Knives in your toolbox

[piratebillybob]

I was thinking of getting a nice 3 inch foldable knife for my tool box.

I am however worried about how legal carrying one is. Surely if im working as an electrician in a works van during works time, i'ld be allowed to carry such a knife in my toolbox?

I know this sounds silly but i dont want to get in trouble when just starting out on my new career.

And from what ive read, the law really does hate lockable, folding knives longer than 3 inches.

What kind of knife do you use?

 

[telectrix]

the law frowns on knives being carried on or about your person. in a toolbox, as an essential tool for your work, i can't see a problem.

 

[Darkwood]

You can carry a knife of any pocket size within reason if for work use, the problem arises if you start walking around the streets out of work time with said knife then its an offense.... its possible to be caught with knife in your pocket say in dinner hour and not have any legal consequences .... your work attire usually is enough to just get a verbal talk but if you were to leave work and go drinking having left knife in pocket then you can expect a totally different response if caught with it..... the police usually treat the offense in relation to your reasoning but they aint stupid.

 

[Guest111]

if the knife is kept in your box you are usually ok however if it was in your pocket or in the front of van when going to and from work you could have trouble if stopped,as it could be classed as an offensive weapon,as far as I am aware if its in your box when going to and from then its ok,I have an axe and a large crowbar in the boot of my car and not had any problems,and I had a traffic cop poking around in there recently.

 

[Darkwood]

It all comes down to situation and circumstance..... having a screwdriver in your pocket at 3am while wondering the streets will get you arrested for been tooled up for robbery but having it in your pocket on your lunch break in your overalls wont even raise an eyelid. Just use common sense and always have your tape measure hooked on your belt so as to make you look technical (its the law)!

 

[Knobhead]

Look at the rest of your tools, just about everything could be classed a weapon.

 

[Guest111]

Look at the rest of your tools, just about everything could be classed a weapon.

Hey Tony here,s one for you,a mate of mine had to do some work at the local prison and they wanted him to remove all sharp objects from his toolbox,then thought he was being funny when he said if he was to do that he may as well just go home.

 

[Knobhead]

If it wasn’t so true, it would be funny.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Been covered already, another example is a shotgun (!), youre entitled to walk through a crowded shopping centre with one, in a bag on your person, within reason. Not in your hands, loaded, while foaming at mouth shouting "part p, Electrical Trainee"

 

[Plonker 3]

Hey Tony here,s one for you,a mate of mine had to do some work at the local prison and they wanted him to remove all sharp objects from his toolbox,then thought he was being funny when he said if he was to do that he may as well just go home.

Having worked in maintenance in the prison service I can say that I have a carried a stanley knife in my tool box. Yes is has been on a tool list, but never been questioned about why I was carrying it.

 

[Guest111]

Having worked in maintenance in the prison service I can say that I have a carried a stanley knife in my tool box. Yes is has been on a tool list, but never been questioned about why I was carrying it.

maybe something to do with contractors,or could just be our local nick is a pain,went there twice myself and the staff moaned like hell about having to take you round think they dont like you going in.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Worked in loads of custardy sweets, once had to pop back to van for a hammer, as came back in through the desk the custody sergent said "I can think of a few uses for that".

 

[Bubblecraft]

I always have my Stanley Fatmax Folding Retractable in my side pocket. Only comes out when I'm washing the briefs. Even have it on me when out with the dogs before & after work. I don't even think about it.

I clip on my JCB twin blade in the morning to my belt, which is kept on my visor in the van next to my Fatmax tape, and clip it back on at the end of each working day. Don't wanna get caught with that beast on me after work.

My van is FULL of "offensive weapons" if you look at it that way. If Police were to charge me for all my hammers, axe's, blades, knifes etc, I'd be locked up for life!

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Wow thats some blade bubblecraft

 

[SPARTYKUS]

What about a thermic lance? Could be useful if caught in a landslide, could use that line with the law

 

[ipf]

Worked in loads of custardy sweets, once had to pop back to van for a hammer, as came back in through the desk the custody sergent said "I can think of a few uses for that".

I think I'd be popping to the kitchen for a spoon and maybe a piece of apple pie, S.

 

[Knobhead]

Thermic lance. You have to be licensed to use one. Fun to use though!

 

[nickblake]

i used to be a chef i carried my 18" cooks knife to work its when it goes from tool to weapon is the problem ive got a 8" pad saw in my tool box with two rows of teeth ...... thats on the pad saw not a set of false teeth

 

[Guest123]

Had to attend court a while back, middle of the day during work.

When I was signing in I had to empty all my pockets and got padded down and wanded with a metal detector etc. Anyways I always have my leatherman on my belt and obviously the wand picked this up so I had to hand it in. whilst i was doing this, 2 coppers appeared from nowhere and started treating me like some sort of crazed psycho intent on murdering everyone!!!

Long story short, as i wasn't actually working at that precise moment, I had no good reason for carrying said leatherman so I was infact liable to be charged with carrying an offensive weapon.

Luckily they understood, saw reason and let me off. Lesson learned though, even if you just walk to the paper shop at tea break, you could be done for carrying as technically you aren't 'in work' at that time.

Just for reference, it's one of these......

 

[Darkwood]

Had to attend court a while back, middle of the day during work.

When I was signing in I had to empty all my pockets and got padded down and wanded with a metal detector etc. Anyways I always have my leatherman on my belt and obviously the wand picked this up so I had to hand it in. whilst i was doing this, 2 coppers appeared from nowhere and started treating me like some sort of crazed psycho intent on murdering everyone!!!

Long story short, as i wasn't actually working at that precise moment, I had no good reason for carrying said leatherman so I was infact liable to be charged with carrying an offensive weapon.

Luckily they understood, saw reason and let me off. Lesson learned though, even if you just walk to the paper shop at tea break, you could be done for carrying as technically you aren't 'in work' at that time.

Just for reference, it's one of these......

Hmmm! Thats your excuse or are you really tapping on the door of a split personality psycho killer :death:... people with split personalities have been known to have little or no knowledge of the other,,,, so Len; How often do you find yourself with a offensive weapon and forgetting how it got there? :13:

 

[Guest111]

that,s where common sense comes in,I remember reading a book when I was a lad and on safe use of tools it said "remember even a screwdriver can cause permanent injury" and as I have mentioned before you can kill someone with a biro if you know where to stick it.I used to have a police duty belt and it had a multitool,a lock knife a small multimeter,volt stick,set of vde drivers,torx drivers and small first aid kit on it,never went anywhere without it,stopped wearing it after I appeared in a docudrama and went to london for the premiere and got mistaken for one of the guards.Anyone interested it was called Guilty Pleasures by Julie Moggan.

 

[trev]

One day really short of time I got sent to the sandwich van because there were no apprentices about and I pulled the short straw.
Because we were eating on the run and the van was just outside the site I've still got me pouch on which contains lots of pointy sharp things, two cops at the sandwich van one was fine and just chatted to me while lunch was prepped the other must have had a hair up his bum because he said I could be arrested for carrying an offensive weapon or going equipped for breaking and entering.
Obviously he had never been on a building site in his life but twas a lesson for me.

 

[Adam W]

I think it depends how you explain yourself if stopped as well - if you calmly explain what you do and your reason for carrying said implement they'll probably let you carry about your business, but if you tell them they're all the same, they should go out and catch some real criminals and Raoul Moat had the right idea, you'll most likely find yourself facing a walk back from the furthest, most inaccessible police station they can take you to, even if they don't try to charge you with anything.

 

[mogga]

I laff every time I hear them on telly saying "going equiped" as Im a man and every time I loeav e the house Im going out with the tool required for one of the big bad offences in my trousers

As for knife carrying I have heard of a carpet store where the warehouseman went to snack van with his stanley hanging on his belt Police "advised him" to leave it at front door of shop in future
personalty I have been told whilst delivering takeaways years ago that i should purchase a maglite rather than carry a wheel key up dodgy stairs as a Maglight could be excused as reasonable to have on my person a wheel key couldnt

 

[pencilpusher]

I am sure the police are not after hard working people who are carrying a tool of their trade. They are though after low life, non working parasites who go out tooled up because it's hard aint it!

Hence the stories on here where the police have generally used common sense. Common sense is the key word here me thinks.

 

[Goody]

I always carry a set of screw drivers, pliers, cigarette lighter and a small knife (for my wife to peel oranges on long journeys) in me glove box, is that considered as against the law? Would police use common sense in these situations?

 

[pencilpusher]

No idea, tell you what, drive at 100mph plus and get stopped. Please report back with the results!:yes:

 

[mogga]

I think a lot would depend on your aptitude, maner with the cops and the circumstances that you come to their attention
Ie out shopping with the Mrs after work stuff in pockets Probably "advice given"
in the Pub at 1am half cut n ballsy with cops = Lifted

 

[pencilpusher]

I think that's spot on probably. It's not only the common sense of the cops here I suppose!

 

[kathwilcox]

I have a SOG Kilowatt, have it in the pocket of my work trouser all the time, its even fallen out of my pocket in the local supermarket when I've popped in no my way home.


.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Nice blade!

 

[Adam W]

I have a SOG Kilowatt, have it in the pocket of my work trouser all the time, its even fallen out of my pocket in the local supermarket when I've popped in no my way home.


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I use a stanley type knife with a retractable blade for cutting through cable sheath, deburring PVC containment, trimming plasterboard etc and have that in a side pocket of my work trousers most of the time, but what would you use a knife like that for?
Please don't say 'getting customers to pay up'.

 

[kathwilcox]

Mainly use it for opening boxes and packets, but it does have a very handy flex stripper on it, you can score the outer sheath with out nicking the inner cables and is so much easier than cutters or Stanley knife. It also has many other little bits on it.

Plus it also looks the part.

Don't think you can get them in this country, i got mine from America.

 

[Knobhead]

To be honest unless I’ve been working on paper lead cable I’ve never used anything other than a Stanley or Tyzak Knife. What do you need a long blade for? For my 3” hack knife to do any damage to anyone, you would have to bludgeon them with it.

Please take in to account I’ve never had to deal with wood and plaster, engineering brick and re-enforced concrete would be my usual adversary. Then the animal in me emerges.

 

[kathwilcox]

LOL, do have a Stanley but its a fixed blade one, can't get on with the retractable blades, so that lives in its daft plastic case in by tool bag not my pocket.

 

[Gravid]

Some nice looking knifes, i'm using this facom one at the moment till i lose it.

 

[Geordie Spark]

if the knife is kept in your box you are usually ok however if it was in your pocket or in the front of van when going to and from work you could have trouble if stopped,as it could be classed as an offensive weapon,as far as I am aware if its in your box when going to and from then its ok,I have an axe and a large crowbar in the boot of my car and not had any problems,and I had a traffic cop poking around in there recently.

I had a quiet chuckle when I read this as it reminded me of my old boss back in 1970 or thereabouts.

He was stopped in the works van & asked to open the back doors so plod could see inside.

Cop saw the sledgehammer, pickaxe & crowbar that was inside & remarked: "I suppose these are the tools of your trade?" to which boss replied: "Yes .... of course!!"

The side of the van was beautifully signwritten "J**** A******* & Co. Scientific Instrument Makers & Precision Engineers"

The biggest hammer we ever used was 4 ounce. but the boss had been doing some building work at home that weekend & that's why he had building tools in the van.

 

[RWJ]

I recently got pulled over in a Police / VOSA / trading standards clamp down.

2 Coppers and some suited jobs worth searching my van. Nothing said about any knives (I carry a Stanley, a Hultifors and the CK Lock knife in my main bag).

No.. they just wanted to know why is was carrying screwdrivers and a crowbar (mainly the screwdrivers) because I could be "going equipped"....

I just said "you not read the signs on the van"..... don't think they found it funny and was sent on my way.

 

[supasparxs]

amongst other things I'm a mountaineer,
I've never had any grief for having Ice axes on the back of a rucksack.

saying that a friend of mine was carrying a pair of Ice tools and someone attempted to mug her.
when a 5' tall woman turns around with a 2' ice axe in each hand, the mugger sh!t himself and ran off.

anything can be used as a weapon, including a magazine, biro or a can of hairspray

it just depend what you are doing and the reason for having the "weapon"

 

[grantr37]

I have seen somebody lifted beside a burger van on the street as they had a round file in the leg pocket of their work trousers, have also seen people warned for wearing a tool belt at tea time....I would bet if I were to carry a toolbox onto the bus or train or even down the street I would probably get stopped and arrested as it would be more brownie points....... I can see it now..... a cache ...or a hoard....which sounds worse?........but I'm an electrician.....SILENCE....CONTEMPT OF COURT....AN EXTRA 6 MONTHS......butbutbut....AN EXTRA YEAR...oh crap