What Knives Not to Carry

The  following article is not legal advice. Please consult state, local and location based laws, rules and guidelines before carrying any form of knife or similar device. 

Everyone has their favorite knife,  I’m not going to try and tell you what to carry. Today we are going to look at the other side of the coin, the traits of knives that make them less than ideal for everyday carry. My intent is to take my 3 decades plus of EDC and blade collecting and help you folks avoid some beginner ( and even veteran) mistakes. 

Without further ado, let’s get into the first category of knife. 

Gas Station Knives

“Of course I wouldn’t carry a cheap knife! “

I hear a lot of you saying. 

And while most gas station knives are clearly CCC, I’m using a very specific definition here. 

What I mean is any knife that is purposely over-designed, gimmicky, or otherwise built for flash, regardless of how solid that build may be. 

These are fun to own, but as a bit of EDC kit, best to avoid for 2 main reasons. 

The first is that knife laws are complex, nebulous and generally enforced at the side of the road. That eagle shaped pommel can reasonably be seen as a knuckle duster in the wrong situation. That dull false edge, might seem sharp to the wrong officer. No one wants to lose a knife in a traffic stop, and design features like this increase those chances, regardless of actual legality. 

The second is, functionality. Blades have been around for a long time, and anything trying to reinvent the wheel or catch your eye is going to be sacrificing practicality and functionality to do this. 

That nice dragon shaped handle, is going to be thicker than it needs to be. That cool reverse curve blade, only has a half inch of real cutting area, these knives could be made of  pure titanium and their design damns them to the flipper drawer. 

Tacticool Knives

Here we may get into more legal territory. Though again, when deciding what to carry, consult all appropriate local laws. 

Tacticool knives tend to, by their nature try and skirt around some perceived flaw in knife law. While I love Cold Steel, a huge portion of their gear, isn’t going to leave my house. 

A great example of this would be the Cold Steel Wasp. I own one, I love it, but I would never want to try and justify having it in public. Saying to an officer “ Well actually, the serrated edges make this not classified as a fighting knife. “, while technically correct, isn’t going to fly. 

They also tend to have very aggressive designs. And sadly, for us collectors, public perception is important. That matte black 2” OTF might be the best thing to open your package with, and  legal for carry, but eventually its going to get someone nervous enough to cause you hassle. 

Knife Like Objects

This is my favorite category of things not to carry. Reason being, it goes just beyond us collectors and EDC folks. 

Potato peeler, carrot peeler, ice pick, roofing nail, hat pin, box cutter, the list goes on and on. All objects folks tend to think they can carry anywhere without repercussion, usually for self defense purposes. 

The obvious issue is that most of these are useless as EDC for any practical purpose. They aren’t going to cut a seat belt in an emergency, they can’t open stubborn packages without looking like a lunatic, and you are going to have a hard time using them to create anything in a survival situation ( well maybe if you carried around a box of nails…). 

“But it’s not for that, it’s an equalizer I can have on me at all times. “, yes and no. 

Yes, there is no crime in carrying these things, using them though, is a different matter. Once the item is used, even in justified self defense, it is now treated as a fixed blade knife. If that was in your coat or purse, it’s now a concealed weapon, it’s sharp parts are considered dual sided, it’s a “ Fighting Knife”, if it’s functional part is over a certain length ( 5 inches in California, as an example.) that’s now a restricted item. 

With so many legal carry options in North America, there is simply no need to carry something like this, it’s the definition of more trouble than it’s worth. 

Neck Knives

This is going to be a short entry, as everything about them is terrible. Of course, you can toss just about any knife on a lanyard, but that’s just taking a good knife and putting it in a bad place. 

The last thing you want to be doing in an emergency or self defense situation, is taking your main hand out of play by jamming it up your shirt and trying to get something. 

Sentimental Knives

Here is the point I think I may get a few folks a little riled up. But you need to leave grandpa’s old trapper at home. 

As collectors, all of us have one, maybe it was your first folder given to you by a cool uncle, maybe it’s the KA-bar  your dad brought back from the service. But the hard truth is, you need to let these things retire.

We are talking decades of use, quality control from times where lead paint was common, and at the end of the day, possibly destroying an heirloom. 

Do yourself a favor, let that undoubtedly awesome blade have a rightful place in a case or mantel. 

In closing, what I’d like folks to take away from this, isn’t a distain for any particular model or design of knife. If you’re reading this, what we have in common is that, if we could, we’d have all the knives. But I hope I’ve provided  a little practical information on what items in our collections should probably stay at home. 

Now, armed with this knowledge, find yourself some new EDC on knifegeek.io . 

As always, stay sharp.