[Hawk]

Odd looking knife showed up today: Spyderco T-Mag.

It’s a Ralph Turnbull collaboration, matt carbon fiber scales, 75mm blade length. The odd thing is that is uses a magnet to function as a notch joint of sorts.

The blurb that came with it has no reference to UK legality but I can’t think of much else that would drive the use of a magnet rather than a traditional lock.

Some restrictions just baffle me. Assuming the UK does have restrictions on locking blades does anybody have a guess as to why someone would outlaw a safety feature? And, inasmuch as I cut myself quite handily when it folded up, I feel justified in calling a lock a safety feature.

Owie.

[jahwarrior]

funny, i thought all knives were illegal in the u.k., even chef's knives.

[hso]

funny, i thought all knives were illegal in the u.k., even chef's knives.


Nope, common error. The UK has all sorts of restrictions on locking blade knives that render almost any folding knife but a smallish slip joint folder illegal to carry under most circumstances. As to other knives, there are plenty of people calling for turn ins and bans, but not much legal action.

Look for posts by UK members Fosbery and Boom-stick on the UK knife laws.

You can also visit britishblades.com (http://www.britishblades.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39) for further information.

[Fosbery]

Locking and fixed blade knives are not illegal to own but there are restrictions upon their carry in public. Some knives are illegal to own, these are:

Automatic knives (switchblades)

Balisong knives (butterfly knives)

Disguised knives (knives that look like pens etc)

Knives that are invisible to metal detectors, except those designed for domestic use only (Cold Steel...Dart is it?)

Push daggers except those designed for domestic use only

Belt buckle knives

In law, it is illegal to carry any knife or spike in public* without good reason** or lawful authority***.

*A public place is any place accesible to the public such the street, parks, bars and including places where you pay to enter such as theme parks and golf clubs. It also includes your car if your car is in a public place. It does not include private property as long as it's not publically accesible - farmland, for instance, is not included.

**'Good reason' can in theory be anything, but it will be ruled on by a court if you are charged with an offence, and it's up to the police officer at the time to decide whether to charge you. Some reasons which are definitely ok include: camping, hunting, fishing, historical reenactment, ceremonial or religous wear (Scottish sgian dubh worn with kilt etc) and uses relating to your employment (electrician's knife for electrician etc). Basically, any specific purpose. If you're going to a hardware store and you know you will need to open some boxes, you can carry to do that, but you can't carry 'just in case' you need to open some boxes.

***Lawful authority is part of the Common Law and can mean a lot of things. If a policeman asks you to come help him do something and wants you to take a knife with you, he has given you lawful authority to do so. If there is a riot outside your house, you have 'lawful authority' if you go to try and quell the disturbance - so you could take a machete with you and arrest people for instance.

There is an important exception to the law, however, and this is: a folding pocket knife with a cutting edge no greater than 3" in length.

This used to mean exactly that. So a Spyderco Delica was fine to carry. However, a few years ago a man was charged with carrying a knife in public and it was just such a knife - a folding pocket knife with a cutting edge no greater than 3" in length. THe overzealos prosecuter managed to convince an idiotic judge that if a supposedly folding knife incorporates a lock, it is not in fact a folding knife but a fixed blade and thus illegal!

It's totally idiotic and certainly not 'in the spirit of the law' let alone the wording of the law. However, there is a very real danger that the same thing would happen to you if you found yourself in a confrontation with the law.

Thus, most people now have to abide by a sort of imaginery clause which is: a folding pocket knife which is readily foldable at all time with a cutting edge no greater than 3" in length. This means slipjoints and friction folders as far as I am aware.

However, this T-mag knife looks interesting. I've not seen it before. So long as you do not need to release any kind of lock or deactivate any sort of device or mechanism, and the blade is under 3" in length, and it can be carried in the pocket, it's legal.

One more clause though: there is also the offensive weapon law. This means that any item, even a piece of string or paper, if it is carried with the intention of being used as a weapon, is illegal to carry in public. So you cannot carry this knife and intend to use it for self-defence. If you are attacked and use it, that's fine, just don't say you were carrying it for that reason.

You shouldn't worry too much. As long as you don't look like a thug you're highly unlikely to be searched by police. Police can only search you if they have 'good cause' e.g. witnesses saying you tried to mug someone. There are some special areas on some days where police can search at will - this is almost always to do with football matches and since I'm assuming you're not going to be hanging around with football fans you'll be ok. I've carried a knife for my entire life and never been searched by police. If, in the highly unlikely event that you are searched, tell the officer before hand that you have a knife, that you believe it's legal etc. Be polite and calm etc. Also explain that you're American and thus not familiar with laws. Even if he thinks it's illegal, you'll probably get away with it. But as i say, don't worry as you won't have any problems as long as you don't go around breaking into cars or something.

Hope that helps :)

Edit: I just had a quick search on British Blades and people seem to think it's legal to carry 'just in case'. Sal, the owner of SPyderco, posted in a topic about UK legal-to-carry knives announcing this T-Mag knife so you should be just fine :)

[trueblue1776]

I love being a bloody colonist...

[Hawk]

Thanks for the clarification, Fosbery.

I couldn't reconcile an overall prohibition of lock blades with the presence of the British Knife Collector's Guild which showed all manner of lock types available.

Compliance with a de facto statute based on the treatment of the Delica explains a great deal.

Functionally, I prefer the previous UKPK Spyderco as the notch joint seemed to have a more positive action than the magnet and didn't require that one exercise care around magnetic media. The T-Mag is pretty nice but I’m curious how it'll do with a price about double that of its 75mm UK-PK cousin.

We yanks pay extra for carbon fiber. It's something of a mystery how that came to be.

The rare earth magnet has allowed for a little humor on the blade stampling.
Point of origin is given as:
Golden Colorado
USA, Rare Earth.

[Fosbery]

No problem. Oh, and I just noticed I made a mistake. Switchblades etc are not illegal to OWN, only to buy/sell/trade/give/lend/import/cause to be imported/manufacture.

[Pawcatch]

funny,i thought all knives were illegal in the u.k.,even chef's knives.

Why would youy think that?
Show me one link where something like that was actually passed into law in the U.K.
How could you think that?
Are you referring to the ban that a few doctors in Middlesex suggested?Show me where that was actually passed into law.
Please,show me!

[jahwarrior]

dude, relax, i said "i thought." besides, when i was in the u.k. back in '98, i was told by a bobby to "not carry that thing in public." this was in brighton, such a nice little town.

reminds me of a line from the movie "snatch':

"do you have anything to declare?"
"yeah, don't go to england."