New member

[Panzerfaust]

Hello,
I am a new member who has been lurking on this great forum for a long time. The first SB I saw was a miniature keychain knife my brother found in the mid 1970s. The blade was about one-inch long, and although it was an Italian-style knife, it had a lever like the German springers. He later boasted that he sold the knife to a kid at school for seven bucks! I wish I had bought it.
In 1979 or 80, I was at my best friend’s house, and out of the blue, he said, “My dad has a switchblade.” He retrieved an 8-inch knife from his dad’s dresser drawer. I didn’t know anything about them at the time, but I do remember it was a picklock with a bayonet blade. It was probably Japanese made because the tang was stamped “stainless steel” and it had a bail on the end of the handle.
Anyway, I was fascinated by the knife and how pressing the button made a blade appear almost as if by magic. I couldn’t find a real switchblade, so I bought a switchblade comb. I later broke off the blade of an Imperial toothpick and converted the comb into a blade. My first real SB was a blue-handled Edgemaster bought in 1980 from a friend of my older brother. I was told it was bought by a high school student on a band trip to Europe. Not sure how that knife ended up in Europe, but I’m certain his story was true. A few years later, I bought several of the Edge Co. kits.
I’m a fan of all automatic knives, from the vintage Americans and Italians and the modern Microtech OTFs.

[JerrBear]

Greetings and WELCOMENESS, Mr. Panzerfaust!

[Vagrant]

Welcome

[Razor_54]

Welcome Panzerfaust.

[Panzerfaust]

Thanks guys. Vagrant, I noticed from lurking on here that you live in New Hampshire. I lived in Peterborough in 1984-86. I went to the flea market in Amherst every weekend. I did not see many switches but I still have a red-handled Edgemaster that I bought there in 1985. Glad to see you guys legalized autos. I went to a knife show in Milford, Conn., in 1985, and bought about a dozen autos, some of which I still own today.

[TRYKER]

WELCOME!!!

[tr4252]

Welcome

Tom (L.A.W.S.)

[whippersnapper]

Howdy!

[Tom19176]

Welcome! I remember those stiletto sylte key chain with the lever releases. They were all over Europe in the 70s.....

[lars]

Wellcome, Mr. Panzerfaust!

[Panzerfaust]

Welcome! I remember those stiletto sylte key chain with the lever releases. They were all over Europe in the 70s.....

They must have vanished the following decade. I visited Europe in 86 and the only key chain stilettos I saw were the regular button release. I have one that I bought in Switzerland. When I asked the knife shop owner if he had any larger knives, he pulled a couple out of a drawer and said they had just been outlawed there. Go figure. Swiss soldiers take home their automatic rifles but are not allowed to have an automatic knife?

[Vagrant]

The [stupid] Swiss knife law, may be to "protect" sales of Swiss Army Knives
But the Swiss are DEAD SERIOUS, about "Their Right to Keep and Bear Arms"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nf1OgV449g

[Panzerfaust]

Cool video! The rifle that the guy says was his father's is a K31. There are many of these on the US market right now and they are a bargain, although ammo is high. Most have a name tag under the buttplate of the soldier who owned them. As far as the stupid knife laws, they were probably passed for the same reasons we have stupid laws here.

[BTB0923]

I couldn’t find a real switchblade, so I bought a switchblade comb. I later broke off the blade of an Imperial toothpick and converted the comb into a blade.

I did that too, only I used a non-serrated steak knife blade. Welcome

[john]

Hello and Welcome Panzerfaust ,
This is, "The web's most friendly community on knives and blades." Lot's of good people here and lot's of information and cool photos too.
John