flicking your knife open

E

egroeg555

Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
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Does opening a folder by flicking your wrist, opening the blade without touching it, damage the knife?
 
It can introduce excessive wear because of the increased forces involved, but likely not enough to cause any real issues on a high quality knife.
 
I depends on the design of the knife, on a Sebenza, continued flicking will void the warranty because Mr. Reeve believes it will damage the knife. A Microtech or a DDR seems to thrive on it and then of course we have automatics that exert at least as much force on opening as flicking would. Confusing isn't it.:confused:
 
If you can or do open it that way it is a GRAVITY KNIFE and therefore illegal in 42 out of 50 states.......Just a word of advice that many do not realize......
 
I wouldnt do it , only cause I learned from doing it that it creates blade play.
 
tom19176 said:
If you can or do open it that way it is a GRAVITY KNIFE and therefore illegal in 42 out of 50 states.......Just a word of advice that many do not realize......
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I think you're mistaken. Being able to flick a standard pocket knife open does not make it a gravity knife. Gravity knives are the knives that usually have a blade that falls out of the front when a button is pushed and will lock up when said button is released.
 
REddevil before the Academy I thought just like you, but read the law in the states that define it and in the federal law. Any knife that can be opened by gravity or centifical force and or the flick of a wrist is by defintion a gravity knife...not fun but it is the law. As collectors we view a gravity knife as a knife that opens by pushing a lever in the handle of the knife and allowing it to drop open by sliding out the front. The law it TOTALLY different....read the law in Levine's section....you will be surprised to see it, as I was years ago....
 
I appologize Tom. I guess it depends on how the states interpret a gravity knife. I never gave it a thought because I live in AZ and I'm a Federal LEO but also that definition would apply to just about every folder that can be opened with inertia ie. the "Brownie Pop" taught by Robin Brown and Ralph Mroz. Thanks for the correction.
 
Your welcome......I have very few knives that I feel I can legally carry in NY. The only time I ever liked this law is when the "smart" robbers would pick a tourist as a victim knowing they would most likely never come back to testify against the perp. I loved being able to flick open their knife and charge them with possession of a gravity knife. I had seen many far more innocent people charged by officers who were less understanding as me....
 
So what's the defining factors of the "flicking" motion itself?
How much force is used when flicking?
Is it wrist only or arm movement also?
What if the you flick it using the thumbstud while it's facing downward?
Is it valid to "flick" downwards or out straight, etc?

Gotten into plenty of arguments here.
 
One of the laws I read stated it was a gravity knife if it could be flicked across the body or in a downward motion. In reality, most knives can be flicked open if given enough force applied to them. They have no standard of force measurement to determine if it's a gravity knife or not, just so long as the cop can cause it to flick open...
 
rebeltf said:
I wouldnt do it , only cause I learned from doing it that it creates blade play.
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I would also have to give this advice, as I have learned from my friend doing it to mine...:mad: Let him take one look at my Al Mar SERE 2000 and first thing he does is flick it inertially (no thumbstud) as hard as he possibly can. Given that the knife is already pretty tight and has a secure detent, that was a LOT of force.

Needless to say, I told him not to flick it and upon inspecting it at home, the liner lock moves/slips with pressure on the spine of the blade due to the excessive wear. Still locks up safely, but bladeplay is the biggest "turnoff" for me in a knife. If you flick it lightly, it'll take more flicks for it to happen, but I'm sure it will happen eventually.
 
So yeah, what you guys are saying makes sense about it causeing excessive wear.
About this gravity knife thing. Thats just crazy. Aparently, the law isn't enforced very strictly. I haven't encountered many folders that I can't flick open.
 
tom19176 said:
If you can or do open it that way it is a GRAVITY KNIFE and therefore illegal in 42 out of 50 states.......Just a word of advice that many do not realize......
Click to expand...

Aren't you the guy who was a LEO, and stated that he used his practiced ability to flick knives to make people think their knives are illegal?

It is blatant misinterpretation of the laws, and just plain BS. Listening to this guy tell it, pretty much any folder except a slipjoint is illegal :rolleyes:

Only a deceitful person would try to say that because a knife can be flicked open it is a gravity knife. Flicking a knife is a skill.

As I have said before, I can flick almost any knife open, and I have never had a knife that could be considered a gravity knife. (in the mind of any reasonably sane individual)
 
tom19176 said:
Your welcome......I have very few knives that I feel I can legally carry in NY. The only time I ever liked this law is when the "smart" robbers would pick a tourist as a victim knowing they would most likely never come back to testify against the perp. I loved being able to flick open their knife and charge them with possession of a gravity knife. I had seen many far more innocent people charged by officers who were less understanding as me....
Click to expand...

That's great police work :rolleyes:

Disgraceful.
 
Rat...I am not going to argue with you as I did in another thread. If I could lock up a guy on a weapons charge when the robbery charge gets dropped because because the tourist he robbed can't come back to town to testify and he picks tourists as victims for this reason, then that is good police work to me ! Your attititude is that of a criminal, and you are unreasonable in your comments. This is the law! There is no amount of force that any law requires as a standard. Nilaman you have it Right !! I have been in court and seen officers take four or five attempts at flicking a knife before it opened once. It is usally rare that people get charged with just a knife charge, but in NY and major cities it is common.
I only mention this as I have done before when some one states how they flick open their knives. If this is your common way of opening it then chances are you will seen opening it that way and be amazed when you do it by an LEO ( maybe not in uniform) and are stopped and questioned as to why you are in possession of a gravity knife.
 
What constitutes a "gravity knife" or even "switchblade" varies greatly from state to state. Check your own laws before listening to some cop in NY about his own arresting practices.

As for flicking a knife, I think it's just fine so long as you're not doing it excessively hard (which is kinda dumb anyway, since you might fling it across the room) and the construction of the knife allows it.

When people say that flicking a Sebenza will damage it, I look at my Microtech LCC or Protech Godfather and scratch my head. But then the Sebenza I played with (passaround) wasn't particulairly easy to flick anyway.
 
Planterz, all is ask is that people check the law.....I am a knife nut as everyone here is. Take a second to look at Levine's section and look at the Federal law, as it has the exact same wording as the NY law. It may not be enforced much, but it is better go know the facts ( Law) and then decide....that is all
 
Rat...I am not going to argue with you as I did in another thread. If I could lock up a guy on a weapons charge when the robbery charge gets dropped because because the tourist he robbed can't come back to town to testify and he picks tourists as victims for this reason, then that is good police work to me !
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Whao dude! That is not good police work. Evidentily you have not officer integrity. Officer integrity is ingrained in us at the academy and I am proud to have it. I understand wanting to get a scumbag but that is the wrong way to go about it.
 
tom19176 said:
Your attititude is that of a criminal, and you are unreasonable in your comments.
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Personally, I think his attitude is that of a person who is concerned with preserving his civil liberties against authoritarian government.
(tip: this used to be the founding principle of the republican party... too bad things have swung 180 degrees)


In any case, when I think of the word "flick," I think of the way one opens a Benchmade quickly using the thumbstud, for example. You know, like shooting a marble, you "flick" the thumbstud toward the top/end of the knife, and the blade rapidly swings into place. This motion is "flicking," as opposed to when the thumb travels in an arc with the thumbstud (like when you're learning to open a Spyderco with the hole, and you simply push the blade all the way open).
I also remember the advent of the Brownie Pop (or at least the point at which the technique became well-known as such), and think that's in a whole separate category.

Good luck interpreting everything your own way, everybody. :D
 
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