Do lanyard holes or thong tubes add anything to a knife?

[LARRYZ10]

Do lanyard holes add anything to a knife to make it more useful or desirable? Or are they superfluous throwbacks to old designs? Larry

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Largely, they are for looks. A small percentage of knife users use them for a lanyard .... but that is a very small group.

 

[GooberBoober]

If they are tube-shaped and aren't too wide they make a great bellow in a pinch, I use mine all the time to bring a fire back to life.

The only knife I use it as intended is on a 7" chopper to give it a little more leverage, normally I loath stuff hanging off my knife.

 

[Hengelo_77]

I put one on this one and it gives you more te hold on, a place for the little finger.
Also it gives something to grab to pull it out of it's sheat when in your pocket

 

[Hengelo_77]

If they are tube-shaped and aren't too wide they make a great bellow in a pinch, I use mine all the time to bring a fire back to life.

Can you explain that please?

 

[JTknives]

Put it to your mouth and use the tube as a small jet to focuse the air into the embers.

 

[martinwoods_uk]

Excuse me I'm new so might not know what I'm talking about
It seems when people on here talk about lanyards on knives a lot of people mention "not having the knife dangling off a belt" or similar. I have always thought that a lanyard on a tool or weapon is a simple loop of leather thong or similar that is used to enhance gripping the handle tightly whilst using the weapon by wrapping the lanyard around your hand and to aid retention of the tool/weapon so if your momentarily lose your grip you don't lose the tool. Especially useful on things that use a chopping motion so you don't lose a grip from sweaty palms or wet conditions.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[kuraki]

I can't bring myself to use one around my wrist because I can't get the image out of my head of losing my grip chopping and having the thing helicopter around my wrist removing fingers and lord knows what else.

 

[noseoil]

It's good on a chopper, but only if it's located at the front of the grip. If it's at the rear on a larger blade, just what you said & not very safe. The picture below is of an 18" LOA chopper & it really helps when taking bigger swings with that much mass moving quickly. With the lanyard in front, the grip is pretty much glued into your hand & even if you let go of the blade, it's still attached where it should be.

I use them on some smaller pocket carry knives, as it's easier to draw out with my hands getting arthritis now. Otherwise, it's usually just another "fastener" on the grip to keep the scales in place. I still like the way it looks on a fixed blade if done properly. For what it costs to put in, it really is a nice touch & can add to functionality for some uses. To each his (or her) own.

 

[kuraki]

Ah that makes sense.

The idea of a lanyard really being nothing but a pull string for a pocket carry knife I understand 100%.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

While a lanyard has a use as a sheath removal grip, and for retaining a knife to prevent loss or aid grip, I would guess that 95% never see a loop of leather or cord. As pointed out by noseoil, for chopping safety it should be in the front, not the rear of the handle.

I do like the look of a short braid or woggle on the rear of a smaller field/hunter knife. It allows a full coverage sheath and no need for a snap down cover.

 

[Hengelo_77]

didn't Bob Loveless say that to him they are mostly handy to hang (nearly) finished knives on nails in the wall?

 

[Horsewright]

Absolutely Larry. But perhaps its a cultural thing. I probably couldn't sell a knife to a cowboy without one. Also as you know I make a lot of sheaths for a lot of other folks knives. Never one of yours yet, but a lot of guys here on BF knives end up here, from the customer, for a new sheath. Almost always if the knife has a lanyard hole I'm asked to put one in. If it doesn't I'm asked if I can make such hole, (this I won't do).

All mine come with a leather lanyard blood knotted at the back of the handle. Only my kitchen knives and leather working knives don't have it. I agree with Stacy that the leading practical reason is additional purchase when withdrawing from the sheath. I often here armchair experts say they would never use one because brush could drag it out of the sheath. I make knives for folks that ride through brush chasing cattle for a living. Have not had to replace a single knife for that. Now the lanyards are open at the end so there is no loop to catch.

We call this tail draggin". We have to go where the cattle go. Literally this mountainside (this is the south face of the Sierra Nevada) is so steep the horses are dragging their tails in places, (Larry thats Hwy 58 at the top of the pic).

One of my Vaquero Ultralites with a blood knotted lanyard/thong.

Two in their cross draw Horizontal sheaths ready to ship. Reach across, grasp the butt of the knife, rock your pinky against the lanyard and out they come. Otherwise ya can turn em upside down and shake em hard and they won't come out. If they do I don't ship.

 

[w.t. anderson]

I use lanyards on most of my knives, even the small ones, by slipping my little finger through the loop and tightening it down a bit with a lanyard bead when using the knife. This way, if I need to, I can let the knife drop and dangle from my little finger in order to use my hand to grab something quickly or to climb without losing easy access to the knife (probably just temporarily on the ground, but could be permanently over water). A quick flip of the wrist and it's right back in my hand, ready for use. It also keeps me from repeatedly putting the knife down and picking it up again during complex tasks (and I don't have to keep saying "where did I put that damn thing?")

 

[jll346]

I have always Used them in my knives. Usually paracord with a dresses up knot at the end. Really only for looks. Only useful one I see would be on the large competition knives.

 

[12345678910]

I've been asked to do them.

Apparently there are some knives that actually get used.


Some of those get used on a boat, in a stream, or in deep snow.

A Long lanyard can keep you from dropping and losing it forever.


I find it's a polarized use.
Some wouldn't do without it, some will never use it.


But providing the hole is an option that lets them do as they please.

The drawback is cleaning it out when it's full of blood and guts.

 

[Kevin McGovern]

I put a hidden lanyard tube in most of my small drop point hunters. If they want it, it's there. If not, it isn't as noticeable.

 

[GooberBoober]

Can you explain that please?

Put it to your mouth and use the tube as a small jet to focuse the air into the embers.

What JT said :thumbup:

Chris Claycombe who designed the handle for the Spyderco Bushcraft insisted on a certain diameter for the lanyard tube for this purpose particularly. I don't own a bush-Spydie anymore but it was indeed perfect for that. I now carry a Fiddleback Forge and the tube is slightly wider on those but it still works, just not as good as it did on my Spydie. I have noticed that the bullseye hole is slightly wider on the black ones compared to their natural micarta coloured ones by the way.

& while I have no pics of me blowing (on) my knife I do have a pic of how I use the lanyard on my RAT-7:

 

[boy&hisdogs]

I don't usually use them except on a machete. I hate having dangly stuff at all, knife or otherwise.

But they're also great somewhere that If you dropped that knife you'd never see it again. On a rocking boat, standing over a stream, on the edge of a cliff, in a treestand, etc.

 

[RedFury]

Wow, i like that idea, Kervin. Hope you don't mind if I use it when I get around to my next full tang.

I put a hidden lanyard tube in most of my small drop point hunters. If they want it, it's there. If not, it isn't as noticeable.