Urban or Squeak for European Travel?

Knifewing · #1

I have some travel coming up and, along with a SAK, I want to take a small Spyderco non-locking folder. I'm down to deciding between an Urban leaf and a Squeak. Does anyone have experience using and/or traveling with either or both? My favorite locking Spydie is the Caly 3 G-10, which makes me lean toward the Urban with it's g-10 handle and longer blade. But the Squeak is lighter, costs less, and has comparable steel. I don't think either's blade-length should be a problem anywhere. Any info on these two knives would be appreciated. Thanks.

DeathBySnooSnoo · #2

I would say that it depends which countries you are going to. They all have different laws I believe.

sbwings · #3

I can't speak about the Urban, but I really like my Squeak. It has been my most carried knife lately. For me, the ergos are great, and it seems to hold an edge longer than my VG-10 Dragonfly. So far, I haven't needed anything bigger. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip.
Bruce

Blerv · #4

As a tourist I would always lean towards short blades and cheap slipits. That way your chance of someone giving your trouble is minimal and your likelyhood of gladly relinquishing it is greater.

Grejs76 · #5

NOTE!

If you go to Denmark, all one hand operated knives are not legal. So non of the Spyderco folding knives are legal.

Mikael.

Blerv · #6

Spyderco is working on a two-handed slipit for that market now.

Plus there was the DKPK:
http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... derco-DKPK

I would like to see the authorities perspective on some of the cheaper slipits like the Bug, Honeybee or the Kiwi slipit. You would have to be a magician to one-hand open those.

Edit: reading up it seems the DKPK is still somewhat one-handed. Hmmm

Grejs76 · #7

There was flint about the legality of the DK-PK.

But now! (low movie announcer voice) in stores close to you, here comes the Pingo DK-legal EDC model designed in colaboration with world famous Danish knifemakers Jens Ansø and Jesper Voxnæs. Ta daaa!

Pst! Sal. This is where you show a picture. :-)

Mikael still nagging.

ChrisR · #8

I think it's really just down to personal preference because the Urban and Squeak are identical in legal terms. I think I'd pack a Squeak because it is an excellent knife and is cheap (no great loss) if you ever get into a situation where it gets confiscated. Normally though you should find that there is no problem - I have only ever been searched going into a few large tourist attractions (Windsor castle & Natural History Museum) ... At Windsor they looked at my UKPK and just bagged it and asked me to pick it up at the end of my visit ... At the museum they didn't find it

ghostdancer · #9

New to the forum, old to Spyderco. Got my first one in the late 80s. I carried my Endura all over France, Spain, and Italy on a month long vacation with no issues. Was I lucky?? This was four years ago. I spent all of Sept. 2011 in South Africa, carried my Endura and packed a Sog fixed blade. No problems there either. In urban areas I didn't use the clip, I just dropped it in my pocket. Spyderco...don't leave home without it.

emece · #10

Laws are different in different countries. I'm not having any trouble carrying an ambitious as an EDC in Spain, but I'll give you an advice: ensure no law-enforcement officer sees your knife, no matter when, where or in what way, there are chances you miss it.

Now I'll tell you a story. Two weeks ago I need to do some business at the central headquarters of the "Banco de España" in Madrid (in some way the Spanish Federal Bank, perhaps you know it as it is now in the papers). Obviously there was a police control at the entrance equipped with metal detectors. I was carrying, as usual, my ambitious in my pocket. As it is now "part of my skin" I absolutely forgot its presence and tried to pass the metal detectors with it still on my pocket. Guess what, although the metal detectors signed its presence... I was allowed to enter the bank with no complaints, the officers didn't even ask me about any missed metal part in my pockets...

Many times it is not a matter of laws, but of luck.

bartvdb · #11

ukpk ! bigger than squeak ; light; legal; cheap ;to me the best choise . good luck

ChrisR · #12

ghostdancer wrote:I carried my Endura all over France, Spain, and Italy on a month long vacation with no issues. Was I lucky?? This was four years ago. I spent all of Sept. 2011 in South Africa, carried my Endura and packed a Sog fixed blade. No problems there either. In urban areas I didn't use the clip, I just dropped it in my pocket. Spyderco...don't leave home without it.

There's a big difference between "getting away with it" and it being legal and safe. But it raises a good point - that if you look trustworthy and honest then you're unlikely to be searched.

nirvanero · #13

emece wrote:Laws are different in different countries. I'm not having any trouble carrying an ambitious as an EDC in Spain, but I'll give you an advice: ensure no law-enforcement officer sees your knife, no matter when, where or in what way, there are chances you miss it.

Now I'll tell you a story. Two weeks ago I need to do some business at the central headquarters of the "Banco de España" in Madrid (in some way the Spanish Federal Bank, perhaps you know it as it is now in the papers). Obviously there was a police control at the entrance equipped with metal detectors. I was carrying, as usual, my ambitious in my pocket. As it is now "part of my skin" I absolutely forgot its presence and tried to pass the metal detectors with it still on my pocket. Guess what, although the metal detectors signed its presence... I was allowed to enter the bank with no complaints, the officers didn't even ask me about any missed metal part in my pockets...

Many times it is not a matter of laws, but of luck.

Greetings from Madrid emece. You know here in Spain you face a near $400 fine and your knife seized if it looks bad enough to the eyes of the officer. You were lucky in the bank but I guess if they had found your Ambitious things wouldn't have gone as wrong as in a police control somewhere else. Once I also found myself facing a metal detector and that was when I realized I was carrying a knife, so I got it off my pocket and hiding it between a bunch of keys and my wallet I just made it. Thankfully that time it wasn't my ER MPC... :)

Unfortunately the spyder hole will always look too much of "tactical" to the eyes of many even in a Dragonfly, so when travelling here I recommend a non-locking folder... and no spyder edge.

PaloArt · #14

Knifewing wrote:I have some travel coming up and, along with a SAK, I want to take a small Spyderco non-locking folder. I'm down to deciding between an Urban leaf and a Squeak. Does anyone have experience using and/or traveling with either or both? My favorite locking Spydie is the Caly 3 G-10, which makes me lean toward the Urban with it's g-10 handle and longer blade. But the Squeak is lighter, costs less, and has comparable steel. I don't think either's blade-length should be a problem anywhere. Any info on these two knives would be appreciated. Thanks.

I would get grasshopper or something similar (bug line especially) - low cost, high performance, slipits and quite cute friendly looking knives. Just my opinion.

Anyway I don´t think you will be likely searched by police if you are normal guy, if you are suspicious asassin-like looking guy then there could be some problem :-D