Pocketknives/Kitchen Knives/Fixed Blades
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Last year when I was hiking on Svalbard one of the guides had a knife that attracted my attention. First, I thought it was a puukko (from Finland, also great knives, different story) but it turned out to be Sami knife.
The Sami are the indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting northern Skandinavia (historically known in English as Lapps or Laplanders, but these terms are regarded as offensive by some Sámi people). Sami knives have been made and used for centuries, with more or less the same shape and materials. The handle is generally made from birch, the blade from carbon steel and the sheath from reindeer leather. They are definitely not delicate, but strong tools for everything from wood cutting to butchering tasks.
When we were in Karasjok in northern Norway I had the chance to visit Knivesmed Strømeng a traditional knife maker for Sami knives. You can visit their workshop and see how the knives are made. And of course you can choose knives from a variety of sizes (not much variation in style though, since they are all traditional).
This is the one I got:
The blade is 20 cm, total 32cm.
It feels very durable and I like the traditional aspect. Should be a life-long companion.
Check out their website if you're interested. They do international orders (I think, via contact). -
Lovely backstory, @endo
I happen to adore fixed blades over folders myself and can appreciate this sorta thing. Looking at that site this very moment lol
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That thing is absolutely badass @endo
I would love a nice fixed blade but you can't take them anywhere here without going to directly to jail, do not collect £200 etc.
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That thing is absolutely badass @endo
I would love a nice fixed blade but you can't take them anywhere here without going to directly to jail, do not collect £200 etc.
It's that bad there?? I'm in San Francisco (tied with Los Angeles for the most restrictive knife laws in CA) and I can carry a fixed blade under 3" in my pocket. Anything larger must be open carry (like a machete :D).
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The law here is that can carry an under 3 inch, non-locking folder with no questions asked, any lock knife or fixed blade requires a damn good reason
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Yikes dude. That's pretty intense. And to think that, in Texas, it just became lawful to conceal carry handguns w/o a permit
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I suppose a key thing with UK law is you can't carry a weapon for self defence (not even pepper spray), so even if you had a fixed blade for self defence you would get convicted for murder/attempted as possession of the weapon indicates pre-meditation
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Not a bad approach by the UK. I do often think that carrying something dangerous invites danger to a degree.
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I would tend to agree, but a debate I have learned the hard way to steer clear of online
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I would tend to agree, but a debate I have learned the hard way to steer clear of online
Hear, hear my friend.
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The law here is that can carry an under 3 inch, non-locking folder with no questions asked, any lock knife or fixed blade requires a damn good reason
Here in Germany only a fixed blade under 12cm (app. 4.7'') is ok in public without good reason.
But really, why should I carry this knife in town? I'm not crocodile dundee.
No, I keep it in my bus and it's a good tool when camping. -
Went to Red Rocks recently and forgot I had a knife on me when I got to security. I went to the base of the stairs and threw it behind a boulder. Was able to grab it on the way out.
The knife in question was a cheap Chinese liner lock by Land. I really love it and it’s nice to have a beater that I can be so careless with. It’s built well, opens and locks up perfectly, blades perfectly centered, and it feels great in the hand. Sure the finishing is minimal, but if I lose it I won’t care much.
I’m not afraid to beat up my expensive knives, but I’d be gutted to lose them. So I EDC this thing pretty regularly and it’s been a great blade for me:
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This is the one I got:
The blade is 20 cm, total 32cm.
It feels very durable and I like the traditional aspect. Should be a life-long companion.
Check out their website if you're interested. They do international orders (I think, via contact).That is a proper leuku! Congrats endo.
Carrying a knife is a contextual thing. I do carry one (puukko) on my belt while in northern Finland wilderness and forget about it when visiting grocery there and it's not a big deal. Then again it would be stupid to do so in Helsinki or any other big city, and illegal too.
Anyway here is my puukko (hanging too low) with 888s somewhere tad up north from neph.
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Carrying a knife is a contextual thing. I do carry one (puukko) …
Thanks @aksu and I absolutely agree about the context :). Had a nice puukko as a boy, for outdoor activities. Don't know what happened to it. Guess I need to get one again.
Show us more of yours. And can you recommend a place to get a good one?
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Looking to pick up a new folding pocketknife for EDC. Liking some of the Benchmade types (940 osborne, bugout) and some spyderco (delica) as well. Prefer clean lines and a minimal look, just want it to be thin and lightweight. It'll likely stay in my front shirt chest pocket.
Should I avoid the ones listed above? Any other suggestions? Looking to keep it around $150-$175 for new, or maybe $125 or so on the used market.
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@chrisjohnnick – I have the Delica 4 (and have had it for many years). It's in the VG-10 and it sharpens up well and holds a great edge. I really, really like the Yojimbo 2 in all black and the SpydieChef, too. I've yet to handle either however I trust Spyderco quality. Ti is gonna be a good call for material. Any particular length you want or knife legalities to be aware of with providing recs?
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@chrisjohnnick – I have the Delica 4 (and have had it for many years). It's in the VG-10 and it sharpens up well and holds a great edge. I really, really like the Yojimbo 2 in all black and the SpydieChef, too. I've yet to handle either however I trust Spyderco quality. Ti is gonna be a good call for material. Any particular length you want or knife legalities to be aware of with providing recs?
Thanks! Yes, a local shop had a Delica 4 VG-10 (the all stainless, non serrated blade version) for I want to say $130? I'm in Tennessee, and they just passed permitless concealed carry, so I could probably carry a 2 foot sword around if I really wanted to.
