Unintended "Gravity Knife"?

J

JJNH

Joined
Mar 4, 2009
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11
Hey folks,

I just opened a brand new Kershaw Junk Yard Dog II.. wow, what a knife! I discovered something, however. With just a flick of the wrist and without using the "flipper", I can easily unfold the knife and have it lock into place. Since I often go places with prohibitions on "gravity knives", I tried tightening the pivot screw and found that at the point where it will no longer open via a flick, it will also no longer open with the flipper.

Has anyone else encountered this? I'm somewhat concerned, I'd like to carry this, but I don't want to get caught up in some odd "gravity" law.
 
A knife that can be opened by flicking it is only a "gravity knife" if you live in a municipality whose authorities are applying an intellectually dishonest interpretation of the definition of such a knife. If that is the case, nothing you do will prevent an officer from charging you with possession when he stops you and examines your knife; it won't even matter if you can't flick it open, because he'll make his test based on whether he can.
 
Sharp Phil said:
A knife that can be opened by flicking it is only a "gravity knife" if you live in a municipality whose authorities are applying an intellectually dishonest interpretation of the definition of such a knife. If that is the case, nothing you do will prevent an officer from charging you with possession when he stops you and examines your knife; it won't even matter if you can't flick it open, because he'll make his test based on whether he can.
Click to expand...

Wow! Hmmm... what?
 
A KNIFE THAT CAN BE OPENED BY FLICKING IT IS NOT A GRAVITY KNIFE.

If it is being interpreted as such by your local authorities, they are abusing the definition and they are abusing YOU. If that's the case, nothing you do will change anything, and you're screwed anyway.

There, simple enough?
 
I should add I'm not talking about a "spyder drop" either, I'm holding on to the handle. I'm not excessively worried, since I don't usually find myself in trouble, but I would like to comply with the law if possible.
 
That's my point.

Strictly speaking, according to the definition of what a gravity knife really is, a knife that can be flicked open using centripedal force is not a gravity knife. To truly be a gravity knife, you've got to be able to push a button and, without moving your hand, have the blade fall into place.

If your local authorities define as "gravity knives" any knives that can be flicked open, that means they can charge you with the possession of ANY KNIFE. A Buck 110 can be snapped open with wrist power if you work at it hard enough. If they're going to do that to you, nothing short of a knife that locks closed as well as opened is going to be legal if they decided to charge you.
 
Most of them can by holding blade and flicking wrist; don't flick it open; if they would get you for that they would for using the flipper. My dejavoo certainly does it but I won't scare people by doing it!
 
Sharp Phil said:
That's my point.

Strictly speaking, according to the definition of what a gravity knife really is, a knife that can be flicked open using centripedal force is not a gravity knife. To truly be a gravity knife, you've got to be able to push a button and, without moving your hand, have the blade fall into place.

If your local authorities define as "gravity knives" any knives that can be flicked open, that means they can charge you with the possession of ANY KNIFE. A Buck 110 can be snapped open with wrist power if you work at it hard enough. If they're going to do that to you, nothing short of a knife that locks closed as well as opened is going to be legal if they decided to charge you.
Click to expand...

It's true. I've heard they'll even hold the blade and flick the handle open in order to accomplish their "test".
 
Sharp Phil said:
A knife that can be opened by flicking it is only a "gravity knife" if you live in a municipality whose authorities are applying an intellectually dishonest interpretation of the definition of such a knife. If that is the case, nothing you do will prevent an officer from charging you with possession when he stops you and examines your knife; it won't even matter if you can't flick it open, because he'll make his test based on whether he can.
Click to expand...
That, essentially, is the law in Canada. The perverse interpretation comes directly from the Supreme Court of Canada.
Just don't tell them I said so.
 
HJK said:
That, essentially, is the law in Canada. The perverse interpretation comes directly from the Supreme Court of Canada.
Just don't tell them I said so.
Click to expand...

Just one reason I don't buy knives that only use the flipper to open.
My knives don't flick, because I tighten the pivot.
But that would make a flipper-only knife completely useless.
Go hole/disk/studs!
 
IIRC there are two common terms used by the law(s): switch blade and gravity knife. Automatics are switch blade while balisongs are gravity knife.

Technically speaking your knife is a gravity knife, but since it doesn't look or act like a balisong, in the vast majority of places you'll be safe. That is, except in NYC.

In NYC you're screwed if you got any locking folder, because cops will hold the blade and flick it open so it falls into their "gravity knife" definition. Very few folders can't be flicked open when you hold the blade instead of the handle. Even if they can't, there's a good chance that NYPD will still book you and let the court sort it out.
 
Mine is the same way it almost opens itself .I am ok with it but I don`t trust letting other people use or carry it for fear it will bite them. Sweet knife though huh!! I love mine .Is your pocket clip kinda tight ?(thick pockets don`t fit well in mine).
 
Back to the original post, I find that it's pretty easy to simply flick the BM740 open without use of the hole. There's a very distinct snap of the blade locking open that would send chills down my spine. Very nice knife indeed.
 
Ah, the "Gravity Knife".
IMO, "Gravity Knife" has lost it's original definition when first coined to define a particularly peculiar air force knife from the last world war.
The WW2 German gravity knife was just a simple blade which allowed gravity to drop it's blade housed from within its handle; and kept secured, locked in or out via a simple lever lock.
It was unique that it had no pivot to rotate the blade into place as would other regular folding knives; so technically i would rather term the original "gravity knife' as collapsable lock knife.
It was simply functioning without the meed for a pivoted joint between handle and blade.
So, how on earth did the original definition for a non pivoted locking knife come to include pivoted folding knives as "gravity knives" these days i often wonder??
 
Over here they don't talk about gravity knives, they talk abou fall knives (the blade has to fall open), offcourse they do this in Dutch which makes it sound less like fallkniven.
 
Most states have some sort of wording that bans a "gravity" knife, and as stated above the real gravity knives were the intended knife they were trying to ban that has changed over the years. Most states have wording that allows for a flick open to count. Syderco lost a court case last year based on the Federal definition of a switchblade, and they were fined $400,000 in lost knives and fines for using the mail to ship butterfly knives. This is the Federal defintion of a switchblade:

(b) The term ''switchblade knife'' means any knife having a blade
which opens automatically -
(1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the
handle of the knife, or
(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both

The wording of the above makes me wonder how any loose bladed knives can be sold across state lines....
 
joe-bob said:
No, it's not!
Click to expand...
Any knife opened by gravity OR centrifugal force is classified as gravity knife. If his knife can be opened by simple flick of the wrist (centrifugal force), then legally speaking it is a gravity knife.

This law is stupid, but it is the law nonetheless. If cops in your area are not hostile to pocket knifes, then it's ok. If you got a good lawyer, a sympathetic judge and AKTI on your side, you might stand a chance. If the legal precedent in your state says it's not a gravity knife, then you're safe. Otherwise, be prepared for trouble.
 
The very fact that the knife has a detent (regardless of if it functions properly or not) can be used as an argument against it being a gravity knife. It has a retention device that's intended to keep the thing shut when gravity is working on it. When you flick your wrist it's not gravity that's doing the job--it's inertia. ;)
 
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