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Hatuletoh
850
Sep 12, 2018
I certainly dont mean this disparagingly, but the discussion on this thread about the practical aspects of this knife made me smile. Especially the worry about the pocket clip, not that that's surprising as pocket clips seem to be a bit of an obsession w/ folks here on MD. You all must be workers, and expect your knives to be workers too--not a thing wrong with that. And even the most obsessive discussion about pocket clips on this board is nothing compared to what goes on in some of the flashlight threads I've read over in EDC...wow...very detailed minutiae about clip performance/mods being hashed out over there; perhaps there's some customer overlap with the blade community?
Never the less, such discussions are amusing to me, because the moment I saw the name "Dew Hara" the rubric by which the knife would be assessed in my mind changed. Although still highly functional, Mr. Hara makes knives that look good, first and foremost. That they are also titightly constructed, trustworthy tools (every one I've encountered, anyhow) is a testament to his skill. But given that, for example, a pocket clip design can be counted on to hold a knife in a pocket as necessary, I believe Mr. Hara would then rather incorporate design features that enhanced the clip's looks, and contributed to the knife's overall aesthetics, than ones which would improve its basic functionality at the cost of beauty.
I'm trying hard to avoid saying he puts form over function, because that would imply his knives are just show pieces, which is not the case. I just mean that in the balance between form and function that every feature of every knife (and every other tool) has to strike, Mr. Hara shades much more to the "form" side than many of his peers. That's why a discussion about how the knife would ride in the pocket seems a little funny to me, in this context.
Sort of like going to the Ferarri dealership and choosing the one to buy based on a comparison of which one has the steering wheel with the best grip. It's not that the question isnt valid, it's just probably not the feature the designers envisioned being the deciding factor.
Again, tanto grosso respecto.
pyrobunny
284
Sep 12, 2018
HatuletohI agree, but I feel like the second screw could have been closer to the end of the knife, without messing with the lines. I get it, design is important, but what looks to be almost an inch of the knife or so sticking out when carrying is just a little much.
Gunnersmate2
1646
Sep 12, 2018
HatuletohThe pocket clip is a design and function concern for me. I own no knives that I have not carried at some point. And if the pocket clip is protruding off the knife in a way that I don't like then that's a deal breaker for me. It's not just the form but also function
Kavik
5531
Sep 12, 2018
Gunnersmate2I was going to say basically the same thing Even "collector" pieces will get carried from time to time, i don't own anything I literally won't ever carry
And, the fancier the piece, the more likely it'e reserved for more special occasions, which also means nicer pants, which makes the clip MORE important in that case, not less
Hatuletoh
850
Sep 12, 2018
KavikAh, see...this is where I'm the oddball outlier.
I have many knives that I have carried but don't very often, about an equal number I've carried only to the location where they had their single field test, a fair number I dont keep in the original boxes but neither carry (though I still have their boxes), and a handful that are stored away in their original packaging, in a climate controlled to the best of my ability, having never been handled after an initial check at time of purchase. Those pieces will eventually be handled a few more times, either just for fun/bragging rights/edification with a fellow knife enthusiast, or when being inspected by a potential buyer who changes his mind at the last minute. Which happens somewhat regularly, esp, Ive found, if the gentleman is married. The price of the knife + the premium of having to explain the expenditure to a spouse makes the cost a bit too dear, I think.
So as much as I enjoy Dew Hara designs, I wouldn't expect to carry one enough to be bothered by an awkward pocket clip, if I carried it at all. Even a production piece like this would end up more "collection" than "EDC", I'm sure.
I also forget that knife laws in other places, well...the best word is "EXIST"...unlike here in Utah. Besides restricting ownership for violent felons, the only knife carry/ownership law we really have states that it is illegal to carry a knife with the intent to use it in the commission of a crime. So just make sure any crimes you commit are of the random, spontaneous variety, and you dont have to worry about concealment, blade length, deployment mechanism--or anything. So my states laisez-faire attitude often causes me to forget that the design of a clip could be the difference to some folks between getting home for dinner and missing dinner--and every other home-cooked meal--for 30 to 90 days, depending upon the judge.
Kavik
5531
Sep 12, 2018
HatuletohLol very well put about the differences in laws
Here in New York state we don't have conceal carry laws, anything that you can carry open you can carry concealed (for knives, not firearms)
But New York City is a different matter, there you can't have anything, including a pocket clip, visible or they WILL inspect the knife and they will most likely find a way to claim it's an illegal gravity knife. It's a freaking sham down there.
This one I'm sure they would have no problem at all classifying at least as a gravity knife or a pillum ballistic knife....possibly even a switchblade if they tried.
One other thing to note though... State wide we also have laws around knives being carried with the intent to commit a crime, however, here the kicker: "The law provides that when a person is found in possession of a dirk, dagger, or stiletto, there is a presumption that the possessor intended to use it as a weapon against another. This presumption can be rebutted in Court; however, a person can still be arrested and charged with a crime, even if he or she did not intend to use the weapon unlawfully against another." So the most law abiding citizen in the world can not only be charged with a weapons related felony for carrying the wrong knife, but could also be charged with intent to commit a violent crime that they never in a million years had intent to commit.....all for picking the wrong style blade for what, in all other aspects, would be a perfectly legal tool
It's beyond asinine, but it nets them a fortune, so they'll never allow the laws to be changed 🤬
Hatuletoh
850
Sep 15, 2018
KavikOh lord, NYC knife laws. I didn't know anything about the broader NY state laws--and what is it about NY and vague, crappy language like the dirk/stiletto = "intent", or the ones I know a little about, the additional City laws restricting "gravity knives".
I was headed out to NYC earlier this year, and was going to be staying with some friends, one of whom is a lawyer. He warned me that there were tales of NYPD officers using confiscated knives to practice flipping open the blade, i.e., using "gravity"; said officers had become proficient to the point that they could get pretty much any folder to open "illegally", even when the knife's owner could not and had never opened the knife that way. Also, the stories told of people arrested because of an exposed pocket clip, which the cops deemed an illegal publ display of the knife. And if one of them on the scene couldn't flip it open they'd make a call and everyone would wait for another cop--one of the practiced flippers, no doubt--to arrive; he'd demonstrate his skill, and off went the alleged criminal for 15 days and/or $300 poorer.
My friend told me to just not bring any knives, but I'm stubborn and stupid, so I found a Boker Plus Anso "Mojo": it had a blade that, while beastly thick and recurved was a legal <3"; it came with a sheath to ensure concealment; and most of all, it had thee stiffest action I've ever felt. I mean, I couldn't open the thing w/ one thumb on the thumbstud at first, it was that stiff. It eventually loosened up a bit, but no man ever born could have flipped it open.
The fact that it was on sale for $99, and that the pivot requires some hellacious Italian tool to adjust it, just in case there was a shady cop with a torx driver, sealed the deal: the Mojo became my Manhattan EDC, and I had no trouble during the trip.
The group kniferights.org almost got the laws in NY changed last year; you might consider becoming a member, if you're not already.
Gunnersmate2
1646
Sep 15, 2018
HatuletohI live in Oregon and enjoy our lax knife laws. I bought a benchmade 5000 auto from a store in a shopping mall.
Gunnersmate2
1646
Sep 15, 2018
HatuletohAll the knife laws are crazy to me and imo it's more of a money making scheme then keeping anyone safe. A screwdriver will stab and inflict injury to a person just as fast as any knife. I saw a guy get stabbed in the neck with a pencil and no knive could have been deployed and used quicker.
Kavik
5531
Sep 15, 2018
HatuletohYeah, it's all beyond ridiculous, but I hadn't heard about them calling in backup to try again to flip it lol that's truly insane!
Yeah, the proposed changes passed with an overwhelming majority more than once, and always gets vetoed after the vote. You know, because democracy doesn't count when it's up against greed.
You're right though, I should join them for the next attempt
Axeguy
1372
Sep 17, 2018
HatuletohHaaahahahaha!!! Very, very well put! ‘No laws’ seem better than ‘bad laws’. Taking a life by blade, up close and personal, is such a cold, nasty deed (makes using a gun on someone look like a picnic). I say this because it is such a foul crime that the person capable of doing this intentionally is not going to be stopped by some little law—no matter how clever. Methods of opening: all are ‘fast’ in the hands of a motivated felon. The power of the human factor: length, concealment...none of the details of a knife are ever going to make it less available or less dangerous because of the potential intent of the person wielding it. So, they keep churning out ineffective and ill-concieved laws mostly to make people feel more comfortable (and maybe vote for them?). All of the efforts expended on making our populations feel protected from wayward cutlery and the plain truth is that if somebody wants to harm you, they will attempt to do so with whatever is at hand and sufficient for the purpose.
[Oh, and for the best of the best dumb laws, look to us Canadians (yet again). Concealed weapons are against the law but sword canes are not illegal in Canada UNLESS the blade is LESS than 12 inches. So...sword cane with 22 inch blade does not violate concealed carry BUT an 11 inch blade is illegal under that same set of regulations. Why? Because it’s more dangerous? No, lethality is similar at most, if not less. Because it’s more concealable? Nope: they would look the same assembled as sword canes. Actually, I would be grateful if anyone could think of a single fact that would support it...]