- Joined
- Dec 31, 2007
- Messages
- 71
Here in continental Europe we are very concerned carrying a legal EDC when in town as the laws about carrying knives are more strict than in the US. I wonder, how you feel about the issue ?
Eric Parmentier is a Belgian custom knife maker that is very inventive and creative as well as a very pleasant man. His folding knives are always extremely well made and he shows an innovative approach to locking and opening mechanisms, sometimes designing his owns, sometimes perfecting existing ones. He is also a great wood worker as he is a former carpenter.
Eric is enjoying a well-deserved surge of popularity here in France and Belgium. His table at the SICAC show was empty less than two hours after the opening
The Urbanica is Erics answer to the problem of having an edc knife that is pleasing, safe and efficient but also legal. I am thankful to him as I travel a lot. I feel comfortable to know that the knife I have in my pocket will fit within the laws of the countries I am going through. (Sometimes you dont know the rules and you dont want to take chances with the local police.)
Personally, I think this small friction folder is a perfect balance between form and function.
The lines are elegant and personal. The knife looks engaging and friendly. It stands out, looks different than others and immediately makes you want to take it in your hands.
The one hand opening is very smooth as everything is adjusted with the best precision.
Once you hold it in your hand the perception changes. You notice that everything is there on purpose. The curbs of the handle fit perfectly the shape of the hand. The thumb just comes naturally on the top of the small filed part of the spine. The index takes its place in a hollowed portion of circle circle at the junction of the blade and the ricasso. This detail is actually a very smart feature that hinders the blade from closing on the users fingers and pushes the concept of friction folder a step ahead. It makes the knife safe without having a real locking mechanism. (It is a bit similar to the UK pen knife but esthetically more pleasing to my opinion).
The knife itself looks quite solid and you are not afraid to take it into real life. The blade and the metallic parts of the handle are made of Niolox steel. It has a sharp edge and is corrosion resistant. The shape of the blade is large and almost without point. I like its non-aggressive look (you will not scare your local bobby with it), its satin finish and the fact that it only needs minimal care.
For me, the general shape, the look of the blade, the fact that the main part of the handle is folded steel makes it look like a 21st century Higonokami.
Mine has got 400 years old olive tree scales but Eric makes them with all kinds of different wood or synthetic material, and sometimes also with all metal handles. More expensive models have a Damascus blade.
To sum up, I think it is a well thought and well designed little edc made by a great maker. The price is also quite affordable for a custom knife.
Some people might say that it is a knife without soul and that it will not make you dream. It is true that compared to a more traditional folder, like for instance a Corsican one, it has no history to show off. But the Urbanica is a modern object, as innovative as a smart phone or a laptop and designed to play its part in our urban daily life. It doesnt bring up nostalgia, it doesnt speak about a certain region or place. It is a knife for today and tomorrow.
Maker : Eric Parmentier, Belgium.
Blade : 6 cm, Niolox steel
Handle : 7,5 cm, Niolox steel and olive tree scales (+ 400 years old)
Eric Parmentier is a Belgian custom knife maker that is very inventive and creative as well as a very pleasant man. His folding knives are always extremely well made and he shows an innovative approach to locking and opening mechanisms, sometimes designing his owns, sometimes perfecting existing ones. He is also a great wood worker as he is a former carpenter.
Eric is enjoying a well-deserved surge of popularity here in France and Belgium. His table at the SICAC show was empty less than two hours after the opening
The Urbanica is Erics answer to the problem of having an edc knife that is pleasing, safe and efficient but also legal. I am thankful to him as I travel a lot. I feel comfortable to know that the knife I have in my pocket will fit within the laws of the countries I am going through. (Sometimes you dont know the rules and you dont want to take chances with the local police.)
Personally, I think this small friction folder is a perfect balance between form and function.
The lines are elegant and personal. The knife looks engaging and friendly. It stands out, looks different than others and immediately makes you want to take it in your hands.
The one hand opening is very smooth as everything is adjusted with the best precision.
Once you hold it in your hand the perception changes. You notice that everything is there on purpose. The curbs of the handle fit perfectly the shape of the hand. The thumb just comes naturally on the top of the small filed part of the spine. The index takes its place in a hollowed portion of circle circle at the junction of the blade and the ricasso. This detail is actually a very smart feature that hinders the blade from closing on the users fingers and pushes the concept of friction folder a step ahead. It makes the knife safe without having a real locking mechanism. (It is a bit similar to the UK pen knife but esthetically more pleasing to my opinion).
The knife itself looks quite solid and you are not afraid to take it into real life. The blade and the metallic parts of the handle are made of Niolox steel. It has a sharp edge and is corrosion resistant. The shape of the blade is large and almost without point. I like its non-aggressive look (you will not scare your local bobby with it), its satin finish and the fact that it only needs minimal care.
For me, the general shape, the look of the blade, the fact that the main part of the handle is folded steel makes it look like a 21st century Higonokami.
Mine has got 400 years old olive tree scales but Eric makes them with all kinds of different wood or synthetic material, and sometimes also with all metal handles. More expensive models have a Damascus blade.
To sum up, I think it is a well thought and well designed little edc made by a great maker. The price is also quite affordable for a custom knife.
Some people might say that it is a knife without soul and that it will not make you dream. It is true that compared to a more traditional folder, like for instance a Corsican one, it has no history to show off. But the Urbanica is a modern object, as innovative as a smart phone or a laptop and designed to play its part in our urban daily life. It doesnt bring up nostalgia, it doesnt speak about a certain region or place. It is a knife for today and tomorrow.
Maker : Eric Parmentier, Belgium.
Blade : 6 cm, Niolox steel
Handle : 7,5 cm, Niolox steel and olive tree scales (+ 400 years old)
