Kershaw Chive, Speed safe

[soul blade]

I just got my new Kershaw Chive in the post this morning. Is the speed safe a spring or what? And does any one know the laws regarding it in the UK. I got it in US so it got through customs but things will slip through. This morning when I was testing it out I said to meself that I would end up cutting my self with it. I got up to 10.30pm and guess what I cut my self, but it was with the back of the blade the speed safe opens pretty fast and the tip of the blade caught the back of my hand

 

[AlphalphaPB]

Illegal in Hong Kong, any that they sell there have the mechanism removed. It's probable that the UK law is similar, as I don't believe the auto law is newer than 1997.

 

[Rugger]

There is a little safety that slides over the tip to prevent accidental discharges. BTW- It makes a great little money clip.

 

[Hawaiian]

The speed safe design opening mechanism is a torsion spring. Think about how a bicyle or motorcycle kick stand works. Get it started and the torsion spring takes over. Ken came up with the design idea while working on a motorcycle. It is legal in the US because of the specific wording in the switchblade laws. Most laws here define a switchblade a knife blade that is spring released by a "button, lever or other mechanism within the handle of the knife". A speed safe knife can only be opened by manually moving the blade, there is no button, lever or other mechansim type release within the handle of the knife. Yes, it is a legal loophole. You would need to check the definition in the UK to see if the same loophole exists.

And on getting cut, the Chive is too small to use the thumbstud to open the blade, use the flipper.