Have people reacted to your knife with shock or fear?

I don't snap my knives open but I carry assisted knives alot and how it opens is how it opens. I'll be the first to admit sometimes I need my knife and too dam bad for anyone around who may not like it.
 
NightMare Silverado said:
I don't snap my knives open but I carry assisted knives alot and how it opens is how it opens.
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You can open an A/O withut the "thwack!"
either grab the blade and manually open the knife (two handed), or let the spine of the blade hit the palm of your other hand (and then open the rest of the way two handed).
The "too damn bad" attitude is understandable, but counterproductive. Those people you don't care about may end up being the person who interviews you for your next job, or approves (or denies) your loan application.
Or, they may be the person on the jury deciding your future.
Or they may just tell all the pretty girls that you're a dick, and then you don't get any dates.:eek:
Best to take other people into consideration at least a little bit, even if only for purely selfish reasons.;)
 
I still open it close to my chest and stuff and small assist like the leek/dog flash series are relatively quiet. I do everything I can not to open the recon around people.
 
The Logical One said:
Or you can just not use a knife at all... and be like me, just use your fingernails.
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Since I've not yet had one negative reaction to my SAK after carrying it everyday for 11 years I think I'll carry on using that. My fingernails aren't as hard as steel, unfortunately.
 
syntaxerrorsix said:
Ah, politically correct knife opening will appease the masses. Take note.
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The choice is clear: use your knife responsibly, or be prepared to give it up entirely. You can open you knife without fanfare and without scaring the crap out of everybody. Or you can lose your right to carry a knife at all. People don’t like being scared by your testosterone laced display of flashing steel and snapping blade locks. When people get scared, they pass legislation. So again, the choice is yours. Ask the smokers who wouldn’t put out their cigarettes next to children. Legislation follows irresponsible acts. It always has and it always will. A little common sense and courtesy go a long way toward stopping onerous legislation.
 
salguod said:
The choice is clear: use your knife responsibly, or be prepared to give it up entirely. You can open you knife without fanfare and without scaring the crap out of everybody. Or you can lose your right to carry a knife at all. People don’t like being scared by your testosterone laced display of flashing steel and snapping blade locks. When people get scared, they pass legislation. So again, the choice is yours. Ask the smokers who wouldn’t put out their cigarettes next to children. Legislation follows irresponsible acts. It always has and it always will. A little common sense and courtesy go a long way toward stopping onerous legislation.
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So true!

Haha, I'm freaking people out with my knife, they think it's a switchblade, haha. What are they going to do about it? It isn't illegal!
Next minute - law change.
Oh crap, I'll get arrested if I carry my favourite OHO knife!

In the UK locking blades are illegal for personal carry, the same could happen elsewhere!
 
Every once and a while, I'll get people staring when I go into a Walmart or what-have-you. Most of the time however, people hardly notice. I feel the reason that they hardly notice, is because I don't give them a reason to. That said, I feel I should mention that I carry a 5.5" cutting surface FB for SD. I realize that this is a big taboo to some people, but before you start throwing the "you're ruining our ability to carry knives!" argument, let me explain:

Here in Oregon, you're legally allowed to open-carry any length knife. You cannot conceal carry any kind of blade, and we don't have a Concealed Weapons License, only a Concealed Handgun License. That said, I choose not to carry a handgun for my own reasons, that I don't feel I should have to explain here. Also, I don't carry any-kind of folding assisted opening blade for other reasons, again, that I don't feel I should have to explain. So my alternative, was a fixed blade for SD (which I happen to prefer to folders anyway, but that's a different topic).

At this point, I feel I should mention that I just ordered 2 SAKs for my everyday knife needs. One tiny one for the keychain, and one for my pocket that's a little larger. So I carry two totally different styles of knives, each suited for their respective tasks. I'm not about to pull my 5.5" blade from it's sheath on my belt to open a box, it's just unnecessary. If I need to do this task or something simliar, my SAK will work just fine. However, if I need to defend either myself or my loved ones, the SAK most likely isn't going to do the job I need in that situation, hence the FB.

The rule that I operate by for my FB, is that unless I see a gun or a knife in the hands of my assailant, my own knife isn't going to leave it's sheath. I have no training in terms of firing a handgun, nor have I taken any classes, but I treat my knife like I'd imagine anyone who carries a handgun treats their weapon. If it's got to leave it's holster/sheath, it's because the situation has become such that I am fearing for my life enough to take another human beings' life to survive. I've had a few people ask if they can see my knife and my answer is always a polite "no". When they ask me "why not?", I ask them if they'd be asking to see my .45 if I were carrying one of those instead. I've yet to have a person say that they would.

I've read through this entire thread and the few things I've noticed that I think bear repeating are thus:

-Keep in mind your appearance when you're deciding what blades to carry for the day. If you look scary, suddenly any tool you're using is going to look scary

-Don't use too much knife for the task. If you're opening boxes, cutting string, repairing things, ect.; chances are, a SAK or similar length blade could do the job.

-Keep in mind the type of knife that you have. If you're using an assisted opening folder and it's not necessary for the cool sounding "flick" noise, or you can use both hands to open it, why not do so? I'm not saying hide it under the table and open it, but at the same time, there's no reason to make a big elaborate motion and sound when all you're doing is cutting some tape.

-Exercise common courtesy when you've got a weapon or even a potential weapon (in the case of SAKs, for example) that can take a human life. This is quite possibly the most important thing I feel should be relayed to anyone considering carrying a knife. It's probably the reason that it was possible for people to carry knives as much as they did "back in the day" without an issue, as well as the reason we have such problems with them now. I'm not saying that you need to cater to anyone's fears, or ignorance at all. I'm saying be courteous to the fact that they have the right to react however they want, just as much as you have the right to carry said weapon. The best you can do is like someone else already mentioned in this thread, have a response ready in case people give you that classic "Why do you carry a knife!?" line. Wether that's a witty one-liner, or something to educate them further, probably the worst thing you can do is react to their negativity, with your own brand. It doesn't do anyone any good in the long or the short term, so why do it?
 
yes i have but mine was in church we were about to take communion and to save money my church buys the little yogurt looking cups that have grape juice in it and a piece of bread on top so i took the bread and ate.

but when i tried to open the grape juice part the peil away part started to tear the inner liner of the cup with it so i thought quick and pulled out my knife and my wife immediately told me to "put it away" and so i tried for one more sec to get it open and said "i have to babe" and so i pulled out my cold steel recon 1 again and cut the top out to drink it. lol now i bring my benchmade 527 to church lol
 
No i never have... living in new york city that would be an obvious anwser... Honestly though i hate living here (when talking about knives) haha.. (i do LOVE nyc though)... but its pathetic... i swear if i ever showed i had a knife i would be tackled to the ground by a cop... Espeically as i am a "younger" guy.. The cops today are under-trained and get nervous about everything... + they want to try to follow the law by the T... I read a few months ago a construction worker was on his way to work, when he got stopped by a cop for having a sheet-truck knife..(box-cutter) .. ect..ect.. anyway he got arrested... can you believe that?? now i work in construction from time to time and oh boy... if you do not have a utility knife your SCREWED.... ive tried going 1 day without using it, and just using my edc... BM 710 and sage 1 but there is just no way.. they cannot hack it.. just for the purpose that day i had sharpened both of em on my edge pro.. it wasn't that (the problem)... it was the shape of the blades... hence the utility knife to do that trick..

Anyway ive been babbling.. so to get to the point i carry concealed and never had a problem.. i only "whip it out" at work.. and the guys i work with are cool.. they dont give a crap.. some take it and use it themselves here and there.. pretty cool to be able to teach em a few things about knives :)..

Later guys.
 
I am constantly surprised by the responses people give to blades. Where I currently live it's kind of weird for a person not to have at least 1 kind of pocket knife clipped to their belt or in her purse, and it's not uncommon to see someone out shopping with a hatchet or fixed blade on their belt. I feel very blessed.
 
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I live in metro Houston, I would say there is a clip in every other pocket. I have a Military most days, and virtually never get a comment about it. I don't have it because it is "tactical" or anything, I have big hands, and I like the military. People who get freaked out by knives can lick me where I stink
 
Worst reaction I ever got was in DC around 1969. Homeless & a street person, crashing at a friend's usually I was low on $$. I stopped in the Rx to pick up some pills and I inadvertantly cut off some guy who started cussing me out good. I pulled out my Buck (equivalent to a 119) hunting knife from under my coat and proceeded to cut him up or something (no real strategy). The guy reacted to "MY" great shock by opening his overcoat and allowing it to fall back revealing a holstered .357 mag revolver.

Next time I pulled down a paycheck I bought and started carrying a pistol and always have since. I was one lucky kid. :eek:

I've related this story here once or twice, but it's one of those things you never forget. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight! :D
 
Not often (I do make an effort to be discrete when using my knife), but it has happened before. I carry a SAK now to use in situations where there may be people who react negatively. Never had anyone even give a second thought to the SAK.
 
cziv said:
Worst reaction I ever got was in DC around 1969. Homeless & a street person, crashing at a friend's usually I was low on $$. I stopped in the Rx to pick up some pills and I inadvertantly cut off some guy who started cussing me out good. I pulled out my Buck (equivalent to a 119) hunting knife from under my coat and proceeded to cut him up or something (no real strategy). The guy reacted to "MY" great shock by opening his overcoat and allowing it to fall back revealing a holstered .357 mag revolver.

Next time I pulled down a paycheck I bought and started carrying a pistol and always have since. I was one lucky kid. :eek:

I've related this story here once or twice, but it's one of those things you never forget. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight! :D
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you started cutting a man up because he was cussing at you and he did not shoot you?
 
chad2 said:
you started cutting a man up because he was cussing at you and he did not shoot you?
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That's the story. I won't leave you there. After collecting myself. I recalled that he called me a couple more names and got into his car a big Caddy or maybe Chrysler? They were both big boats back then. He was like 6 3" and wore a black shiny suit, silk shirt & tie and wore his hair greased straight back. The car had New Jersey plates. Ah Hah.....it's still my opinion 42 yrs later, that he was real live Mafia guy who didn't need or want any trouble. His vocabulary and the fact that he didn't arrest me rules out LEO and the foul mouth and his tough talk kinda reinforces my theory.

I don't think back then you could even get a CCW permit in DC back then unless you're LEO. Might still be that way. In 69 it took a 3 month waiting period and background check to even purchase a pistol! I'm just glad he didn't shoot me! :D

So are my kids and grandchildren!
 
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