Lost in Transit; BM Adamas + Mini Tuff Lite stolen

Jens Schuetz

Jens Schuetz

Joined
Jun 24, 2013
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4,162
From reading at BF for quite some time, I know I am not the first and will sadly not be the last to whom this will happen. :(


When traveling by planes last week my Benchmade Adamas Folder and CS Mini Tuff Lite disapperead from my checked in suitcase. They were hidden in a sock. That obviously didn't work. Maybe a used sock next time?*

Why did I have them with me? Mainly to cut fruits and veggies for my 2 and 5 year old kids. We stayed in hotels and made our own food. A cheap kitchen knife with a proper sheath (are there any?) could have performed as well and would have been a smaller loss. However for some reason it feels more right to me to travel with a folder than a kitchen knife.*


The tuff lite mini was quite cheap but the Adamas is a hard loss. Not just the money part but also the work I had put into it. I had stripped the blade of cerakote, which was quite a task, and put in 2 self made improved omega springs. Here a link to the mods:*http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1145046-Adamas-Mod-and-Fix?highlight=omega*

If you see this folder by any chance on some auction site or anywhere, just drop me a message.

I know its highly unlikely, still missing it a lot.



Writing this here helps a bit to feel better and maybe somebody has a cool idea how to prevent this from happening again.


For example I am thinking of etching some deterring pattern into any new "travel" knife of mine. What would be the best deterrent? Smiley faces, *lots of big hearts? Or simply my initials all over the steel?*




Thank you. :)
 
Man, sorry about the loss, especially the Adamas, airports are like the Bermuda Triangle for knives nowadays :rolleyes:

The only blade I have brought on flight was a Tenacious, I refuse to bring anything more expensive than that because of things like this. And as for deterrents, i'm sure they would still take a heart-riddled knife knowing they can sand it off, maybe get it really dirty and oily ;) then put the knife in a worn out bag along with other tools, an old rusty tool bag might turn them off, putting it in a sock automatically makes it seem like it is valuable, store it in a way where it seems like it's just a knock-around tool, but then again...you can just carry a cheaper knife :)

Do you plan on getting another Adamas?
 
Sorry to hear about that. If you get another Adamas from a quick google search it looks like the best way of going about getting rid of that coating is by blasting it with some type of abrasive. A quick google search of "Cerakote remover" or something along those lines will get you some results.
 
Stories like this just piss me off!

People going through your stuff when you have no other choice than handing it over, what is wrong with them? How do they even have time to look for things they fancy, aren't they suppose to be working?!?

It can't be that hard to put a system in place so that the people who handled the luggage that is tampered with can be traced and held responsible can it?

I'm sorry for your lost anyway, I know how it feels. I lost my army issued Alox Soldier the same way over a decade ago & it still frustrates me to this day.
 
Best way is locked, hard sided luggage, but that is very expensive. Someone posted another thread suggesting wrapping it in a diaper, and then putting in a ziplock. Might even smear a little chocolate on the diaper. ;)
 
Kershaws said:
Man, sorry about the loss, especially the Adamas, airports are like the Bermuda Triangle for knives nowadays :rolleyes:

The only blade I have brought on flight was a Tenacious, I refuse to bring anything more expensive than that because of things like this. And as for deterrents, i'm sure they would still take a heart-riddled knife knowing they can sand it off, maybe get it really dirty and oily ;) then put the knife in a worn out bag along with other tools, an old rusty tool bag might turn them off, putting it in a sock automatically makes it seem like it is valuable, store it in a way where it seems like it's just a knock-around tool, but then again...you can just carry a cheaper knife :)

Do you plan on getting another Adamas?
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I would get another one at the right price. Maybe used this time. The D2 steel could be better. The edge goes from shaving sharp to work sharp within a week of light use. No chopping trees or anything. A few zip ties, fruits (never on hard surfaces) and opening some boxes. What i really like is the ergonomics of the Adamas. Its just perfect for my big hands. There aren't many folders of that size and quality. In fact I don't know any.

For sure a cheaper one for travelling. Even if its too small its nothing I can't handle for a few days. I might even be able cut a Watermelon with a new Tuff Lite Mini :-)
 
Bob6794 said:
Sorry to hear about that. If you get another Adamas from a quick google search it looks like the best way of going about getting rid of that coating is by blasting it with some type of abrasive. A quick google search of "Cerakote remover" or something along those lines will get you some results.
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Thank you. Was looking into getting a sand blaster for some other projects. Surprisingly they aren't very expensive and the can of stripper and time I'll save will be worth it.:thumbup:
 
@mmassey338. That is disgustingly brilliant LOL. But remember suitcases all get Xrayed these days. They know exactly what is in it regardless of the sock, diaper whatever I have just decided to never carry an expensive knife when you have to give up possession of it.
 
I'm sorry to hear this. It really upsets me when this kind of stuff comes up, and it comes up A LOT.

I can't believe these thieves are the people that we're supposed to be trusting to keep us safe in the skies. Total bulls&*t.

Check ebay and pawn shops, as well as Craigslist. Again, sorry to hear about this stuff, Jens.
 
GooberBoober said:
Stories like this just piss me off!

People going through your stuff when you have no other choice than handing it over, what is wrong with them? How do they even have time to look for things they fancy, aren't they suppose to be working?!?

It can't be that hard to put a system in place so that the people who handled the luggage that is tampered with can be traced and held responsible can it?

I'm sorry for your lost anyway, I know how it feels. I lost my army issued Alox Soldier the same way over a decade ago & it still frustrates me to this day.
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Thanks Boober.
I know. Cameras everywhere in the airport where we just walk, have some food or sit and play with our cell phones, but no cameras backstage where some underpaid guys (maybe even potential psychopaths or terrorists) handle thousands of people's luggage every day? Talk about priorities. What is scary is that if they can take out things they could also plant things. Maybe I should count myself lucky that they didn't put any nasty surprises like drugs or deadlier in there. :eek:
Maybe it's a good idea to check in as late as possible so that the guys have less time to go through the suitcase while it's being hurried to the plane instead of being stored somewhere for an hour.
Alox Soldiers are nice. Did the army issued version look any different than the civilian model?

mmassey338 said:
Best way is locked, hard sided luggage, but that is very expensive. Someone posted another thread suggesting wrapping it in a diaper, and then putting in a ziplock. Might even smear a little chocolate on the diaper. ;)
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Thank you mmassey.
Locking suitcases doesn't help since then TSA breaks it open if they have to inspect it. Then there are TSA approved locks which they can open but so can the bad guys.
I like the diaper idea. Got a few of these. The desiccant in them might even protect steel from rusting. Cool cheap idea. A melted snickers in them should look like chunky poo.

Shavru,
I doubt the X-Ray and security guys are the ones who usually steal. I guess it must have been one of the guys who handle the luggage. Its stored somewhere until the plane lands, then thrown on some carts before they are loaded into the plane. Lots of opportunities there :-( Luckily they don't have x-rays and might be repelled by diapers.
Btw. Never anything went missing from a suitcase which had these inspected by TSA notes in them. Broken stuff, yes, but nothing missing. :-)
 
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The safest suggestion I've heard for preventing (folding) knife theft from checked luggage at airports is to completely disassemble the knife. A step further would be to keep the blade in your checked luggage and put the rest (or some of the rest) in your carry-on. Of course this is also the least convenient option.
 
Yeah, sorry about this. There are some bad people in this world. It sucks that we as a society have entrusted them to protect us from the really bad people (TSA, I'm looking at you here).

As for a good dedicated food prep travel knife, there are a plethora on the market. I use a chefs knife made by Kuhn Rikon. Sheath works great, very inexpensive, decent quality. They are available in almost any color, length, configuration imaginable. I have had mine for going on 4 years.
 
I put my knives in my shoes, and then shove a sock in the shoe. Its worked no problem over the years. Then again, I wear a size 14 so I can fit quite a bit in my shoes. Good luck deciding on new knives. Sorry to hear that happened to you.
 
Jesse B. said:
The safest suggestion I've heard for preventing (folding) knife theft from checked luggage at airports is to completely disassemble the knife. A step further would be to keep the blade in your checked luggage and put the rest (or some of the rest) in your carry-on. Of course this is also the least convenient option.
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Not a bad idea. I wonder if companies that do blade replacements would replace a stolen blade? Seems like they would want the broken blade when you return the knife for replacement but it might be worth some thought...
 
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Sorry for your loss. This is an ongoing scandal, I have seen several stories about this over the years, often it is a lone thief but other times whole crews of baggage handlers are doing it. It's shocking that with all our security etc to get on a plane, the people with access to your luggage (and runway, and plane!) are sometimes criminals.

I have never had anything stolen but try to keep valuables out of my luggage, and only bring inexpensive knives. A SAK is good to travel with, sheeple friendly all over the world and easily replaced. Having a bottle opener and corkscrew is very handy on vacation :-)
 
I have had stuff lifted from my luggage. I still get pissed off when I think about it.

Blade removal is not a bad idea. My solution is to ship the knife to my destination and then it will be waiting for me to pick up. This works great if you are traveling cross country to visit family.

Out of country, not so much.
 
K.O.D. said:
I put my knives in my shoes, and then shove a sock in the shoe. Its worked no problem over the years. Then again, I wear a size 14 so I can fit quite a bit in my shoes. Good luck deciding on new knives. Sorry to hear that happened to you.
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This is the way that I have done it for years. I also have a shoe tree in the shoe.
 
I have a cool idea don't bring any expensive knives to the airport with you. Get a swiss army knife and take that with you it will perform almost any cutting task you could throw at it especially food cutting.
 
That sucks. Scumbags use everyone's luggage as their own personal shopping spree. Maybe file a claim with the airline?

That's why I never, ever travel with expensive knives, or expensive anything.

I just got back from a trip and all I lost was a $20 pair of shades. I consider myself lucky!
 
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