[WettowelReactor]

Funny enough Thanksgiving 2010 I accidentally left a similar sized pocket knife in my pocket. I elected for the full body scanner which did not pickup the knife. Instead I was reminded I had it when the regular old metal detector at the cruise line picked it up. On another trip while i was still in the service I accidentally flew with chained live rounds (machine gun ammo) in my back pack. Again no security picked it up. I am a fairly small sample size but thanks to these incidents I am thoroughly convinced that the TSA is utterly worthless. On the plus side they banned the carry on of lighters for our chartered flight to Kuwait. This was the same flight that we all hand carried our weapons on, go figure.

[jedbrown]

I flew with a 3-inch knife three times in the US and Europe last year without being noticed (accidentally packed when I was leaving home, wasn't checking a bag, so took my chances).

A friend flew with a large aerosol can and a full box of live 12-gauge shotgun shells the day after the liquid bomb scare (supposedly super high security that day), and only noticed later when he unpacked his carry-on.

In almost 100 flights over the last three years, I almost always carry liquid in excess of three ounces in my backpack without putting it in a separate bag (toothpaste, contact solution). It has only once been inspected.

I regularly carry on rock climbing gear, including a "nut tool" which is shaped like an 8-inch steel blade. It's not actually sharp, but there is no way to tell that in the scanner and I have yet to have it hand-inspected.