Does A Folder Ever Simply Refuse To Open?

[redsquid2]

My imagination is going places like, SCENARIO:

I just walked for the past 7 -8 hours with 40 + lbs of gear in my backpack, in pouring rain. It's dark. It's a long way back to the trail head. I am crouching next to a fire pit, with water dripping off my nose, the bill of my hat, my fingers. There is wet sand and grit on and in everything, including my knife, including these little sticks that I hope to light. I pull on the thumbstud, and it just refuses to open.

That has never happened to me. Over the course of 35 years, I carried a Buck 112, a SOG Airsog, and now a Buck Vantage. These three knives, each in their turn, got me through my wilderness getaways, including a week-long walk alone in the Black Hills. But then, I started to think "what if."

So I started carrying a fixed blade necker.

What are the odds of a folder completely jamming up?

 

[DAVE_M]

If it's kept clean, you should have no worries. Personally, if I'm in the field, I'm bringing a fixed blade whether I have a folder or not.

 

[K.O.D.]

Unlike women, I've never had a problem with a folder not opening up for me. Misuse, rust, grime, etc could possibly cause it, but it would take a lot IMO. Folder is a backup when in the field anyway. More for the downtime when you are bored and need some sort of entertainment to make the time pass.

 

[link2derek]

The pivot is likely the problem - corroded, rusted, something. What have you used to oil/lube this knife in the past?

 

[Davidfs]

In the Coast Guard, we were issued cheap folders that were "stainless" until the first time they got wet, I saw more than one which was left in the pocket of a dry suit for six months and rusted closed. However with basic regular maintenance even these cheap knives in a fairly extreme environment weld up ok.

 

[Todd21969]

I carry a Spyderco Military. Since it is tip down carry only the pivot is always exposed above my pocket. I also work at a gravel mine, so the pivot area is subject to sand, dust, silica, mud, etc 8hrs a day 5 days a week.

I flush it out with hot water every day.... ok... sometimes I skip a day . It has never failed to open. It gets gritty, a little sluggish, and sometimes gets to the point that I can't thumb flick it.

But it always opens.

 

[Jens Schuetz]

Opinel sometimes requires a LOT of strength to pull out the blade.
It's just the wood contracting and expanding due to changes in environment.
There are ways to prevent this.

 

[asdf12345]

Unless you're nude and rolling around in the mud on a rainy day I don't see how a folder could become so jammed as to not open at all. If the knife is clipped to your pack, your vest or your pocket, it should be reasonably shielded from debris.

 

[Rey HRH]

Yes, I had a folder that wouldn't open. I bought a Benchmade Barrage. When I got it out of the mailing package, I tried to open it but it wouldn't. It would not budge. Thankfully, after fiddling with it for about half a minute, I found the safety.

 

[jackknife]

[Opinel sometimes requires a LOT of strength to pull out the blade.
It's just the wood contracting and expanding due to changes in environment.
There are ways to prevent this.]



A well treated Opinel should be able to do the U-boat maneuver for a half hour.

Upon surfacing, it should be able to be opened without much effort.

 

[benchwarmer380]

The pivot is likely the problem - corroded, rusted, something. What have you used to oil/lube this knife in the past?

This could do it.

I used to carry my Rat 1 when I went running. Sometimes in my pocket but usually clipped in my waistband. After a couple of months I noticed it was getting much much harder to open. I took it apart to clean it out and there was tons of rust all up and down the liner and in and around the pivot. The rust at the pivot was clearly the culprit. A good thorough cleaning got it back to normal.

No doubt it's possible but it would take extreme neglect or catastrophic failure.

 

[Joe58]

I would think as long as you've been doing routine maintenance on the knife prior to this adventure, it'd open even if gunked up. Unless something has gotten jammed in it, like a small twig or pebble maybe. You may need to knock it against something to remove most of the debris in it.

This is why some guys favor the open frame design as it's easier to flush junk out of them.

But I agree with the others that if at all possible, a fixed blade should also come along. Even a small one.

 

[redsquid2]

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess I will just continue squirting a little Tri-Flow in from time to time, and take it apart and clean whenever necessary.