To lock or not.

[sm]

hso

I have obtained a variance with THRs in-house health safety officer if members want to hit strong hand, fingers and thumbs.

You have to use a 1 pound , Orange , Dead Blow Safety Hammer, is all he requires.

Still I did obtain a variance for you folks.

You are welcome.

Steve

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Locking Folders

I have a few.

I have several slipjoints, and that's mostly Steve's fault, but the first pocket knife I ever owned was a four-blade scout-style Imperial Officers Ulster given to me by my dad.

I learned fairly early on that the sharp side goes away, that your fingers and hands should never be in line with the edge, and that the main blade really sucks as a leather punch. Got a couple of scars out of the deal, but I carried that knife for twenty years.

I finally went to a lighter, slimmer knife in 1982 -- the Gerber Silver Knight -- a little single-blade lockback with a two-inch blade, and carried that for twenty-five years.

I now carry a Case Peanut or a Case medium stockman or a Buck Cadet or a Kershaw Double Cross or (most recently) a Paul Presto, along with a Swedish SAK (yes, really) and a Leatherman Wave.

I don't rely on the lock.

I think if I were skinning a deer, and I had to use a folder, I'd probably prefer one with some kind of lock. No, that's not a license to do stupid things, but when you're working in a less-than-optimum environment, like a hillside maybe, in the snow, away from civilization, a little more safety probably isn't a bad thing.

In my book, if you're hunting, unless there's a compelling reason to do otherwise, you're carrying a fixed blade of some kind for that work, 'cuz why make it harder than it has to be?

CAN I use my Case Folding Hunter or the Changer for that? Sure. I'm confident that I could use a shard of glass wrapped in tape if I HAD to. Perhaps if I were the star of some cheesy reality TV show and they were paying me an obscene amount of money to show off what can be done with primitive tools . . . sure, why not? But with no camera man? Alone in the woods? Just me and a fresh carcass? I be whippin' out my small-to-medium fixed blade.

I've taught all my kids the use and care of knives. It hasn't entirely sunk in yet with the younger ones, but my oldest daughter is almost obsessive about blade care and proper use. Won't let anyone that she hasn't personally trained use her good cutlery.

Keeps a Mora knife and a Leatherman in her tools. Carries a little Case knife I gave her.

Makes me proud.

 

[Harlan]

My first knife was an old barlow with no safe. Sadly it found a hole in my pocket or made it not sure either way its gone now. Since then I have had only one folder a Case with a lock. I've also had a few balisongs which I really like the feel of.
I would just much rather have a small fixed blade on my belt. Or small three finger kneck knife hangin of my back pack.

 

[Joe Demko]

I like locks and offer no apologies for that preference.
One of my favorite locking mechanisms has largely fallen out of manufacture. It was a combination of a stiff backspring and a split brass liner. About the only place you still see it is on the screwdriver blade in some electrician knives. In the long-long ago, however, it was used on lots of different patterns. Right now, my daily carry knife is a vintage Case sodbuster featuring just such a lock. I've been searching for years for a vintage boyscout-style knife with carbon steel blades and this lock. It is The Grail. If any of you ever spy one, let me know.

 

[Carl Levitian]

Gentlemen...

Please forgive my bad editorial mistake, or mis-titling this post. I blame myself for not making the point of my sometimes tedious rambling clear.

I was only reflecting on the lock or no lock issue while getting to my real point; that of a small fixed blade for edc in place of a medium lockblade.

Of late I have been carrying the Buck Hartsook, or a small pocket puuko by some scandinavian craftsmen named S. Dauvi. I have come to the conclusion that I preffer to carry the small puuko fixed blade in a pocket with a lanyard to a belt loop. It's way faster into use, no moving parts, no nooks and crannies for gunk to get into, and no lock to have misplaced faith in.

I must take the blame for the straying into a debate of locks or no locks on a knife, when I was really getting into the idea of no locks because the knife simple does not fold. In short, the un-folding pocket knife.

I've come to the stage of life where I want total reliability, and a solid one piece knife, like the simple break open shotgun, is as simple as one can get.

From now on, I don't see myself carrying any folding knife but a basic one layer sak, teamed up with a small pocket puuko. Or as I like to call it, my unfolding pocket knife.

 

[hso]

The UnFolder! I like that!

 

[sm]

I've come to the stage of life where I want total reliability, and a solid one piece knife, like the simple break open shotgun, is as simple as one can get.

Exactly!

Folks have always had a small fixed blade for tasks. Always!
These were not just for older persons, or those with physical limits either.

Now I am sorry if some folks get their toes stepped on, still the reality is, Creative Marketing has been around a long time too.

Some of the knives on the market, and being "marketed" are not about the consumer.
These product are made to take your money.

Pocket knives are a portable means of carrying a sharp edge. Pure and simple.
Small fixed allow one a more safer portable sharp edge.

Up is up, water is wet, fire is hot and that is just way it is folks.

 

[Brian Dale]

I grew up with slipjoint folders and medium large, fixed blade sheath knives. As has been posted already, the fixed blade came out when the work piece was too big to conveniently handle with the pocket knife.

The first time I carried a locking folder daily was when I was a chemist. The man who first taught me to run a mass spectrometer told me, "Can't be a chemist without a knife." I carried an early model Gerber LST and used it all day long.

Later, I carried a Spyderco Clipit-Q, then a Spyderco Rescue, then a Kershaw Scallion because I liked their shapes. I like the ease of opening the Kershaw. "Trust the lock?" That's crazy talk!

I'm rotating a couple of Opinels and an Okapi for everday carry. My Ulster three-blade, "small stockman" style knife goes into my pocket when I'm dressed up a bit. Having carried locking folders for the past several years, I especially like being able to close my pocket knife with one hand.

I've always thought it would be nice to have a D. H. Russell Canadian Boat Knife, especially the "Bird & Trout" size. I have a new Helle Grizzly that looks terrific; I'm looking forward to deer season. The 3 5/8 inch blade is longer than I would have chosen, but it was a gift and I'm delighted to have it.

I expect that there's a small, fixed blade knife in my future.

 

[Carl Levitian]

Brian, that D.H. Russell trout and bird knife is an exuisitely pretty knife that gets better with handling. A friend of mine bought one a year ago, and I've eyed it alot and it is a very very nice knife. Very trim and light in the hand, like a pressision tool. Great rosewood.

I may get one just to stop oggling his, while muttering "My precious..." under my breath.

 

[12GA00buck]

The blades found on most slip joint knives have near perfect blade geometry for most tasks; i.e. thin and flat ground. This largely makes up for mediocre steel e.g. Swiss army knives. I don’t care whether a knife has a lock or not, so long as the blade geometry’s right. Most locking folders are either too thick or have a saber/hollow grind; this is one of the main reasons I use a slip joint for most tasks.

I bought a case trapper with CV blades and amber bone handles a few months ago. I’ve used it to fashion a bow drill and subsequently fire, I’ve also used it as my primary kitchen knife. It holds a superb edge and can be brought back with a strop many times before it needs to be honed. When I do hone it, I start with a 1200 grit stone so as to take the smallest amount of steel off. I suspect I’ll lose it before it stops performing.

 

[sm]

I have one folding pocket knife, Queen Mini Trapper and one SAK "pocket tool" a SAK Classic SD .

That is it as far as pocket knives for me (that I know of).

Now today I did mess with two other old favorites of mine, a Slimline Trapper and a small pen knife that is 3 1/8" closed, and the blades open opposite each other. No, these are not Case knives.

She and I used each other's knives to do all sorts of tasks from kitchen, to yard to all sorts of tasks.

These are old patterns that have always worked , still are, and will continue to.

 

[Limeyfellow]

I place the blame were it belongs. The Victorians and their sensibilities. Along with Christmas and everything else they thought they needed to protect the ignorant savages from they introduced blasted flatware, so people wouldn't getting into mass stabbings at dinner parties and then came the rounding off of the point and sharpening them on one side and encouraging people to not carry a large fixed blade.