Discussion: What do you think is the best size for an EDC folder?

[Ankerson]

Jim,

I don't live with any kids either so I am not all that worried about it personally.

But for those who do, well that's another matter and why I was thinking about it.

What do you do?

Follow what they want you to locking everything up risking the wellbeing of all the family or risk jailtime protecting them, or at least having a real chance of doing so rather than the latter with almost zero chance. (Home invasion)

Even an M60 Machine Gun is totally useless if it's locked in a safe when they break through the door. Might as well be 1,000 miles away.....


Jim

Jim,
I totally agree. There are so many hoops that the average, law-abiding citizen must jump through to be deemed worthy of defending one’s self and family; meanwhile, there are zero such restrictions faced by criminals. So out of the gate, the law-abiding person is at a distinct disadvantage. These laws are thought up and passed by sometimes well-meaning, but mostly clueless people, who have zero concept of how quickly and suddenly stuff happens.

Jim

Jim,

A lot of those laws are nothing more than knee jerk reactions to something happening.

So they make a law because the parents can't control their kids or raise them correctly.


Jim

Good point. For example, I recall in the ‘70s every other boy I knew also carried some type of pocketknife to school. I never once saw anyone pull their pocketknife in a fight. Sometime in later years came all of these anti-pocketknife restrictions, but schools aren’t safer today. Quite the opposite, in fact. If kids aren’t brought up being taught how to properly handle, use and care for their pocketknives, and instead are kept away from them and instead see all these restrictions, of course they will only see and treat them as weapons.

Jim

Jim,

I carried a knife to school starting in the 4th grade and all the way through High School.

A lot of us did, nobody that I can remember ever pulled one out on another person either.

In High School I had a Buck Folder on my belt all the way through.

Every truck in the parking lot had a shotgun and or rifle in the gun rack.

If that Movie Red Dawn happened at my school they wouldn't have lasted 2 mins. ROFL

Do I even have to say what would happen now though?

Maybe there is an app they could use on their smart phones to protect them....

Jim

[vivi]

Are you guys serious about this? Is it that dangerous to go shopping where you live?

Depends on where a person lives and in what area of town the store is in.

Were I live it is generally not too bad, not as safe as it was 25 years ago, but still not like Baltimore City or Chicago... YET....

Used to VERY safe before all those people started moving in around the area, gotten progressively worse, well more people, more problems....

Like James, people being shot, killed and beaten not too far from were I live now, within a mile or 2.....

The Wal-Mart is right in the middle of a high crime area......

Who's moving in that's causing trouble?

Guys with large EDCs - what is your day like? The city kid in me is not going to ever "need" 4.5" of blade, outside of a kitchen - but where is it useful for you guys?

It's useful everywhere, for any pocket knife task. EDCing a Police I run into more situations where I'd like to have even more blade than situations where it feels like I have too much. Plus the handle fits me much better than smaller models.

[nativeleek]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

[Lucabrasi]

No they can’t just randomly check your pocket, not without some particularized suspicion of criminality...but they do anyway if they feel like it and you look a certain way, depending on where you are. As far as the penalty; that will vary by state. I’d guess most places it’s some level of misdemeanor (petty crime, still punishable up to a year and forever a criminal record), though I’m sure there would be aggravating factors that could make it a felony. Mostly you just have to know where you are to avoid trouble with cops, same as with the high crime discussion above.

As for edc size...I started off with an Endura because less than three inches seemed tiny before I started carrying pocket knives, and really I was just trying to experience zdp189 steel. Somewhere along the line I noticed carrying those sized blades seem to draw some looks when pulled out and started carrying Delica/Native sizes, with my caly3.5 as the upper limit. Now I’m starting to drift bigger again, though with a focus on getting the most cutting edge taking up the least space in pocket. Started with a BM 940 in 20CV, then got a Southard, just got a Kapara and an Ikuchi this past Friday. Those will likely get the most pocket time for a while.

[sok]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

Anything is possible, but I have never heard of a policeman randomly checking for a knife. In most places in the US you can carry whatever you want. Even a gun.

[tbdoc4kids]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

Anything is possible, but I have never heard of a policeman randomly checking for a knife. In most places in the US you can carry whatever you want. Even a gun.

New York had “stop and frisk” for awhile. Used pretty effectively to harass folks. Finally thrown out in court, but that didn’t help the people who lost their knives or ended up in jail while the law was in force!

[bigboned]

i find my max carry is para3 - pm 2 is too large in Ireland to be walking around with - i tried it. Delica was always my edc and before that was an SAK / Gerber multitool but like others have said, ego got in the way and i need to go as large/ chunky as i dare and ive got real used to the para3 now especially since i did some recent mods to make it easier ( contouring scales - adding a wire clip thru the lanyard hole) i understand its all handle, small blade per say but im happy out as i like to choke up
i often find myself thinking an SAK would do the job tho.....

[prndltech]

Guys with large EDCs - what is your day like? The city kid in me is not going to ever "need" 4.5" of blade, outside of a kitchen - but where is it useful for you guys?

Before I went on my hawkbill kick, in order to learn about them because I had never experienced carrying and using one... I carried a pacific salt/Endura/military. I’m an automotive mechanic, homeowner, a pretty average joe... I don’t encounter anything crazy in my day to day life. I like to carry and use larger knives. Also, I’m about 6’3” so a knife of that size doesn’t look as big in my hand than it would say, someone 5-6” shorter. It’s more about personal preference for me. Sure I could carry a delica and probably be just fine... but I have no blade restrictions to worry about so in my brain, “if you can, do!” Or “it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it” kicks in.

[vivi]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

In all my years carrying an assortment of knives and guns in this country its never been an issue for me.

I've never had a cop or employer or anyone in a position of authority question my cutlery, unless you count my 2nd grade teacher holding on to my Swiss Army Knife until the end of class.

I make an effort to follow all the laws. Though I'm sure there's been times I've driven through a city with an obscure blade length restriction I'm unaware of while having my Police clipped to my pocket. I have been carrying them for over a decade.

No problem. No one is going around looking for that sort of thing. I have never seen someone get frisked that wasn't already in the process of breaking the law.

The cops where I've lived don't go around checking peoples pockets. They don't have time for that. Over 50% of the adults I see day to day have something clipped to their pocket. They have shootings and robberies to deal with, which is a higher priority than asking folks how long their pocket knife is.

People on this forum are hyper aware of this issue. Most folks, including cops, don't know the blade length laws where they live. Most people here do not care about blade length or think about it, ever. They walk into a store and pick out a knife that catches their eye and assume its legal to carry if its sold here.

I use my Police in public at least a few times every week. Never an issue.

[Bloke]

I’m an automotive mechanic

[Sumdumguy]

Are you guys serious about this? Is it that dangerous to go shopping where you live?

Depends on where a person lives and in what area of town the store is in.

Were I live it is generally not too bad, not as safe as it was 25 years ago, but still not like Baltimore City or Chicago... YET....

Used to VERY safe before all those people started moving in around the area, gotten progressively worse, well more people, more problems....

Like James, people being shot, killed and beaten not too far from were I live now, within a mile or 2.....

The Wal-Mart is right in the middle of a high crime area......

Who's moving in that's causing trouble?

Guys with large EDCs - what is your day like? The city kid in me is not going to ever "need" 4.5" of blade, outside of a kitchen - but where is it useful for you guys?

A lot of people....

Sounds like a town I was recently in near Champaign. They destroyed a bunch of crime-ridden projects in Chicago and flooded these towns with a lot of problems. I became aware of the problems after almost every customer I met warned me to be careful when in town. After inquiring further, my gun stayed on me at all times, even in customers' houses.

It's a shame, it was a nice town

[Evil D]

I live by the "what were you doing when the cops searched you" mentality and just avoid situations where it can become an issue.

As for locking things up around kids, I keep firearms locked up but never my knives. Do you guys lock up your kitchen knives too? When my son was born I was heavy into collectable toys and I had bookshelves full of stuff and everyone told me I'd have to box it all up or he would get to them. I just taught him to stay off those things, simple as that. You can only childproof things so much, at some point a kid needs to know that a knife isn't a toy. If you deal with that by locking up your pocket knives then what happens in the kitchen?

[prndltech]

I’m an automotive mechanic

[img

It’s actually more like this.....

[sok]

This how we roll in Tulsa.
https://youtu.be/UKZ55m2KBaY

[Albatross]

I live by the "what were you doing when the cops searched you" mentality and just avoid situations where it can become an issue.

As for locking things up around kids, I keep firearms locked up but never my knives. Do you guys lock up your kitchen knives too? When my son was born I was heavy into collectable toys and I had bookshelves full of stuff and everyone told me I'd have to box it all up or he would get to them. I just taught him to stay off those things, simple as that. You can only childproof things so much, at some point a kid needs to know that a knife isn't a toy. If you deal with that by locking up your pocket knives then what happens in the kitchen?

Wait, you mean actual parenting? Responsibility is overrated in 2019. :p

[Ankerson]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

Anything is possible, but I have never heard of a policeman randomly checking for a knife. In most places in the US you can carry whatever you want. Even a gun.

New York had “stop and frisk” for awhile. Used pretty effectively to harass folks. Finally thrown out in court, but that didn’t help the people who lost their knives or ended up in jail while the law was in force!

Yeah the criminals were getting mad they couldn't get away with their daily routines anymore.

In reality they caught a ton of people and crime did actually drop... A lot.....

[James Y]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

Fortunately, I’ve never had a problem. I’ve never had a cop stop me, much less check for knives. I have had a security guard at health and human services once see my pocket clip before I got to a metal detector, and told me I’d have to take it back to my car (I’d forgotten it was there). That’s it.

I believe it may be more likely to happen to someone in certain areas, even if they are law-abiding, if they fit a certain demographic(s). It normally there’d have to be some sort of legitimate reason to search you.

Jim

[Ankerson]

In the US, if you carry a blade larger than what's permitted by the law, what will happen? Is it possible for a policeman to randomly check your pocket?

Fortunately, I’ve never had a problem. I’ve never had a cop stop me, much less check for knives. I have had a security guard at health and human services once see my pocket clip before I got to a metal detector, and told me I’d have to take it back to my car (I’d forgotten it was there). That’s it.

I believe it may be more likely to happen to someone in certain areas, even if they are law-abiding, if they fit a certain demographic(s). It normally there’d have to be some sort of legitimate reason to search you.

Jim

Jim,

Same old story..

Have a large LEO presence and they complain the Police are harassing them because all the normal everyday criminal activity isn't as easy with them around. You know the Police doing their jobs...

Pull it back and they complain the police aren't doing anything and they don't care...

SOS different day.

The criminals want their cake and eat it too, doesn't work that way in the real world.


Jim

[Pelagic]

Where I live now (rural Georgia), if you want brag about a pm2 you'll likely run into a situation like this

https://youtu.be/WWl8EbNN8NM?t=25s

[vivi]

Where I live now (rural Georgia), if you want brag about a pm2 you'll likely run into a situation like this

https://youtu.be/WWl8EbNN8NM?t=25s

Funny because I used to carry a PM2 to work and a co-worker would pull that on me. "Vivi that's not a knife, let me use my 4" serrated tacticool blade!"

I still remember the day I got my Szabo folder. I took it into work and cut open a #50 bag of quikrete, and my co-worker was a little miffed that he didn't carry the biggest knife between us any more. :D

Shame I got my Voyager XL after we had each moved on to different jobs.