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I like making my lunch at work...but am tiring of using whatever I have to hand to slice stuff. Recent examples are a teaspoon (to cut cheese), a plastic putty spreader (to cut a baguette open) or dirty side cutters rinsed under a tap (to open packaging).
I just ordered and received a Victorinox folding travel/camping knife, looked great (not stabby) rounded end and serrated, open length 5.1" (so about a 2.5" blade). Something I could leave in my lunchbag with a fork, teaspoons and plastic putty spreader...
However it turns out the description was wrong and its the closed length that is 5.1", so the blade is 4" long (not ok) and even worse, its locking. Definitely not a 'take anywhere' knife as described, or have close to hand in my bag in a work van.
So what else is there? Looking at other options, everything seems to be pointy with stylish metal handles that scream 'knife!' and are all about looks and style rather than tomato cutting ability!
Do you always work at the same location? If so, just leave it there - or buy a normal "kitchen" knife instead. No need for it to be fancy.
Do you not have a drawer at work where you can leave stuff?
The law prohibits knives "without legitimate purpose." Whilst technically outside the law, it's hard to see how anyone would care about a knife like that stashed inside a lunchbox. What are you going to get up to with it, a salt and buttery?
I recently bought two Opinel knives for similar purposes. A “spreader” and the brunch knife. The spreader is a little small but the brunch knife is perfect.
It’s funny how simple things bring joy to the most mundane tasks.
Yep, so long as that stays in your lunch box (when not in use). In the extremely tiny chance of the event of a policeman questioning you, it's totally justifiable so long as the box is either full of food ready for later, or you swear blind it had whatever-the-previous-meal-was in it earlier, and it's now going home. Or, to put it another way, if you had a bog standard knife and fork in there, then you're carrying a fixed blade anyway!
I'm a mobile worker in a van, so I have a coolbag that sits between the front seats with my utensils and bits and bobs in one pocket, fruit in another, a hot water flask behind it and my coffee stuff in the cupholders! If i'm eating lunch I expect I could justify the knife, but in the unlikely event I'm stopped at 6pm driving home, it might be hard to justify having an 'illegal' knife within reach of the drivers seat. I have a heavy duty 'hacking knife' in the back but that's part of the standard toolkit for my job and I wouldn't keep it in the glovebox!
I've seen this for just £6 but would rather have a non-pointy blade but it will do if nothing else comes up, might also have a look in the local Earnest Doe farm supplies as they might sell something thats more utility than bling.
a salt and buttery?
very good!
What are you going to get up to with it, a salt and buttery?
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TBH, I very much doubt anyone would make a fuss over a knife like that having a locking function! You could do a lot more damage to someone with a fork!
Use the Opinel and keep it in your lunchbox, where nobody’s going to give a shit. [img] 
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Opinel inox here. Use it to make kids picnics on the beach, cut their tomatoes, open the packets of ham...
Opinel.
Cheap. Come in loads of sizes. Pointy or rounded ends.
No. 6 has a blade length of 7cm. Or get a No. 7 and grind down the blade.
Inox blades are nice, but the stainless blades are less hassle.
I have a set from tiny No. 2 through to No. 10 with a corkscrew.
Grind a bit off the end, or, blunt the last bit at the hinge end so the sharp bit is only 3inch
Inox blades are nice, but the stainless blades are less hassle.
Inox is Stainless?
surely having that victorinox folding breadknife in your van in a lunchbox is no different from having a hacking knife in your van in a toolbox?
Inox is Stainless?
Yes sorry. My bad..... Got mixed up.
Inox over the Carbone. Carbone blades discolour over time, and can rust if not looked after, but I like the patina.
Surely blade length on an Opinel is irrelevant as they have a locking mechanism don't they?
Thanks all, I've found three that might fit the bill, will do a little reading up and report back 🙂
I went to a shop and bought one recently as I needed a 'legal' knife. There are definitely upside to not buying online here
Surely blade length on an Opinel is irrelevant as they have a locking mechanism don’t they?
The locking mechanism is only on Opinel 6 and above
I carry this titanium set in my work bag. It’s very obviously cutlery, so I never expect to have any issue carrying it. I do have to remember to move it to checked luggage if flying though.
Douglas Adams covered this in Mostly Harmless:
Three knives altogether were required. First there was the knife for the slicing of the bread: a firm, authoritative blade which imposed a clear and defining will on a loaf. Then there was the butter-spreading knife, which was a whippy little number but still with a firm backbone to it. Early versions had been a little too whippy, but now the combination of flexibility with a core of strength was exactly right to achieve the maximum smoothness and grace of spread.
The chief amongst the knives, of course, was the carving knife. This was the knife that would not merely impose its will on the medium through which it moved, as did the bread knife; it must work with it, be guided by the grain of the meat, to achieve slices of the most exquisite consistency and translucency, that would slide away in filmy folds from the main hunk of meat. The Sandwich Maker would then flip each sheet with a smooth flick of the wrist on to the beautifully proportioned lower bread slice, trim it with four deft strokes and then at last perform the magic that the children of the village so longed to gather round and watch with rapt attention and wonder. With just four more dexterous flips of the knife he would assemble the trimmings into a perfectly fitting jigsaw of pieces on top of the primary slice. For every sandwich the size and shape of the trimmings were different, but the Sandwich Maker would always effortlessly and without hesitation assemble them into a pattern which fitted perfectly. A second layer of meat and a second layer of trimmings, and the main act of creation would be accomplished.
Well it came down to the Gerber Straightlace, and the Svord Peasant Mini.
Straightlace looked good as all metal but lost out due to reports of a cheap/soft blade and also having stripped threads when someone tried to take theirs apart, ending up impossible to get all the bits back together.
Svord wins as although the blade is a bit pointy, its not a sprung blade...the tang of the blade is under your hand when open so although not locking, you can't close it on your fingers accidentally. Can't see anything but rave reviews apart from the niggling irritation that the blade can rest on one of the brass bolts, but it appears there are various easy fixes for this.
Friction folders are my favourite 🙂
(I don't have a Svord tho, too chunky for pocket carry)
defblade
Name checks out.
The victorinox one is an excellent knife for the job. Really sharp,at least to begin with, so a folder you keep yourself is likely to always be fit for purpose. And as its for a kitchen setting, that is as legitimate a reason as you could want.
I often think "what would sense say" in these situations..
There's a vast difference between a workman rummaging around amongst his crisps and apple inside his Stanley lunchbox, and picking out a crumb covered locking knife like this, and a skinhead yob at a football match with a (legal) Stanley knife in his pocket.....
DrP
That yellow flippy knife looks like a scarier thing than a Leatherman.
Wild that one may be legal and the other not.
Despite the scary news reports on the number of ‘yooves’ with ‘blades’ is there really much of a problem with some old giffer having a paring knife or similar in a sheath in a snap tin in the office, in a park, or even in the glovebox of their Audi/Volvo/T6/…?
Cutlery like stuff as suggested by bensales or make your lunch at home before you go. No need to be flirting with the limits of the law with friction folding whatevers.
No need to be flirting with the limits of the law with friction folding whatevers.
Well the one I'm returning would be flirting with the limits of the law...the replacement wouldn't, unless I was brandishing it in an aggressive manner. I do try and make my lunch before work but I don't do regular hours and I'm sometimes out all night. I might want a second lunch and avoid the misery of yet another Tesco meal deal! I've got a set of three sheathed kitchen knives in my campervan, but I don't consider that a problem as they are in a kitchen unit in a drawer, and not in the front door pocket.
At the end of the day, a legal knife is sufficient for the job so there is no reason to carry a 4" locking one. Its just annoying that the first one I ordered turned out to be twice as big as the description!
Well this threads gone in a different direction to the last one on a lunch knife request.
I have a Petzl Spatha climbing knife for bikepacking, pretty versatile folds down small and can open single handed. Bit pointy though so might not fit the bill.
I carry a Leatherman in the glovebox of my car (along with all the gloves) & an Opinel lock knife in my hiking backpack (which I use for work & leisure).
I don't really think it's a problem.
A very niche request. Nothing wrong with that, but I was just wondering, has the long arm of the law ever had a reason to examine your lunch box previously?
Maybe I live a sheltered life.
It's a good point. If you have never had a stop and search, then maybe the ultimate lunchbox knife is never going to be found. I am on 2 stop and searches, so I will pass on the ultimate lunchbox knife.
My first though was, surely just get a small pairing knife that comes with a plastic cover for the blade.
But then I tried searching for one and I can't actually find one with a blade less than 3". Most are 3.7" or above.
My other answer would be a basic Swiss army knife with a small enough blade and no lock.
But then I tried searching for one and I can’t actually find one with a blade less than 3″. Most are 3.7″ or above.
You are ignoring the other half.
A "legal carry" is a non locking AND less that 3 inches.
Any longer non locker any fixed or any locking folder requires a legitimate reason to carry it. Now if you are a white middle ager the chances are you won't ever be searched. But you would still be required to prove you had a legitimate reason. Ie a paring knife in your kitchen drawer (or work drawer) is a valid reason. A paring knife in a sheath in your work bag incase you need to make a sandwhich is not. In a works van it probably is especially if you instagram the shit out of all your van made creations and keep it in a cool box.
Stabby McStaberson Jnr isn't cutting about with a commando knife to shiv his mortal enemy. It's way more likely to be his mums plain breid knife he swiped on the way out the door.
It all seems a bit daft if you are a law abiding gentleperson but really its pretty simple. The police have something they can actually apply to get the baddies. All the goodies have to do is apply a bit of thought about what they are doing and they shouldn't have a problem.
I actually have a sword peasant and a mini for camping and gardening (the bigger one is thick you can hit it with a stick for kindling quite effectively). I am most likely to get caught out with a stanley knife if i have been diying and nipped out. Its not hard to be sensible. I think the original knife in question would probably be fine if its right next to a lunchbox in a location which is quite obviously a place of work.
Not so much use for slicing stuff up, but I always have an Outlery set in my work truck. They are so cheap at the moment (seen them under a tenner - rrp something like £30), I may buy another set
But then I tried searching for one and I can’t actually find one with a blade less than 3″.
Unsuprisingly, 3" knives are not very good for food prep, hence why no one really makes them.
Yep, I'm realising now that it's my perception vs how small 3" actually is. I just went to measure my little Victorinox pairing knife that I consider tiny. It's a 3.25" blade. Anything smaller would be pretty useless.
Although, as if to mock me, behold! I've just found a 3" pairing knife!! lol
I've a Gerber Paraframe that lives in my hiking daypack, and the other half has an opinel 7 in hers. On a recent trip to Spain on the ferry, border control asked if there were any knives (etc) in the vehicle. Being Mr Honest, I said yes, there's a knife in both of the back packs. They asked to see them, and despite them both being lock knifes, they were happy that given they were packed in with the first aid kits and other basic 'survival' stuff, that there was a legit reason to be carrying them. They did request we left them in the car on the trip though ;o) Just another example of if you have a real need to have it, and you're being responsible with it's storage, they don't have any issue with them.
I often think “what would sense say” in these situations..
Naive, at best.
I've got a table saw. A table saw can be used to shell a coconut 😀
What would sense say ? No idea, but it's possible to shell a coconut using a table saw.