Coming to realize how big an >4 inch blade really is

[JAB]

I am really, really glad about the upcoming law change that will remove blade length restrictions as well as restrictions on carrying automatic knives, balisongs and the like.  This past weekend, though, I came to realize that the change likely won't have a huge impact on me on a daily basis.

 

This realization came after a trip to Smoky Mountain Knife Works.  My first thought upon hearing about the change was that I wanted to get a fixed blade knife with a blade of about 5 inches to carry.  I am not a very 'tacticool' person and tend to like more 'traditional' looking knives so I was thinking something in a hunting style knife with a nice-looking grip.  Then I realized that in any situation I'd be likely to actually carry such a blade I would be likely to carry a firearm.  If I belt carry a firearm, it is OWB.  That would mean having a firearm on the strong side, a knife on the weak side (I would make a cross-draw sheath for it so I could draw it either with the strong or weak hand) along with a possible reload all hanging on my belt.  I could very much see such a setup for camping or woods bumming but for out and about in town it just seemed a little too Batman utility belt for my tastes.  I might eventually looking into making a custom belt, holster and sheath and trying to find a knife with grips that closely match the grips on my GP100 to make sort of a 'barbecue rig' just because but I don't see me regularly carrying all that on a belt.

 

For that reason, I decided that a large folder would serve me better and such a folder was what I had in mind when I headed up to SMKW.  I quickly realized that a folder with a blade of five inches or more isn't large - it is huge.  No way I would carry something that large in my pocket regularly.  Of course, there is the belt pouch/sheath option but if I am going to carry a folder on my belt then I had might as well carry a fixed blade.  I looked at Cold Steel's Voyager line and they kind of left me flat (again, I like the 'traditional' look.)  I looked at their Recon line, too (btw, they have a sale on some of their older Recon models and claim that the sale price - around $39.99 - is about $80 off the normal price.)  Although that put some of the models within my self-imposed budget (I am pretty much not going to spend more than $50 on a knife, ever) the Recon also did nothing for me.  Besides, I don't think the larger Recons were on sale.

 

I ended up buying another Victorinox Swiss Army knife, a Trekker.  I like the idea of a SAK with a (liner) lock blade.  I also kind of like that the scales on this one are black rather than the more usual bright red.  The blade on it is certainly larger than the SAK Tinker I have been carrying but still falls well short of the current 4 inch max length.

 

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Victorinox/Victorinox%C2%AE+Trekker%26%23153%3B+-+Black+Composition/V54854.html

 

Just so I didn't leave without something that would be currently illegal to carry but would become legal on July 1, I ended up buying a Rough Rider Deerslayer with white bone grips.  It is a nice looking knife, IMO, in a more 'traditional' looking style with a shape that I think will work well for pocket carry.  It didn't cost very much but I have heard that Rough Rider makes a good, inexpensive knife.  I figured I would give them a chance and mine was shaving sharp right out of the box.  The blade on it is impressive, IMO, but - at 4 1/4 inches (according to the SMKW website) it still only exceeds the current max by a quarter of an inch.

 

This is the model I bought.

 

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Rough+Rider/Rough+Rider%26%23153%3B+Deer+Slayer+Folder+with+White+Smooth+Bone+Handle/RR142.html

 

I have some ideas for a knife with a blade length of five inches or so that would work for a carry knife.  I would probably be back to a fixed blade and would be looking at something in more of a 'bushcraft' style than a 'hunting knife' style.  I'll probably end up ordering a blade and making the handle, myself.

Edited May 13, 2014 by JAB

[JeffL]

4" does seem a bit on the large side for my daily carry. I really want a [url=http://www.benchmade.com/products/3350]Mini Infidel[/url].

 

Edited May 14, 2014 by JeffL

[TrickyNicky]

Yup. Oddly enough that side if the change will have almost no effect on me at all. I would get some awful funny looks whipping out a huge knife at work.

I'm way more excited to be able to carry auto knives. :up: hurry Protech!

[peejman]

Yup. Oddly enough that side if the change will have almost no effect on me at all. I would get some awful funny looks whipping out a huge knife at work.

I'm way more excited to be able to carry auto knives. :up: hurry Protech!

Excuse me while I whip this out.... :)

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5PmnKOkt7fI


I also can't imagine carrying anything bigger than 4" daily. Been carrying something about that size for dang near 40 years... Why change now? ;)

Other than camping or just for show, a knife much bigger than that gets unwieldy... unless your name is Spots.

[TrickyNicky]

Well, thinking it through further, I wouldn't find it strange for someone to have two guns, why not have two knives? And if you're going to have two knives, why not have one of them be bigger than you "need"?

I'd have to be limited to the big folders, like the one Oh Shoot has. A belt knife at work wouldn't fly for a minute.

[peejman]

Well, thinking it through further, I wouldn't find it strange for someone to have two guns, why not have two knives? And if you're going to have two knives, why not have one of them be bigger than you "need"?

I'd have to be limited to the big folders, like the one Oh Shoot has. A belt knife at work wouldn't fly for a minute.

I do carry two knives. A cheap NRA folder in my pocket and the blade in my leatherman on my belt. The folder gets way more use.

From what I've seen, a big folder is so thick as to be unpractical for carry... excepting that monster OS has, which is just hilarious. I'd love to carry that thing around just for the reactions (see the video above) :).

[TrickyNicky]

I do carry two knives. A cheap NRA folder in my pocket and the blade in my leatherman on my belt. The folder gets way more use.
From what I've seen, a big folder is so thick as to be unpractical for carry... excepting that monster OS has, which is just hilarious. I'd love to carry that thing around just for the reactions (see the video above) :).

:lol: It would be pretty great, but I don't think I've run into a situation in the last year were a knife that big wouldn't have made me look like some kind of lunatic.


Guess I'll just stick to the regular sized pocket knife.

[Oh Shoot]

Yup, +4" is getting on up there for daily carry.

 

I'm gonna try my 5.5" Voyager for a while, we'll see. (currently toting the 4" one on bottom, and that's an XD 4" Service model for comparison):

 

 

- OS

[molonlabetn]

...I also can't imagine carrying anything bigger than 4" daily...

Are we still talking about knives ;-P

[molonlabetn]

When I carry fixed blade, its a Schrade SCHF12. It's huge, harder to conceal than my Glock 19. But I'm usually camping so that's not an issue. Every day? Hell no, give me a 2" folder. Edited May 14, 2014 by molonlabetn

[Guest Lowbuster]

I would probably carry my mora while working but its a 4.1 inch companion.if its good enough for camp duty in the woods, its good enough for jobsite. It will be nice not to have to worry about blade size

[peejman]

:lol: It would be pretty great, but I don't think I've run into a situation in the last year were a knife that big wouldn't have made me look like some kind of lunatic.


Guess I'll just stick to the regular sized pocket knife.

 

 

 

Somehow I doubt carrying a knife has any impact on either one of us looking like a lunatic...   :D 

 

 

I think that 5" knife would cause me to limp after a couple hours.  Imagine sitting on a park bench cleaning your fingernails (or teeth!) with that thing.   :rofl:

[gun sane]

How come I see more and more of you guys carrying knives to possible gunfights?  :huh:

[JAB]

How come I see more and more of you guys carrying knives to possible gunfights?  :huh:

 

Well I, for one, work at a place (a satellite campus of a private college) where it is illegal per state law to carry a gun as well as against employer rules.  The employer also has a rule against knives but we were specifically told that the rule doesn't apply to carrying a pocket knife.  I am unsure of the legality of carrying a pocket knife on campus being that we are a private college and HR has said that doing so is okay.

 

I have no training in fighting with a knife and am not a knife fighter.  That said, in a last ditch effort to defend myself in case of an incident at work (we are, after all, a satellite college campus), a large, folding pocket knife would probably be a lot more convincing to/useful against a potential assailant than, "Please, don't hurt me."

Edited May 14, 2014 by JAB

[JAB]

Yup, +4" is getting on up there for daily carry.

 

I'm gonna try my 5.5" Voyager for a while, we'll see. (currently toting the 4" one on bottom, and that's an XD 4" Service model for comparison):

 

 

- OS

 

The picture still does not do justice to the massive bulk and size of that knife, IMO.  I actually went to look at that, specific knife based on other posts you have made about it.  That thing is a monster.  Not as much of a monster as their largest Espada (which looks more like a joke/novelty knife than a serious carry knife due to its extreme size) but still a monster.

Edited May 14, 2014 by JAB

[JAB]

From what I've seen, a big folder is so thick as to be unpractical for carry...

 

That is actually one of the things I liked about the Rough Rider I bought.  It and a few, other Rough Rider models were the only knives I found that had relatively large blades while keeping the grip thin and yet comfortable to hold.  If RR made that, exact style with a five inch blade I think carrying it would be doable.

Edited May 14, 2014 by JAB

[JAB]

This may be a bit of a tangent but still related.  Besides I can hi-jack ny own thread if I want.

 

I was a bit surprised at how little the folks who work there knew about the coming law change.  I mean, I wouldn't necessarily expect the folks at the Walmart knife counter to know but people who work in a business that mainly sells knives and is called Smoky Mountain Knife Works?

 

For instance, a couple of the people working there didn't know about the change, at all.  One guy I mentioned it to said, "Oh, yeah - they are increasing the legal blade length limit to four inches, right?"  Then there was the guy who insisted that switchblades have always been legal in Tennessee (I don't think he meant legal to own for 'collecting' but not to carry.)  The best response was from one lady who not only knew about the knife law change but also said, "Did you know about the other change to the law that will allow people to carry a gun in the car without a permit?"

Edited May 14, 2014 by JAB

[JAB]

Yup. Oddly enough that side if the change will have almost no effect on me at all. I would get some awful funny looks whipping out a huge knife at work.

I'm way more excited to be able to carry auto knives. :up: hurry Protech!

 

For me, I thought the length limit would impact me more than the auto knife change.  I have a couple of el cheapo autos (no, I haven't carried them - just 'collected' them) that I bought for the novelty factor but can't really justify the expense (in my mind) of a decent quality auto vs. a good 'assisted opening' or even easily deployed (think thumb stud) non-assisted knife.  Maybe after the law changes we will see a greater selection of decent quality auto knives for sale in the area.  If that happens, I might be more interested.

[bersaguy]

Didn't I see an auto opening knife for sale on the site a few days ago for like 165.00 bucks?................. :shrug: :shrug:

[dcloudy777]

It really just illustrates how dumb the 4" blade limit was in the first place... as though a 4" blade is somehow not an effective weapon if someone decides to use it as such. 

[Oh Shoot]

The picture still does not do justice to the massive bulk and size of that knife, IMO.  I actually went to look at that, specific knife based on other posts you have made about it.  That thing is a monster.  Not as much of a monster as their largest Espada (which looks more like a joke/novelty knife than a serious carry knife due to its extreme size) but still a monster.

 

Yup, it really is a monster.

 

I carry a Buck Stockman as my main utility blade, the ones the sheep sees :), but I do like the idea of having a whopper so that between the two can do 'bout anything a blade can do. I did chop a 3" or bigger limb off a tree with just the 4", but the XL will do the whole tree methinks. :)  Seriously, grabbing that baby toward the end of the grip gives some serious swinging leverage for tree or thug.

 

- OS

Edited May 14, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[Guest Lowbuster]

This may be a bit of a tangent but still related.  Besides I can hi-jack ny own thread if I want.
 
I was a bit surprised at how little the folks who work there knew about the coming law change.  I mean, I wouldn't necessarily expect the folks at the Walmart knife counter to know but people who work in a business that mainly sells knives and is called Smoky Mountain Knife Works?
 
For instance, a couple of the people working there didn't know about the change, at all.  One guy I mentioned it to said, "Oh, yeah - they are increasing the legal blade length limit to four inches, right?"  Then there was the guy who insisted that switchblades have always been legal in Tennessee (I don't think he meant legal to own for 'collecting' but not to carry.)  The best response was from one lady who not only knew about the knife law change but also said, "Did you know about the other change to the law that will allow people to carry a gun in the car without a permit?"

This makes me wonder how many leos will not know about the new change. We may need to orint a copy to carry. I was out of town about 1 year ago fixing a commercial door. A leo came in to buy something and we started talking. I was surprised when he said he didn't know a lot about hcp laws other than we must inform them. This worried me for obvious reasons, so I downloaded some information and bookmarked websites on my phone.

[peejman]

This makes me wonder how many leos will not know about the new change. We may need to orint a copy to carry. I was out of town about 1 year ago fixing a commercial door. A leo came in to buy something and we started talking. I was surprised when he said he didn't know a lot about hcp laws other than we must inform them. This worried me for obvious reasons, so I downloaded some information and bookmarked websites on my phone.

 

 

That's a good indication of the priority given to knowledge of gun and knife laws.  A significant percentage don't know those laws because it's not something they deal with regularly (which is a good thing).  It'd be nice if they all understood all the laws, but I doubt even the AG could make that claim.    

[JAB]

Yup, it really is a monster.

 

I carry a Buck Stockman as my main utility blade, the ones the sheep sees :), but I do like the idea of having a whopper so that between the two can do 'bout anything a blade can do. I did chop a 3" or bigger limb off a tree with just the 4", but the XL will do the whole tree methinks. :)  Seriously, grabbing that baby toward the end of the grip gives some serious swinging leverage for tree or thug.

 

- OS

 

Someone else was looking at the Voyagers when I was there and he fondled the large Voyager.  Someone joked that it is a folding machete.  I have to say, though, that it would be a heck of a thing to have in a pocket if you suddenly found yourself in a survival situation and needing to build a shelter, get firewood and so on.

Edited May 15, 2014 by JAB

[Chucktshoes]

This makes me wonder how many leos will not know about the new change. We may need to orint a copy to carry. I was out of town about 1 year ago fixing a commercial door. A leo came in to buy something and we started talking. I was surprised when he said he didn't know a lot about hcp laws other than we must inform them. This worried me for obvious reasons, so I downloaded some information and bookmarked websites on my phone.

That is very worrying considering the one thing he did "know" was incorrect. It doesn't surprise me though, as I have encountered more LEOs who had no real knowledge of the carry statutes than were fully informed. That isn't necessarily a reflection on the officers so much as their (lack) of training from the department.
 

To the topic, I have been known to use a 4.5' CRKT Dragon fixed blade at work for general utility purposes. It is really at the upper end of what I could justify carrying. It will be nice to be able to put it on the belt without worry of getting hassled about it.