Knives for Nanny States

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MAKnifenut

Joined
May 14, 2013
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Hey guys. So i live in brookline. For those of you who know it, we are basicly boxed in by boston. Boston and several other cities have the insane blade length limit of 2.5 inches. What i would love to see is manufacturers starting to offer knives that fall within the strictest sets of perameters ie the 2.5 blade limit, under 6 in oal because of the NC law (i think its NC) and have them based of of already proven designs. Like take .13 inches of of the esee izula or alittle bit of bladelength off of the delica. It would be like how S&W offers MA and CA compliant guns. Thoughts?
 
Get good with a dremel and sandpaper, buy traditional designs etc.

Living in the Boston area myself, I strictly adhere to every governance.....

So I never carry anything remotely associated to anything illegal at all, even though I know most cops won't even give you the $300 ticket if you just pop it back in your pocket.

Honestly, it's not enforced unless you're acting the fool in public.
 
So 2.5" blade max. Under 6" OAL. Do any states require it be 2 hand open or it can't have a lock. Like slipjoints only?
 
Ford1911 said:
So 2.5" blade max. Under 6" OAL. Do any states require it be 2 hand open or it can't have a lock. Like slipjoints only?
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Don't know about entire states, but in NYC you cannot have a locking knife. Glad I have zero reason to ever step foot in that state.
 
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A lot of traditional slip joints should conform to those restrictions. Donating to a lobbying group to get those laws repealed wouldn't be a bad idea either.
 
cbxer55 said:
Don't know about entire states, but in NYC you cannot have a locking knife.
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Locking knives are fine in NYC. Anything that can be opened with one hand, however, are a completely different story. If you have a folder that can be flicked, it's a gravity knife then.
 
Nice to see some other New England members! There isn't a wealth of options for Boston friendly carry, although Spyderco does offer some nice 2.5" bladed knives. I can't stand carrying anything that small, it's something I dread about the possibility of eventually moving to Boston. I'm in RI where the laws aren't much better (3" maximum) but honestly I can't imagine myself ever being in a situation where the exact letter of the law would come into play.

Like Skimo said, as long as you don't draw attention to yourself, I'm sure it will be fine. However, that's a decision you have to make personally. Plus, whenever I am in Boston I always see people with clips that are clearly way too big to be for 2.5" knives. Just imagine all of those people who aren't knife nuts and thus are completely ignorant of the law, how often do you see those people being cited?
 
I've always lived in MA and RI, and I've always carried 3.5"-4" folders.

MA knife laws:

Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade, or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches, or a slung shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use with the same or similar effect as metallic knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any similar pointed starlike object intended to injure a person when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made from any other substance or a cestus or similar material weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand, or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.

I stopped caring when I realized this made absolutely no sense. "any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism" Can't carry any folding knife? but then it says you can carry a 1.5" auto. and it seems that you could carry a fixed blade of any size as long as it's not a dagger shape.
 
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A lot of us knife knuts carry SAKs in states that don't have a limit. I like tactical folders a lot but the SAK I carry is a lot more versatile for day to day tasks. I've even pushed it outside of that realm and have split match size kindling with one and now carry it hiking with me. Take the opportunity to really put one through it's paces and you just might prefer it.
 
After ignoring the Chicago law for years, I've lately taken to carrying my favorite "little big knife" when I'm there:

zgmosz1.jpg


. . . it's a stout little bugger, and you can get a full, solid grip on it unless you have enormous hands. For bonus points? It's really inexpensive, I paid ~$25 for the last one I bought.
 
MAKnifenut said:
Hey guys. So i live in brookline. For those of you who know it, we are basicly boxed in by boston. Boston and several other cities have the insane blade length limit of 2.5 inches. What i would love to see is manufacturers starting to offer knives that fall within the strictest sets of perameters ie the 2.5 blade limit, under 6 in oal because of the NC law (i think its NC) and have them based of of already proven designs. Like take .13 inches of of the esee izula or alittle bit of bladelength off of the delica. It would be like how S&W offers MA and CA compliant guns. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I can't speak for everyone, but Spyderco really stepped up above and beyond and has a TON of smaller options for these locales. Now, they only have given them specific titles in a few cases like the UKPK and Chicago, and there are way too many local ordinances to ever name a new knife for each one, especially when local laws can change so frequently...

The Spyderco Dragonfly is a huge favorite, even in places with unrestricted laws on knives.
length overall 5.438" (138 mm) blade length 2.313" (58 mm) blade steel VG-10

Can be had in plain edge or serrated. VG10 steel, ZDP-189, or rust proof h1. FRN scales, g10, or carbon fiber, etc...
 
MAKnifenut said:
Hey guys. So i live in brookline. For those of you who know it, we are basicly boxed in by boston. Boston and several other cities have the insane blade length limit of 2.5 inches. What i would love to see is manufacturers starting to offer knives that fall within the strictest sets of perameters ie the 2.5 blade limit, under 6 in oal because of the NC law (i think its NC) and have them based of of already proven designs. Like take .13 inches of of the esee izula or alittle bit of bladelength off of the delica. It would be like how S&W offers MA and CA compliant guns. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

There are a ton of knives that fit into that criteria already. Spyderco, Cold Steel, Victorinox/Wenger, etc. personally, I'd go nuts if I had to deal with something like that, it would absolutely drive to me move away. At any rate, here is an entire thread for you to browse through:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...omprehensive-List-★?highlight=Keychain+knives
 
You should take a look at the Spyderco Chicago, 2 inch blade length :) I'm not right next to Boston, but If I go into Boston I just don't take a knife.
 
There's also the Cold Steel Mini Tuff, even shorter. With my hands I still have a 4-finger grip on it, and it's less expensive than the Tuff Lite. Some dealers have them in sheeple-friendly colors as well. Unfortunately both are tip-down only, and the Mini Tuff is right-hand carry only.
 
Back when I was looking for a smaller knife to be legal in MA/RI I was interested in an emerson snubby.
 
goodeyesniper said:
I can't speak for everyone, but Spyderco really stepped up above and beyond and has a TON of smaller options for these locales. Now, they only have given them specific titles in a few cases like the UKPK and Chicago, and there are way too many local ordinances to ever name a new knife for each one, especially when local laws can change so frequently...

The Spyderco Dragonfly is a huge favorite, even in places with unrestricted laws on knives.
length overall 5.438" (138 mm) blade length 2.313" (58 mm) blade steel VG-10

Can be had in plain edge or serrated. VG10 steel, ZDP-189, or rust proof h1. FRN scales, g10, or carbon fiber, etc...
Click to expand...

I"ll second the Dragonfly recommendation. The G10 version is kind of the "cadillac" of the line, with phosphor bronze washers and solid steel liners.

Spyderco is doing a sprint run of the Lava this year, I think. Even in SS only, it was by far the best "little" knife I've ever handled. I wish I had kept mine.

Otherwise the Cat or Chicago models are nice, especially for $40.
 
MatthewSB said:
I"ll second the Dragonfly recommendation. The G10 version is kind of the "cadillac" of the line, with phosphor bronze washers and solid steel liners.

Spyderco is doing a sprint run of the Lava this year, I think. Even in SS only, it was by far the best "little" knife I've ever handled. I wish I had kept mine.

Otherwise the Cat or Chicago models are nice, especially for $40.
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Try a CS Tuff Lite--I have two Kopas, three Dragonfly models, and a Cat, and for any actual use the $25 Tuff Lite is superior to all of them. That said, the Spyderco knives are a lot prettier . . .
 
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