A trailer for a reboot of Crocodile Dundee caught our attention here at BLADE, especially because the teaser (the trailer for the trailer – sheesh!) featured the “that’s not a knife, this is a knife” line.
However, it now appears that admirers of movie knives fell for a brilliant piece of viral marketing to encourage tourism in Australia.
Industry sources have indicated the teaser – featuring US actor Danny McBride – is part of an advertising campaign for Tourism Australia, set to air during next month’s NFL Super Bowl.
If BLADE is going to fall for a hoax, especially a well-meaning one, this isn’t so bad.
Collector Waits 36 Years for Custom Knife
As published in The Jamestown Sun, Bernie Kuntz placed an order for a custom knife with legendary knifemaker Buster Warenski 36 years ago. After delays and setbacks, he eventually received something similar. A photo in one of the Knives annual books published by BLADE sealed the deal.
[Warenski] mailed a signed sketch that he had done on onion paper of the knife he suggested, and said the price would be $550. Gulp! In those days you could buy just about anyone’s work for $100 to $200. An exception might be Bob Loveless, the famous knife designer who was charging $300 to $350 for a hunter in those days.
Bill for Knives in Places of Worship Advances in Virginia
Introduced by Sen. Ben Chafin, SB 372 would end prohibitions on several types of knives in places of worship. From Knife Rights:
This bill is a reaction to the Texas church shooting last year and will allow citizens to carry effective weapons for self-defense.
Listen to Oral Arguments in NYC Gravity Knife Appeal
Earlier this month, Knife Rights presented oral arguments in its second appeal in its lawsuit against New York City. At issue is the lawfulness of NYC’s ban on “gravity knives,” which it defines as any knife that can open with a flick of the wrist.
It’s becoming easier and easier to add quality knives to your collection without breaking the bank. Here are new knives with price tags of $200 or less.
A portrait of Rezin Pleasant. (public domain image)
Is This Jim Bowie’s Brother’s Knife?
A few times a year, a knife with a supposed James Bowie connection pops up, usually leading historians to raise a collective eyebrow. It’s the Elvis, or sasquatch, sighting of the knife world.
The latest entry can be found in Waco, Texas, where a bowie knife donated to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum bears the inscription, “R.P. Bowie to Capt. Wm. Y. Lacey,” per the Waco Tribune.
The “R.P.” could be the initials of Rezin Pleasant Bowie, older brother to James Bowie, who gave knives as gifts.
Johnson said it would not be unusual to find a forged inscription on a Bowie knife, but it seems unlikely that a forger would have chosen William Lacy as the recipient.
“There’s only about half a dozen historians who have heard of William Lacy,” he said.
That the knife’s previous owner didn’t seek money from the museum is no indication of authenticity. Neither is the circumstantial evidence supporting its origins. The truth could split either way.
By default, BLADE takes a skeptical view with these sorts of claims, and this case is no different.
Knife Rights reports that it’s working alongside legislators to move HB 924 forward in Mississippi. The bill, introduced by Rep. Gary Staples, would strike bowies, dirks, butcher knives and switchblades from statutes governing deadly weapons.
As an aside, it’s surprising that butcher knives would be restricted in, of all places, Mississippi.
Concealed Carry of Fixed Blades Proposed in Washington State
It’s not currently legal to carry a concealed blade longer than six inches in the state of Washington, but the could change. If signed into law, HB 2600 would decriminalize just that. Here’s more from Knife Rights.
This Knifemaker Learned from Autopsies
By Ralf Roletschek – Self-photographed, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29775777
It doesn’t take much to imagine where Dr. Stephen Pustilnik, of Houston, developed an appreciation for knives. He performs autopsies for a living. It’s only natural that he’d try his hand at knifemaking, too.
He is now working his way through a year-and-a-half-long waiting list of chefs, home cooks and pathologists willing to spend hundreds of dollars on knives that hold an edge and make clean work of anything from gnarly vegetables to sinewy flesh.
This line takes the cake:
Pustilnik, after spending years examining human bodies, speaks easily of the particular mechanics of the hands. He measures his customers’ palms and observes where the metacarpophalangeal joints—the hinges at the knuckles—rest on a knife handle.
You, too, can reach that level of expertise, if you put in enough corpse time.
Buy low while you still can, Canadian knife collectors.
New CBSA Rule to Drive Prices Up
If you live in Canada, expect the price of most folding knives to go up, especially in secondary markets. Collectors may want to start stock up while prices are still at par.
The culprit is a new rule by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), in effect now, that prohibits the import of assisted openers and any manual folder that opens with centrifugal force. (Automatics were already restricted, but the rule covers them, too.) This only applies to imports, not knives already legal to own in Canada. Both businesses and individuals are impacted.
As BLADE reported here and here, it’s that centrifugal force qualifier that will especially limit Canadian knife enthusiasts’ choices. An inspecting CBSA official may open a blade halfway, give a flick of the wrist and determine the knife is prohibited.
If a knife can open with one hand, it’s not going to make it into Canada.
Existing Stock Will Dry Up
This wide leeway effectively ends the flow of fresh folders imported into Canada. That includes popular brands from the United States.
Imported folders already in Canada will remain on shelves and are not banned from purchase or possession. However, retailers won’t be able to reorder them.
More Investment Options than Ever Before
If anyone will benefit from this new CBSA rule, it’s enthusiasts with assisted openers and manual folders already in their collections. Mundane assisted openers and folders not originally thought of as collectibles are now investment pieces.
Collectors have more, safer bets in categories never considered before. That $50 flipper doesn’t look so insignificant anymore.
How High Could Prices Go?
It’s hard to say, but prices will only go in one direction in 2018. Beyond that is less certain. Rising prices reflect a market adjustment. Expect that prices will find a ceiling, then drop to a new normal. The trick will be to catch prices in secondary markets on the upswing before the fall happens.
Caution
The CBSA, a federal agency in Canada, cannot make laws. However, it can issue rules based on interpretations of existing law.
The rise in prices may press some Canadian collectors to try their luck with the CBSA and order folders/assisteds from outside the country. However, authorities are already working to stay one step ahead.
“The way the Canadian government figured out all the tricks on how to get knives into Canada was reading blade forums and watching YouTube where all these people were bragging and giving instructions on how to get knives into Canada,” Neil Ostroff, owner of True North Knives, told BLADE in an e-mail. Ostroff is originally from Canada, but now resides in the U.S.
The Bottom Line: Buy Low Now, Sell High Later
If you’re a knife collector in Canada, it’s time to start buying new assisted openers and folders while you still can. Hold on to them and wait to see where prices go in secondary markets.
The new rules prohibit assisted opening knives, automatics and any manual knife that can open by centrifugal force from entering Canada. The restriction doesn’t extend to the rest of Canada. It only impacts imports, as well as individuals or mail crossing into Canada.
As a result, knifemakers and knife companies not based in Canada can no longer offer most types of folding knives to Canadian customers. A more detailed summary is available from BLADEhere.
It isn’t only the knife world in the U.S. reaching out to these organizations.
“I have gotten about a hundred emails and calls from Canadians about this,” noted Doug Ritter, chairman of Knife Rights. “I have offered to help with advice and such based on our experience if they put together a Canadian organization, but I can’t do it for them. Way too much to do just here in the U.S. So, no time, lack of resources, and quite frankly, it wouldn’t be taken well for a U.S. organization to come try and fix Canadian law. Bad idea.”
Restrictions Severely Limit Options for Canadian Enthusiasts
Neil Ostroff, owner of True North Knives, and someone who relocated to the United States from Montreal, told BLADE in an e-mail that his options for Canadian customers are now limited.
“Vendors outside of Canada, like me, will no longer ship any knives to Canada other than slip joint, lockback or fixed blade knives,” Ostroff said in an e-mail. “Even the old trick of tightening the pivot down by the shipper so the knife barely opens until the pivot is released by the buyer will no longer work.”
That’s because of how much leeway the CBSA can now use.
“In the law they can now go so far as to open the knife halfway and then flick it open, making it inadmissible,” Ostroff said. “Example: Chris Reeve folders. These cannot be flicked or opened by centrifugal force, but if the officer opens it halfway and flicks it, then it can be determined illegal.
“So any examiner will be allowed, by law, to make any legal knife a prohibited weapon.”
Canadian Knifemakers Impacted, too
If it sounds like these rules could insulate Canadian knifemakers from competition, few are making that case.
Brian Tighe, an award-winning knifemaker from Ontario, Canada, expressed frustration with how his international work will be shut down.
“This will impact the knives I have designed with CRKT. They are now prohibited weapons and can’t be imported into Canada. Bass Pro, etc., can sell what stock they have, but they can’t reorder,” Tighe told BLADE in an e-mail.
“We can’t import [those knives] into Canada unless they were shipped in pieces and assembled in Canada,” Tighe said.
An Exception to the New Rules? Not Really
Holders of a specific type of Firearms Business Licence (FBL) are exempted from the new rules. In theory, a knifemaker or knife company could obtain such a license. However, that’s not the case for those who tried to do so.
“No one in Canada has [that type of FBL] except RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] and cops. I tried to get one and there was no way,” Tighe said.
Ostroff agreed. “To get a Firearms Business License in Canada is almost impossible and no knife store will be able to do it,” he said.
There was similar confusion about this license outside Canada, too.
“There does seem to be an out for importers, distributors and retailers, but I have no idea what is required to get a license to import ‘prohibited weapons,'” Ritter said.
Could Canada Repeat U.S. Success?
If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s because a similar situation came about nearly a decade ago in the U.S. That led to an amendment of the 1958 Federal Switchblade Act.
However, there isn’t a Canadian equivalent to organized knife advocacy in the U.S.
“Whether the knife community in Canada can rally the resources is yet to be seen. They may not have quite the same level of influential friends in Ottawa,” Ritter said. “And, they also need to find someone to lead the charge; no small thing itself. It takes a huge commitment of time and effort and the right attitude. We [Knife Rights, AKTI and the U.S. knife industry] spent a small fortune in 2009. It takes a fortune. They will need to raise a ton of money.”
The Pocket Locket is considered one of the most flexible engraving platforms of all time. This is just one example of the versatility of Joe Kious’s design, and it’s a stunner.
Grapes of Wrath – Stephen Olszewski
Art knives don’t get much more complex yet graceful as Stephen Olszewski’s Grapes of Wrath.
“To this day, I have not seen another art knife with as many flowing lines, curves, carving and piercing of the steel in such a masterful way,” Michael Donato, of KnifePurveyor.com, told BLADE.
Time Machine – Van Barnett
This steampunk-inspired piece sits at the intersection of knives and luxury watches. As a result, the Time Machine caught the attention of those outside of the usual crowd.
“It also brought much-needed new collectors to the custom knife world,” Donato said.
Luna – Arpad Bojtos
Words won’t do justice to the interplay between the handle, blade and sheath in this mixed media masterpiece. This is the art knife’s art knife.
Goblin Folder – Jim Schmidt
Many imitators followed Jim Schmidt’s lead after the Goblin Folder hit the scene, shaping faces into pommels. It’s proof that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
See More Art Knives
Art knives litter the pages of Knives 2018, and they’re all in full color. Get a terrific price on the world’s greatest knife book at ShopBlade.com.
Don’t bring knives that can open with one hand into Canada.
The Canada Border Services Agency (the equivalent to U.S. Customs and Border Protection) will ban knives capable of opening with one hand, per a recent announcement made on Jan. 10. The prohibition is in effect now.
The Exact Language of the Ban
Specifically, the restriction covers knives meeting these conditions, as specified here:
a knife has a blade that opens by centrifugal force, when the blade is released from the handle into the fully ejected and locked position with a simple and brisk outwardly flick of the wrist; and
it includes knives that require some preliminary or simultaneous minimal manipulation of either a flipper or other non-edged parts of the blade.
Applies to Most Folding Knives
This applies to flippers, assisted openers, automatics or any blade that doesn’t require two hands to open. Much sway is given to CBSA officers’ judgement. A cautious traveler to Canada may want to leave all folding knives at home.
This isn’t the first time the country banned a wide category of knives. The decision adds to Canada’s growing list of prohibited weapons, available here. That includes:
Bladed finger ring
Push daggers
Devices shorter than 30 cm containing a concealed blade; including canes, daggers and multitools
Belt buckle knives
Morning stars
Spiked wristbands
Big Changes for Canadian Collectors, International Tourists
Note that this doesn’t prohibit the exportation of these items, only the importation. This doesn’t spell the end of the Canadian knifemaking industry.
It does, however, mean the end of bringing a large category of knives into Canada. It’s likely this will especially impact Canada’s hunting and fishing tourism industries. Canadian knife collectors purchasing internationally will also be hit hard.
We actually were planning a 3-weeks adventure trip to Canada next summer. Now seriously reconsidering. 🙁
One Way Around It: An Exemption for FBL License Holders
There is one way around the prohibition. From the CBSA:
Importation by a business is permitted if a Firearms Business Licence has been presented with import – prohibited weapon, listed as a business activity on the licence.
Despite this workaround, obtaining an FBL may be challenging or out of reach for smaller knifemakers and companies. Individuals may also be unaware of or unable to meet this requirement, and will have their knives confiscated at the border.
U.S. Does Not Have a Similar Prohibition
Coincidentally, this is similar to what happened in the United States 10 years ago. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized imported assisted openers at the border, claiming they violated the 1958 Federal Switchblade Act. The pushback led to an amendment exempting assisted openers and all manual folders capable of opening with one hand, signed into law in 2009 by President Barack Obama.
As published in The Jamestown Sun, Bernie Kuntz placed an order for a custom knife with legendary knifemaker Buster Warenski 36 years ago. After delays and setbacks, he eventually received something similar. A photo in one of the Knives annual books published by BLADE sealed the deal.
Introduced by Sen. Ben Chafin, SB 372 would end prohibitions on several types of knives in places of worship. From Knife Rights:
