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PostPosted: May 12th, 2018, 5:23 pm 
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Wow how has nobody here discussed this one yet? From my blog :

My about-to-turn 8 year old has his birthday coming up shortly, and since he is rounding out his time in Beaver Scouts this year and moving up to Cubs next year, I was going to buy him a pocket knife for his birthday. I was at Mountain Equipment Coop just now and was looking for something and really surprised to see they did not seem to have a single folding knife other than Swiss Army knives. As a Scout leader my recommendation to kids has always been to forego the bling factor of a mulit-tool style knife, and instead to use just a dedicated knife with a single folding blade. The reason for this is really simple - a knife that is designed to just be a knife generally fits the hand better and is therefore safer to use. All those extras on a Swiss Army tend to get into the way of the basic function of the knife.

Confused as to why they did not seem to carry a single folding knife except for Opinel, which I've always found to be really terrible knives precisely because of the odd hand grip, I asked the guy at the knife desk. That's when I learned that Canada recently banned the import of just about all folding knives because most of them are classified as "assisted opening". Wow. Sometimes it is an outright embarrassment to be a Canadian. Not often fortunately, but this is definitely one of those rare times.

The craziest part of the new rules are that assisted-opening Swiss Army style knives are exempt because they are classified as multi-tools rather than knives. So while the knife above - my favorite CRKT Lake 111 - is now illegal to import into Canada, the knife shown here with the massive assisted-opening loop on the back of the blade - the Victorinox Ranger Grip 79 - is perfectly legal to import. This is just crazy.

I've only just started doing some googling so I'm not yet sure whether this was something that was legislated, or determined by way of a lawsuit. You can read a reasonably good explanation of the situation by following this link. I will continue to do some research to see what I can find out.

http://www.prospector16.com/2018/05/can ... nives.html

and the other link mentioned

https://blog.knife-depot.com/canada-ban ... ng-knives/


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PostPosted: May 12th, 2018, 5:44 pm 
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Mine folds. You can’t open it except by pulling on the top of the blade .You press a bar to close it. It’s small and you can’t flick it open
Should be fine


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PostPosted: May 12th, 2018, 8:10 pm 
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Here is a video I took at Sail today to show you the normal types of knives which are now banned. They are OK if you already own one, they are just not allowed to be imported anymore. There was another whole cabinet too with as many. I am truly appalled that Canada has succumbed to this kind of craziness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxJI8LuZIm8


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PostPosted: May 12th, 2018, 8:39 pm 
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Location: Kingston, ON
In the context of a wilderness camping trip why would you carry one of these folding knives? I have carried 3 types of 'knives'. 1- a very small multitool for lightweight back packing trips (Gerber/Victorianox). 2 - A full size multitool for canoe trips (Leatherman). 3 - a cheap, easy to sharpen fixed blade (Mora). The multitools end up getting used far more often than the fixed blade. It has never occurred to me to carry a folding single blade knife. What's the purpose or advantage of these?

Edit: Also have rescue knife on my white water PFD and a plastic knife in my cook kit.


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PostPosted: May 12th, 2018, 8:59 pm 
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I like them because they are compact. My fixed blade is usually in my pack because having it dangling off my belt is just cumbersome. I used to carry a multitool all the time until I realized I never used it for anything but the knife. Have never regretted it in the woods.

But that's not really the point - the point is that these knives are useful and nobody is safer now that they are banned.

What if belt knives got banned next?


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PostPosted: May 13th, 2018, 6:53 am 
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Location: Geraldton, Ontario Can
I wouldn't get too excited. Perhaps the stores are jumping the gun. The classification is for folders that can open by flicking the the wrist. For instance, my good old Buck folder would not be illegal. I have to manually pull the tensioned blade out, using two hands, to use it. In doing some reading over the past week or two, I found this quote that sums it up: "This law is about intent. This means if you’re caught with a knife that’s concealed on your person while in a location you don’t require a knife to be used as a tool, you may be in for a bad time." Those of us who use knives for hunting, fishing, canoeing, etc don't have much to worry about.


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PostPosted: May 13th, 2018, 7:31 am 
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We have to worry if we can't buy them anymore. MEC has already stopped carrying all the ones it used to carry with thumb assist. That's what I'm finding on this is the phrase "assisted opening" which basically means just about everything.

Check out my 2nd video - Sail confirmed yesterday that just about every single knife in their knife cabinet will be discontinued once they are out of stock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxJI8LuZIm8

And where is this location that you don't require a knife? I always have one on me and I find I need it a couple of times a week for various things.


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PostPosted: May 13th, 2018, 7:44 am 
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MartinG wrote:
In the context of a wilderness camping trip why would you carry one of these folding knives? I have carried 3 types of 'knives'. 1- a very small multitool for lightweight back packing trips (Gerber/Victorianox). 2 - A full size multitool for canoe trips (Leatherman). 3 - a cheap, easy to sharpen fixed blade (Mora). The multitools end up getting used far more often than the fixed blade. It has never occurred to me to carry a folding single blade knife. What's the purpose or advantage of these?

Edit: Also have rescue knife on my white water PFD and a plastic knife in my cook kit.

Its part of hubbys wardrobe like a watch ( yes he still wears one). Safe in the pocket and ready. No matter what the wardrobe ..in the bush our out. A habit

What do we use it for? the most common of uses ... opening freeze dried pouches. Opening vacuum sealed bags of home dehydrated foods, cutting paracord. The same sort of stuff you do at home. ( but mostly we use it to open Amazon boxes!).

No it doesn't do as much as a leatherman does but we need the leatherman far less often and its harder to pick your tool.. We do carry one of those

But the little folding knife has been my hubby's go to ever since he was required to have one when he worked in the distribution center at LL Bean.


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PostPosted: May 13th, 2018, 8:45 am 
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I see. My little multitool (Gerber Dime) is on my key ring. I use it for the things you describe. Probably why it's never occurred to me to carry a folding knife. I won't miss the thumb assist flick open knives when they are gone from the shelves.


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PostPosted: May 13th, 2018, 9:33 am 
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Looks like the ruling will probably face some sort of legal challenge soon, as CBSA has now blocked the import of basically every type of folding knife. Don't understand why the big stores would take them off the shelves, as the ruling only applies to banning their importation, and not their possession. There is a parliament e-petition to sign if you are so inclined.
https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Peti ... ion=e-1552

I'll continue to wear my folding buck, not too worried.


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PostPosted: May 13th, 2018, 11:33 am 
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Yes it does not restrict their sale or use, just importation. And big stores are not taking them off the shelf they are selling out their supply. But when the supply is gone that is it.

Thanks for the e-petition.


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PostPosted: May 14th, 2018, 7:44 pm 
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Ridiculous, Politicians trying to look like they are doing something useful!
As long as there isn't a spring opening the blade I dont see anything wrong with being able to open a blade with one hand while you hold onto something like a rope or pack you are drowning in with the the other!


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PostPosted: May 15th, 2018, 7:41 am 
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Further to that, would there really be a problem with a spring assist knife? You just provided a perfectly typical example of when it would come in handy. My understanding is they were banned because every thug in 1950's movies carried a switchblade and they looked scary. More reading here on why they were banned if interested:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchbla ... ontroversy

Now all folding knives are falling under the same "one handed operation" definition. Great...

I spent 2 hours last night using a box cutter (and opening it one handed) to open bags of top soil. Will they be banned too?

I'm just not sure who they think they are protecting.

Fixed bladed knives are pretty easy to use one handed too. What's next? We will only be allowed to use spoons?


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PostPosted: May 15th, 2018, 7:57 am 
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Revenge of the sporks.


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PostPosted: May 15th, 2018, 10:39 pm 
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Location: Missoula, Montana
All non-folding knives should be banned, because you can stab somebody faster with a non-folding knife than you can with a folding knife. The time required to open a folding knife provides a moment for mature reflection by the stabber, and a moment for evasion by the stabbee.


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