My opinion of the best overlooked folder on the U.S. market

S

soupah

Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
221
Before I start, some disclaimers:

I choose to be a banner-planner. What that means is that I develop my collections assuming that someday there might be restrictions in the future. For firearm & knife collecting, that means buying certain items that I'm hoping won't suddenly be banned tomorrow. I live in Illinois (for now), so "spontaneous" bans are a concern (and Illinois doesn't grandfather ownership of things- they make it illegal to CONTINUE to own something that's banned :grumpy: ). Like many of you, I'm aware that perceptions ARE unfortunately changing on what sorts of knives are "acceptable" in public and especially in the workplace.

I don't think this means that I bow to the sheeple. To my peers, I am known as staunch supporter of carry rights. I would never tell them that public perceptions shape my purchases. I use many opportunities to introduce people to my hobby and I try to be a responsible & representative knife owner- I work in academia, so this is ESPECIALLY difficult to do in my liberal environs. I also own many knives that are not sheeple-friendly.

Anyway, in my short lifetime of knife collecting, I have been searching for a pocket-clip knife that I could carry anywhere. I believe I've found that perfect "ban-proof" & legally-compliant knife...for now. The little-known Spyderco Pride folder.

What you get for around $35 is a decent combination of compromises. It has a 2.5" blade of AUS-6 steel with a 2" cutting edge and a .5" finger choil, so this folder fits most carry restrictions. It has a non-locking, non-assisted-opening blade like the UK Penknife, so that can't ever be disputed. It has a pocket clip (why don't more non-locking blades have pocket clips?) and the standard Spyderco one-handed opening thumb hole. Finally, it has a relatively un-threatening silver finish, with a small American flag emblem & Spyderco quality.

This isn't the best knife in the world by any means, but it is a one-handed-opening pocket clipped knife that you can carry many places in the U.S. w/o fear of legal violations. There is always a worry about folding the blade over your fingers with a non-locking blade, but the finger choil gives you some insurance, since you grip assists in preventing that. Do I wish I had to resort to such a compromise knife? Of course not, I prefer to carry my Spyderco Delica much more. Still, whenever I'm going somewhere that I'm not familiar with carry laws (which is often), this is clipped to my pocket. It is a gem, and at this price range there is no competitor that I'm aware of.

If any of you have similar problems, issues, or concerns, I hope you give this knife a look. My 2 cents- YMMV.
 
Hmmm I can't say I agree with you completely, though the Pride is a very good candidate for the all-around legal and sheeple friendly knife.

I'm a student, and I have found that I can't even carry a Gerber LST without getting some questioning looks from my friends or strangers as well

The Pride works though because of its small profile and the American flag scores you points with most sheeple

If you really wanted to avoid any trouble with a knife, you'd have to be carrying a small SAK, but where's the fun in that?

The Pride is good, but I'll EDC my Delica and Grip as long as I can :D
 
keep in mind that some places it's illegal to have you knife visible, therefore the clip could make it illegal. :eek:
 
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, there is no such thing as a knife or gun that is "Ban-Proof". We currently have a government that is rooted in the idea that the Constitution of the United States is entirely ignorable. The Second Amendment has a section that states "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". Anyone try to buy a full auto rifle over-the-counter lately? How about a three burst version? Sure, you can buy one after jumping thru gubment hoops and paying exorbient taxes and being registered and listed every which way. there are areas of this country where you have to get permission from a local police chief to legally own a full auto weapon. Shall not be infringed? Means nothing to our big-brother gubment.

Also, try carrying a dagger out in public and see how well that goes over.

Knives have already been banned in government buildings that we the people own. You can't carry a firearm in any national park to defend yourself from bears, wolves, yotes or two legged predators. They've been banned. I have heard that there is talk of doing the same for certain cutlery items. Read: Bowies.
Why? Because you only have rights at the government's whim.

Our knife rights are being whittled away the same as our right to keep and bear firearms by a big-brother government that earnestly believes it has the right to control every aspect of YOUR life. They tell us we aren't responsible enough to carry or even own certain knives and firearms. Soon, it will be we aren't responsible enough to own ANY knife or firearm.

No such thing as "Ban-Proof" in this day and age. At least until the freedom loving people of this country take back the government from power hungry politicians/bureaucrats.

Wow! Aren't I a ray of sunshine? :D

Oh, BTW, I think the best overlooked folder in the country is the Spyderco Stretch. A truly great folder that Spyderco discontinued from lack of sales IIRC.
 
Thanx for the plug Soupah. Unfortunately the "Pride" is no longer being produced.

The original concept was to make a "legal anywhere" folder that could be sold in airports worldwide. Like the spoons.

We designed the model, tooled up, made many country flags and while the first production run was in process, 9/11 happened and knife bans on planes followed. The project was scrapped.

We do have a new version called the "Urban" scheduled for later this year. It is slightly smaller than the UKPK (which is legal in most countries) with plans for variety of handle color and material as well as 4 blade shapes. It is a one hand open, slip-joint (notch-joint) folder with a 2.6" blade.

The Urban was designed and is being produced to serve that "legal anywhere" (no schools or federal bldgs) need, which many of us that travel, have.

Apologies for my shameless plug :o

sal
 
soupah said:
It has a non-locking, non-assisted-opening blade like the UK Penknife
Click to expand...
After having had a variety of slip-joint folders close on my fingers over the years, I would never carry a non-locking knife again.

Other than that, I feel your pain. I've been working at university hospitals for years and now I'm moving to a federal research facility. Plus, I've spent many years in Boston. For all these reasons, I'm limited to a <2.5" folder (and not allowed to carry firearms, obviously).

I'm really shocked that more companies don't offer heavy use folders with strong locks, full-length grips, robust build, and a sub-2.5" blade. Even the Emerson CQC-14, which was supposedly specifically designed for defensive use in restricted areas, has a blade length of 2.7" ... isn't that ridiculous? Why not shave 0.2" off of it so that it's legal just about everywhere?

Seems to me like there would be a huge market for such a folder. Instead, I've got to leave old favorites like my Delica at home because they're a millimeter or two too long :rolleyes:

Emre
 
Emre said:
Why not shave 0.2" off of it so that it's legal just about everywhere?
Click to expand...

I was just talking to a fellow a few days ago- he's got a folder that's about .1" longer than the legal limit where he is. So he was looking to have it modified, shortened.
It's a quick and easy thing to do, and with a little care, you don't even have to worry about affecting the heat treatment.

If I can throw out my own shameless plug here (;)), I told him I'd mod his knife for a ten-spot.

If you've got a knife you like, but you want it shorter, don't forget you can take matters into your own hands! :)

Mike
mscantrell at gmail.com
 
Hi Bayoublaster,

Sorry, no pics yet. the protos are still too far removed from the finished piece.

Hi Emre,

regarding the safety issue. It's pretty hard to cut yourself that way if you hold the knife as it was designed to be held. We employ a large finger choil between the handle and the blade. The index finger is placed in the finger choil. If the blade begins to close, your index finger stops blade motion before in can cut you. We also have a half way stop in the open/close rotation. We're very safety concious.

There are many places in the world, such as the UK, where locking blades are not legal to carry. We developed the UK pen knife with the British Blade forumites for safe, legal hi-performance carry in the UK.

But the UKPK seems to still be a tad long (3") and the black color (soon to be changed) is still intimidating. This information was the result of many Brits carrying and using the knife in the UK.

It's interesting to note that the Brits said they weren't as enamored with the UK flag as "we Americans". We found that true elswhere as well. Perhaps, a bad marketing call on my part in the original plan to use country flags :o

So we developed the "Urban". A little smaller, no black. 2.6" is a good working size. We can easily grind it down if needed, but easier, (and cheaper) to work with makers like MSCantrell or STR and grind off .1 of a blade (from the spine). The large majority of our customer base worldwide is not limited to 2.5", and I doubt they'd lock you up for the .1 ". You also have a choice of blade shapes, so a less intimidating blade shape can be selected.

The "Urban" was developed as a result of working with the "Pride" and the "UKPK". It is the next "refinement" in the genre.

sal
 
VG-10, as the basic steel.


We have had a few requests for a damascus or damasteel blade.

sal
 
I am so glad Texas' laws aren't that strict.
While we can't have a butteryfly or auto. Or
a dagger with over 1.5" of double blade, we can
carry pretty much anything else.
I still get looks sometimes when I pull out my Military. I love that bastage.

mike
 
Sal Glesser said:
Thanx for the plug Soupah. Unfortunately the "Pride" is no longer being produced.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying that Sal...I should've mentioned that the Spyderco Prides I've bought have all been from the secondary market.

I am still VERY surprised that nobody else (that I know of) makes a non-locking folder with a belt clip, much less one with that AND a one-handed opening feature. Silly to ignore that market- I would like to carry a slipjoint clipped to my pocket, rather than dig it out of my jeans, and I think there would be others who concur. A SAK with a factory-designed clip would be a niche-killer, for instance.

One last thing though, Sal- I know it's just my opinion, but I'd really prefer a version of your new "Urban" that was 2.5" long rather than 2.6". Yeah, it's just .1", but can't you just see somebody someday exploiting that as a technically illegal knife somewhere? I imagine there's a prosecutor somewhere who be glad to nail somebody for an extra .1" over a limit. And what's a extra .1" to me or any other knife owner? Probably nothing...so I'd prefer to have the official legal length. It's just my opinion, FWIW. Heck, might as well make two lengths, 2.5" and 2" (for the most conservative places) while you're at it- I for one would buy two of each, like I did with your Pride!:thumbup:
 
soupah said:
Thanks for clarifying that Sal...I should've mentioned that the Spyderco Prides I've bought have all been from the secondary market.

I am still VERY surprised that nobody else (that I know of) makes a non-locking folder with a belt clip, much less one with that AND a one-handed opening feature. Silly to ignore that market- I would like to carry a slipjoint clipped to my pocket, rather than dig it out of my jeans, and I think there would be others who concur. A SAK with a factory-designed clip would be a niche-killer, for instance.

One last thing though, Sal- I know it's just my opinion, but I'd really prefer a version of your new "Urban" that was 2.5" long rather than 2.6". Yeah, it's just .1", but can't you just see somebody someday exploiting that as a technically illegal knife somewhere? I imagine there's a prosecutor somewhere who be glad to nail somebody for an extra .1" over a limit. And what's a extra .1" to me or any other knife owner? Probably nothing...so I'd prefer to have the official legal length. It's just my opinion, FWIW. Heck, might as well make two lengths, 2.5" and 2" (for the most conservative places) while you're at it- I for one would buy two of each, like I did with your Pride!:thumbup:
Click to expand...

plus 1 on the 2.5" blade. Maybe I spend too much time around quality inspectors, but what don't matter to me matters a lot to somebody with a ruler.:eek:
 
MSCantrell said:
I was just talking to a fellow a few days ago- he's got a folder that's about .1" longer than the legal limit where he is. So he was looking to have it modified, shortened.
Click to expand...
Sure you can get it shortened...but why should you have to? Many cities and all federal property and university campuses limit the blade length to 2.5 inches. This is fairly standard. So, why make a 2.6" blade? What does that extra 0.1 inch get you (besides legal trouble)?

Emre
 
Sal Glesser said:
regarding the safety issue. It's pretty hard to cut yourself that way if you hold the knife as it was designed to be held. We employ a large finger choil between the handle and the blade. The index finger is placed in the finger choil. If the blade begins to close, your index finger stops blade motion before in can cut you. We also have a half way stop in the open/close rotation. We're very safety conscious.
Click to expand...
Hi, Sal.

Sorry if it wasn't clear from my post, but I wasn't talking about the Spyderco Pride specifically. I've never even handled one and I have no experience with it. My bad experiences were with slip-joint folders in general (SAK's and the like).

It may not be P.C. to talk about defensive knife use, but I live and work in environments in which even O.C. spray (let alone firearms) are restricted. But I'm allowed to carry a 2.5" folding knife. Since a knife is my only viable defensive tool, I try to make the best of it. But I just don't trust a slip-joint folder in those circumstances.

I'd like to see some 2.5" locking folders with strong locks, full-length handles, and fat, grippy scales. I'm sure I'm not alone. We all know that 0.1" makes no real difference. But for many of us it's the difference between being left alone and being charged with a felony weapons offense.

Emre
 
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