Switch blades

Cheesy movies in the 1950's demonized "switchblades" as the "weapon" of the juvenile delinquent/hood/gang members so the government banned them.

I've honestly always viewed auto knives as more of a toy than a tool, but if my state ever legalizes them I may change my mind...

brutus51 said:

. . . why is one type legal and the other not.

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There is no reason you should expect law to be rational.

At all. Ever.

I've owned a couple autos. . . and now I don't. After some weeks of handing and acclimation, I could not see replacing my very nice Spyderco Endura, just as fast in my hand and half the money

Those blessed with two hands and two arms may not see the need for a knife that can opened and closed with one hand and used for the normal law abiding tasks that knives are used for .
I saw my first "switch blade" used by a one armed roofer , roofing my daddy's house .
He told me it was the only way he could open a knife to cut felt paper and trim roof shingles with one hand ... and if you only have one arm ... the auto opener sure comes in handy .
He wasn't a criminal .
Gary

For my uses a thumb stud or the like is just as useful without extra moving parts. One hand, one arm, or what have you.

I don’t have anything against them though. Just wish my pragmatism could work me up an excuse to get one.

hso said:

There are plenty of practical switchblades now. Obviously many posters only have experience with the cheap novelties.

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True, I stayed way from OTF knives for a long time due to bad experiences with cheap "NATO" knives and others of that ilk.

Getting a quality Microtech OTF changed my take on them.

Thumb studs and SpyderCo hole in blade type things are relatively new.

There were cheap switchblades sold in hardware stores and even little Mom&pop groceries before they were illegal.

One of the reasons for the popularity of Hawkbill Barlow type pocket knives in the early 1960’s was you could “pinch” them open one handed very easily. Many guys carried single bladed pocket knife so it was easier to “pinch” open without a second blade in the way.

If I must explain…..one would pinch the back of the closed knife blade between thumb and middle finger and use the last two fingers to pull away the handle to start the blade open.

It was possible, and some folks preferred, to pinch open a folder in the pocket so that when you drew the knife it was open or the action of pulling the knife from the pocket finished opening it.

When the Buck 110-112 came out one could pinch the blade and the handle weighed so munch that one could pinch the blade and with a flip motion cause the handle to pop open and lock.

Any one else remember the screw on studs for the sheath bucks of the late 1970’s. Basically a custom nut and bolt to pinch the blade for you

A trick popular with some that wanted one hand opening while switchblades were illegal and lock blades yet uncommon Was to slip a section of wooden match stick into the liner so when the blade closed the merest tip of the blade would stick up proud of the grip. one would grasp the handle hinge forward and as you pulled the knife from the pocket one would snag the seem of the pocket/trouser interface were it was thick and drag open the blade as it came out of the pocket.

Folks will find a way….

-kBob

kBob said:

There were cheap switchblades sold in hardware stores and even little Mom&pop groceries before they were illegal.

-kBob

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As a kid, my local candy store in the Bronx used to have cardboard hangers with a dozen switchblades on them.

All the cool (older) kids had 'em. I think "Shur Snap" was one of the brands.

In the Early 1970’s I had an Eicorn swithcblade with a lock back that was as good as any pocketknife I ever had.

All the troopers that wanted a German Switchblade looked for the Squirrel logo.

Some units were letter of the law and would bust you big time for having one. Our CO would only bust you for not keeping it clean and sharp and fully functional. Some folks take the whole Light Infantry thing more serious than others!

There were a few that went with the classic “Italian Stiletto” but a good solid Eicorn lock back was a better all around knife.

Next most popular were the German Paratrooper gravity knives. I felt the classic wood handles, Marlin Spiked “This one really jumped into Belgium and Crete” was to bulky and heavy. There was another that experts tell me was either post war or never a German paratroop knife that was thinner, lighter, and licked better that I liked and carried a season or two for passes downtown and a few summer patrols so that 45 years later I could say that!

Most guys like to open them with a flourish, but I liked to open mine behind a leg as quietly as possible. The Gravity k ives were better for quiet, but again the Eicorn was a better all around knife… I even did some whittling with it. Sharpened easy and well.

When a new bee liked it and did well on a patrol that got a little hairy (did not run screaming into the dark with my radio) earned a name, I gave it to him…. and told him to do the same when he was an old boy breaking in new bees if he found a good one.

Hope no one ever got busted over it.

-kBob

hso said:

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That’s exactly the sort of thing they had in the candy store! Nice find.

I have an Auto Stryker I found...had been used as a hammer at one time. It went back to Benchmade for a full rebuild and has soldiered on in my medic pouch ever since. The daily carry is a Benchmade Resistor, a manual thumb stud that works perfectly.

I have the Benchmade 9051 with safety. Fun to press the mechanism and have the blade flip out. Still, you have to remember to release the lock, which takes time. I have never played quick draw with it versus a flipper, I think the difference in time to deploy would be insignificant. And then, I really don't trust these automatic, or assisted opening knives. I am sure someone swiped the safety off on one of those Italian switchblades, sat on the button and had it deploy accidentally.

Interesting history of the Italian switchblades and the American hysteria which lead to the switchblade bans. Hey, they also banned comic books in the 1950's.

Slamfire,

Thanks for that You Tube link!

Reminds me of the hysteria around “Butterfly knives” in the 80’s and 90’s.

Most folks only saw them used by thugs in movies. They were “scary” and some locales decided they were “gravity knives”

Fast forward to a “carbine” class with about 80 percent LEOs in the 2000’s. about a third of the LEOs were instate, a third out of state, and a third Feds.

Got up third day at home (class was at a local range for me) and could not find my SpyderCo of the time anywhere. Rather than be late, I reached into my Dive bag and pulled out the cheap Parker Butterfly I used as a dive knife and slipped it into a hip pocket.

Come mid morning range break and everyone but me is sipping coffee and listen to the instructor talk about failure drills…. mainly because moments before I had an after market mag fail and has transitioned to my side arm (still made time limit and score, it was only 15 meters)

Any how he talked about what I had done and how I had not hesitated.

Someone asked about, close up like that maybe being in a side arm retention situation immediately after carbine malfunction.

The instructor yelled out “knife check!”

Immediately the prettiest assortment of actually carried lock blade I ever saw came out, were opened and raised over head.

Not to be left behind I pulled out the $15 Parker did a straight knuckle banger opening and had it pointed to the ceiling.

There were audible gasps. Someone actually said “what are you doing with THAT?”

Seems a hefty number of students came from areas the Butterflies were illegal and they were shocked.

The local Deputy informed them that they were legal in Florida, that he had one in his tackle box, and that he was shocked that I would carry such a cheap one.

This all lead to mire conversations and my showing off the Parker. They all wanted to know how to do the movie/gang banger flourishes, which I don’t do.

Still the response that somehow my noisy Philippino fishing knife was some how deadlier or more evil than their fancy lock blades was funny.

-kBob

I had one of the cheap Italian style ones with the full edge on one side and half on the other. I used it to open mail. It wasn't much good for anything else. It was very pokey but I'd be afraid the little tab that locks it would fail and I'd cut my fingers off.
I read the book 'The Cross and the Switchblade' when I was in grade school and rather than being appalled and horrified of the switchblade, I kinda became infatuated with them.

brutus51 said:

Question is what the hells the difference, why is one type legal and the other not.

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People are ignorant and politicians like to make a show.

Kind of like taking off your shoes at the airport eliminates any possibility of problems past security…

My wife bought a Microtech OTF at Blade Show in 2005 and still loves it. I like them too but just never got around to getting one. The only auto I have is the Boker Strike in D2 and I like it a lot.

I've been carrying a side folding auto, usually benchmade or last few years a Protech, going on 15 years or so now. I like them better than lock liner folders for sure.

brutus51 said:

You must not be a fisherman, the ability to open your knife with one hand is a god send when standing in a trout stream with one hand holding the tackle.

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Back when I did a lot of fishing I always carried a Gerber multi-tool because the pliers could be deployed with one hand. Very handy when you've got a fish in one hand!