Whats your favourite penknife or multi tool .

[johnny]

thats interesting.....maybe there was several versions of the game.

For us you threw the knife to stick in the ground further away from one of the opponents feet...... then they had to reach the knife with one of their feet keeping the other foot on the ground. You' lost ' when you couldn't reach the knife with one of your feet
Thats why it was called the splits

 

[artie]

thats interesting.....maybe there was several versions of the game.

For us you threw the knife to stick in the ground further away from one of the opponents feet...... then they had to reach the knife with one of their feet keeping the other foot on the ground. You' lost ' when you couldn't reach the knife with one of your feet
Thats why it was called the splits

That's the way we played it with the addition that when it was your turn you could stick the knife centrally between your own feet and return to standing feet together.

 

[Jonm]

Now you say it, that is the name I remember. “Split the kipper” did not ring any bells with me.

I am a scout leader. We do not allow them to have their own knife, if they need one we provide it. We do allow them to light fires, cook on open fires, play conkers etc. Most of them struggle to light a match and a potato peeler is a complete mystery. We have had to ban aerosols though.

 

[pidgeonpost]

That's the way we played it with the addition that when it was your turn you could stick the knife centrally between your own feet and return to standing feet together.

Me too. We were even known to use a small hand axe.

 

[pidgeonpost]

Lord knows how many knives I've owned over the years, but in retirement the only one I carry and use every day is the Opinel #8 below.
The little Swiss army one was a gift from our daughter when Airport Security relieved my of my original was detected in rucksack hand luggage. I'd forgotten it was there, honest officer.
The IXL by George Wostenholme was my regular knife for many years until the Opinel came along 10-15 years ago, but it was a devil for folding up at the wrong time. The Opinel is much safer in my hands, and holds a good edge.
The Gerber was bought on a whim from a workmate selling it on. I very, very rarely use it. It's heavy, not very comfortable in the hand, and like many combination tools, none of the tools seem to work as well as a dedicated one.
Like a few others on here I've carried a knife in my pocket since I was a small boy. Old habits die hard.

 

[JohnPW]

I also have an Opinel no 8 and that little Swiss Army Knife (Victorinox Classic SD I think).

I only got the Opinel (stainless blade) a few months ago and I only use it for lunch at work. It's brilliantly simple.

The Victorinox Classic SD is on my keyring and I've had it for 20 years.

 

[JefL]

This is my other favourite knife. A cheap, less than £5 at a game fair a few years ago. No makers name but the carbon steel blade takes, and holds, an edge you can shave with. It gets less pocket time than the Boker as that has the advantage of a screwdriver and corkscrew, but this one has the better blade. Also, the sheeps foot shape I find most practical for everyday use.
I do like the Opinel classic, another carbon steel bladed knife, but sadly no good for edc as the blade locks. It also locks closed which is a useful feature of a pocket knife. The knife laws in this country are totally idiotic. The biggest danger of that sheeps foot knife is to me, when the blades folds onto my fingers during use. Yes, it has happened.....
.....more than once.....
...and yes, my fault, I know.
A locking blade is far safer, but the law won't let me carry one, stupid.

 

[Jonm]

I have a very small Swiss Army knife, similar to the one posted by pigeonpost above, it is on my keyring, attached with a small undoable clip. The scissors are very useful if I get a split or snag on a fingernail. I would not generally carry anything bigger. I sometimes find I have a stanley type knife in my pocket if I have been using it for doing a job, but remove it when found.

My favourite “stanley“ type knife is a Stanley Quickslide. Locks well in the open and closed positions and can put thumb on the top for extra pressure. No good apparently for plasterboard as the dust gets in the mechanism.

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

The knife laws in this country are totally idiotic.

As I recall, the intention of the law was not to make locking blades illegal - they were trying to cover flick knives and switch blades, but worded it wrong. The judges, who are required to interpret the law, found that as worded it made almost any locking blade illegal to carry.

 

[JohnPW]

I think Opinel do non locking versions of their knives. But the locking ring should be fairly easy to remove.

 

[Beanwood]

I think Opinel do non locking versions of their knives. But the locking ring should be fairly easy to remove.

Opinel owner here too. Really simple, robust, lightweight knife that takes a good edge really easily.

The other use of the locking ring is to keep the (Very sharp) blade locked in a closed position when loose in one's pocket.

 

[JohnPW]

Yes, I usually lock the lock the blade when it's closed even though I don't carry it around.

It doesn't have a spring to hold the blade open or closed, unlike most other folding knives.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I think Opinel do non locking versions of their knives. But the locking ring should be fairly easy to remove.

I always lock my Opinel, ever since I tried to cut some irrigation pipe in a hurry and sliced my hand open in a big way when the knife folded up. My recommendation would be do NOT remove the locking ring. Ever.

Unless, of course, you like a visit to A & E where the nice nurses can tell you " Ooh - you're very brave. Isn't he brave? You're so brave".

I use it most days, for opening feed bags, cutting pipes and cables, killed a turkey last week etc.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I always lock my Opinel, ever since I tried to cut some irrigation pipe in a hurry and sliced my hand open in a big way when the knife folded up. My recommendation would be do NOT remove the locking ring. Ever.

Unless, of course, you like a visit to A & E where the nice nurses can tell you " Ooh - you're very brave. Isn't he brave? You're so brave".

I use it most days, for opening feed bags, cutting pipes and cables, killed a turkey last week etc.

Like this?

 

[Sideways]

As I recall, the intention of the law was not to make locking blades illegal - they were trying to cover flick knives and switch blades, but worded it wrong. The judges, who are required to interpret the law, found that as worded it made almost any locking blade illegal to carry.

In one specific court case, one judge concluded that a locking folding knife was essentially the same as a fixed blade. In doing so, he set a precedent that no one has yet challenged and was not necessarily intended by the original legislators. This has caused (genuinely) unknown number of injuries to people who have since had a swiss army or other folder cut them when they would previously have been using a safer locking folder for the job.

Who HASN'T had a swiss army knife close on their fingers when you were doing some awkward job like boring a hole using the blade tip ?

A judge deciding a specific case is considering that and similar cases only. They are in a worse position than professional legislators who are at least tasked with considering the wide range of scenarios where the law will apply. Judges interpretations and the precedents they set help fix weaknesses in legislation, but they also cause problems because barristers, other judges and the rest of us are reluctant to challenge a bad precedent once made.

 

[pidgeonpost]

I hadn't realised that Opinel offered stainless blades until we recently decided to buy one for my daughter-in-law, a gardener by profession. Still bought the carbon steel version though.
Having seen the list of weapons listed here I might feel a bit underdressed with only a small pocket knife. Seems my Gerber may also be illegal as although the blade is less than 3" long it's a locking one. Can't remember the last time I carried that though.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I have two knives in my work satchel. One is a small Swiss Army Knife I gave my father many years ago, and came back to me after he passed away. The other was a gift from Rob Lee (Lee Valley), a handmade Laguiole, which is used for cutting fruit. Similar to this one ...

The other knife I carry in the workshop is for marking and whittling - a Japanese folding knife in Snake Wood and Damascus steel ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Fatboy]

I've had an Opinel #8 in my toolbag for as long as I can remember and a victorinox multi which is only ever taken/used on holidays. A gerber multi tool that I did once use to cut a piece of string but other than that I don't recall using it since

 

[Jonm]

Having seen the list of weapons listed here ........ Seems my Gerber may also be illegal as although the blade is less than 3" long it's a locking one.

Looking at that government advice it seems that virtually any “stanley” type knife is illegal to carry without good reason. I find that I occasionally have a “stanley” knife in my coat pocket, left there from doing a job. I usually take it out when I find it. All too easy to forget though and get the wrong side of the law.

We must not forget that there 41000 offences last year involving knives and homicides involving knives (and similar) is an almost daily event So there needs to be laws about carrying knives.

I have repeated the bit about lock knives below.

Lock knives
Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.

Lock knives:

• have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button
• can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener

 

[paulrbarnard]

Looking at that government advice it seems that virtually any “stanley” type knife is illegal to carry without good reason. I find that I occasionally have a “stanley” knife in my coat pocket, left there from doing a job. I usually take it out when I find it. All too easy to forget though and get the wrong side of the law.

We must not forget that there 41000 offences last year involving knives and homicides involving knives (and similar) is an almost daily event So there needs to be laws about carrying knives.

I have repeated the bit about lock knives below.

Lock knives
Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.

Lock knives:

• have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button
• can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener

Agree there needs to be laws but the absolute nature of the knife laws are a bit OTT. The majority of knife crime is committed with Kitchen knives. I was on the jury for a murder a few years ago and the murder weapon was a kitchen knife. In the press you often see the big Rambo knives or zombie killer blades, still available on the web, shown when knife crime is discussed but they are not the big problem and easily dealt with by the law as there is no possible excuse for carrying such garbage.
The problem is we have a lowest common denominator legislation policy in this country which restrict law abiding people based on the actions of a lawless minority. Because some use a Stanley knife as a weapon a carpenter has to show good cause for the one he left in his pocket after a job. I get the argument that the carpenter could have taken the knife deliberately to use as a weapon but that is based on the premise that all carpenters are potentially going to use a knife for crime. Same for chefs, electricians and people out for a walk in the country expecting to stop for a picnic.