always carry a sharp knife

I come from a generation and time when most men of all classes and backgrounds carried a pocket-knife of some sort ... and used them for this and that daily. Despite the politically correct nonsense of such tools now being illegal in some definitions or at least frowned upon, I still carry one and always will.

Today on the freeway I rode over a plastic bag concealing a paperback book and a bread roll of all things that someone had dropped, it got jammed between chain, wheel rim and frame and nearly brought me off as I skidded onto the verge. It had all burnt from the 100 kph friction in parts and the plastic and dough and glues in the binding had congealed with the oil from frame into the paper and cardboard and made what was like a resin encrusted mass that hardened as it cooled around the frame and chain!

I tried pushing with a long branch from the roadside, levering in all directions with tyre lever with all my weight and strength to no avail. Looked like I would have to remove back wheel and bugger, that spanner was still at home on the bench. Stuck.

Until I chopped through the grapefruit sized lump bit by bit, taking ten minutes, with my trusty sharp spiderco knife. Took me nearly twenty minutes in all to remove it, it was so hard jammed into the bike! Always carry a sharp knife folks.

I'll second that. I've got a Camillus Blaze 2.82 (now out of production) which is a great piece of steel and is used just about daily for all kinds of stuff. One reason why I don't like airplane travel is because I have to leave it at home and I always kinds feel like something is missing. Once you get used to having a simple tool readily handy, you suddenly miss it's utility when it's not around.

Tools, are a REAL investment!

CC

sometimes i just wish I was born 80 years ago, i don't like this age we're living in. I went camping the two days ago near some small lake. Fish were jumping, and maybe there were rabbits around. But i had no idea how to get any, and what to do with it if i could some how catch it. I know chicken doesn't just come from the supermarket, but seems the coming generation will think so. If Mc'D and KFC and Walmart shut down, kids would starve to death before they can figure out how do anything. Maybe that includes me too.
I had my trusty 40 rmb walmart knife :mwink:, but i'm not sure what to use it for. Shame shame.

Quote:

---

Tools, are a REAL investment!

---

That, i'm glad im much better at. Mechanical, electrical stuff i can find my way around, somehow. But a chicken? Stir fried please, lots of chilli.

It isn't just a generational thing slabo, I know a few youngsters today and have trained a few over the years, who can live off the land. And the reverse applies, most folk of my generation ( I am 59) can only handle an electric tin-opener and a microwave. You don't have to be SAS trained or Rambo to snare a rabbit with a bit of twine, wire or fishing line! Commonsense such as realise your smell will frighten them off rather than the trap, develop an eye for patterns of movement through natural landscape and soon you will have a bunny for the campfire! Any sharp knife will gut them (again commonsense says don't break bladder or guts or gall bladder on the meat). Etc. etc.
I have a strong belief that the nanny state and the slave world we live in in the west is badly off track and that the right to carry a small knife at least should be enshrined in law! It always was a tool as much as a weapon.
Oh well, when the shit hits the fan and oil runs out it will be the peasants and the cunning who survive. If you have a true interest join an archery club, preferably traditional and you will meet many folk who still know how to walk quietly, talk softly and survive.

I used to carry always a knife as a kid. Then one day I read from newspaper that it will be illegal to carry a knife and I thought it is outrageous. Of course I made tons of arguments why it is stupid law. Then some time passed, I stopped carrying a knife with me, and now after many years I did not even remember I have carried one. Never needed it.

But yes, if I go to motorcycle trip I will for sure carry a knife with me. No questions of that.

I understand about terrorism and violence on the streets but i do not accept that any arguments and action against such dark forces means that all mature and responsible citizens should be so constrained. I live in the bush and I use a knife regularly. For this week alone, from opening parcels at the Post Office to sharpening pencils, to cutting baler twine, shortening some hose, splicing a rope, harvesting vegetables and fruit, cutting a trapped magpie free from some twine, I have used my pocket-knife. I was a builder, art and archery are hobbies, both need a knife at times. I feel no guilt at carrying a knife and to fight against any encroachment on that right I have been a registered collector and sometimes maker for many years. Thus I extended my hobbies and now have a couple of swords and hunting blades in a locked cabinet. Those are not tools except for purpose and I wouldn't dream of carrying them in public except for reasonable transport and usage so I accept some control - but no-one is going to ever stop me having a small blade always at hand. I would have been stuck miles from home without that sharp piece of steel in my pocket when the bike got jammed. A once in a life-time event but the one that prompted this post and these thoughts. I do have membership of a motoring organisation but mobile phones are not always useable out here and why use those resources when half an hours work kept me independent and able to travel?

ps, I always thought 'Finlanders' and other Scandinavians were very independent too Moilami! Your generation is the one that needs to understand these issues or when old farts like me die you will all end up as slaves!!! Many of my archery acquaintances use finnish blades from preference and some of them make beautiful examples :
http://stevenjawerth.weebly.com/scandi-gallery.html
http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s...ent=Puuko2.jpg

Hi Jape
I to am a semi old fart (40+) and have always carried a knife, especially when I am on the bike. I will always carry a knife for exactly the same reason as you it is a tool that can help you out of a bad situation. As a woman that mostly rides alone and often at night in semi rural areas it is also a safety issue. The new laws are just plane wrong, I have on several occasions told this to police and they accept that for a woman in my situation it is quite acceptable, it is just wrong that it is illegal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sabertooth_buterfly

Hi Jape
I to am a semi old fart (40+)

---

Nah, you're pretty young lass to my eye. Mature enough to be listened with interest.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sabertooth_buterfly

and have always carried a knife, especially when I am on the bike. I will always carry a knife for exactly the same reason as you it is a tool that can help you out of a bad situation. As a woman that mostly rides alone and often at night in semi rural areas it is also a safety issue. The new laws are just plane wrong, I have on several occasions told this to police and they accept that for a woman in my situation it is quite acceptable, it is just wrong that it is illegal.

---

Ahh.... here we go again, gg law enforcement officers, everyone is under the same laws and, err, no wait..

Seriously, if you want a self defence tool get two proper self defence sprays. Practise with other one in different conditions (heavy winds, night) how to hit the target with it, and keep the other one with you for real action. Good ones are guaranteed to work and very easy to use. If (s)he can't see you, (s)he can't hurt you. Don't play with knifes. They are dangerous for you and for the attacker. The spray is good, keep it as your secret surprise, that is don't do threat with it. Just use it suddenly and use it quickly and take distance at once after used, spray some more, and observe what happens while keeping a good distance long enough for making (s)he unable rush and grab you, and if needed, short enough for you to spray some more. Stay cool and confident all the time. Don't hesitate to use it at once when (s)he tries to attack or approaches too close to you. Too close to you is closer than the maximum effective range of the spray in current wind. A proper spray is much better than a knife in self defence.

The issue of self defense takes the discussion to a whole new place. It would hopefully be a very rare moment and to my thinking using a knife is absolutely justified. The application of other types of device is another argument that I will chip into only if STB wants to but I will say I disagree. The spray gives range and separation but the knife, if you have one and can use it, gives death and that stops an attacker a lot faster. It is down to will and training and some luck.
Any such spray device is as 'illegal' in many countries as is a pocket knife. Thirty years ago in Britain I was charged with having a pepper pot in my lunch box as an offensive weapon. The Police (however friendly an individual may be) on the whole can be very unfair in applying such parts of the criminal codes depending on their own experience and prejudice. I have worked with the Police in number of situations and I recognise the institutional mindset they can fall victim to. Often against bike-riders.
I have re-read my own posts and my own agenda is pretty obvious despite my first post being about the knife as a good tool no rider should be without so I don't mind where the thread goes or even if Carl moves it to 'off-topic'. Mind you no-one much else seems interested so maybe it will just die :lol8:.

My attitude to a knife in a self-defence situation is that it is absolutely a LAST resort when my own safety is at risk, and I do mean LAST. I have trained for a reasonable period in traditional martial arts including some weapons training; my first rule is to avoid these kinds of situation. This rule has got my through so far with no problems, but as I have toured extensively in some very remote areas of Australia usually on my own I feel that being mentally prepared for a worst case scenario is good planing. I pray that no one ever puts me in that kind of situation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jape

The spray gives range and separation but the knife, if you have one and can use it, gives death and that stops an attacker a lot faster. It is down to will and training and some luck.

---

The one of the greatest advantages with spray against a knife is that you don't have to kill anyone. You don't have to go that far. With spray one can just disable the attacker much more safely than with a knife. And disabling the attacker should go far higher in priority list than killing the attacker. If you kill someone, you are up to more troubles even if you do it in self-defence, at least here in Finland. You will be charged of self-defence gone out of hand (my wording), and you will go to prison. So one just should be able to deal with the desire to kill an attacker even when in the very mood to go for a kill. For that, in practise, a spray is by far better self-defence tool than a knife because there is no need to kill. No life-long nervous system injuries. Better chances to win. And what if the attacker have a knife too? Masters of self defence say run. They say they would run and never take chances, and I agree with them especially if you are not a master in self-defence or knife to knife fightning. But if you have swift legs and a spray, you actually have good chances to get unhurt against a knife even if you are not a master in self defence (if you know the tactics and are stupid enough to try). A spray is pure win so to say.

I understood, Jape, what were your intentions with your starting post. I don't know if Sabertooth Butterfly would try to use a knife in self-defence or did she just say that as an argument to the police. But because she did mention it, I wanted to say my opinions to her how stupid it is to count on knife in self-defence and how much better it is to get a spray.

Regarding knifes I am surprised you knew those traditional Finnish design knifes actually called "puukko" (no translations) in Finnish and not "veitsi" (knife). A puukko is our national weapon and tool so to say. However there is one brand called "Mora", which is a Swedish brand and about a synonym to "Puukko", which has been the most popular knife in Finland in murders. It is just traditional timber tool puukko design.
http://patentpending.blogs.com/paten..._knife_001.jpg

In my childhood kids here grew with knifes in hands and pockets, yet we were still called baked roll cake generation because we did not work our arses off when we were kids. Everything else we did in the streets and woods. Now we call the current generations as Playstation generation because the kids grow up with game pad in their hands, and we are sure we would lose our independence anytime if someone attacks us.

Now let me think more OT, hmm, thinking, will post later more OT :naughty:

My first post was that I have told police that it is a useful tool to get out of a sticky situation, my intention with that statement is in just such a situation as jape encountered not self defence. Then the topic changed to a self defence scenario, would I use it in a self defence situation where I had NO other option? Yes I would, I think most people would.
I agree with most people who are at all knowledgeable in self defence that avoidance is the best option if available, this philosophy is central to the martial arts I have studied. In all my years of travelling and having lived in some very remote areas I know how a minor situation like jape encountered could be a life threatening situation. I have in the past struck mechanical problems in areas such as outback Australia where it is possible that no one will come past for weeks, you have to rely on your own resources, preparation, and ingenuity to survive.
A good knife is a must.

Thanks for that STB, remoteness is the key to it. Where I live is bush but not too remote however even going to the nearest towns some routes require either going many km out of the way to freeway and all that that entails on a slower bike - or going via bush tracks. Some parts of those tracks have no traffic for weeks or even months. Most people would be OK as they can walk 20 or so km in any direction (which would take a day at least through such bush) and then find a bigger track or small village.

Sounds silly talking survival when I am just 100 km from Melbourne and surrounded by small towns but people who don't know the bush would be surprised how rare traffic can be off the main routes. It gets to near freezing here in winter many nights as I am up on the divide, water can be infrequent and for me especially with my injured back walking a few km is almost impossible anyway! Mobile phones don't work in too many places as most Australian bush dwellers know all too well. I suppose I could buy and remember to take an emergency Epirb or similar but you don't expect too need it on such a short trip! Thus I will always take a knife in my tool wrap, and I always have a fire-starter rod on my keyring. That will probably be illegal soon as well.

What martial arts do you do? I did 'Shotokan' way back before I smashed my back up.

:clap::lol8: I think Moilami is falling for you, sight unseen, weird how that happens online, but if he ever comes to Aus to stalk you, well, I am sure you will deal with him with or without spray! that would be ironic. Sorry Moilami, couldn't resist it!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jape

:clap::lol8: I think Moilami is falling for you, sight unseen, weird how that happens online, but if he ever comes to Aus to stalk you, well, I am sure you will deal with him with or without spray! that would be ironic. Sorry Moilami, couldn't resist it!

---

-__- Now go get a good ride or get wasted. That was low. It is a time for reality check.

I think that if moilami were to come over here there would be no necessity of sprays etc , I’m sure we would end up siting on the veranda having a few cold ones telling war stories about riding in true aussie style. I also did a form of shotokan many years ago. I did live near tenant creek at one stage and I can tell you that out there everyone carries a knife and many carry a hand gun, I did I had a 357M that I carried for protection when travelling alone, mostly in case I came across a wild bore they can be pretty mean and that’s very remote country.

Lol now that sounds better. No more impressions of getting sprayed and stuff as a foreigner because of overly suspicious and hostile Australians. Might be still though good to be armed with a knife, just in case :) Or to go to Russia.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by moilami

Nah, you're pretty young lass to my eye. Mature enough to be listened with interest.


Seriously, if you want a self defence tool get two proper self defence sprays. Practise with other one in different conditions (heavy winds, night) how to hit the target with it, and keep the other one with you for real action. Good ones are guaranteed to work and very easy to use. If (s)he can't see you, (s)he can't hurt you. Don't play with knifes. They are dangerous for you and for the attacker. The spray is good, keep it as your secret surprise, that is don't do threat with it. Just use it suddenly and use it quickly and take distance at once after used, spray some more, and observe what happens while keeping a good distance long enough for making (s)he unable rush and grab you, and if needed, short enough for you to spray some more. Stay cool and confident all the time. Don't hesitate to use it at once when (s)he tries to attack or approaches too close to you. Too close to you is closer than the maximum effective range of the spray in current wind. A proper spray is much better than a knife in self defence.

---

but you still need a knife to cut their throat after you stop them with the pepper spray... I mean... Your not going to allow someone who would have killed you to live are you? no backbone or balls in china... the whole country is sterile........

A knife worth checking out is the Victorinox rescue tool, they are on taobao dirt cheap... although my guess is that they are fakes... but still get the job done!

Attachment 9155

I always carry a switchblade in my outside jacket pocket.

Mostly helps to clean my shoes when I step into it, and more occasionally to cut this or that while fixing this or that.

It's a 10cm blade, and pulling it out of the pocket, pressing the button to pull the blade, then sticking it into whatever's in front of u can easily be done in a single rapid motion.

Once I got beat up by 4 guys, they did it just for the fun of it, here's what I did:

I left it in my pocket, I took the beating and ran away a few times till they quit running after me and doing it all again.

Cost me 1 rib and 1 tooth, but I'm alive and I never stabbed anyone, a pretty good deal.

I don't think it's a good idea to go around with a knife if u're not ready to take a good old beating without pulling it out...