Medium Swiss army knife with locking blade
Discussion
yellowjack said:
Breadvan72 said:
Times must be be tough in PBDOMC World, or maybe the price of 'roids and weights have gone up, if you can only afford one pair of trousers.
Walking around London with a knife like that sounds to me a bit Walt-Ray Mears/Grizzly Adams . Do you have a rugged and manly beard and an aspect of calm competence?
It's easily done, though. I have a freebie locking Stanley blade carrier (a gift from the Hesco company)...Walking around London with a knife like that sounds to me a bit Walt-Ray Mears/Grizzly Adams . Do you have a rugged and manly beard and an aspect of calm competence?
Edited by Breadvan72 on Sunday 8th December 20:00
edit to show image of the actual knife in question
...that normally lives in my toolbox and has been used a great deal around the house while we do DIY after a recent move. Then a few days ago it wasn't in it's regular place in the toolbox, so a search was mounted and it turned up in my jacket pocket. Then we remembered why - I'd used it to trim an annoying loose fibre from the hallway carpet just as we'd been preparing to leave the house. Pop it (closed up, obviously) into my pocket while I lock the front door, meaning to open the garage and put it back where it belonged almost immediately, then get distracted (usually by having to go back into the house to retrieve the car keys from the kitchen) and forget it's in my pocket. OK, I'm not the sort who normally attracts attention from Old Bill, but if for some reason I'm caught carrying it I'm floundering for "reasonable excuse" really, and I'm not good at quick-thinking lies to cover stuff up. It had probably been in my pocket over a week, as best we could remember, including trips to the shops and walking my wife to and from work in the wee small hours. I'd probably get arrested too if Old Bill knocked my front door, as this locking craft knife quite often sits in the coin tray in the front hallway (in full view of someone peaking in through the side window) "waiting for me to put it back in the garage". Which, incidentally, is how it came to be so close at hand for trimming that errant bit of carpet in the first place...
Edited by yellowjack on Monday 9th December 13:21
I have a quite legally owned butterfly knife in my house, despite it now being illegal to purchase one, but if I were to set foot outside with it, I'd be in deep s
t if caught.PF62 said:
I have owned one of these for years - https://www.victorinox.com/uk/en/Products/Swiss-Ar... and although called a 'Picknicker' it is no longer legal to take to a picknick!
I have one of those too. The blade is also too long so I don't think there is even the usage defence.It's a shame as it's a good knife.
I have several SAK and other knives . .
The SAK in the car has a blade about 40mm long and doesn't lock. There was a fixed blade measuring 40mm in the "Swisscard Quattro" in my work bag (Just gone into my locker at work).
I also have a 4" SAK (about 45 years old) that sits in the desk drawer at home, I don't take it out of the house, the blade does not lock. 30 years ago it was in my briefcase as I flew out of Birmingham. The security guard looked at it, looked at me, and let me through with it. On return the bag wasn't xrayed so it wasn't even spotted.
I have a locking hunting style knife, blade about 4" long, that I inherited from my FIL. It is used in the garage and garden, I am always VERY careful that it isn't in my pocket when I go to the tip, screwfix or the like.
The law should give the police discretion but even then they may chose not to use it. I won't take the chance.
The SAK in the car has a blade about 40mm long and doesn't lock. There was a fixed blade measuring 40mm in the "Swisscard Quattro" in my work bag (Just gone into my locker at work).
I also have a 4" SAK (about 45 years old) that sits in the desk drawer at home, I don't take it out of the house, the blade does not lock. 30 years ago it was in my briefcase as I flew out of Birmingham. The security guard looked at it, looked at me, and let me through with it. On return the bag wasn't xrayed so it wasn't even spotted.
I have a locking hunting style knife, blade about 4" long, that I inherited from my FIL. It is used in the garage and garden, I am always VERY careful that it isn't in my pocket when I go to the tip, screwfix or the like.
The law should give the police discretion but even then they may chose not to use it. I won't take the chance.
IJWS15 said:
I have a locking hunting style knife, blade about 4" long, that I inherited from my FIL. It is used in the garage and garden, I am always VERY careful that it isn't in my pocket when I go to the tip, screwfix or the like.
I may, potentially, theoretically, have done that with a sheath knife that I had been using in the garden, in a contury in which it was allowed, of course. I did think, when I realised, what would have happened had I been stopped by the Police and searched for some reason. I was dressed in work clothes with a car full of garden waste.
The thing about the law is that the objects in question, knives, are small, useful tools, not sporting equipment. They are not assault rifles or handguns. They are not even like shotguns, which are large and cumbersome. A knife in a sheath or folded isn't even dangerous in the way that a gun could be.
The running theme through all of this is that it seems the legislation is rather heavy handed, as is the enforcement of it. In my mind, walking around with a SAK/multitool with a 3" blade that happens to lock in the your pocket in the vast majority of places is absolutely fine. I suspect that if you spoke to serving police officers, they'd probably agree.
But, there are certain areas of the country where I would agree it is a disproportionate risk to allow it/too much faff to selectively enforce. What I don't get it why the legislation wasn't tailored to that. Normally we Brits are quite good at common sense. For instance, giving the mayor of a city/local councils/Police the power to, for example, declare London a "S139 Zone", while leaving Sticks-on-the-Weald and everywhere else that doesn't have a knife problem to just get on with it.
But, there are certain areas of the country where I would agree it is a disproportionate risk to allow it/too much faff to selectively enforce. What I don't get it why the legislation wasn't tailored to that. Normally we Brits are quite good at common sense. For instance, giving the mayor of a city/local councils/Police the power to, for example, declare London a "S139 Zone", while leaving Sticks-on-the-Weald and everywhere else that doesn't have a knife problem to just get on with it.
Evanivitch said:
Mario149 said:
What I don't get it why the legislation wasn't tailored to that. Normally we Brits are quite good at common sense.
Yeah, like the entirely proportionate bans on firearms...
768 said:
La Liga said:
768 said:
AndrewCrown said:
Solved
The gentleman in question was convicted of something much more serious a little later, the Police were clearly on to him...
They did him for a penknife in a glovebox as part of trying to get him for child rape offences from 30+ years ago?The gentleman in question was convicted of something much more serious a little later, the Police were clearly on to him...
Of course any search etc still needs to be justified and lawful.
One of the main points is the whole taking 'innocent pensioner who used his knife for caravanning' on face value is always risky.
ked up as far as I'm concerned.Bill said:
PF62 said:
I have owned one of these for years - https://www.victorinox.com/uk/en/Products/Swiss-Ar... and although called a 'Picknicker' it is no longer legal to take to a picknick!
I have one of those too. The blade is also too long so I don't think there is even the usage defence.It's a shame as it's a good knife.
CaptainSlow said:
I have one of those (or a more featured one). too. In fact I have two, the first as a 14 year old on my DoE, I bought a second one to replace the first after the mechanism broke. Looks like it wont be taken to next years camping trips.
I had one of those too. At the time, in the early 90s, it wasn't considered a nasty weapon. I lost in on an Alpine climb in 1999 when the key ring broke and it fell off my harness, so not able to carry illegally.
CaptainSlow said:
I have one of those too. In fact I have two, the first as a 14 year old on my DoE, I bought a second one to replace the first after the mechanism broke. Looks like it wont be taken to next years camping trips.
I've known it was dodgy for a while, but figure it lives in my bag when (typically) camping. I'm a white, well spoken, middle aged bloke so unlikely to be stopped, nevermind searched....However, I've had a bit of a look and the lock is fairly easily blocked simply by glueing a small bit of plastic in the hole beside the switch (IYSWIM). The real question is whether I grind 1/4" off the tip to take it under 3".
The funny thing is, folding knives are a pita for food as bits get stuck in the handle. So when I spotted a small kitchen knife in a market that came with a plastic blade guard I bought it without thinking. But... It's over 3" and fixed blade. It's also ceramic so "stealth" and to add insult to a thorough drubbing from the judiciary it's entirely matt black and even looks dodgy as f
k. Bill said:
The funny thing is, folding knives are a pita for food as bits get stuck in the handle. So when I spotted a small kitchen knife in a market that came with a plastic blade guard I bought it without thinking. But... It's over 3" and fixed blade. It's also ceramic so "stealth" and to add insult to a thorough drubbing from the judiciary it's entirely matt black and even looks dodgy as fk.
I never even thought about that. I have a 6" kitchen knife in a plastic sheath that lives with my camping kit. I wonder if having packed with a chopping board, cook set, espresso pot, etc would be good enough justification?k. RizzoTheRat said:
I never even thought about that. I have a 6" kitchen knife in a plastic sheath that lives with my camping kit. I wonder if having packed with a chopping board, cook set, espresso pot, etc would be good enough justification?
As long as you're travelling directly to a pre-booked camping pitch......The law is odd.
What happens if a chef on their way to work has a set of large knives? This may well be justified, so no crime commited.
What if the chef is actually also a crazed serial killer who's weapon of choice is a meat cleaver?
Surely the intent is the issue, as was the case for centuries?
Would there be more or less knife crime if we didn't have the current laws in place?
What happens if a chef on their way to work has a set of large knives? This may well be justified, so no crime commited.
What if the chef is actually also a crazed serial killer who's weapon of choice is a meat cleaver?
Surely the intent is the issue, as was the case for centuries?
Would there be more or less knife crime if we didn't have the current laws in place?
Mario149 said:
Hang on a sec, I thought that the <3" and not lockable was just for general carry. If you have a valid reason for carrying something not meeting those criteria you're fine. Otherwise you'd never be able to take a butter knife on a picnic.
That's the rub isn't it? It doesn't get much use these days but it's the one* I'm most likely to have on me "just in case" and it's no less useful for being <3" and non locking.(Thinking about it I seem to have accumulated another 3 locking knives over the years.
One bought on holiday for picnics as I'd left mine at home and a Leatherman that came with a small knife as a set. The Leatherman knife is the most useful as it can be opened and closed with one hand and lives in the "useful crap" drawer. 
)MC Bodge said:
The law is odd.
What happens if a chef on their way to work has a set of large knives? This may well be justified, so no crime commited.
What if the chef is actually also a crazed serial killer who's weapon of choice is a meat cleaver?
Surely the intent is the issue, as was the case for centuries?
Would there be more or less knife crime if we didn't have the current laws in place?
The problem is that the current law is unusual as it's "Guilty unless you can prove you're innocent".What happens if a chef on their way to work has a set of large knives? This may well be justified, so no crime commited.
What if the chef is actually also a crazed serial killer who's weapon of choice is a meat cleaver?
Surely the intent is the issue, as was the case for centuries?
Would there be more or less knife crime if we didn't have the current laws in place?
I believe there was a recent case involving a chef - going home from work, got a call, ended up in the pub with his mates and a roll of knives - is he guilty or innocent ?
The Court may think it's unreasonable and that he should have gone home, those of us in the real world know life doesn't always work like that and if you looked at the worst possible outcome for everything, you'd never do anything.
MC Bodge said:
Would there be more or less knife crime if we didn't have the current laws in place?
It wouldn't make any difference.The laws have been in place for yonks.
Knife crime has (relatively) recently gone through the roof.
The reasons for the increase in knife crime are manifold, but the main issue is the disappearance of police officers from the streets. Second to that are the changes to stop and search procedures.
There is bugger all point in having laws if you don't have the resources to uphold them.
V8RX7 said:
Found a similar case:
MAKERS of the Swiss Army knife have warned owners that they risk prosecution if they are found carrying one.It follows a case in Britain of a man hauled before a court for keeping a penknife in his car.
Manufacturer Wenger warned yesterday that anyone found carrying one could be prosecuted.
The company spoke out after retired engineer Rodney Knowles, 61, found himself with a criminal record for having a Swiss Army-style knife in his car’s glove compartment.
Following legal advice, Mr Knowles admitted possessing an offensive weapon. But he condemned the law as “stupid”.
Wenger, which has supplied knives to the Swiss Army since the late 1800s, has now warned that anyone carrying a fixed-blade knife in public needs to have a good reason.
Spokesman Garry Woodhouse said: “Some of our knives have a locking blade and the law requires you to have a good reason for carrying one, be it work or an outdoor pursuit.
“We live in troubled times where there is a serious problem in some of our towns and cities with youths illegally carrying knives for personal defence or to get respect.
“But it’s important to remember that knives are still an absolutely vital object that almost everyone uses every day, whether in the kitchen, at the dinner table, at work or during outdoor activities. We would say to our customers who have these products to consider when and where they are carrying it and if they really need to have it in their pocket.”
He added: “People should be aware that, strange as it may seem, your car is still defined as a public place if parked on a public street.”
Mr Knowles, a grandfather-of-four from Newton Abbot, Devon, was charged after police stopped him in his car in February. The keen caravanner used the multi-function knife for picnics during camping trips in the countryside with his wife.
Police discovered it alongside a torch, maps and a first aid kit when they searched Mr Knowles’s car after he had passed a roadside breath test.
The full-time carer assured officers he used it on holidays and to cut up fruit for his wife Pat, 64, who suffers from Huntington’s disease.
He was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £40 costs by magistrates at Torquay, Devon, who also confiscated the knife.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Knowles said: “It’s a stupid law.
“The tool was in my glove box in a pouch along with a torch, first aid kit and waterproofs.” He added: “Now I have a criminal record for the first time in my life.”
Devon and Cornwall police said officers had concerns there was a “potential danger”.
The case marked another blow for the trusty penknife, coming in the wake of advice to Scouts that they should not take them on camping trips because of fears of an epidemic in knife crime.
There is a lot more to that story than meets the eye, 61yr old, camper & Grandfather gets stopped and searched for some reason and they find a multi purpose knife in his tool kit and take him to court?MAKERS of the Swiss Army knife have warned owners that they risk prosecution if they are found carrying one.It follows a case in Britain of a man hauled before a court for keeping a penknife in his car.
Manufacturer Wenger warned yesterday that anyone found carrying one could be prosecuted.
The company spoke out after retired engineer Rodney Knowles, 61, found himself with a criminal record for having a Swiss Army-style knife in his car’s glove compartment.
Following legal advice, Mr Knowles admitted possessing an offensive weapon. But he condemned the law as “stupid”.
Wenger, which has supplied knives to the Swiss Army since the late 1800s, has now warned that anyone carrying a fixed-blade knife in public needs to have a good reason.
Spokesman Garry Woodhouse said: “Some of our knives have a locking blade and the law requires you to have a good reason for carrying one, be it work or an outdoor pursuit.
“We live in troubled times where there is a serious problem in some of our towns and cities with youths illegally carrying knives for personal defence or to get respect.
“But it’s important to remember that knives are still an absolutely vital object that almost everyone uses every day, whether in the kitchen, at the dinner table, at work or during outdoor activities. We would say to our customers who have these products to consider when and where they are carrying it and if they really need to have it in their pocket.”
He added: “People should be aware that, strange as it may seem, your car is still defined as a public place if parked on a public street.”
Mr Knowles, a grandfather-of-four from Newton Abbot, Devon, was charged after police stopped him in his car in February. The keen caravanner used the multi-function knife for picnics during camping trips in the countryside with his wife.
Police discovered it alongside a torch, maps and a first aid kit when they searched Mr Knowles’s car after he had passed a roadside breath test.
The full-time carer assured officers he used it on holidays and to cut up fruit for his wife Pat, 64, who suffers from Huntington’s disease.
He was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £40 costs by magistrates at Torquay, Devon, who also confiscated the knife.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Knowles said: “It’s a stupid law.
“The tool was in my glove box in a pouch along with a torch, first aid kit and waterproofs.” He added: “Now I have a criminal record for the first time in my life.”
Devon and Cornwall police said officers had concerns there was a “potential danger”.
The case marked another blow for the trusty penknife, coming in the wake of advice to Scouts that they should not take them on camping trips because of fears of an epidemic in knife crime.
I've been stopped a few times over the years and not once been searched.
I strongly suspect the Police were acting like that for good reason, it may well have been old Rodders stank of weed or decided to act like a bellend for some reason, they acted accordingly and decided to teach him a lesson.
It's like being nicked for doing 75 on a clear motorway.
There is a time and a place for everything, I use one for work and leisure (hobbies, working in the garden etc), but wouldn't have it on me in a crowded public area. If I did i'd fully be expected to be made an example of too, if you turn up at an airport with a knife in your pocket you're a bit of a dick really.
OP why do you feel the need to carry a knife around with you? Are you still waiting for that chance to pick a stone out of a horses hoof?
Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen you come up with a good reason for it yet.
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