Category: Knife News (page 7 of 8)

Knife rights enthusiasts rejoice.

The New Hampshire knife rights preemption bill was finally signed into law by Gov. John Lynch meaning the law will take effect in 60 days, according to Ammoland.

For anyone who’s been following this story, the bill passed the state’s senate and house of representatives a while ago thanks to the effort of Rep. Jenn Coffey, author of the new book “Knives, Lipstick, and Liberty One Woman’s Journey.” But, with Gov. Lynch’s signature, the bill becomes law after 60 days.

New Hampshire is just the third state to enact knife law preemption, but the bill is another victory for the Knife Rights’ National Knife Law Preemption Campaign.

Essentially, what knife law preemption means is that counties or cities within a state cannot enact local ordinances prohibiting the use of certain knives. For example, a person with a several inch hunting knife might be fine in one county, but in the next, they might be breaking a local ordinance.

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If you think bayonets are only for gigantic, bulky rifles in the midst of war, think again.

Laserlyte, which is in conjunction with KA-BAR Knives, has a collection of bayonets designed for pistols and recently announced the newest member of its line: the Mini Bayo.

According to Ammoland, the knife is equipped with a 2.75 inch KA-BAR blade that attaches to a medium of large pistol with rails. To attach it, you simply press the two buttons on the handle and affix it to the pistol.

The blade is coated with black oxide and the handle is made from 30 percent glass-filled nylon for additional durability. The great thing about this knife is that it comes with a sheath, so when it’s not attached you can safely store it with the pistol or use it independently.

Another option for a pistol bayonet if you want something bigger is the KA-BAR Knives Pistol Bayonet with a high carbon steel blade. Laserlyte and KA-BAR Knives are hard to beat when it comes to bayonets designed specifically for pistols.

The Swiss Army knife, which is no stranger to redesigns, will be getting an Asian twist in the latest incarnation of the iconic multi-function pocket knife.

According to Reuters, the new model is designed by Japanese designer Kazuma Yamaguchi and will be rectangular-shaped as opposed to the traditional elongated oval shape.

Manufacturer Victorinox will release the model named Tomo (meaning “friends” in Japanese) in July.

The article also says that the knife will come in a range of bright colors from capri blue to lemon yellow (which resemble the second generation iPod nano), and “will target fashion-conscious customers and will be sold in places like the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.”

There are currently more than 300 different types of Swiss Army knife models that range in prices from cheap to extremely expensive, like this $70,000 Diamond Platinum version.

Victorinox is always looking to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to changes in technology and the knife industry. For example, when the company first started, they were in jeopardy of falling behind when a German company began selling a less expensive version of their knife (which was essentially just a plain pocket knife), but the company invented a new spring system that enabled them to add more tools.

More recently, Victorinox added a USB tool to the knife and has been focusing more on technology in their knives and company.

As culture and technology continue to progress, it’ll be interesting to see how the Swiss Army knife grows with the trends.

From the man who brought you the utterly insane machete slingshot comes his next crazy creation: a slingshot that shoots circular sawblades.

Jörg Sprave, the self-proclaimed Mr. Slingshot, usually designs a bunch of wacky slingshots, including one that shoots wooden stakes in the event of a vampire invasion and the slingshot of mass destruction.

However, it seems he outdid himself with his newest creation. In Gizmodo, he was quoted describing the difficulties of shooting circular sawblades:

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If you’re a regular reader of the Wall Street Journal, a New York-based newspaper, you probably saw this small piece on great pocket knifes to own.

The irony of this article is that all of the knives they recommended would be “falsely deemed an illegal gravity knife by NYC District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.,” according to the group Knife Rights.

The knives featured in this article are the Benchmade Orange Griptillian, Gerber EVO serrated edge, Lone Wolf Knives Swale, Benchmade 470 Emissary, and Victorinox Swiss Army One-Hand Sentinel.

In accordance with the recent crackdowns by the District Attorney in New York City, even knives with liner locks are considered gravity knives in certain cases.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term gravity knife, among collectors it means a knife that locks open and closed within a handle. To law enforcement, it usually means one-handed knives that open easily. NYC is notorious for having some of the strictest and broadest definitions of gravity knife and what makes it illegal.

This controversy is sparking outrage in the knife community with some, including Laird Crawford’s letter to the editor in the May 2011 Blade Magazine, calling it a “scare tactic.”

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In collaboration with fashion designer Christopher Raeburn, Victorinox has launched a new collection called “Remade in Switzerland” that designed clothes and accessories completely out of vintage Swiss Army materials.

For example, they have a jacket made from old parachutes and another one made from army sleeping bags, according to Mariska Alexandra.

What’s interesting about this line is that it shows the possibilities of sustainable and eco-friendly clothing.

Since you probably don’t care much about fashion, the notable news from this collection is the release of a very limited edition Swiss Army knife made entirely from old horseshoe nails.

The Horseshoe Nail Knife, as it’s called, was crafted from a surplus of old horseshoe nails. The nails were melted down and recast as knife scales. According to the “Remade in Switzerland” site, the knives are being packaged in the “original coated paper box that held the nails.”

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The famous sword of Gen. Robert E. Lee is making news this week because its finally returning to Lee’s place of surrender more than 146 years after the Civil War.

Anyone who’s not a history buff might wonder what the big deal is, but for decades, there’s been a myth surrounding Lee’s sword.

Legend has it that upon surrender to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant after the Battle of Appomattox Court House, Lee gave up his sword to Grant as a traditional gesture, but Grant refused the sword.

History has a funny way of making a big circle, as the sword is moving from its longtime resting place at the Museum of the Confederacy in downtown Richmond to a new museum in Appomattox, Va.

Even if you don’t care too much about history, Lee’s sword is a notable and unique French-made sword.

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Every now and then, we bring you a profile of an interesting figure in the knife community, such as this 76-year-old knifemaker and this lifelong knife sharpener.

Today, the Florida-Times Union ran a great piece about an experienced and weathered knife sharpener who runs a transient business along the highway.

Phil Vanderhoof is a 59-year-old free spirit that pedals his business across state lines. That’s right pedals. His business (and really, his life) is a small trailer with a sign advertising “Phil’s Knife Sharpening” that he attaches to his bicycle.

In the trailer is a hand-turned grinding wheel he estimates is about 75 years old. He also carries a variety of oil stones to do some of the finer work.

Despite having done this for more than 20 years, he didn’t have any professional training sharpening knives, but learned a few tricks and techniques in the Boy Scouts and the Marines. He was good enough that people kept stopping him on the side of the road on his bike to sharpen their knives. So, he decided to simply attach a sign and set up shop wherever he wanted.

The great thing about his business is that he runs a great bargain. Most knives cost between $2 and $5 while a handful of swords might run you about $30.

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A few months ago, my colleague wrote a post on legislation in Maine that would legalize switchblades for one-armed people.

Last week, Maine lawmakers finally passed that legislation, which will make Maine the first state to allow people to carry switchblades.

Typically, spring action knives are illegal to carry, but Maine is making an exception for one-armed people who cannot open a knife quickly in emergency situations. There is a caveat, of course, that says the blade on the knife cannot be longer than three inches.

While this news is fantastic for one-armed people in Maine who have had to slowly open their knives with their teeth, it’s sparked much mockery and criticism from people around the web. Their main criticism is that Maine lawmakers are not using their time wisely and that this is unnecessary for one-armed people because they’ll never really need a knife that quickly.

Although they may have a legitimate gripe with the part about lawmakers not taking care of bigger issues (i.e. Maine’s growing budget woes), to say that one-armed people will never need knives quickly for emergency purposes is simply wrong.

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More than a month ago, I blogged about a decision by a Michigan school district to allow small ceremonial daggers in their schools. Now, after furious parents complained and legal debate engulfed the district, the daggers are once again banned.

The kirkpan, which is a small ceremonial dagger typically between 3 and 5 inches long, is considered a rite of passage for young baptized Sikh males to carry as a symbol of fighting evil and greed.

The district first faced the issue back in December when a fourth-grader brought one to school. After the district held meetings with Sikh groups, it ruled they were acceptable granted they follow strict guidelines: the blade must be dull, it must be sewn into its sheath so it can’t be taken out, it must be no bigger than 2 1/4 inches and it must not be visible.

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