Sifu Concern

[Chondor M]

Hi All,

Not a lot of blade experience on my part, and no Sifu experience.

I have a CS Vaquero Grande. I like it quite a bit, but I would feel more comfortable with a stronger lock. The grip is ergonomic, but I would feel more comfortable with something to stop my hand from sliding up onto the blade.

The Sifu seems like the optimal replacement. I have a question for those of you who have done cutting experiments with it; There is a notch between the handle and the blade. That is to say, the cutting edge starts abruptly, a fraction of an inch from the handle. I am concerned that clothing or other matter might get caught in the notch, and sort of stifle the cut. Is this a legitimate problem?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Samurai6]

Not in my opinion. Tis true there is a notch there, but the corner of it is quite sharp, and anything it catches should be cut or ripped immediately by it. The maker of my favorite fighting knives purposely cuts a semicircular notch between the guard and edge of his knives. He says it starts the cut better.

 

[Chondor M]

Thanks Steve,

That was the answer I was hoping for.

 

[Jim March]

The Sifu is the pro version of the CSVG, in every way

.

I too graduated from the CSVG to Sifu and trust me, I never looked back. The *only* real complaints anyone has had with the Sifu is it's size, generally from people who aren't interested primarily in a "street defender".

But if you're already packing the CSVG, no sweat. The Sifu is slightly shorter overall, a lot thinner and the quality upgrade is simply astonishing

.

See also: http://www.ninehundred.com/~equalccw/blades.html

Jim

 

[Chondor M]

Thanks for the link Jim. I have been to your site before and found it very informative. As a matter of fact, I have even directed others to your site when they have expressed an interest in CA knife laws. It is great that you share your well thought out information with those of us new to the whole blade thing.

I do have some concerns regarding law and the Sifu that you may be able to shed some light on. While CA state law does not draw a limit on the length of folding knives, there are still local municipal codes to consider. I live in Studio City, which is part of L.A. county. I have researched L.A. municipal code, and it specifically limits folding knives to under 3". There are exceptions for work-required knives, but I think I would have a hard time convincing an LEO, judge or prosecutor that I need a 5.45" blade to open boxes and such at work. I am having trouble figuring out what kind of crime (felony, misdemeanor, etc.) I would be committing by violating this municipal code, and what kind of consequences I could expect.

What do you think?

 

[Jim March]

OK, local rules are a touchy subject. The late great James Mattis always took a slightly more conservative approach than myself but then again, I lived in worse neighborhoods

.

Here's how I see it: these local rules are almost always infractions, they're sometimes (rarely) misdemeanors and enforcement is usually spotty *unless* you're homeless or a teenager. Cops will go out of their way to strip knives from even well-dressed teens.

If you keep it totally concealed, your odds of being caught are really slim. If you do end up in a defensive use situation, they can't use the violation of an obscure local ordinance to invalidate your self defense rights; in other words, you're still judged on "was the lethal force proper" and that's a whole 'nuther thing you should give at least moderate study to. (Hint: if you don't recognise the phrase "fear or threat of great bodily injury or death" you definately need more study.)

If you're gonna carry a monster fighting folder like the Sifu or CSVG, you should also have a modest "obviously a tool" blade on you to avoid unnessecary sheeple freakout. I usually have a Gerber Multipliers on me, failing that there's my Swisstech Utilikey with it's 2" harmless-looking blade.

The last thing is attitude if you're ever dealing with a cop. You need to be able to calmly quote the Calif. penal codes that say the turkey is LEGAL

. That means the relevant bits of PC653k and 12020(24). Memorize those numbers and bits. If the cop is still in hassle mode, gently explain that these rules have changed over the last few years, and ask for a supervisor. Don't even talk about local ordinances, you don't know squat about 'em and odds are he/she/it doesn't either.

What else...if you're in a traffic stop and it looks like he's gonna search you or cuff you (paid those old tickets?

) politely point out that you have a "legal pocket knife" and where it is. DO NOT let a cop find a megafolder on his own. You also don't want to reach for it and surprise him with it. All this applies to the aftermath of a defensive use...if I ever had to use and was for some reason staying for the cops, I'd wipe the blade, close it and get it the hell out of sight. You don't want the first scared cop on-scene to see a knife in your hand.

What else...if it's a traffic stop situation, and the cop starts talkin' local ordinance, it might be wise to say you're "just passing through" unless it's your home town per your driver's license.

So I guess it boils down to "stay polite, know the law, don't scare the cop!" and you'll be fine 99% of the time

.

Sidenote: I've had to inform cops I was carrying a megafolder twice now, with no untoward results. So this isn't just theory.

Jim

 

[Doug Huchteman]

Jim, your 11/10/00 reply regarding staying out of trouble with a defense knife is pretty much true. I don't live in CA (and thank God every day) so I don't know just how they structure their state / local laws but in OK we also don't have a legal length for a folding knife. Our state statutes list illegal knives as being "dirks, daggers" ... and other offensive weapons. Here "attitude is everything" when in contact with the law. Of course this assumes that you don't have a violent criminal history and aren't being stupid.

I was raised with a knife in my pocket (at school and everywhere else) and feel naked without one. Since every cop that is worth his salt carries a knife you're likely to get to show that SIFU off rather than going to jail. Of course it could be a lot different on the left side of the county.

IMHO

DH204

 

[Jim March]

That brings up another subject: in states with "shall-issue" CCW permits available, expect a better general "weapons attitude" on the part of LEOs, especially for adults. For teens, well it's still a crapshoot

.

In such a state (including OK), you really should consider scoring CCW even if you don't pack a gun every day. Two reasons: something could come up where you WILL want to strap on a shootin' iron (riot, personal crisis such as wife's ex-boyfriend getting out of jail

, whatever) and even when not strapped, the card acts as a "good citizen identifier" because you've gone through a background check. Most cops will let you slide on something like a big knife

and many will even cut you slack on low-grade traffic offenses

.

For teens anywhere: you're going to have to go to extra length to display a calm demeanor when explaining that big ol' sticker. Sorry, but that's life. And that goes extra for minorities, which really sucks.

Jim

 

[Chondor M]

Thanks for the advice Jim. It is too bad that we have to ride the line of legality just to have some kind of fighting chance against the goblins.

Truth be told, I am pretty good about putting cops at ease. I think I have a good enough chance of not getting bagged for a mega folder to risk toting it.

If you don't mind, I have more newbie Sifu questions that I have not found an answer to by looking into the archives of this forum and other sources.

Is it easy to inadvertently activate the lock with a thumb or forefinger during the draw or grip changes? It looks as though the lock would be right under the finger in a hammer grip. Is this a problem?

 

[Jim March]

On accidental lock releases: it's never even been close to an issue for me, and I've not seen a single report on it happening. Bob did a REALLY good job positioning it far enough out of the way that you won't hit it in a fight.

One key thing is that on a hard-target stab, if your thumb slides *forward* across the button, all you're doing is making it lock a bit tighter. Only on a "draw cut" (or stab extraction) is there any danger at all and even then your thumb pad is nowhere near.

Another thing: because of the fingergroove and backstrap shape, most of the pressure you'll put on the grip is "top and bottom" versus on the sides. That's why even the dead-smooth Carbon Fiber grip versions work just as well as the "grippier" G10 versions.

It also works well if you've got a right-hand model being used "southpaw". And actually using the lock with your off-hand forefinger feels fine...the lack of an ambidextrous lock release is simply not an issue.

Jim

 

[Chondor M]

Great!

The more I read, the more this seems like the knife for me.

I like your sheath ideas. I have a few ideas of my own that I would like to experiment with.

Where/how did you learn to work kydex? I do not have much arts and crafts experience, but I would like to try my hand at it.

 

[Jim March]

I've done some reading on kydex forming, and mostly I've just played with it a bit. I'm not good enough to sell anything professionally but for simple personal stuff, it's good enough for me

.

The "belt slide" design is a good dead-simple homebrew project. Just form it "one-sided" (thick foam press on one side, flat tabletop on the other) and drill the holes.

Jim