Ceramic fixed as EDC

A

augostos

Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
378
Last week I have passed a border for some sightseeing.

I was able pass with my Native, but the experience was not pleasant.

So I was thinking about a ceramic knife, fixed for simplicity, in a pocket carry. Similar to Victorinox paring knife but a ceramic one.

The concept is to have a ceramic non-detectable small fixed knife just for special occasions. It is not for heavy use or everyday carry.

I was reviewing offerings -- so which would you recommend from Boker, Stone River or Kyocera, or maybe another company?

And I can order a kydex sheath for the selected knife.
 
I have not used ceramic knives so I can’t answer that.

But I would worry about using one because it is “undetectable”. They are quite detectable, and if it looks like you were concealing it instead of declaring it, then I would bet you would be in for quite a bit more unpleasantness at the border. Seems a dicey proposition to me.

I haven’t found any reliable way to skirt border craziness myself, so I am conservative about it. Good luck to you.
 
yep. bad idear. you're thinking a useful tool and border folks see an illegal weapon, a federal offense.
 
I was thinking about non-detectable by magnetic/metal scanners... I had to dump all my pocket items (Native too) on the small box and pass thru metal gateway. Maybe those ceramic paring knives were not visible to scanners. I have no idea.
 
Eh. I don't get it. What border? USA/Canada, USA/Mexico? You are clearly not talking about flying. Most Euro border crossings you just cross.

Anyway, just forget the knife. Certainly don't try and sneak through customs/BP with one. If you absolutely need a knife for "special occasions" just buy a cheapo where you are going and ditch it when you leave (again, if we are not talking flying - in that case pack it obviously). People have said it a lot here, knives are not a good self defense option (generally). So if you are going somewhere where you feel you need to defend yourself, and a knife is your option, maybe don't go?
 
Simple answer don't carry weapons crossing an international border. Regardless of how good you feel about rolling up all tooled up the guards don't appreciate it and in a worst case scenario you don't get in and are excluded from entry for a long time. And in a worst worst case scenario you wind up in the local jail with no way out.

Any of those non-metallic knives, G-10 punch daggers, CIA letter openers etc. are going to raise a huge red flag.
 
augostos said:
I was thinking about non-detectable by magnetic/metal scanners... I had to dump all my pocket items (Native too) on the small box and pass thru metal gateway. Maybe those ceramic paring knives were not visible to scanners. I have no idea.
Click to expand...
I think it is an xray scanner, no? The ones at the airport are. They can see anything even nonmetal.
 
The only ceramic knives I've used were kitchen knives, and I didn't even like 'em for that. That said, I agree with everyone else that trying to sneak any knife through a checkpoint is not a good idea. They'd think you had plans of some degree if you thought enough ahead to bring a knife that couldn't be caught by a metal detector.

Almost like carrying a 3D printed gun around instead of a normal CCW. If I saw some loon with a 3D printed gun I'd definitely think they were up to something, and I see filled holsters just about every day.
 
augostos said:
So I was thinking about a ceramic knife, fixed for simplicity, in a pocket carry. Similar to Victorinox paring knife but a ceramic one.
Click to expand...

Buy a cheap paring/steak/"gas station" knife when you reach your destination. Before you leave, toss it.
 
If the native madebit through then whats the problem? If you’re concerned about next time try a slip joint. Forget tryig to hide one. Just makes it worse if you get caught and are breaking a law.
 
jceckrosh said:
So if you are going somewhere where you feel you need to defend yourself, and a knife is your option, maybe don't go?
Click to expand...

Using a knife in self defense in the USA could get you in jail. Now consider what might happen in another country, especially after you snuck it past the border security.
 
Reitwagen said:
Using a knife in self defense in the USA could get you in jail. Now consider what might happen in another country, especially after you snuck it past the border security.
Click to expand...

I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.

That saying holds true no matter the weapon or country. Death leaves you no options or outs, but a jury leaves you 12 chances of vindication and survival.

I'm not advocating for breaking laws, of course, and I don't think that's at all the intent here, but it's something that must be weighed for consideration.
 
If you’re staying in Turkey or an Arab country outside of the Fifth estate and tourist areas, you absolutely are going to need a knife for self defense, period. Not knocking anyone who hasn’t yet realized that ones life (and virtue, for lack of a better term) is more important than arbitrary rules. Brandishing one, even if not actually using it, may get you to safety/more populated or heavily trafficked areas. Reliable handguns are not as easy to buy, unless you have good contacts—but would require an enormous bribe if caught actually using it.
As to the op’s question, I wouldn’t trust a ceramic knife for self defense under any circumstances, unless the “attacker” were unconscious.
 
Last edited:
BeyondTheBox said:
I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.

That saying holds true no matter the weapon or country. Death leaves you no options or outs, but a jury leaves you 12 chances of vindication and survival.
Click to expand...
"That's nice, because the next dozen you will be dealing with will be the 12 guys you meet in the prison shower"
 
All of the above , plus ceramics are too brittle for SD or much else . OK for the some food prep , if you're careful .

I highly recommend a simple , sturdy wooden cane or walking/hiking stick for SD . With some training and practice , a cane is a better SD weapon than any short knife . Can carry on planes and almost everywhere , unless you act stupid aggressive . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
BeyondTheBox said:
I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.....
Click to expand...
True, but a far smarter option is to not be judged by 12 OR carried by 6. If I was considering vacationing someplace where I felt I needed to carry a knife for personal safety, I’d revisit and revise my list of vacation destinations and go somewhere else. My personal experience with border station grunts is that they’re an unfriendly, unhappy, hostile bunch. Their behavior always made me suspect each of them had a large pinecone up his butt. The one and only attitude/course of action I ever found sensible when dealing with them was making it as easy as possible for them to let me pass through and then get the hell away from them ASAP. BTW... on my international travel experiences, I always found the US grunts to be the worst of all to deal with (when I was coming home to my own country!).

As regards taking a ceramic blade through border crossings in the hope it won’t be detected by the grunts.... I think the probability of that resulting in all kinds of costly and monumentally unpleasant trouble is astronomical. As suggested above, just buy a knife when you get where you’re going and then dump it before you cross any border stations on the way home.
 
augostos said:
I was thinking about non-detectable by magnetic/metal scanners... I had to dump all my pocket items (Native too) on the small box and pass thru metal gateway. Maybe those ceramic paring knives were not visible to scanners. I have no idea.
Click to expand...
That doesnt matter, its still a bad idea to try to transport a knife illegally across a border and you cant really expect the forum to advise you on illegal matters.
Besides, the right scanners will detect your ceramic knife, as they will G10 knives, carbon fibre knives etc.
Last but not least, some ceramic knives are supposed to be fragile if dropped on a hard enough surface.
As others have mentioned, better to buy a cheapo knife for mundane tasks in the country you travel to, if legal.
 
Thank you all very much for valuable suggestions.

It was only by change I could sneak a Native thru border control. I should have left it in my car before crossing the border.

Maybe it is because I was so used to carrying a folder I was really uncomfortable with traveling without a knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top