Flicking the knife open

Alarion

Alarion

Joined
Nov 26, 2001
Messages
1,375
i'm talking about opening a folder by flicking your wrist?
Many think it's cool, as it snaps open like an automatic.
I never did it because I think it's just unnecessarily hard on the knife. I can as well open it the usual way without putting undue strain on the lock and on the pivot...
What do you think about this?
 
my feeling is that it puts undue wear and tear on a knife, although i still do it alot with some folders. like my bm 940. i think it's generally a bad idea on say, a linerlock, cus you don't want to mess up the geometry of the liner-tang junction.

pete
 
imho i would be carefull flicking a REKAT SIFU i think w/all the miomentum it could be hard on the lock....again nothing to prove it, just a theory

i flick mine a lot w/no probs yet - i mean i dont sit there and compulsivly open over and over, but i do flick them some.....

it prob is hard on them though........


sifu
 
I would think it depends on the quality of the knife if damage would occur from this style of opening. I have done this thousands of times with a Spyderco Endura with no ill effects.
 
Well, probably a knife with tighter tolerances will endure better this treatment, as the blade doesn't hit the stop and then rebound back against the lock, and the pivot doesn't get rocked every time...
Anyway, a knife that'll last 10.000 flick openings will probably last forever if opened normally, isn't it?;)
 
I've read about this topic quite alot and have a few questions.

1) If flicking your knife open damages your knife then doest the knife get damaged with the speed safe function or wave. Because the principles are the same. The blade flies out hitting the pin or some other sort of thing.

2) If the knife does not get damaged with the speedsafe or wave because the pin is more sturdy and stronger... why not make it like that on all knives.
 
I should be careful when I open my dainty little COMBAT FOLDER ???!!!!! You have got to be kidding!!!! This must be a joke.......
 
I have to believe that on many knives, flicking them open will be very hard on them. There are quite a few knives out there that will hold up exceptionally well to this treatment. I do think though, that even they are probably seeing more wear and tear than they would with normal opening of the knife.
 
Is there some sort of evil force making you flick-open your knife? Resist it if you can, 'cause I'm pretty sure that it really doen't do your knife much good. It's kind of like jumping off a tall building...The fall might not hurt you, but the sudden stop sure will.:).
 
Well, probably a knife with tighter tolerances will endure better this treatment, as the blade doesn't hit the stop and then rebound back against the lock, and the pivot doesn't get rocked every time...
Click to expand...

Actually, Alarion, I think (conjecture), that a knife with looser tolerances would endure snap-opens better; it wouldn't matter as much that the stop pin got slightly deformed, or that the blade was a little loose on the pivot. Kind of like the difference between a target pistol and an SKS; the target pistol will shoot much closer groups, but drop it in mud or on cement, and you're much likelier to have problems.

That said, I don't think there's usually a good reason to snap open a knife (except for that cool "schick" sound).
 
Skip all of the hassle and buy a quality butterfly knife! No worries there! :D

I had wondered about the ill effects of the Kershaw assisted openings as well, one thing I have noticed was that the knife started to come apart from the vibrations, loosened the screws, so a warning to those that have the assisted openings, check them screws and make sure you don't lose any! Might want to remove and locktite the screws, one at a time!

G2
 
My take on it is...who cares? If it's safe, if you like doing it, if it helps you use your knife...do it.

Anytime something is used hard, it will reduce its life. If someone wants their knife to "live forever," don't use it. The more someone uses a knife and the harder they use it, the knife’s life is reduced.

The knife I'm carrying now (SOG Night Vision with ArcLock) has been snapped open hard many, many times. If anyone can abuse a knife only by opening and closing it in hard and creative ways, it's been me and this knife. Zero blade play. Zero bad effects. It's about two years old. If it ever does wear out...so what. By that point, I'd have used the "stuffin" out of it and it's time to buy and new toy. :)

Alarion, I don’t think there is anything seriously adverse to worry about...especially if the knife is of good quality.
 
I used to snap open my klnives a lot, but I've slowly gotten myself out of the habit. The only time a strong flick opening is recommended is in a self defense situation.
that cool "schick" sound
Click to expand...
IMHO, I think that an opening like that is compareable to racking the pump on a 12 Ga. It is an intimadating sound that says Don't **** with me.
 
I showed a guy a $350 knife at a show, he was a younger maker, he tried to "flick" my knife and before I could stop him it slipped from his hand, flew across the room and almost stabbed a lady in the leg. :mad:

I also think that most manual knives that are designed in an automatic form should be able to handle it, most would share a lot of the same componentry.

I don't flick mine, I like to keep the pivot tight and this generally prevents flicking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top