Effective lifespan of slippies?

Shotgun

Shotgun

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Feb 3, 2006
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Just wondering how long a slippy lasts. SAK's in particular but any insight into these knives would be nice. Are they a lifetime tool or will they need to be retired after a decade or so? Is there anything that will go out sooner on them like the back springs? What can be done to extend the lifespan of one of these knives? Any input is welcome and thanks in advance.
 
Like any tool, treat it with respect, it will last a lifetime, I have slipjoints that I have been using fo 35 years, I just purchased a slipjoint that is over 100 years old, still in perfect condition, should last another 100. A Vic Swiss Army should last forever.
 
In the stickies at the top of this forum is a thread titled; "Old Knives". Give it a once over and you'll find the answers to your questions there. I have knives I got when I was a kid in the 1940s that are in great condition and they have been put to work over their lifespans.

As Stich said, if they're treated right, they can last several lifetimes.
 
Knives, like cars, motorcycles, tools, are all depending on how much they are used, and how well they are treated. You can kill a car in 50,000 miles, or get 200,000 thousand miles on it. Heck, buy friend Hoppy got almost 300,000 out of a 1986 Dodge Caravan by treating it well, and being anal on the maintenance.

A pocket knife used on a construction site will not last as long as a pocket knife carried by a suit guy who uses it lightly. Every single sharpening wears away a little bit of blade. Every opening or closing is flexing that spring a little. But in general, I think the average pocket knife should last about 20 to 25 years if used much. I used the heck out my Buck 301 stockman for 25 years, and it needed a new main blade and some spa time at Buck. The sheepsfoots blade was pretty worn too. At 25 years, it was on the border of being owen out, as it was my main edc all that time. On the other hand, my dad got about 40 years out of a Case peanut, but he was a suit guy, and really didn't use his knife heavily. If it got heavy or dirty, he had other things stashed around, like the 10 inch bushwhacker and an old butcher knife in the picnic basket.

Carl.
 
My dad has carried a Vic Tourist pretty much daily for I think 25 years. It doesn't have much snap but it's still useable. Some Vic models have stronger springs than others. My Farmer has a nice snap to the main blade. Extending the lifespan would be don't open and close them for no reason and don't oversharpen.
 
Not an old guy here, but I would venture to say, keep it clean, oil the joint, don't oversharpen and don't sit and play with it, opening and closing, while watching TV :)
 
Another way of making 'em last longer, is to have a considerable number in rotation :D That's my excuse:thumbup:

Putting older ones into semi-retirement can help too, still nice to use an old knife for lighter tasks.

Recently, I got hold of what was likely my grandfather's pocket-knife J. Nowill& Sons Sheffield. Equal end 4 blade (was...) in ivory. 2 blades snapped off, remaining blade sharpened right down but still a good string cutter or letter opener, other blade a nail file. Snap is fantastic on this knife! You can't see ANY gaps if you hold it up to the light. For years it was in a display cabinet with other items knick-knacks and it is certainly pre First World War. Rather durable I'd say.

Regards, Will
 
There is a higher chance that you will lose your folder before you ever come close to wearing one out.

I have seen farmers and ranchers post here, pictures of their EDC slipcase knife that has seen 20-40 years of daily hard use. Blades looked like a needle by the time it was finally retired.
 
Take good care of them, and hone or strop instead of sharpening, and they should last a lifetime.
I have had a few exceptions to the "don't play with them" rule, like both of my Klein TL-29s. The main blade on both were about 9s and the screwdriver/scraper blades were a 12 on the first one and a 13.5 on the second one. They're impossible to pry open without a tool straight from the package.
 
TOG, not to derail the thread, but I had to relieve the scale near the screwdriver thumb nick to be able to open it without breaking my nail every single time. It works great.
 
Thanks for the idea, it's a good one that i hadn't thought of.
I find that leaving the blade at about a third open for a few hours and copious amounts of WD-40 also works pretty well.
Now, back to the subject, sorry OP!
 
jackknife said:
Knives, like cars, motorcycles, tools, are all depending on how much they are used, and how well they are treated. You can kill a car in 50,000 miles, or get 200,000 thousand miles on it. Heck, buy friend Hoppy got almost 300,000 out of a 1986 Dodge Caravan by treating it well, and being anal on the maintenance.

A pocket knife used on a construction site will not last as long as a pocket knife carried by a suit guy who uses it lightly. Every single sharpening wears away a little bit of blade. Every opening or closing is flexing that spring a little. But in general, I think the average pocket knife should last about 20 to 25 years if used much. I used the heck out my Buck 301 stockman for 25 years, and it needed a new main blade and some spa time at Buck. The sheepsfoots blade was pretty worn too. At 25 years, it was on the border of being owen out, as it was my main edc all that time. On the other hand, my dad got about 40 years out of a Case peanut, but he was a suit guy, and really didn't use his knife heavily. If it got heavy or dirty, he had other things stashed around, like the 10 inch bushwhacker and an old butcher knife in the picnic basket.

Carl.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with Carl's post.
How long it lasts will depend how it is used and how much it is used.

A one-knife man is going to use up a knife faster than anyone I know who posts in this forum. We all got too many knives, and no one knife gets a large amount of use. I've seen one-knife fellas pretty much use up a knife in 20 to 25 years.
 
In LG4, there's a reference to research that Remington did back in the 1920's or 1930's. Somehow they figured out that a pocket knife had a "half-life" of around two years; in other words - by my interpretation - a pocket knife would be replaced in four to five years on average. This, of course, depends on how much and how hard it is used.

I have no idea what standards they applied to this, but it would be interesting to find out. I can't imagine any of us wearing out a knife in our lifetime, but I guess it's possible.

~Chris
 
This is a extreme example, this blade was used daily, and sharpened in the field daily sometimes multiple times a day for 6 years. It was used instead of a razor knife because a razor knife did not have a large enough blade to cut through R8 FSK insulation, and 1.5" closed cell insulation, it was used for many other task during the day as well. It is also a testament to Opinel, they are such great work knives, I treat my knives with respect, but this knife I'll admit to abuse, and it took every bit of it without fail. Opinel #9

You can see at the base of the blade the original size.
07115503.jpg


Next to a newer Opinel #9 that has maybe seen a stone one time.

75946366.jpg
 
This one (at the top) is hanging in there after over 100 years. (No I am not the original owner :D).

ElectricCamilus.jpg
 
OIL THE JOINTS! IMO its the single biggest contributor to a long life for a slippie.
 
When I was twelve, in 1982 or so, I saved up and got myself a Vic Huntsman. This is an old version without a package hook. It was my only edc from then until the early 2000's and it was used hard and sometimes abused. Aside from woods bumming, I used it to a lot while building models, and at the various part time jobs of my high school and college years, which were mainly warehouse jobs and farm supply stores (opening and breaking down packages, cutting rope, light assembly, etc.). The scales look worn and the main blade is stained from battery acid, but it is still fully functional and the blades snap open and closed like it was new. I did go through about three scissor springs though.
 
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