|
 | Adding to the range of U.S. made, non-locking Spyderco knives, the C94GPFG3 has a unique drop-point blade design with added jimping on the finger choil. The blade shape is based on the existing Spyderco Stretch C90. These may be available in the UK around the same time as the low cost, FRN handle version of the UK Penknife. |
News has emerged of 2 new Spyderco Slipit production prototypes, although it is not known when these will become available in the UK. These are Spyderco Knives Terzuola Knife The Bob Terzuola Slipit and UK Penknife Rescue. The Terzuola knife has a ball-bearing slip-joint and 3 inch, flat ground, S-30V blade while the
Spyderco Knives UK Penknife Rescue UKPK Rescue may be produced with a hollow ground blade.
Spyderco first introduced folding knives with pocket clips - 'clipits', blades with thumb-holes and serrated edge blades. These have all been copied by other manufacturers and are now industry standard features. The on-going legal changes in the UK and worldwide are now influencing knife design. Increasingly negative media publicity surrounding knives has affected consumer demand for knives.
Spyderco have stated their intention to produce 'legal, socially friendly, politically correct knives that we enjoy carrying' The 'Slipit' knife has a non locking blade held open by a notched-joint / slip-joint. This is a safety feature which requires additional force to close the blade, preventing possible injury to the user by accidental closure. There is also an additional half-way closing stop. The range of 'Slipits' knives is now expanding to become the next generation of folding knives. The owner of Spyderco Knives has revealed that lower cost versions of Spyderco's Urban and UK Penknife are in the pipeline. The Company has commented that sales volume for the recently launched Urban models remains low. Many would-be buyers have been put off by the hefty UK price tag of £105
However, as the Spyderco Urban Knife retails for $149.95 in the USA, the UK price is not so unreasonable after all. The UK buying public is still coming to terms with the recent devaluation of the Pound Sterling agains the US dollar. The days of snapping up bargains imported from the USA are over. A situation was reached in 2007 when one Pound would buy two 2 US dollars. This was an historic aberration compared to the usual exchange rate of one pound to approx 1.8 US dollars. Currently the pound has undershot this value, although the situation is slowly improving.
The Urban knife has a 3 mm thick, flat-ground VG-10 steel blade, lightweight G-10 handle with wire pocket clip. These are obviously premium grade components, with the notch-joint spring and torx-screw assembly also adding to the cost. The notch-joint design requires quite complex engineering for to work properly. In a conventional slip-joint, non locking folding knife the spring is composed of a softer material than the blade steel. The contact point of the spring with the blade tang gradually wears down over time. This is not possible in a notch-joint which would stop working after continual opening and closing. In the manufacture of the UK Penknife, which has a CPM-S30V blade, a blade steel is also used for the spring and special heat treatment is applied to prevent wearing down of the spring and notch joint.
The lower cost models will have thinner blades and injection molded FRN handles instead of costly, machined G-10.
Spyderco is ahead of the curve by monitoring customer demand and tailoring the end products accordingly. The Urban knife is designed to appear less threatening for carrying in public and is slightly smaller than the UK Penknife. This was partly in response to feedback from UK Penknife owners. The black handle colour was also dropped in favour of foliage green or safety orange . The global trend towards smaller, non-locking knives is due to increasing legislation and negative media publicity about knives in general.
The Independent Newspaper recently reported that London police have stepped up stop and search activities in the past year. In addition, Operation Blunt 2 involved setting up 'knife arches' at tube and train stations. During this time the police have managed to build up intelligence on knife crime. This shows that cases of robberies or assault involving knives occur most often immediately after school closing hours. These crimes are also associated with disturbances which have occurred during school time.
Police stated that 287,898 people have been stopped and searched in London in the past year. This has led to 10,266 arrests with 90% of those caught in posession of a knife being charged. In all, 5,480 knives have been seized by police. Stop and search activities in relation to non-terrorist related incidents increased by 40%. Compared to the previous year, fewer knives are being discovered by police. This may be due to the deterrent effect the police activities are having on knife carrying.
Police figures for the past year show that serious stab injuries in London have fallen by 30%, and knife crime in general has fallen by 11.5%. The number of youths killed or injured in knife related crimes has also fallen compared to the previous year
The report also highlighted that knife crime has been falling in London every year since 2004. The accuracy of knife crime statistics is also questionable since many cases of stabbing are not reported to the police. What the report does not mention is the wider problem of gang culture and violence. And what are the motivating factors which cause school age youths to form gangs and carry weapons
Spyderco Knives
Related Articles -
spyderco, non, locking, knives, knife, knifes, knive, slipjoint, uk, pen, penknife, urban, terzuola, c94gpfg, c94gp, c127gb, c94,
| 
