For some people, carrying a 4-inch tactical folding knife that swings open with a flick of a wrist or the press of a button is a fantasy. Thanks to fear-mongering of Hollywood in the '50s, switchblades were banned. In places like New York City, one-handed opening knives can earn you an uncomfortable experience with NYC's finest. And in restrictive European nations like Germany, the law dictates knives can't lock. As a result, some manufacturers have returned to a classic design: the slip-joint folding knife, sometimes called a non-locking folder.
Choosing an everyday carry (EDC) knife for jurisdictions with strict knife laws comes with its challenges. Usually, the blade must be short. Short blades are often attached to short handles — not friendly for fullsized hands. Plus, a non-locking folder means there's always the chance the blade could close on you while in use. And, of course, is the knife legal? This comes before the questions of price, fit and finish, and appearance.
Keep in mind that the knives we reviewed are just that — reviews. This doesn't mean all these knives are A-OK to carry the world over. RECOIL, this author, and online forums aren't lawyers. Always do your own research.
Spyderco Roadie
411: Spyderco started designing the Roadie after the TSA proposed a rule in 2013 allowing small knives back on commercial flights after banning them following 9/11 attacks. Political pressure killed the rule, but Spyderco moved forward with this 1-ounce knife, featuring a way of opening the blade it dubs a Double Dent. This little puppy is made in Italy and comes in five colors.
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Cold Steel Lucky
411: Cold Steel's Lucky is a modern reimagining of the gentleman's upscale penknife. Instead of multiple blades, the handle — big enough to wrap three fingers around — houses one smooth-edged blade and another serrated for more aggressive cutting. The Italian-made knife sports a pocket clip. It keeps its weight at 1.2 ounces by attaching the blade straight to the carbon-fiber handles.
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Case Seahorse Whittler
411: The distinguishing feature of Case's Seahorse Whittler is the 2.25-inch Wharncliffle blade, straining forward from the handle. A pen and a coping blade, each about 1.25 inches, back up the main edge. Added up, the ensemble totals to over 4.5 inches of knife, polished at Case's factory in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Handle options also include G-10 and other shades of bone.
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CRKT Journeyer
411: Designer Liong Mah, who works in New York City, wanted to design an EDC tool for regions with tough rules on locking mechanisms and blade lengths. The Journeyer features a 2.75-inch, hollow-ground blade that comes in the choice of half-serrated or straight edge. While it's a slip-joint, there's a pin in the pommel that users can insert to lock the blade. The pin doubles as a wrench.
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Boker Plus Tech-Tool Carbon 1
411: Boker, which has ground blades since 1869, updated the multitool concept with the Tech-Tool Line. With carbon-fiber scales, the Carbon 1 is the most recent evolution in a line that offers variations with G-10 handles and additional tools like saws and scissors. Each one, though, comes with a hollow-ground blade, clip, glass-breaker, and reasonable price point because they're made in Taiwan and China.
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SOG Sliptron
411: The SOG Sliptron is a no-frills EDC knife made in Taiwan. It's made from stainless steel from tip to pommel and weighs 2.9 ounces. It may not have a lock, but the spring holding the blade in place falls into a grove when the blade is opened, securing the business end open. Of the knives featured here, this one's the thinnest.
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Lansky World Legal Knife
411: In creating the World Legal, designer Mikkel Willumsen attempted to marry tactical aesthetics with requirements to carry in 156 countries. The Chinese-made knife looks like a rhinoceros, what with a black nylon handle and the blade's dynamic grinds. It weighs in at 6 ounces and can hang from a lanyard hole or the handle's four places to reposition the clip.
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