Janisong not available in US?

[Johnnie1801]

I just saw a site that will have the Jani-Song available in June for €292 (about $345)

[jasong™]

Janisongs will be shipped to the distributors of each country that orders them. The have all agreed not to ship to the USA.

sal

Hey Sal, balisongs (and janisongs) are legal in Texas now, and maybe other states. It's been a few years since this was last brought up, and laws are changing in favor of knives like these.

[ladybug93]

It's a totally new design/concept in knives. Mike's design is so unique that we have a patent on it. It has not been technically classified as a butterfly, but we're guessing that out "leaders" in their "wisdom" will think of it as a butterfly knife or a gravity knife and we'd rather avoid the hassles.

We expect we will also be making them in Golden when capacity gets sorted.

sal

i would really love to try one of these. as mentioned years ago, laws have changed pretty drastically. gravity knives are legal in lots of places and balisongs are also becoming more legal. lots of companies are making and importing these kinds of knives now. any chance we could see a resurgence with availability in the states? i imagine the sales would have to be better with the us allowed to purchase them.

[zhyla]

This thread is nearly 10 years old. Is it even in production?

[Buddafucco]

I don't think it's been on an official discontinued list and it is in the 2023 Product Guide.
I'm with Ladybug... I'd like to own one without having to jump through hoops to get it.

[zhyla]

I don't think it's been on an official discontinued list and it is in the 2023 Product Guide.
I'm with Ladybug... I'd like to own one without having to jump through hoops to get it.

Really? It’s not on Spyderco’s website when I search and it’s not available for sale anywhere I could find. Maybe they’re bringing it back?

[mikey177]

It's listed as in stock on the European website below.

https://www.coutellerie-tourangelle.com ... 22059.html

Also listed but OOS on two other European sites:

https://www.lamnia.com/en/p/10518/knive ... ife-c191gp

https://www.boker.de/en/jani-song-06sp001

[ladybug93]

I don't think it's been on an official discontinued list and it is in the 2023 Product Guide.
I'm with Ladybug... I'd like to own one without having to jump through hoops to get it.

Really? It’s not on Spyderco’s website when I search and it’s not available for sale anywhere I could find. Maybe they’re bringing it back?

i'm not surprised it's not listed on the site since it's not available in the us. it's beyond restricted. i know it's an old thread... i dug it up trying to learn why the janisong wasn't allowed to be owned in the us. with all the other stuff available now, i'd hope the janisong could make it to the us marketplace as well.

[jdw]

I have tried to order one from Europe before and the site blocked shipping to the US. I live in an open carry state with essentially no knife laws but I can’t own a Janisong. It’s very weird.

[ekastanis]

It is restricted from being imported due to the Federal Switchblade Act of 1958. Until that law changes, or unless production is moved to Golden, I don't think it will be for sale in the US.

[Mushroom]

I don't think it's been on an official discontinued list and it is in the 2023 Product Guide.
I'm with Ladybug... I'd like to own one without having to jump through hoops to get it.

Really? It’s not on Spyderco’s website when I search and it’s not available for sale anywhere I could find. Maybe they’re bringing it back?

i'm not surprised it's not listed on the site since it's not available in the us. it's beyond restricted. i know it's an old thread... i dug it up trying to learn why the janisong wasn't allowed to be owned in the us. with all the other stuff available now, i'd hope the janisong could make it to the us marketplace as well.

US federal law prohibits it. Spyderco abides by the federal import laws not state.

This thread is nearly 10 years old. Is it even in production?

Yes, it is still in production. It has not been discontinued.

[Rinzler]

The janisong is such a cool knife. My only gripe is that disassembly is an absolute frustrating nightmare if you don’t notice the offset lobes of the pins when you go to put it back together. With that understanding it goes back together in minutes.

[bearfacedkiller]

They are still legal where I live and I still want to buy one. I have been offered them on the secondary market but always for $400 or more.

[ladybug93]

US federal law prohibits it. Spyderco abides by the federal import laws not state.

i didn't realize it was federal law. that seems weird since there is a metric butt-ton of cheap, imported balisongs at any flea market and freely available for order on amazon.

[Buddafucco]

Bumping the post from Sal, that said there was once a possibility of the Janisong also being made in Golden, is what caught my attention. Wondering if that idea is on a shelf somewhere waiting to be dusted off?

[yablanowitz]

From what I saw at the seconds sale, the expansion is coming along, but the area the construction boss said was the new production floor was devoid of machinery, so it will be a while longer before "capacity gets sorted".

[Buddafucco]

I have the patience of a saint.
Ok, maybe whatever it is that has a little less patience than a saint.
Just trying to replant the idea so it has a chance to grow into something in a few years.

[ZrowsN1s]

I think it's even more complicated than international import. I also believe it's not legal to ship across state lines. I think big name otf companies can sell to individual dealers under the auspices of selling to Military/Law enforcement etc. Then they let the dealers break the law and sell to the consumer. Some dealers have started shifting the law breaking liability onto to consumers by making them fill out a form (which they will have to lie on to get the knife) saying they are in an exempt category. The whole system basically relies on everyone breaking the law and the government not enforcing the law, which is an unacceptable liability for a company like Spyderco.

[DerRock]

A harmless knife. Why prohibition it?

[Buddafucco]

I think it's even more complicated than international import. I also believe it's not legal to ship across state lines. I think big name otf companies can sell to individual dealers under the auspices of selling to Military/Law enforcement etc. Then they let the dealers break the law and sell to the consumer. Some dealers have started shifting the law breaking liability onto to consumers by making them fill out a form (which they will have to lie on to get the knife) saying they are in an exempt category. The whole system basically relies on everyone breaking the law and the government not enforcing the law, which is an unacceptable liability for a company like Spyderco.

It's funny you mentioned that, I was randomly listening to an old podcast and the guest, whom owns a knife store, mentioned that it is not legal to ship restricted knives across state lines via USPS. Because it is an agency of the US federal government. Other carriers don't have this restriction.
I have not done my own research on that, so take it with a grain of salt.