Shiny Stabbie!
Smith & Wesson HRT boot knife and Kershaw Blur SpeedSafe assisted opener folder. The S&W is strictly an ornamental piece - in MA, if this leaves the house outside of a locked box it's a felony - it's a double-edged knife, which are verboten to carry in MA. The assisted opener is one of those greyer areas - if you have one on your person in the commission of a crime, they can nail you for it; otherwise it's okay. I prefer the utility of an assisted opener, because more often than not by the time I've conceded defeat and have to resort to a blade to open something, at least one hand is fully involved...
I've gotten a lot of folding knives in the past year:
Pocket Stabbie!
Two Kershaws, two Ka-Bar Dozier-design folders, a CRKT EDC, and the Camillus assisted-opening knife that was the find of the NRA convention floor. These get added to the ever-growing pile 'o' folders in the EDC rotation - the criteria are simple, easy opening, and no harm no foul if it has to go missing.
Just one more, that's all I need, right???
That is all.
11 comments:
Welcome to the HRT club.
I ordered one the day NH dumped its knife laws thinking it would be a purely symbolic piece. My experience with S&W knives until then had been...underwhelming. Much to my surprise, it is a very nice little blade. It has taken everything I have done to it and is still going strong.
A friend was impressed enough with it that he even ordered one for himself.
The Kershaw is a top choice, but that goes without saying. I think I might have to toss my Leek back into my pocket today.
The Kershaw Leek has been my EDC for something like 5yrs now. I even have a brand new identical replacement sitting in it's box just in case I lose/break this one. I use that assist every single day; dunno how I ever lived without it.
As I think about it, one reason I like the Kershaw so much is I'm a southpaw. The Kershaw seems to be to be a better left side carry knife then right side. With the clip reversed to the other end of the knife, my index finger ends up right next to the assist as it comes out of my pocket. It's very much like drawing a pistol; my finger ends up indexed along the side ready to open the blade. No extra manipulation of the knife is needed to open it one handed.
I'm thinking if it was carried right-sided you would have to flip the knife over or around to open?
In my neck of the woods, I've been able to carry my folders almost everywhere I'm not allowed to carry a gun, and no one has said squat about it.
I am a fan of the Dozier Ka-Bars.
One of my normal carry knives is the smaller on in your pic. I bought the larger one as a deer hunting knife.
Also bought both of my sons one of them.
I want to try a SOGzilla next.
The cheap little S&W boot knife was a constant companion of mine in Afghanistan. Quite often part of my job required riding in the cab of a concrete truck with a local driver, and it just seemed more likely to be able to get to the little boot knife than to bring my M16A2 to bear in the cramped cab of those trucks if it came down to it. Hands down the best little fixed blade sticker I've ever gotten for under $15.
Back home, the black Kershaw Leek (another of Ken's wonderful little designs) with a plain edge has been my favorite EDC Knife of all time. It's slim and lightweight, the assisted opening is something I learned to love doing rock climbing and high-angle rescue stuff, and the matte black finish has just enough texture to be grippy, yet smooth enough to not snag in your pocket or wear a hole in them.
"I'm thinking if it was carried right-sided you would have to flip the knife over or around to open?"
If you have (Or, in my case, go out and buy) the proper-sized Torx driver, the clip can be moved to the other side where there are holes already drilled and tapped.
You are spot on about the "same as drawing a sidearm" thing. It is one of the reasons I am such a fan.
Like the above poster that took the S&W to a overseas tour, I too took mine to one of my trips. While there are no mall ninja stories to go with it, It was tucked in to my ammo pouches, stayed there, held up to what I needed it for and the price would not have me angry if it was "borrowed" or if I some how lost it. I recommend it. For what it is and its price its a solid tool.
Wait, I always thought 'assisted opening' was some kind of spring mechanism. That knife at the bottom looks similar to one I have-- with the little thumb-knob to help pull the blade open?
Don't tell me they ban knives with THAT in MA.
The Kershaw assisted knives do have a spring to help open the knife. They're "assisted" because you need to move the blade about 25% of the way open before the spring takes over, hence the thumb studs, and avoiding being a push-button "switchblade" type of knife.
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