Carrying a fixed blade

[z0mbi]

I've been carrying a folder since god knows when, to the point where I feel like I'm not wearing any pants if I don't have it on me (which really only happens when I'm going on a flight for work). I've always wanted to carry a fixed blade instead. Fixed blades to me are more utilitarian, more useful, and obviously more durable than folders. However, theres a few things I'm not sure of and I was wondering if some of you can offer advice/opinions.

First, I've been through a lot of folders, and my current is my favorite. It's a Kershaw KO StormII with a 3 1/2" blade. I like it so much because it has a ridiculously low profile for its size. I wear clipped on the inside of my pocket, so I like a knife that doesn't interfere with my hand when I'm grabbing my keys or whatnot.

So what I'm wondering is...is there a fixed blade with a sheath out there that I could clip on the inside of my pocket without the handle protruding from the top, or the profile interfering with my hand? Basically, anyone know of a specifically low-profile blade/sheath combo?

Also, I've read several different interpretations of MA law on carrying a knife, and consensus seems to be that I could carry a reasonably sized blade on my belt. My initial thought was to avoid this as I thought it would be illegal, but if it's not I might actually prefer wearing horizontally on the belt than in my pocket. Can anyone here clarify on whether or not this is legal?

 

[SiameseRat]

Last I checked it's only legal to have a blade of 2.5 inches or less on you unless you're actively hunting. I can't find anything that designates whether that refers to folding blades only.

Perhaps one of our esteemed legal eagles can weigh in on it. I would guess that if your fixed blade length is 2.5 inches or less that you may be able to get away with it, but I'm not a lawyer and am seriously only guessing on that one.


ETA- I was looking at knives earlier on this website. Here's a pretty one for horizontal belt carry. Is it ok for men to have "pretty" knives? http://www.cutlerytogo.com/helledovre.html

 

[Supermoto]

No legal length in MA other than a Boston's 2.5" blade length

For fixed blade, try a Kabar TDI, Boker SubCom Fixed
or something bigger like a Benchmade Snody Resistor

There are alot of neck knives that make for great pocket carry fixed blades, you also can get sheaths made to carry on the belt,

I carried a Swamp Rat Rat tail for a little while, but went back to folding knives

 

[SiameseRat]

No legal length in MA other than a Boston's 2.5" blade length
For fixed blade, try a Kabar TDI, Boker SubCom Fixed
or something bigger like a Benchmade Snody Resistor

There are alot of neck knives that make for great pocket carry fixed blades, you also can get sheaths made to carry on the belt,

I carried a Swamp Rat Rat tail for a little while, but went back to folding knives

I have boston on the brain...

 

[Len-2A Training]

I have boston on the brain...

That's a shame . . . as it causes severe brain rot!

 

[z0mbi]

No legal length in MA other than a Boston's 2.5" blade length

For fixed blade, try a Kabar TDI, Boker SubCom Fixed
or something bigger like a Benchmade Snody Resistor

There are alot of neck knives that make for great pocket carry fixed blades, you also can get sheaths made to carry on the belt,

I carried a Swamp Rat Rat tail for a little while, but went back to folding knives

Fantastic post. If you know about Swamp Rat, you must be a knife nut. Thanks for the clarification on the law...I'm going to be ordering myself a Christmas present soon.

 

[z0mbi]

Haha, I couldn't wait. I love Benchmades folders, so I looked up the Snody fixed and ended up purchasing it, along with a SOG Pentagon, which my wifes Father has had for years, and I've always admired it.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I am not a knife-nut, but folks may want to check out the following company and sign up for their daily deal Emails. Every day something is 40-50% off. Don't recall who/where referred me to this outfit and I have yet to order anything from them, so this is provided as "information" and not an endorsement.

http://www.covecutlery.com/index.cfm

 

[Supermoto]

Haha, I couldn't wait. I love Benchmades folders, so I looked up the Snody fixed and ended up purchasing it, along with a SOG Pentagon, which my wifes Father has had for years, and I've always admired it.

The SOG is double sided, which is not allowed in MA.

If you want some nice work knives for cheap, look at http://www.scrapyardknives.com/

I'm a big fan of the swamp rat / busse / scapyard knives.

My everyday carry is either a Syderco Delica wave on a Syperdco Native, with a ziptie wave.

 

[Tiktock]

Let me know what pricerange you will be working in. I make some small EDC fixed blades at a reasonable custom price. They look like this:

 

[Higgy]

Let me know what pricerange you will be working in. I make some small EDC fixed blades at a reasonable custom price. They look like this:

I got to hand it to you, David. Your work has improved a thousand percent. How is life in NH treating you? Glad you moved out of Massghanistan?

Hey guys, this fellow does make some nice cutlery, and some of it probably is made with steel I gave him!

 

[Tiktock]

Higgy! Hey man whats up! Im SO glad I moved out of MA....makes a lot of things so much easier!

I took a break from knives for the last few months, and am just now getting back into the shop on a regular basis!

 

[fubar]

So you ordered a Snody/benchmade Resistor ? and want to carry horizontal ? You must be me. ( dissamble the included sheath and reassemble it sideways) .

 

[PistolPete]

I don't carry a fixed blade but I do carry a folder. Since being in the Martial Arts since I was a little kid and being crazy about the Samurai and the Ninja I'm biased towards the Tanto blade. That being said I of course carry a Tanto made by Cold Steel. This is what I carry:

 

[z0mbi]

The SOG is double sided, which is not allowed in MA.

Illegal to own? Or just illegal to carry? I hope it's the later, because I already bought it. I wasn't planning on carrying the Pentagon, it's too big at almost 10 inches. I've just always wanted one.

I've never been a fan of Spyderco's knives. They've been getting better, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from when they first popped up. Their designs were just too wacky for me.

Let me know what pricerange you will be working in. I make some small EDC fixed blades at a reasonable custom price. They look like this:

That's pretty nice. I've already bought my carry, but I'm a collector so I'm always in the mood to consider a nice knife. I'm not a fan of wooden handles (as gorgeous as the finish on that wood is), though. Do you machine any other materials?

So you ordered a Snody/benchmade Resistor ? and want to carry horizontal ? You must be me. ( dissamble the included sheath and reassemble it sideways) .

That's exactly how I want to carry it. When I saw the picture of the sheath, I assumed you could just back out the allen and reassemble it for horizontal. Glad to see I assumed correctly. Thanks for the reference!

 

[Supermoto]

Illegal to own? Or just illegal to carry? I hope it's the later, because I already bought it. I wasn't planning on carrying the Pentagon, it's too big at almost 10 inches. I've just always wanted one.

Sorry, I left out the most important part, Illegal TO CARRY.


Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his
person, or carries on his person or under his control
in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case
which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn
at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife
with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any
mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade

I've never been a fan of Spyderco's knives. They've been getting better, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from when they first popped up. Their designs were just too wacky for me.

They do have some wacky designs, but the Delica Wave is a great knife and the Native is S30v steel and you can get it from Walmart for $39. which makes it a great value

 

[Tiktock]

That's pretty nice. I've already bought my carry, but I'm a collector so I'm always in the mood to consider a nice knife. I'm not a fan of wooden handles (as gorgeous as the finish on that wood is), though. Do you machine any other materials?

That is burgandy linen micarta, not wood. Its epoxy impregnated fiber. I work in pretty much every material you can imagine, but shy away from mammoth ivory and MOP without a deposit....that stuff is expensive and fragile.

 

[z0mbi]

Wow! Checking out your gallery...you are a true artist, my friend. I'm impressed!

 

[Tiktock]

Thanks!

I dont want to derail this thread, so will keep this back on topic.

I personally feel a small fixed blades is the best choice for EDC....my personal EDC is a very small fixed blade with a 3" blade that i keep in my front pocket in a very basic leather sandwich sheath.

Depending on how much you care for your knives, you may want stainless over carbon. Some get ultra thin ground knives for EDC. 99% of the time all youll be cutting is paper, tape, and rope.

There are MANY production blades out there that are perfectly suited for these tasks...so its all up to whether you want pure utility or you want to pick and choose everything about the knife and the price you want to work within. Most EDC sized fixed blades in non-damascus with standard polish and heat treating will run you 125-150 from a custom maker, while production knives of the same size can be found for considerably less.

 

[z0mbi]

Man...I swear to god, some people. I just got my SOG Pentagon in the mail like 5 minutes ago here at work. Myself and a co-worker were talking about how sharp it is, and a third co-worker walks into the break room. "Hey, Dan, you like knives?" I say "Umm...I guess so." he says. I hand him the SOG, and he goes to try and remove it from the sheath. He's holding it in an awkward position, and his hands started visibly shaking as he says "oh, wow". I was like in a slow motion 'nooooooo' moment, just about to tell him to hand it back to me, when he whips it out of the sheath and carves himself a nice flapper on his finger.

I've had the thing for 5 minutes, and it's already claimed a victim.

 

[Tiktock]

People are stupid. Most assume the sharpest knives get is as sharp as their carving knife at home that they steel up to sharpen using the 5$ sharpener they bought at the supermarket. Even informed knife owners rarely realize how sharp a knife can get if properly sharpened. They get this sharp:

Single sheet of paper, not doubled over, unsupported. Cut with a 15" blade of 1/4" steel. Try this with any knife you own and see if you can replicate the tube sever with the bottom of the tube standing after the cut:
http://www.schottknives.com/chopper/papercut.mpg

 

[z0mbi]

People ARE stupid. I blame myself, though...I just assumed he would have the common sense not to wrap anything he didn't want cut in half around the mouth of the sheath. I should have pulled the knife out myself and handed it to him. It's just that I've owned knives my whole life and being safe with them is second nature to me...I didn't even consider the idea that the dude had no experience with knives. I mean, he's in his late 20's fer chrissakes.

*edit: Great video, btw. That is one hell of a sharp blade.

 

[Supermoto]

People are stupid. Most assume the sharpest knives get is as sharp as their carving knife at home that they steel up to sharpen using the 5$ sharpener they bought at the supermarket. Even informed knife owners rarely realize how sharp a knife can get if properly sharpened. They get this sharp:

Single sheet of paper, not doubled over, unsupported. Cut with a 15" blade of 1/4" steel. Try this with any knife you own and see if you can replicate the tube sever with the bottom of the tube standing after the cut:
http://www.schottknives.com/chopper/papercut.mpg

Cool Video, I use the soft ear plug method, if it will cut a soft ear plug without deforming the surface while cutting, then its sharp. It takes out the skill that is needed to do your paper sever, Sometime I could get the paper to cut and stay put, sometimes it would bounce, sometimes I took a chunk out of the table

 

[Tiktock]

Cool Video, I use the soft ear plug method, if it will cut a soft ear plug without deforming the surface while cutting, then its sharp. It takes out the skill that is needed to do your paper sever, Sometime I could get the paper to cut and stay put, sometimes it would bounce, sometimes I took a chunk out of the table

Yeah that cut is half skill, half luck once you have an absurdly sharp edge. Half the time, the air from your moving arm will blow over the bottom half of the tube. Most people's knives that they think are scary sharp will simply crumple the tube and send it flying or rougly cut it in two pieces. To not disturb the weight of a half sheet of paper takes the right speed, angle and edge.

Another sharpness trick is to suspend a 1" wide strip of leather from a single piece of masking tape attached to something. If you can cut the leather in half without touching it with your hands and without pulling the tape off whatever its hanging from, you have a sharp knife.

 

[z0mbi]

My Snody just came in a little while ago. I am very impressed with the quality.

 

[FunYun]

I have always heard that there is no length limit in MA, though every time I read the law, this makes me wonder:

(b) Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade, or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches, or a slung shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use with the same or similar effect as metallic knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any similar pointed starlike object intended to injure a person when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made from any other substance or a cestus or similar material weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand, or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.


Now, nowhere are simple fixed or folding knives mentioned, so what does this apply too? Can you have a switch knife at 1.5"? Or does it apply to the entire list?

ETA: Also, what does RI/NH/ME have for knife laws?

 

[Coyote33]

The SOG is double sided, which is not allowed in MA.

If you want some nice work knives for cheap, look at http://www.scrapyardknives.com/

I'm a big fan of the swamp rat / busse / scapyard knives.

My everyday carry is either a Syderco Delica wave on a Syperdco Native, with a ziptie wave.

You recommend one, and use another?

I checked out your link. The "Street Scrapper 4" looks interesting.

 

[FunYun]

You recommend one, and use another?

I checked out your link. The "Street Scrapper 4" looks interesting.

The knives he recommends are fixed, the ones he carriers are folders.

 

[Supermoto]

You recommend one, and use another?

I checked out your link. The "Street Scrapper 4" looks interesting.

I recommended the Scrapyard / swamprat etc as work knives.

I like folders for carry, I tried a Swamprat rat tail for carry, but it wasn't comfortable. I have about 20 different knives that I have tried for carry, Most sit in a draw, except the Sypderco wave and native and sometimes the Benchmade HK14200 (kinda heavy) or KaBar Dozier (kinda cheaply made) get to come out

 

[M1911]

So how do you get a knife so sharp? I use a Lansky system which gives me reasonable results, but certainly nothing like that video...