UK Legal Carry Multi Tools 

Actually that's what I think. If you're a middle aged guy with other EDC items like first aid kit, torch etc. on you too you probably wouldn't have too many problems with the police, in the very unlikely event that you were found carrying a multitool with a locking blade. For non-UK readers of these comments, hooded teens with machetes - or kitchen knives - down their tracksuits are a thing here in the UK.

Most of the arrests I've heard of for locking blades have been when people get arrested or stopped for something else and are searched or their vehicles searched, usually in urban areas. I've heard of one instance of police stopping builders when they were leaving a building site, checking tool boxes and arresting people for having locking blades but you don't know what else was happening on said site and if the CPS even prosecuted those arrests. I've never heard of police waiting around car parking onto Exmoor or the Peak District looking what sort of blade/multitool everyone has.

@@jelkel25 Stopping builders and checking their toolboxes is absurd and surely not legal! They could have hammers as well as Stanley or other fixed blade/locking knives in their toolboxes too but surely carrying tools of their trade is ''valid reason''. Otherwise they could just stake out restaurants where agency chefs go to work, every day there are hundreds of them on public transport in London and elsewhere carrying deadly long knives in their knife rolls! Or even just chefs who work in one restaurant, who don't want their stuff nicked by other thieving c@@ts that work there.

You’re very welcome. Many people won’t promote smaller channels, maybe for fear of competition, I’m not sure. I have no such insecurity, and I really like your presentations, style, and knowledge. Best of luck growing your channel my friend.

@@txtoolcrib you are right many wouldn't - which is why I am so grateful. I am sure the subscribers and viewers who are passionate about the subject - if they're like me - like to consume as much as they can find and will appreciate the gesture too, I'm sure. Thanks again 😊

Cheers my friend!

Criminal Justice Act 1988, S.139 refers to 'Offence of having article with blade or point in public place'. So, yes, no to that locking awl

@@ComUnSas Exactly that. That's why I carry the Gerber MP600 bladeless as a full size multitool in the UK. Mid size is SOG Micro Toolclip. Tiny size is LM Squirt PS4. I carry all in conjunction with a SAK or Bokerplus knife.

Thank you very much. Always appreciate you guys taking the time to watch.

Ganzo somehow manages to produce multi-tools with exterior opening, slip-jointed toolsets which are totally UK and Euro friendly. We're not talking a second Apollo program here. It looks to me that Leatherman, and Victorinox, simply aren't interested in the potential market

In Austria one handed locking blades are legal. So all leathermans are leagal there.

That's interesting for the German market where they can't carry one-handed opening locking blades. In Austria you can so like lichansan says, all LMs can be carried in public in Oetziland.

Not the saw but the reamer is locking and the Section 139a of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 is worded that it is ''prohibited to carry without valid reason a bladed or pointed article in public'' (unless it's a folding blade with a cutting length under 3 inches). The reamer is pointed. It's ridiculous I know but to the letter of the law that makes the knifeless Rebar a bit iffy here in the UK. I carry Gerber MP600, the (removable) remgrit saw on that cannot be construed as a bladed or pointed object.

@@simonh6371 You need your own 1776 in England. lemme go dust off my musket, tricorn hat, and blue trench coat. The gerber is very good too but it isnt a LM. interestingly enough gerber and LM factories are half an hour drive apart.

@@dmam412 I know, they're both in Portland I think (?). At least that Gerber and all the MP series are made in the US but some of the cheaper Gerber multitools like Suspension or Dime are made in China. At least with LM you know you're getting made in US products. North American or North European manufactured products (German, Swiss, Swedish etc.) are the best.

Yep the only place I know where you can pick up second hand multitools in the UK is Shpock and sometimes you can get a real bargain on a Leatherman. I bought both my Leathermans as ''seconds'' from multitool-store.co.uk, as both had an ''overwritten engraving'' which is basically a small ground rectangle, the Squirt PS4 has it on the non-logo side of the handles and cost me £28, and I got a Rebar from them for £50, the rectangle where the engraving was ground out is on the knife blade, in neither case is any functionality impaired, nor even the aesthetics really. Having said that they haven't had any of these seconds on their site for quite a while now, apart from a Tread I think, which I'm really not into. But I'm pretty sure you can get a knifeless Rebar for about £75-80 if you shop around online, not on Amazon though. It's crazy how cheap some yt commenters pick up multitools for on special offer in US stores, and how much more we pay for them here in the UK and Europe, even US branded multitools which are made in China (some SOGs and Gerbers).

I got the knifeless rebar for around £75 on a smaller online store. Still not cheap, but better than £90

What would qualify as good reasons under your current laws?

@@txtoolcrib Good question, Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include: taking knives you use at work to and from work taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited if it’ll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry if it’ll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you’re charged with carrying it illegally. This is taken from our government website. I have personally found the UK police wish to catch criminals and not "make" them.

@@txtoolcrib P. S another great video BTW.

It depends on the policeman and if you fail the attitude test. And it's worth bearing in mind that your own motor vehicle counts as a public place. Here's a Golden Oldie example... www.express.co.uk/news/uk/171104/Carrying-a-Swiss-Army-knife-could-land-in-court ... got pulled for suspected drunk driving (and maybe other suspicions), passed breath test, Plod went for him having a locking penknife in the glove box instead.

One important thing to know is: Knife laws in Europe sometimes distinguish between owning, carry, and transport. They also distinguish between public and private places. "Good reason" is usually used to lift the restrictions for transport. Here is a scenario that brings all of that together and i try to not be to specific for any country. I don't know the details for UK and this thread is about the UK: If you are a Millwright you probably want to use a multitool. You are allowed to buy that and own it. No Problem with the surge or wave or whatever. You are allow to transport in usually closed containers, sheets usually are not considered to be closed containers. But have it in a tool box is no problem. On site you can take it out and use it on the construction site. Now you have a good reason to use it: Millwright on construction site. When you get hungry and want to go to the restaurant across the street you will loose that good reason. So you would have to put your multi tool into your toolbox. Also you have to argue with the police wether you have a good reason or not. This packing away and argueing is something most europeans don't want to put up with and then skip out on the purchase. Also the thinkling about what is a good reason. Most of the Time good reason are base on work: then you have to be working and not taking a break. and leisure: hunting, fishing etc. however as already mention: the attitude test is the most important thing here

Not as far as I know.

No, I don’t think they will.

Yes they can be. Even a Squirt PS4 can set you back £45 - $64.

This is revenge for shutting down our Boston port.

For the UK maybe? Here they market it as ''UK legal carry'', whether that's strictly true or not is another story.

@@simonh6371 in Massachusetts they restrict our guns to 10 rounds if not preban lol. I thought that was cruel enough. If they did that to knives, that’s socialism!

@@appleztooranges It's full-on communist totalitarianism if you ask me.

@@simonh6371 glad I live in USA!

Are you asking me?

That's a weird comment bro, the days of redcoats taxing and oppressing American born colonists are long gone. TX Tool Crib's viewer base extends beyond North America and a lot of UK channels refer to his uploads. I'd even go so far as to say that there is a degree of camaraderie between UK / Irish and US/Canadian channels and subscribers. We in the UK generally like our transatlantic cousins, whether Canadian (still in the Commonwealth) or the USA. Many of us certainly appreciate the fact that Ben has made uploads like this to cater for his UK audience.

Good point.

The problem is that the law does not define "lock" or "fold". The blade on the bond can fold to some extent, but cannot fold completely closed since the handle would stop it. From that, how much movement do you have to have in the blade before it is no longer classified as "locking"? I contacted leatherman to ask for their justification for calling it "UK EDC legal" and the response I got was pretty much that because the blade can move at all, that is enough to no longer classify it as locking. They did however also say that their interpretation of the law is only an opinion, and that until someone actually gets taken to court over it we won't have any sort of definite legal standing for the wave.

@@txtoolcrib that was no reflection on yourself btw Ben. Just something that annoys me when idiots announce something is illegal when they are clearly not...bit like a "fully semi automatic" AR or a high capacity (standard capacity) magazine

@@Dan-di2qj it certainly complies with the spirit of the law. Haven't read the actual law for a while but I'm pretty sure the words "locks open" Are in there. I reckon they'd really have to be trying to fit you up for something to try for some half closed knife position loophole

@@adamlee581 I'd agree it certainly complies with the spirit of the law, just unfortunate that it's left in that gray area of undefined terms. Even if we had an organisation we could contact to ask these questions and get real, legally valid responses, that would be enough. Unfortunately that isn't an option so until someone ends up in court over it, we're all just guessing