You'd supposed to not tell people they're believing in stupid delusions. That's just name-calling, in the sense that the site guidelines ask you not to do.
The poster thinks that knife crime can be reduced by making knives not pointy. An idea that is rightfully mocked by anyone with two brain cells to rub together. It is ridiculous on the face of it. Anyone believes in it is believing in something ridiculous. Believing in things that are obviously ridiculous is delusional. Therefore it is not name calling. It is a statement of fact.
Repeatedly sending someone a link to the rules do not in anyway stop this from being a statement of fact.
Quite a lot of research is being done on this, quite a lot of police forces support it, and more to the point, British retailers already distinguish between these knives in terms of what young people can buy.
So it's not just one MP and one guy on HN is it?
But I am delusional, for sure, because I believe that experts deserve a hearing.
You could use this, yes. And buy it, as an adult. I have not suggested you could not. (I just don't think the point is necessary, myself, and I am glad of options without it)
But you quite possibly cannot buy it on Amazon or in any UK shop already without proving you are an adult if your age is in doubt. Do you have a problem with their terms on that page?
"Age Verification Required on Delivery: This product is not for sale to people under the age of 18. To confirm the recipient is over 18 years, valid photographic ID with a date of birth may be required upon delivery. The driver will input your year of birth into their device and may then require an ID check to complete the age verification process. The driver will not be able to access your information once the delivery is complete."
(The "may" here is crucial. I've never been asked to prove I am an adult this way either, because I look like one)
I have a small-ish flat-cut paring knife that has a non-pointed blade. It is very sharp, and even the squared off end is enough to pierce a tomato, say.
I can't think of any application where the point of the knive is particularly essential for fruit or veg, and I can think of several veg where using the point of a tool is actually quite likely to cause an accident. Sweet potato being one of them.
There is one true application: deboning or filleting. But most people simply don't do this in a kitchen anyway, because they are buying deboned and filleted meat.
I don't see a particular problem with asking people who do want to cook to that level to prove they are adults before buying knives that have such obvious dual use as a weapon. Because you're asking people who already know they should be responsible with knives (and not for example use kitchen knives to get into plastic packaging, like an idiot).
You really don't need the point of a kitchen knife all that much in a kitchen, and the fact that the counterexamples raised are misuse (stabbing into packaging etc.) is pretty illustrative.
> You are believing in the same stupid delusion
Please edit out such swipes from your comments. This is in the site guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html.
It isn't a swipe. He is literally engaging in the same thinking. What else am I supposed to say?
You'd supposed to not tell people they're believing in stupid delusions. That's just name-calling, in the sense that the site guidelines ask you not to do.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
The poster thinks that knife crime can be reduced by making knives not pointy. An idea that is rightfully mocked by anyone with two brain cells to rub together. It is ridiculous on the face of it. Anyone believes in it is believing in something ridiculous. Believing in things that are obviously ridiculous is delusional. Therefore it is not name calling. It is a statement of fact.
Repeatedly sending someone a link to the rules do not in anyway stop this from being a statement of fact.
It's your opinion.
This guy (a chef and a long-serving royal marine) has a different opinion, for instance:
https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2025/may/commando-chef-...
This former circuit judge who now works for a knife crime unit:
https://www.fightingknifecrime.london/news-posts/the-need-fo...
This research unit proved that they are less dangerous: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rounded-knif...
The Ben Kinsella Trust supports this, and Let's Be Blunt has done good research on the number of impulse crimes that involve kitchen knives:
https://www.letsbeblunt.co.uk
Quite a lot of research is being done on this, quite a lot of police forces support it, and more to the point, British retailers already distinguish between these knives in terms of what young people can buy.
So it's not just one MP and one guy on HN is it?
But I am delusional, for sure, because I believe that experts deserve a hearing.
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Yikes - you crossed badly into personal attack here. That's not ok, regardless of what other commenters are doing.
Could you please review the site guidleines and stick to them when commenting? We'd appreciate it.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Then what's the proper tool for cutting fruit or veg? I can't think of one.
Seriously?
A "vegetable knife".
e.g.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Genware-NEV-K-V4R-Vegetable-Knife-R...
Yes that's a knife, the suggestion was that a knife is not the proper tool for the job... somehow.
No I didn't. I said there was many different types of knives in the kitchen and they have different usages.
No he means me -- I probably did suggest this by accident by quoting all of one of your sentences but without replying to it all.
I personally do not find that the skin of fruit ever needs a particularly pointed blade, and I think that is usually an unsafe use of a knife.
I don't mean to suggest you don't need a knife for cutting things, but I would have thought that was an obvious bad faith interpretation.
You could use this, yes. And buy it, as an adult. I have not suggested you could not. (I just don't think the point is necessary, myself, and I am glad of options without it)
But you quite possibly cannot buy it on Amazon or in any UK shop already without proving you are an adult if your age is in doubt. Do you have a problem with their terms on that page?
"Age Verification Required on Delivery: This product is not for sale to people under the age of 18. To confirm the recipient is over 18 years, valid photographic ID with a date of birth may be required upon delivery. The driver will input your year of birth into their device and may then require an ID check to complete the age verification process. The driver will not be able to access your information once the delivery is complete."
(The "may" here is crucial. I've never been asked to prove I am an adult this way either, because I look like one)
I have a small-ish flat-cut paring knife that has a non-pointed blade. It is very sharp, and even the squared off end is enough to pierce a tomato, say.
I can't think of any application where the point of the knive is particularly essential for fruit or veg, and I can think of several veg where using the point of a tool is actually quite likely to cause an accident. Sweet potato being one of them.
There is one true application: deboning or filleting. But most people simply don't do this in a kitchen anyway, because they are buying deboned and filleted meat.
I don't see a particular problem with asking people who do want to cook to that level to prove they are adults before buying knives that have such obvious dual use as a weapon. Because you're asking people who already know they should be responsible with knives (and not for example use kitchen knives to get into plastic packaging, like an idiot).
You really don't need the point of a kitchen knife all that much in a kitchen, and the fact that the counterexamples raised are misuse (stabbing into packaging etc.) is pretty illustrative.
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I didn't say that at all. You've totally the legal right to use knives in a dangerous way in your home.
It's completely compatible with age restrictions on long pointed blades, though, isn't it?