Best UK Legal Folding Pocket Knife
Reviews and Comparison Guide
First of all, a pocket knife, or folding knife is one of the very few knives you are legally allowed to carry out in public in the UK.
As we all know, our knife laws are very strict and if you are caught carrying an illegal knife you could be looking at some serious repercussions.
Furthermore, I would also like to add that the legalities of carrying a knife of any sort depends on the circumstances and the type of knife – a folding, NON-LOCKABLE, pocket knife is one of the few legal weapons you can carry around.
But you would be setting yourself up for big problems carrying one into a football match or to a concert, if you got stopped you could be in for problems, no matter what you for an excuse.
I know the "law' says you can, but even that wouldn't apply if you tried to take one in..
So, you see what I mean, it can also depend largely on the – ‘The Circumstances’…
So knowing whats legal carry and whats not is very important.
What Constitutes A Legal Knife?
- The knife must have a folding blade that is fully enclosed when folded closed.
- The blade length must be less than 3" long (76.2mm)
- The knife must be non locking
Because the blade must not be fixed and can only be opened by actually folding the blade out – a flick knife style blade that springs the blade out is not considered to be folding..
So for that reason, ANY type of assisted opening blade, like a flick knife is illegal.
- For the purpose of this comparison guide I have concentrated on LEGAL pocket knives for the UK only.
What makes the Best Folding Pocket Knife for Survival here in the UK?
Below Is A Typical Example Of Superb Non Locking Knife
This UK Legal Knife is the Promithi PC02 Folding Pocket Knife and as you can see here, it is a nice and compact, well designed steel pocket knife.
- High grade Stainless steel,Blade length: 2.48" inch
- Blade under 3 inches, legal in the UK. Recommended for home projects, fishing, survival and outdoor recreation
- Unlockable folding blade, can be clipped onto a belt from its belt clip
- 6.28-inch full length and lightweight at 93grms.
- Blade is made from 3Cr13 stainless steel and wood made handle
Above all this type of quality folding pocket knife is perfectly UK legal – this one comes with a nice belt pouch as well.
I especially like the wood handle scales, that's a nice touch – not bad for under £15 – a nice lightweight carbon steel knife and belt pouch… bargain.!
See the latest price & availability the Promithi PC02 Folding Pocket Knife here.
But, What Is The Right Knife For You?
Ask yourself this question
“what do I want to use my pocket knife for?”
If it's sole purpose is for opening the odd parcel or difficult envelope then just about any will do – even a cheap one, Blunt or sharp, it won't make much difference!
However, survival is a different thing altogether and if you will be using it for survival purposes then you you need to consider what these are.
EDC, hunting, skinning, cooking and even self defence. These are all considerations when choosing a new folding pocket knife.
Consequently a lot of people want their legal pocket knife to not only function properly, but to be a 'work of art' and will choose a handmade knife.
These really are something a bit special, and a pocket knife to be proud of.
Here's a few typical handmade Damascus knives below:
Price Considerations When Buying A Pocket Knife.
It is generally considered a waste of money buying a knife simply because it's cheap. The thoughts are it is made from inferior materials and will easily fail, normally when you need it the most!
But, fortunately folding pocket knives are relatively inexpensive, in fact a quality 'hand made' knife, using high end materials and steels will only set you back between £35 - £85.
I consider this to be good value for money, especially considering the quality and uniqueness you are getting in your knife.
When it comes to a more 'mass produced' knife, I have found the quality to be rather good.
In theory it is always better to go with a the tried and tested manufacturer.
But, when it comes to pocket knives, the build and material quality is normally a very high standard.
If, for some reason, you over work your pocket knife, you stand a chance of the blade getting damaged or even snapping.
Of course there's always going to be some inferior steel knocking around, but generally you will be fine as we are only talking pocket knives here, not rambo style hunting knives, where you hacking your way through the bush..!
The up side of all this is, pocket knives represent very good value for money. Even a knife costing just £5:00 will still be very good..!
Are You Looking For A Locking Knife?
See my article explaining about the lock knife here, or:
See Lock Knife Reviews Video and For Sale here
Finally, remember, carrying a folding pocket knife, with blade under 3" that is non locking, is perfectly within the law in the UK.
Make sure you are aware of the updated UK knife laws: click button below to view:
Happy Prepping Folks,
Steve
34 comments
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What about the opinel folding knives as they have a 4ing around the top
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST KILLER AND MAIMS MORE PEOPLE THAN ALL THE KNIFE AND GUN CRIMES PUT TOGETHER. AUTOMOBILES. AND VERY FEW LAWS TO CONTROL DRIVERS.
Extra gun laws did not prevent gun crime and extra knife laws will not prevent knife crime, criminals will be criminals and will always have access to weapons only the law abiding citizen suffers under these rules. Weapons do not kill, the person using them does, I often wonder what will be banned or controlled next in the name of safety.
Socialism.
…is obviously a word you struggle to grasp the meaning of.
Aah, the internet, the home of both the largest collection of information ever found in one place, and those least willing to engage with it.
look forward to reading the newsltter
I get the argument for the knife legislation, and of course I will live within the law, but I honestly disagree with it. Most knife based attacks use kitchen knives, not the sort of blades most outdoorsmen, sportsmen or workers need to carry. Yet again the government has introduced law which only restricts the lives of decent law-abiding citizens, and as ever it’s a knee-jerk response to the idiotic minority and thugs.
very useful info. thanks
I am confused about owning Small Pocket Knives that conform to Legal Blade Length but have a locking system. I am a disabled pensioner who has 5 or 6 of this type of knife. I do not take them outside and only use them for whittling & carving purposes indoors.
Can I legally own these or am I in fact breaking UK laws because I own them. Some of the knives I have are new and have been delivered by post to me from outside of the UK. A couple of the packages have had small yellow stickers on them stating that they do not conform to European Rules. Yet they have still been delivered. I am confused because I would like to buy replacements for future use but I do not want to be liable for prosecution. Where do I stand?
Author
Hi Keith,
No you are not breaking the UK law.
There are many type of knives that you can own, including fixed blade knives.
Here’s an article on the current knife laws:
UK KNIFE LAW
hope this helps, Steve
Knife law does have some grey areas…so I spoke to the cops March 2017….
If you have a legitimate reason for a blade over 3 inches, locking, fixed..ie….required for work etc..it is OK, but should not be flaunted in public…
Additionally, carrying a knife on your person requires some clarification…having a non legal knife securely packed away in a rucksack for example, is not deemed as on your person as it is not easily accessible…you cannot carry no legal knife in your pocket or belt, guess legitimate reason as noted above….
With all the knife laws, how did that soldier get decapitated in London? Do these laws not stop criminals from carrying illegal knives and if so, why did they not work in this case and many others regarding knife attacks by criminals? The reason I ask is that the criminal that murdered my sister in law during a carjacking, did not use a knife or gun. He beat her to death with a pipe that he picked out of a rubbish bin. I am wondering if pipes should not be outlawed as well.
Sadly, as your experience shows, no law goes unbroken. Murder, however it is done, is a crime, yet some people still commit murder. If the law being unable to prevent *all* breaches was reason enough for the law being dropped, then we’d have no rule of law at all.
My only quibble with the UK knife laws as they are is the bar on locking blades, as I’ve always felt much safer using a blade that can be fixed in place rather than one that could potentially close on my fingers. Not that it’s ever happened, though, with sensible and legal use of the knife.
Yes, unfortunately having knife laws doesn’t stop knife crime, having weight benches and martial art schools can cause people to accidentally kill other people with their hands, therefore should we remove the gyms and weight training? The teaching of martial arts? or maybe just peoples hands and feet? (I like hands and feet personally but then what use would we be )
*Spoiler alert*
The law simply states what is and is not tolerated, if a crime is committed but within the confines of the legal system in place, it would go to show that the people who are responsible went to great lengths to execute a malicious act in the hopes off getting away with it, where as some people (like with your sister in laws horrific situation) shows an act off desperation, a human response or something along those lines, for instance, he did not go equipped to murder your sister, he was most likely running from something or someone and as an act of desperation, attacked your sister for her car and the death was purely accidental (but that is purely speculation).
Basically the only way to truly stop crime would be a complete removal off social interaction, no schools, just home schools, shopping online ect, but that would violate human rights.
P.S sorry for your lose.
I will check the actual act itself, but I am sure it states a knife with a cutting edge less than 3 inches.
Is a Kukri breaking the Law?
I am a Survivalist and it is what I consider an essential piece of my Kit.
It is very much against the law as an every day carry knife since it’s both fixed blade and massively exceeds the 3″ maximum blade length. However I think you’re confusing what is a legal knife and what is legal to carry on an every day basis. It is NOT illegal to own a kukri, but it IS illegal to carry it in public ‘without good reason’.
Non locking knife blades on folders are intrinsically UNSAFE for certain non combat applications ….DUHH OBVIOUSLY a razor sharp non locking blade has the potential of doing permanent maiming damage to the fingers clasped around the handle of the knife …they laws in UK are insanely biased to simply presume that every single person is a threat and the fallacy that laws will protect ….overbearing mommy laws might reduce certain statistics but they also DO go a long way to preventing the average law abiding citizen from defending himself and other innocents ….the fact is that the Law CAN NOT protect people against attacks from crazy criminals …. Some might assume it is a good trade off simply looking at statistics based on relatively peaceful times of general prosperity, But that mindset certainly does NOT address what things very well MIGHT deteriorate to at any moment ….In which case the public WILL be caught with their pants all the way down round their ankles and victims of their OWN stupidity as much as the criminal element…. Society is gambling with everyone’s lives and statistics over the long haul indicate that it is a FOOLISH gamble in the long run ….
The madness comes where a car driver is stopped and done for having a locking knife in the glove box
So, you stopped me driving a ton of metal at sixth miles an hour to advise me the knife with the first aid kit in the glove box is a concern.
What is your opinion on the Lansky legal carry knives? They’re very strong but stiff to open.
Had a long argument over this one and eventually had to look at the CPS website. The problem with the Lansky ‘legal’ is that while it fits the bill as an EDC knife (i.e. non locking, under 3″ blade etc.), that only takes into account the physical attributes of the knife. The other side of the law is that your ‘intent’ in carrying the knife is taken into account, and even an EDC knife is illegal if your intent is to use it as a weapon. The problem with the Lansky is that the blade carries the wording ‘Urban Tactical’, and the CPS website does indicate that using the word ‘tactical’ on a knife infers offensive/defensive intent (in other words, use as a weapon). Personally I think this is a little OTT but as someone else has already commented, the law is aimed at the unlawful intent of a small minority rather than the safety of the much larger majority. My opinion (worthless as it is as far as the law is concerned) is that the Lansky is a great knife, since closure is sufficiently difficult that inadvertent closure is very, very difficult which therefore makes the knife safe to use.
Please be aware some officers may measure the whole blade, right upto the handle, not just the sharpened part. My 3 inch SAK was measured at 3 and a quarter despite my prostestations!
John Bell That’s likely because cops are just people. And as we know people with authority and power like to abuse it for there own satisfaction. Therefore the police are not to be trusted just like any other stranger you meet in the street. Trust is earned not given even with a badge and a gun.
And you might reply saying well if you were in need of the police you’ll be thankful of there presence then. Well I say to that the police are a tool to be used when needed but not to be trusted to follow the law or be decent to you.
Avoid them if you can and you’ll be better off.
THEIR, not there, learn how to write……….
“Their not there”…. It’s what is said that counts … Not the spelling …. Have you never made a mistake? ….Grow up and get a life nit pikker!
Steve mardon
7.62 centimetres surely? 7.62mm wouldn’t be worth using!
Author
Nicely spotted there Joe.
Amended to 76.2mm
thank you…