is 3.5'' considered a BIG blade

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paulwesley

Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Messages
655
i've been used to carrying 2 1/2 to 3'' kinives (like calys) and bought a mini skirmish which has a 3.5'' blade then this forum comes out calling that a big
(NOT MINI) sized blade..to me its not all that big...what do yall think...thx/paul
 
It's thick and wide, with a big handle. The mini skirmish will ride a lot heavier in your pocket. If you haven't handled it yet, you'll see! Much, much heftier than a Caly, IMHO.
 
yea i just bought one thats why i asked. I just worry about the police bothering you about it but here in tx the blade laws are 5''
 
It's all a matter of local custom and what you're used to. I've been EDCing 5-1/2" folders since the Sifu came out. These days I carry an Aftermath. Knives like the 710 and Manix feel small to me.

--Bob Q
 
I could never consider a 3.5, even a 4" blade as large. . .
Medium, perhaps.
Opinions here are often tainted by the many :jerkit: Sheeple laws of various states / countries.
 
The following is based on my own research is not legal advice. Consult your own attorney.

Police are supposed to apply the law strictly. If a 4 inch blade on a folding knife is legal, then the PRESUMPTION is that any folder with a 4-inch blade is legal, even if it is called the "Man Killer."

Most states do, however, have a catchall for "dangerous," "threatening," knives, and this catchall, in reality, provides the police with a reasonable justification to confiscate most folders or charge you with a (typically) misdemeanor for possession. It would then be up to you to go to court, etc., to get your knife back or clear your name. Even if you're cleared or get your knife back, it is a LOT of trouble, IMHO.

DO NOT get into a fight -- sober or drunk -- if you have a folder on you. Use your feet. Only use your knife if you're at the point where you are justified to defend yourself (or someone else) with lethal force. You are justified to use lethal force in most jurisdictions if there is "an imminent threat of serious bodily harm." So use your knife only to save your life or someone else's life.

On a happier note, remember that in all states, officers do not have the right to search your body or your vehicle without some sort of cause (I'm not going to say "probable cause" because the standard is lower in some states). But, if the officer sees something in plain sight, and it looks like it could reasonably be a weapon, he can search you or your vehicle. Often, this means the WHOLE vehicle or your WHOLE person.

So...my point is that if you're a law abiding citizen (which I assume you are) carrying around a 3.5 inch folder called the "Skirmish" with a wide, recurved blade, it might be wise to remove the clip and carry it inside your pocket. If you're worried about a random search, make sure that the folder does not look "lumpy" in a pair of tight jeans or thin trousers, as a "lump" gives an officer "cause" to search.

Practically, though, so long as you're not brandishing your knife while drunk outside a bar, or it's not sitting on your dashboard when the officer pulls you over, you should be fine. Cops have better things to do than run random searches for pocket knives.
 
3.5" I'd call medium. 4"+ I'd call large just because there aren't that many folders in the 4-5" range.

Jack
 
In my opinion, 3.5 is more of a medium then large. I think of large as 4.3+
 
My daily carry knife, Crawford Perfigo, has a 4 1/2 inch cutting edge. I like them big.
 
paulwesley said:
yea i just bought one thats why i asked. I just worry about the police bothering you about it but here in tx the blade laws are 5''
Click to expand...

I know it's not related to the question you posted but actually Texas law is 5.5 inch blade. Unless Austin laws differ from the State law.
 
Since this is an opinion question, I place 3.5 in the larger side. Not huge, but I live in Chicago which has a 2.5" limit, which I consider small and 3" to be "normal" or medium.
 
bk400 said:
But, if the officer sees something in plain sight, and it looks like it could reasonably be a weapon, he can search you or your vehicle. Often, this means the WHOLE vehicle or your WHOLE person.
Click to expand...

If it's contraband or likely contraband, yes. Not if it's a knife that is legal and you aren't doing anything illegal with it. Of course this could result in you being questioned: "What do you need a weapon for?", and things like that.

A know a guy who carries a length of iron pipe in his truck. He was pulled over and they grilled him about it but they didn't search. He had a reason to have it, but I don't think it necessarily would've been illegal even if he had said it was being carried for self-defense though.

bk400 said:
If you're worried about a random search, make sure that the folder does not look "lumpy" in a pair of tight jeans or thin trousers, as a "lump" gives an officer "cause" to search.
Click to expand...

A lump may give them a reason to do a weapons pat down, certainly not an invasive search like a strip search or a vehicle search.


Anyway like you said, I think that using discretion is a good idea.
 
Thomason said:
I know it's not related to the question you posted but actually Texas law is 5.5 inch blade. Unless Austin laws differ from the State law.
Click to expand...


thats correct, in Tx its 5.5"

no 3.5" blades are not "long" to me anyway, the shortest thing i carry has a 3 7/16" blade (spyderco Ti ATR) while the others are 4" and up (crawford perfigo 4.5", strider AR 4", emerson specwar CQC8 4")
 
In my opinion, a 3.5" folding knife is a medium folder. Anything larger than 4" is large. I prefer a knife with at least 4" blade length. Of course, if it were a fixed blade in question, I'd call it a small knife...

on the subject of LEO searches, it's been my experience that, if you're not doing anything wrong with your knife or your life, you aren't gonna get hassled by police. Of course, I live in a pretty tolerant/reasonable state, as far as knife laws go (New Mexico).
 
Anything greater than 3.5" I consider large for a folder. Greater than 7" I consider large for a fixed blade.
 
3.5 is about as big as I get with a quality folder. Most of my EDCs are 3 1/2" and 3/16" or greater blade thickness. If I want more than a 4" blade I'm definately grabbing a fixed blade.

Just my .2 cents

Rick
 
IMHO 3.5" is a middling-sized blade. Remember that cops on the street have huge amounts of discretion about searches.Where I live 3" is the legal limit. If the cops here enforced that vigourosly, there would be more people in jail than out. On most days, it looks like a Buck 110 owners convention around here.
One of the local cops told me that if your behavior gets you in trouble, possession of an over length knife is something else to add to the charges. If you're just walking around minding your own business, they won't botther you.
 
I consider a 3.5 inch folder blade to be an ideal sized blade--not too big and not too small. It'll do most of what a 4" blade will do with a slightly smaller size and more control. I'm always on the lookout for folders in this length that I like.

The mini-Skirmish looks big because the blade is so wide. Certainly a medium sized knife compared to many folders.
 
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