Blades for Bikies

[Danneaux]

Hi All,

Most of us have and use some sort of multi-tool to repair our bicycles while on-tour, but there is often need for a knife when cycle-touring/camping. Nothing quite matches a knife when it comes to spreading butter or peanut butter, slicing a log of sausage, or chopping some wild chives to mix with cream cheese. Its hard to whittle with a hex key, and you can't slice cheese with a chain tool.

For those occasions, we often turn to the Original Multi-tool...the Swiss Army Knife. Victorinox ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorinox ) has long billed itself as "The Original Swiss Army Knife" and Wenger ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenger ) calls itself "The Genuine Swiss Army Knife"; both have been contract suppliers to the Swiss Army at various times, and both are now essentially the same company, thanks to Victorinox's acquisiton of financially troubled Wenger in 2005. Victorinox vowed to keep both brands intact, and it has done so, preserving the differences between the knives and diversifying their respective marketing and sub-brands (Victorinox bills itself as a "premium" or "halo" brand with finer finishing, while Wenger lauds its innovation and workmanlike ruggedness).  Still, at the end of the day, we have these basic differences:

Victorinox:
- Mirror polish to all blades, tools, and scissors.
- Non-serrated, precision overlapping scissors with a user-replaceable spring that can break (with surprising frequency).
- Combo fine slotted screwdriver and advancing can opener.
- Blades are generally not locking, though locking blades are more common on recent vintages.
- Traditional cellidor scales (side-plates) in a largely flat design.

Wenger:
- High polish on blades and many tools; brushed finish on other tools.
- Serrated non-overlapping scissors that use the knife's liner spring for actuation; serrations require followup with nail file.
- Dedicated retreating can opener borrowed from an older Victorinox scythe-style design popular in the 1950s.
- Main blades often available in a variety of locking designs including liner locks and an independent lever release.
- Available in a variety of scale (side-plate) materials and designs, including various woods and the Evo-Grip with ergonomically shaped rubber inserts.

After years with a variety of Victorinox knives from Classic SD to Signature Lite (pen and LED + scissors, tweezers, and blade) on my keychains and tucked in my gear to various Tinkers (original, Deluxe, and Super), and even a Swiss Champ, I have now settled on...

A bright yellow/black Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race (WPER) S18 commemorative edition with locking main blade (see pic) for my touring knife for a variety of reasons:
= I needed a sharper, heavier-duty can opener for some of the more rugged canned goods I've purchased recently.
= I like the commemorative design (it sounds exotic and is a really neat race that includes bicycling in at least one leg, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonian_Expedition_Race ).
= The heavier-duty serrated scissors are unmatched for cutting things that would otherwise scoot out of the jaws of Victorinox's version...things like gauze plasters, tire boots, loose threads, and such.
= I like the unbreakable spring design, and have resigned myself to cleaning up my trimmed fingernails with the included file (otherwise the scissors leave my nails with saw-tooth edges).
= The wood saw is pretty nice for cutting small sticks to whittle while in camp, and the rubber grip is nice in the rain or if my hands are wet.
= The pressure-locking slotted screwdriver is perfect for cleaning mud from my Pavarin cleats.
= The yellow color is a bit easier to find in my red-and-black Ortliebs.
= It is the perfect size for me and feels good in my hand.
= Best of all is the locking blade. While I go years without cutting myself on a knife at home, it seems the blade always manages to fold in use or catches a finger when closing while on a bike trip. Nevermore! The new knife seems to have banished accidental cuts and the slightly wider, spatula-shaped blade is perfect for spreading things on bread or crackers. I added a finger lanyard (works far better for me than a wrist or neck lanyard) and I'm set.

So, what knife do you carry on tour -- Victorinox, Wenger, or...? A friend uses the nifty new minimalist Baladeo 22g folding knife when ultralight cycle-touring and won't consider another except for his Baladeo "Barrow" Eco 094 for camping ( http://www.baladeo.com/produits.php?langue=en&tri=univers&id_rubrique=2&id_sous=3&identifiant=ECO098#titre ). Others prefer a lovely little Opinel in some form or other (high-carbon or stainless blade, and a variety of beautiful woods and handle shapes and sizes, with or without a lockring). I've long promised myself an Okapi ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_%28knife%29 ), but have yet to find one at a reasonable price. Here in the Land O' Camo 'n' Ammo (Oregon, USA), we can carry pretty much anything so long as it meets local blade-length restrictions or if larger is displayed openly in a belt sheath rather than concealed, but I understand knives with locking blades are restricted to genuine camping use outside cities in the UK. Is that correct? I wasn't sure after reading: http://www.goxplore.net/guides/Knife_law_%28UK%29 (The WPER S18 is available in a version with non-locking blade as well).

So, what brand and model knife do you prefer taking on-tour, for use on the bike, while picnicking and riding, or while cycle-touring and camping? Or can you? Let's hear it, and don't forget to cast a vote in the poll.

Stay sharp!

Dan.

[stutho]

Dan,

You have just opened up a big can of worms!  Here in the UK knife laws are complicated.

If the knife has a locking blade then it is illegal to carry in a public place. (any length)
If the knife is a fixed blade then it is illegal to carry in a public place.(any length)
If a folding knife has a blade is longer than 3 inches then it is illegal to carry in a public place.

Note that a public place is nearly everywhere! A camp site IS a public public place as is a footpath.  Even the glove box of your car is consider a public place!  

However if you can justify any of the above blades then you can carry it.  i.e. making an open fire or preparing meat might be considered justification by a Police office but it is at their discretion.

Any blade designed for combat is always illegal outside your home.
Butterfly, flick, gravity deploy blades are always illegal outside your home.
Any disguised blades are also illegal(sword canes, belt buckle knifes etc)

There are even more rules than those above and many web pages devoted to knife carry in the UK so if anyone is interested I suggest you Google as the situation in the UK may be changing again in the next few months (hence I wont give any links)

Part of my income is from teaching bushcraft skills I am also a Scout leader as such I own many many blades of varying types (some for lending out).  Day to day I carry a non locking Victorinox SAK and / or a tiny neck knife (Spyderco Bug). However when teaching bushcraft or wild camping I will carry a sheath knife and / Or Leatherman supertool.
  
 

[Danneaux]

Thank you, Stuart; as it happens, this helps a lot, even though it seems comprehensively confusing at first.

What prompted my post was going through my camping gear and sorting it into labeled bins and cubbies...some intended for bike touring only, some suited for day hikes, looking at what overlapped, etc. (my reward to myself after an entire day spent reversing the hot-water plumbing in the house and wrestling a new 73kg hot water tank into place myself -- wrestling loaded Sherpa pays off! Didn't help with the wiring, though....). I was struck by the number of small camping-oriented knives I have on hand, and how useful they've been on-tour.

I also remembered leaving them all home when I cycled through Europe (airport inspections, uncertainty over carry laws in individual countries) and this got me wondering what people might choose to take with them in their locales, and how there might actually be restrictions on what is possible. A friend recently rode from his native Netherlands through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela and back, and I think he made the decision to not carry a knife. Probably wise, and it makes me wonder further what a World Tourist might do to stay on the safe side. I'm guessing the best choice would be a small folding knife (3"/7.5cm blade or less) with a clearly recognizable camping orientation...something with some tools in it like a can opener might help, brightly colored for visibility and practical but not top of the line, perhaps something like a standard Victorinox New Tinker. I have heard of border confiscations used to relieve travelers of such nifty gadgets on the pretext of safety or rules violations as well as genuinely for those reasons. For that matter, the US' Transportation Security Administration's lot of confiscated knives has become so vast as to be sold to lot-sum buyers who then retail them individually on eBay. I was able to get some of my more utilitarian knives there for as little as USD$5 postpaid. My Performance Bike multi-tool does have something that might pass for a knife. I guess I would describe it as a little spatula-shaped thing about 1cm x 1.5cm with a serrated edge. I have no idea what it is for!

In contrast, guns are commonly carried locally (my own town, here in the US) with an enormous number of concealed-carry gun permits -- so commonly, the dental office a few blocks from my home has a locker to store weapons during tooth cleanings, and a standard question on entering the office is "Are you carrying?", with signs politely asking patrons to surrender their firearms for the duration. Knives don't seem to appear on the radar much. Politics aside (please!) it did make me wonder about the knife-carry situation elsewhere, particularly for cycle-tourists.

You're sure doing a nice thing, teaching bushcraft to Scouts. The happy memories you're helping create will last a lifetime and may set many on a lifelong path enjoying the outdoors in a fulfilling, responsible way.

Thanks, Stuart!

Best,

Dan.

[stutho]

For world travel I tend to stick with the SAK and the Spyderco Bug.  Just make sure to put them in your checked luggage before your get to the airport,  any kind of sharp will be confiscated from your carry on bag or from your person.

Incidentally the  Spyderco Bug is a fantastic backup / neck knife - it is VERY small but when travelling this is bonus as it is very discrete.  However it punches well beyond it weight and Size and it is probably my most used knife when in an urban environment.  

[Danneaux]

Spyderco Bug... is probably my most used knife when in an urban environment.

My! That is a really neat tool, Stuart. Does it easily open and close with one hand? So many that promise to...don't, not even when equipped with a blade stud for that purpose. I could have really used something like this yesterday, when I had only one hand free and badly needed to open a knife to slice off some electrical tape and such. With the small size, attractive design (in a good way, it looks like jewelry -- functional jewelry, which is even better!) and light weight, I think you just might have the perfect knife for neck carry. No wonder it goes with you!

Any others have a preference?

Best,

Dan.

[stutho]

Does it easily open and close with one hand?

Only by a better man than me!!  Even so I really do like it.  When you hold it your index finger kind of locks the blade open.  It is no good for wood carving etc but for small quick jobs it great.  And when not in use I don't even feel the weight.  It stays around my neck next to one of these which is brighter than it looks!

[Danneaux]

...It stays around my neck next to one of these which is brighter than it looks!

Good choice, Stuart! The Photon light is made by a Mom & Pop company ( http://www.laughingrabbitinc.com/company.htm ) just 36mi/58km from my home and on one of my cycling routes through Blachly, population ~568. Small world!

Even without one-handed opening, the Spyderco bug is getting a serious look from me...

Best,

Dan.

[macspud]

If a folding knife has a blade is longer than 10cm then it is illegal to carry in a public place.

 

Stutho,
That is what I thought, fine under four inches but having looked into it the legal blade size for a non-locking folding knife is now three inches cutting edge to its blade. not exceeding 3 inches.
I hate non-locking folding knives as as Dan says one regularly end up cutting ones self with them when the blade closes, dangerous wee blighters.

[stutho]

Me bad.  Thanks.
I was working fromk my faulty memory. I have now edited my post

I totally agree about the safety merits of locking  blades. Even better are sheath knives.

[AndrewC]

I've recently been using one of these , a Svord Peasant friction folder, for use as a general camping / food prep knife. Mine is yellow..though I was very tempted by the pink...



Video reviews here here and here

Supposedly a very strong blade, it'll shave arm hair and slice squidgy tomatoes out of the box and apparently a bit of work with some wet and dry paper will get it _really_ sharp !  It's very tactile as well, I find opening & closing it quite therapeutic.

No locking mechanism but it's slightly over the legal length limit for EDC.  It can be taken to bits with a screwdriver, and would be ideal for anyone who wanted to replace the handle with a pretty piece of wood.

[macspud]

Yes AndrewC,
That SVORD knife does look a lot safer than a standard non-locking type knife. I wonder if they make one with a three inch blade, I'll look into it further.

[Danneaux]

Andrew,

That's a lovely-looking knife! Initially kind of reserved about brightly-colored knives, I have since come to see their real value, after the inevitable drop to the ground in low light or mixed terrain. Hands-and-knees searches in a pounding downpour as the tan desert playa turns to sticky clay is no fun when something ||BRIGHT|| would show up right away and save all that. Brighties also show up more quickly in the bottom of a pack or panniers, and I think they appear less threatening to people who are otherwise scared of knives (say, in restaurants). They seem more toy-like than frightening, which is not a bad thing for camping purposes.

In a past job, I sometimes had to make my way to the office after midnight to receive overseas FAX transmissions. One night, my path was blocked by a half-dozen young men who demanded money and didn't believe I had none on me. I did have my keys with me, and my trusty bright-red Victorinox Classic SD on the ring. Trying to think (not fast, just trying), I pulled it from my pocket, opened its wee-tiny 35mm blade and said, "Then I guess I'll have to kill you" as I brandished it, opening my palm to show it. The result was a burst of laughter all'-round at the absurdly small size of this brave little red knife; a clap on the back and I went on my way, glad and sick with relief that humor had defused the situation. When I occasionally ran into them on later trips, I always received a pleasant greeting. In truth, I fully expected everything to go pear-shaped and quickly, when in fact I was very lucky indeed to simply run across a group of kids who were only a quarter-accomplished in the fine art of mugging and intimidation. I was to encounter the Real Thing a year later, when I found myself left for dead with some very grave injuries indeed. 'Not a thing I could do, 'cos I never saw it coming. There is still great value in running and avoidance, not a bad first choice if one cannot avoid a troubling situation. No, my uses for knives are limited to spreading deviled ham on crackers and jam on toast.

Mine is yellow..though I was very tempted by the pink...

Returning to color -- there is a real value in a pink-colored tool: It doesn't get borrowed as much, so one needn't worry about lending and getting it back in poorer condition. I've considered some of the more recent glow-in-the-dark scales on Victorinox and Wenger knives. Surely handy for finding in a dark bag or tent, but not as noticeable in daylight, though Victorinox' StayGlow seems to have hit the mark on both counts; they are apparently luminescent and fluorescent at once: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZokspBhAqE .

Back to the Svord Peasant...I sure like how the design is built to be easily serviced from the get-go and with non-corrosive materials (those look like brass machine screws). A single dropping in the bean pot reveals the value of a knife that can be readily disassembled and easily cleaned.  Andrew, I um, find myself flicking my knife blades open and shut as well, far beyond what I need to. Just kinda relaxing in mindless sort of way.  

Best,

Dan.

[rualexander]

I have a Leatherman Wave which is now over ten years old and still like new.
I only recently discovered that, strictly speaking, because the knife blades lock on opening, it is illegal to carry without good reason in the UK. I will have to hope that camping and cycling use is good reason, if not I wil have to look for a new knife with a less safe blade.

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

A recent gift fromSanta has prompted me to revive this old thread.

Having been very pleased with my Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race S18 lock-blade knife for general touring use, I decided to add something at the other end of the spectrum in terms of versatility and modernity and asked Santa for an Opinel No. 8 Cycliste edition.

It has a pear-wood handle, a single stainless blade, and can be locked open or shut using a rotating collar. It is about as simple as it gets, works well as "just a knife" ideal for picnics and about as traditional as a Brooks saddle. Mine arrived somewhat dull but sharpened quickly after just a couple strokes with a diamond hone and I will readily admit to being wholly seduced by the engraved blade and handle, both with a cycling theme. Though I might well have preferred a carbon steel blade for ultimate sharpness, this one will stay pretty even after slicing fruit and so I can enjoy the etched cycling scene on the blade for some time to come without much worry about rust, discoloration, or pitting.

The outside of the wooden handle has been shellacked or varnished and so is somewhat resistant to moisture, but not so the milled portion of the handle that contains the hinges. It has already proven somewhat subject to humidity and becomes more difficult to open and close after being carried in my pocket on damp days. Once the wood has dried out indoors,all is again fine.

I've read of others having similar problems and am tempted to adopt their solution: Treating the uncoated wood when dry  with petroleum jelly/Vaseline and then wiping out the excess using a paper towel. It seems the ideal point for treatment is the slot where the blade tang rotates on the pivot pin. Once done, any future swelling and stickiness in opening the blade is prevented. No downsides were reported, though I can think of several potential ones.

Before I coat the blade slot of my new acquisition with petroleum jelly, I'd like to ask if any Opinel owning Forum members have done the same or have alternate suggestions.

Thanks in advance. Photos below.

Best,

Dan. 

[Matt2matt2002]

What kind of folding knife doesn't lock?

Matt, who likes to get to the point.