Airport security had no problem with my little Gerber last night. I showed it to them before I went through, they just said "Less than four inches." They didn't even look at my little kit, but thats in a tiny Altoids tin, about half the size of the usual. I didn't take the paint off this one just so it would be more ordinary for this type of situation.<br><br>

>>http://www.airsafe.com/danger.htm<<<br><br>I note also that literally the first item on the prohibited list is matches, and it's actually repeated in another category, but I've certainly never heard of anyone having trouble carrying a matchbook on board. After all, it wasn't that long ago that smoking was common on airplanes, and it was back to the beginning of commercial flights.<br><br>I can understand their not being happy with matches in the luggage, especially the fast-vanishing "strike anywhere" kind. I once asked a traditional general store owner for some (Ohio Blue Tips), and he told me that his insurance carrier refused to cover his store with those in it.<br><br>I get the feeling that this page is actually an attempt to summarize some much larger document or documents, and the result confusingly ignores the distinctions between carry-on, checked baggage, and even air freight.<br><br>

resqman,<br><br>I know I'm going to sound ignorant, but what's an MFS?<br><br>

The penalty for anything illegal in Singapore is death. Sure simplifies the justice system.<br><br>

That 4-inch rule is open to interpretation. The underpaid, undertrained, and bored security guard can make your 1-, 2, or 3-inch blade an exception. All they have to say is, "It looks scary," and you're cooked.<br><br>

No blades at all in jury duty. If your clothing develops a loose thread, better hope your teeth are sharp.<br><br>

You should have asked her to bring in your tools for you. Grin.<br><br>

>>but what's an MFS?<<<br><br>I'm pretty sure in this context that MFS = Magnesium Fire Starter. That's usually the military kind and it's clones.<br><br>Of course, it might be Multi-Function Spoon (hey, nobody thinks "multi-function knife" is a weird concept). :-)<br><br><br>

Cool. Thanks.<br><br>

... or I could easily imagine a security guard thinking that the 4" rule would apply to the overall length of the whole knife (blade + handle). That would rule out anything larger than a Victorinox Classic. <br><br>