Here we go.

[hso]

xxJJxx,

There are plenty of knives from offshore that are here and there are plenty of smuggled and converted offshore autos. The fact that you can buy them at gun shows and flea markets and find them on the internet and see videos of them isn't much indication of their legal status. That's one of the ironic truisms of the federal laws prohibiting sales across state lines and prohibiting imports. They make cheap junk, not that the Boker is junk, appealing enough to bring into the country dodging Customs regulations and charge way too much for what you get. All because of the silly "forbidden fruit" effect. It keeps US autos more expensive and offshore junk more expensive than it should be.

Here's how easy it is to convert a standard Boker Magnum Kalishnakov to auto



You do realize it is legal for you to buy them, but not legal for internet sellers to ship them to you? Another irony of the fed switchblade law. The sellers have to make sure you meet the definition of someone they can sell to as well as the definition of someone they can ship to. They don't, but they're required to if they comply with 18 and 15 USC on switchblades. All the risk is on the seller if you're the end user. The retailer, OTOH can be guilty of buying the smuggled knives as conspiracy with the people smuggling them into the country. Another reason to convert as many states as possible to auto friendly so we can get rid of the fed laws against them.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

xxJJxx,

There are plenty of knives from offshore that are here and there are plenty of smuggled and converted offshore autos. The fact that you can buy them at gun shows and flea markets and find them on the internet and see videos of them isn't much indication of their legal status. That's one of the ironic truisms of the federal laws prohibiting sales across state lines and prohibiting imports. They make cheap junk, not that the Boker is junk, appealing enough to bring into the country dodging Customs regulations and charge way too much for what you get. All because of the silly "forbidden fruit" effect. It keeps US autos more expensive and offshore junk more expensive than it should be.

Here's how easy it is to convert a standard Boker Magnum Kalishnakov to auto



You do realize it is legal for you to buy them, but not legal for internet sellers to ship them to you? Another irony of the fed switchblade law. The sellers have to make sure you meet the definition of someone they can sell to as well as the definition of someone they can ship to. They don't, but they're required to if they comply with 18 and 15 USC on switchblades. All the risk is on the seller if you're the end user. The retailer, OTOH can be guilty of buying the smuggled knives as conspiracy with the people smuggling them into the country. Another reason to convert as many states as possible to auto friendly so we can get rid of the fed laws against them.

I had no clue... Is blade HQ a domestic company? Its weird to me that they would try to skirt the laws. At the very least wouldn't it be just as well to have them shipped here in pieces and assembled here in the USA? I guess as long as I'm not breaking any laws I'm okay with it.. I dunno.

 

[Gordon]

geez 100$ for that good looking Kershaw with their top notch guarantee? I ordered mine on Amazon!

 

[hso]

At the very least wouldn't it be just as well to have them shipped here in pieces and assembled here in the USA?

That's a Customs violation. At one point a dozen years ago US Customs was aggressive about imports that could be converted without a machining step. Then they made the mistake of characterizing some non switchblades as such and that resulted in an amendment of the fed law specifically because of the excesses of a Customs official in the PacNW. Since then they've been very circumspect and only focused on smuggled complete knives or those that didn't require disassembly to make autos. They've closed one eye to small scale conversion by spring drop in.

Again, the buyer can't break the fed law as the laws regulate the seller/shipper only.

 

[Gtscotty]

I bought a Broker AK74 from BladeHQ as well, it's an interesting enough knife for the <$30 I paid, but not one I use very often. I agree that the new Kershaw autos look really nice, I've been really tempted to buy one and try it out myself.

 

[Harrington-Richardson]

OTOH

OTOH -- assisted opening is available from Kershaw, Gerber, CRKT, etc. These offerings go on sale at Big 5 all the time for around $20. 440 stainless blades, stainless or G-10 scales.

Nice thing about assisted opening is that they're lawful in Canada because the blade itself is the actuating mechanism for opening. Button opening is unlawful.

Moreover, if you're crossing the border with a knife: The knife must be "for utility purposes" -- If you tell Canada that the knife is "for defense" it will be confiscated, even if it's a plastic picnic knife.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

So my 74 came in today... I'm really impressed for the price. It shaves the hair right off my arm. There is 0 front to back, and very little left to right play in the blade (easily less than a millimeter). Deployment is moderate. It doesn't feel crazy fast but still quick. I've owned tons of random pocket knives like Swiss army, Leatherman, Scrhade, Gerber, all kinds.. This is the first on that's ever shaved my hair off right out of the box. For the price I couldnt be happier. Cant wait to see if I like carrying it. I may put it through some test too to see if it would hold up to a self defense application. Hard stabs and whatnot. If i do, Ill make a youtube video...

 

[MikeJackmin]

Glad to hear it. A good knife is a knife that makes you happy, the rest is details.

One word of caution though - if a folder fails a 'hard stab' test, it's likely to fail by closing up. You only get issued two hands, replacements are costly and hard to find.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

Glad to hear it. A good knife is a knife that makes you happy, the rest is details.

One word of caution though - if a folder fails a 'hard stab' test, it's likely to fail by closing up. You only get issued two hands, replacements are costly and hard to find.

Thanks for the cautionary advice Half of the fun would be rigging up something to actually do the test with that is not my hand

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

Futher review. A few days in I have almost no hair left on my left arm from showing friends how sharp this thing is lol. I've done some very minor cutting with it and haven't had any issues. Ive also opened and closed it a few thousand times now. This is exactly what I wanted this knife for. Anyone looking to get something cheap that works, This is an excellent option.

That said, I never realized how cool the knife world is until I started looking into them. I'm going to upgrade when funds become available Ill post when I decide whats next.