neck knives???

K

KenH

Well-Known Member
I'm constantly seeing neck knives, and they do look great. What I don't understand is the attraction of neck knives. Do folks actually wear these hanging around the neck? Does the knife/sheath then hang down outside the shirt, or is it tucked inside the shirt? Blouse? Are neck knives normally considered as a defensive weapon or an EDC for everyday chores? Is the blade short enough they're legal to carry in most states?

Folks, please educate me.
 
All of the above!

For working a neck knife is great because you don’t have to fish in your pocket or your belt. Very quick and easy. Also makes a great concealment option.

I prefer a neck knife when I’m out camping or canoeing.
 
I have concealed a neck knife (a very flat one) on occasion as an extreme last resort option. For me, that is their only appeal. A for the legality, that varies from State to State so I cannot answer there.
 
Beside agreeing with the "all of the above", I personally, I think it's a "flavor of the month", or a "cool factor" thing. Knives just tend to go that route..... it's always a big circle when it comes to knife type popularity......... I've never been able to discern the rhyme or reasons of why a particular type of knife is popular, and another is not, and how that can change so rapidly.....but it does.

I've made a number of my EBK series knives as "Neck Knives", and they have always sold well in that configuration..... which for me is nothing more then deleting a belt clip, and adding paracord or a bead chain through one or more eyelets. What I have noticed is that the, for a lack of a better term, more educated/seasoned custom knife buyer, will generally buck the current trend(s), and buy what they like, even if it's not popular at the moment, but for knifemakers who sell their knives, one person's money is as green as the next's. :)

I also did research and made them (my EBKs) under the legal blade length limits for all states.....well, except for a few cities who have fluctuated over the years on the blade lengths that are legal. At the time, 2 3/4" was legal in all STATES, but it was/is impossible for me to find all the legalities of every U.S. city.....so I always have a disclaimer in the paperwork that it's up the buyer/owner to follow all state and local ordnances/laws.
 
I’ve made several and have requests for a few more. Made this one and a kydex sheath for a good friend. He wears it everyday. A lot of horseback riders like them because they are easy to get to.
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Thank ya'll for the comments, and Ed, thank you for researching the max blade length that's legal in all states, understanding cities and counties can have different requirements. There SHOULD be a statue in ALL states that cities nor counties can not make a more restrictive law than the state. Alabama is a terrible mish-mash of knife laws. The Alabama state is pretty good, but some of the cities are pretty strict.

Considering I'm not comfortable with anything hanging around my neck (necklace, etc) the idea of neck knives just didn't appeal to me. I've carried a pocket knife since I was perhaps 7 or 8 yrs old. Can't really remember when I didn't have a pocket knife in my pants pocket. One of the things I was concerned about was the legal aspects of a neck knife and Ed covered that part nicely.

Thank you all for good comments - and Yes I'd for sure enjoy one of Randy's neck knives, perhaps to hang on my belt {g}
 
KenH said:
One of the things I was concerned about was the legal aspects of a neck knife and Ed covered that part nicely.
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In some states length is not the only concern with regards to a knife. The concealment issue can be troublesome as well. I would check on that before I made a decision on the legality.
 
Chris Railey said:
In some states length is not the only concern with regards to a knife. The concealment issue can be troublesome as well
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Yes that is correct. Some states look at fixed blade knives different than a folding knife. One of my concerns was even where fixed blades where legal, seems like they're usually required to be carried in open, like in sheath on belt or something. The legal aspects of concealed inside clothing has concerned me.
 
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I think quite a few bush craft type people use them. I can see where they fill a niche and every get home bag should have one in my opinion. The only concern I would have is the safety aspect and that can be remedied with the right choice of material to support the knife.
 
What turned me on to neck knives was a “Woods Walker” that I picked up from the AG Russell catalogue a long time ago. It came with a kydex neck sheath. I had never even considered wearing a knife as a necklace before. Then I took it on a three day ATV camping trip across New Mexico. I kept it under my t-shirt so it wouldn’t bounce around as we rode through the backcountry.

It was perfect! It was there, easily retrievable and always out of the way. At camp, even in a pair of shorts with no pockets during all the “necessary times”- there it was.

Personally, I like little knives. I carry a little slip joint on me every day. I’m much more likely to open boxes, but string, or slice an apple every day than I am to fight off a Grizzly bear or build a raft. A neck knife is my preferred “little knife” when I go into the woods or on the river because it’s 1000 times less likely to fall out of my pocket, or get hung up on the side of the canoe like a belt knife.
 
Is it the 21st-century equivalent of the 1970s disco medallion that you wore over your hairy chest when you had your polyester disco shirt unbuttoned all the way down to your navel? LOL
 
I used to live in Virginia and some of the laws there were screwy. Sheath knives knives could only be worn as part of a re-enactment even or a sporting activity like hunting, fishing, or carrying it for safety when white water canoeing. I could never get a good answer as to maximum length though Ed's 2 3/4" sounds like a good estimate. Here in Illinois 3" is considered a pretty good estimate and wearing a sheath knife in and of itself is not illegal. Where you get caught is if you are carrying it to use in an illegal purpose but that applies to folding knives too. In some states concealed carry permits apply to knives where in others, like Virginia, they don't. You just have to check on your jurisdictions and go by that.

Doug
 
I used to make tons of neck knives. I prefer one for EDC myself. I always wear it inside my shirt. It frees up space in my pockets. It's also pretty quick and easy to get to. Just gotta pay attention when re-sheathing :D

Not much legality issues with knives in Louisiana. I think the only real restriction is you can't conceal carry an automatic knife.
 
Yep, Louisiana is one of the good states in most cases about knives. As much as I do NOT wish more Federal power, at times there are a few laws I sometimes think would be good on the national level so they would be the same for every state. Problem is what would the laws be? New York type or Louisiana type?
 
The neck knives I have posted in the other thread have 2-1/2" blades with an AOL of 5-3/4".
I kind of like making them although after making a string of eight of them I'm done for awhile, the actual reason I made eight is because I had two ready to heat treat and two full size kitchen knives, being they were all AEBL and needing dry ice and acetone I figured I'd make a few more to make the dry ice bath stretch out for some more blades.

I don't wear one everyday, I wear a belt knife to work but I'll say this...once you slip one under your shirt you forget about it,
and they do exhibit a somewhat cool factor when snapping them out of a kydex sheath.
Their somewhat of a novelty knife while still actually being very practical and work great for a lot of uses, heck if it came down to it I'd skin, clean and quarter a deer with one.......of cut the end off a cigar.

As for legality, I note on my website and include a small letter with each one that states among other things...it is up to the purchaser to determine the legal status of carrying a neck knife where they intend to carry it.

I once walked into a court house wearing one and promptly got detected at the check in, thankfully they let me go out and put it in my truck and come back in.

But back to the legal issue, it boils down to a person needs to use their head weather it's a small knife a big knife or a gun...
know whats legal and whats not and what risks may be involved in carrying weapons or knives around.
 
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