Consequences of spine wack tests?

[Cliff Stamp]

What extraordinary experience do you think you might have that your knife might have to withstand such abuse?

If you do a stab or hard thrust, a significant component of the force will act directly against the lock just like a spine whack. This is the most obvious use of tactical and fighting folders, there are many more. You don't need to actually beat on the spine of a knife for it to be loaded in that manner. The knife could simply be stuck in something and it could be jerked to free it and accomplish the same. Or you could be cutting something which moves and induces a similar force even if you are not the one that induces it. There there are things like cuts where you intend the force to be away from you and on the lock but your hand twists, or the wood splits (or whatever) and the knife twists and again the spine is loaded. The of course there are uses which directly load the spine like batoning (which some folders are promoted for) and various fighting knives vs stick or similar, the latter is why Steve Harvey invent his version of extreme spine load testing.

-Cliff

 

[Abraxas]

This is a total outsider's perspective...but it seems the lock is of such critical importance... I'd parallel it to an airbag in a car, not a bumper...

If the bumper fails, you have ugly outside damage.
If the airbag fails, significant personal damage.
Lock fails...OUCH.

Far as I know, every car with an airbag has that airbag tested....which means it's fired off. Also, far as I know, that's not true with knives.

You may never, ever need the lock to be -that- good... But it's the one time you do that failure is an issue, I'd guess.

Course, when I do get knives, Ill be too afraid of wrecking them to do much of a spine whack at all.