Pocket knife - recommendations

[Bluekingfisher]

SWMBO would like to buy me a pocket knife as a birthday present.

I was wondering if anyone could make any recommendations with regards to a reputable supplier? It being a significant birth date I'm looking for a little quality.

Something small and traditional and discreet enough to carry in my pocket daily. Not interested in the Rambo, hang off the belt versions or multi-blade Swiss army models.

It also has to be folding, non locking.............................don't want to end up being nicked for "off weap or points & blades" offences.

Thanks in advance

David

 

[novocaine]

http://www.heinnie.com/

you'll be looking for a slip joint or friction, after that it really is personnel taste. (you can also have a heart attack with some of the prices)

http://www.heinnie.com/knives-and-tools ... _carry/yes

if it helps boker and spydco always get a good write up, decent blade that holds a nice edge although I don't really like the modern styling of them.

I also like Whitby knives (nothing to do with the town)

http://www.whitbyandco.co.uk/whitby
Again well made with a decent blade (although some of the stuff they do is a bit odd to me)

I bought 3 of these for presents when I got married (1 for me, 1 for best man, 1 for bro in law). etched the blade with name and date of wedding, it made a really good gift that they had to do something with.

http://www.heinnie.com/rough-rider-kniv ... fe-kit-cs4

it's a locker but with a gentle file of the lock pin became possible to fold with a suitable amount of pressure. without pushing the release. made by yourself (they take a lot of polishing to get looking good), it will be with you forever, you can even make your own scales from whatever nice bit of timber you have available.

hope that helps.

 

[Jon the Bodger]

You could go traditional and get one from the "Little Mester" Trevor Ablett.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Thanks boys for the links, some nice examples there.

Have either of you used or have experience of the knives you recommend?

 

[bugbear]

Something small and traditional and discreet enough to carry in my pocket daily.

This is probably helpful:

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/sho ... he-Law-FAQ

short version for this thread - blade under 3", slip joint is fine.

BugBear

 

[Jon the Bodger]

Have either of you used or have experience of the knives you recommend?

Yes, I bought a Trevor Ablett Farmers Blade Buffalo Handle knife. I'm happy with it - nicely finished and ...... well, its just a penknife after all. I was seduced by the thought of having something hand-made in Sheffield by a traditional craftsman rather than buying the best knife in the world.

Looking at the info on the Trevor Ablett site about delivery times it may be something for the birthday after next, rather than this one.

 

[paulm]

The Trevor Ablett knives are generally thought of as "working" knives rather than high quality pieces, functional but may be a bit hit or miss on quality and fit and finish.

Taylors Eye Witness are generally a bit better but can still dissapoint on occasion, but plenty of different makes and models on the Hennies site already linked too, enjoy !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Ok, thanks again fellahs, very helpful.

David

 

[novocaine]

yes, I have a boker trance, the thing I didn't like was the resin scale, its now walnut. nice blade if a little bit awkward shaped and the back edge of the finger guard was uncomfortable without some rounding.
friend has a spyderco UKPK, he loves it, I found the handle small but have large hands and the clip was awkward to use.
both blades can be made razor sharp and hold it nicely for some time and abuse.

the one I carry the most is the rough rider I pieced together. absolutely love it, perfect size, scales fit my hand, always sharp and almost always in my pocket, makes a mean sandwich when we go alfresco. The Whitby I have is the fixed blade drop point with a walnut handle and sheath, tends to live by the back door for working the garden, goes with me when camping, replaced a 35 year old Whitby Bowie that was my fathers which is still going strong but in a lesser working way these days.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I treated myself to a"Buck" in Auckland airport, flying back with a bit of cash in my pocket. It was reduced from about £90 to £50. I was quite pleased although the steel is hard it's nightmare to sharpen. It came with a leaflet telling me what godfearing people the makers are, how I'm buying into American tradition and a whole pile of crepe. Only then did I see "Made in China" stamped on the blade. Having said that, it is beautifully made.

 

[Higon]

David
if you want something a bit unusual and unlike the modern suggestions, what about a Japanese carpenters knife? The design dates back well before 1899 when it was registered by a knife makers guild in Miki.

I've got three Higonokami, including a damascus steel version which is beautiful and can be seen in the avatar on the left. I use at least one every day, for marking out, opening boxes, and a hundred other jobs.

/quote. snipped from britishblades.com

The tale of the Higonakami changed into a success story. It became the most popular Japanese knife, the one all the kids had in their school bags, the utilitarian pocketknife of everyday. Pencils sharpening mass contests were even organized, with rewards for the fastest.

Mind its simple and basic design, the knife had some outstanding qualities, it was very sharp with a quality sanmai carbon blade, was easy to sharpen, inexpensive and over 50 makers were manufacturing it at the time.

The knife survived the lack of raw materials during WW2 and the following US occupation. The Americans outlawed the making of swords and again a lot of blacksmiths had to look for another job.

They are made by Motosuke Nagao, established in Miki, descending from four generations of blacksmiths and whose one ancestor was this other Nagao I mentioned at the start of the story.
Today, Motosuke Nagao is quite old, his succession is not ensured and the trademark might disappear with him.
His basic and better-known model is called “Sada Koma” and exists in three shapes: small, medium and large.
It is the archetype of the higonokami knife:
- A handle made out of a folded sheath of brass stamped with kanjis detailing the name of the maker and the steel of the blade: a sanmai with an aogami edge (blue paper steel).
- The presence of a chikiri (the lever) on the blade, to open the knife.
- The lack of a locking system.
- The fact that the blade entirely disappears in the handle when the knife is closed.

There are different shapes of blades but the most common is the one with the point in line with the edge, the so-called “inverted tanto”.
There are also other versions with different steels.

Some of them are even cheaper with a Shirogami blade and a blackened steel handle. There also exist some special editions with a damascus sanmai blade.
/quote

The full (long) post can be found here;http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?87498-Higonokami-story

In japanese but shows the variety of models available;
http://www.teshima-hp.com/custumhigo.html

 

[Mark A]

I have a Spyderco Endura 4 It's nicely made and takes a good edge, though it's not legal to carry due to the blade locking in place. If their UK legal knives are of similar quality then you can't go wrong.

Mark

 

[MickCheese]

I have a Spyderco Endura 4 It's nicely made and takes a good edge, though it's not legal to carry due to the blade locking in place. If their UK legal knives are of similar quality then you can't go wrong.

Mark

This looks like a lock knife. (Sorry should have read the post properly) #-o

Mick

 

[Mark A]

Hence why I said it's not legal to carry

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Here's another source - http://www.sheffieldknives.co.uk/ - the old established firm of Jack Adams. There are a few 'traditional' pocket knives under 'folding knives', and all sorts of interesting specialist knives and tools.

 

[lanemaux]

Much as I hate to sound dense I must ask why a locking blade is so offensive to UK laws and yet is really a boon from a Health and Safety standpoint. A blade that locks in place is just about as dangerous as a broken bottle of the same size or for all it matters , a screwdriver. If public safety is the issue it seems as though tetra packing drinks and hex bits for screw tightening should be mandatory as well. It really is possible that the laws have gone too far in this case. Mind that I am a colonial and have different opinions , so no insult is intended.

 

[Racers]

Its crazy over here, is the best explanation I can offer, we have knife amnestys and loads of kitchen knives get handed in!


Pete

 

[novocaine]

basically it was a poorly written knee jerk reaction to a situation.
someone used a lock knife to stab a person, the courts ruled that if the knife would have folded it wouldn't have been possible to stab the person (yer right) and it was an election year. a quick flurry of government policy making and hay presto locking blades and fixed blades are illegal, but wait, we cant have this, people need them for work, religion or an actual purpose that doesn't involve stabbing someone, better put a clause in then "carried for good reason", yer that'll cover it, we wont tell people what a good reason is though, we will leave that to the poor bobby on the beat who's had a hard day filled with the detritus of the world and his last job of the night is a random stop and search, he picks the nice looking chap in the clean cloths, wont take a moment and he isn't likely to cause paperwork.
"whats this sir, well sir that is illegal, do you have a good reason to carry it?"
"erm, I want to make a sandwich, erm no I use it to trim my nails, erm no it's a tool, part of my cycle kit, you never know"
"your nicked sonny"
or words to some such effect. anyway where was I, oh yes other none knife related objects like a screwdriver. you can be arrested for carrying it, if you intend to use it to commit a violent crime, as you can with anything from a vase to a bat via a bloody big machete.
can you guess which type of person was affected by the law? it wasn't the stabby stabby I like to cut people type of person.

here endth the rant. I'll climb back into by hole and continue making knifes for myself. thanks for reading.

 

[Harbo]

A few yrs back I got pulled up by the Police Security going into the Houses of Parliament. I'd completely forgotten that on my key ring was a tiny Gentleman's Al Mar knife with a blade about 20mm long - but it's a lock knife.
I was hauled into a side room, interrogated and lectured on the dangers of carrying knives! Thankfully they didn't confiscate it but I was allowed to collect it on the way out. What is really stupid is that the Swiss Army penknife with a 75mm blade I normally carry and left at home as a precaution, is perfectly legal??!!

Rod

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I did read somewhere that you should always carry a pencil if you carry a knife, as this constitutes a good reason for carrying one. It's just the same as the "blanket cover" laws that cover glasses in pubs and clubs - if the powers that be changed the law and said all little scrotes that stick a broken bottle in someone's face will automatically get gaoled for twenty years with no remission it would happen very, very rarely. If the same sentencing was adopted for stabbings I would be allowed to carry a knife legally and go to a club and drink out of a glass. I'm 60 and I've carried a knife since I was 8yo. I still carry one, albeit illegally. I've somehow resisted the temptation to run around stabbing people.