although it is technically under 3", when I look at videos of people measuring it with a tape measure device, it can still look like it is 3", particularly if you measure it from the tip to the very bottom of the choil.
The law is defined such that >= 3" is considered a "dangerous weapon".
So i'll probably have to sell the one that I own.
Really sucks, because that shape seems EXTREMELY useful if I were to ever need a knife on the daily as a survival tool, and it just seems to cover most/all bases for a knife.
It's also gorgeous.
The little native is too small and too expensive for what you get out of it IMO. But it's still on my list.
I can't afford a lawyer, so I very much doubt that I will be in a courtroom with a precision measuring instrument, so if I do get an EDC, I want one that won't even make it to the courtroom, and cannot in any way shape or form even be interpreted as breaking a law of some sort and cannot result in an arrest.
I don't ever do anything suspicious, give cops any kind of reason to question me, or even really get pulled over for any reason, but I want my bases covered.
I love the shape of the wharncliffe dfly 2, and in pretty much every situation where I would need a knife, that blade shape just seems much much better than a bellied leaf shape.
However, a dangerous weapon under the city ordinance ALSO mentions that a "straight razor, or razor attached to a handle" can also be considered a dangerous weapon.
So my question is:
In a situation where I run into the worst officer, who for whatever reason just has it out for me and doesn't like the way that I ride my bike or something, could the wharncliffe blade be interpreted as a razor because of it's straight shape? Would it even get past a judge (without a lawyer and a not guilty plea)?
I'm assuming that if they REALLY DID try to convict me for a "straight razor" wharncliffe, they would have to ban ALL wharncliffes from that point forward, and include them in their description of straight razors.
Also, am I being a little too worried with the native 5?
I know that most cops wont' care, but if I run into THAT ONE, who just "decides" that it's too long for his liking, without a lawyer, can I show manufacturer spec (which shows 2.95") to a judge and be good, or will it have to come down to something that I will need a lawyer to measure?
Again, I don't ever do anything (other than ride my bike kinda like a douchebag sometimes) that arouses suspicion, and I never purposefully put myself in any kind of weird, dangerous, or questionable situation, but I AM "loafing about" quite often.
It's really IMO the perfect EDC (hard choice between that and the para 3), and with S35vn, it will probably be the only knife I will ever need and cover most/all survival/utility situations. Just such a perfect size and shape IMO.
Thanks in advance.
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