flinging a knife open?

T

trucker1964

Joined
Mar 22, 2008
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Hi sorry if this has been discussed before but I don't have search rights. I was reading a thread days ago in the general discussion forum about how bad it is to fling your knife open(creates blade play and wear etc...). I asked how this applies to my Kershaws and ZT knives with assisted opening. No on has answered me over there yet. I asked if these knives were designed to handle the force. My Blurs open, well kinda like a blur. I mean they pop open fast. My ZT knives with assisted opening don't open as fast but they are way bigger and heavier and have a pretty good thunk when they open. My ZT 0200 doesn't have assisted opening but it sure seems like they designed it to be opened with one hand by using the flipper and a slight snap of the wrist. I don't do it really hard but isn't that how they designed it?

I guess what I am asking is are my assisted opening knives and 0200 designed to do what all these others were saying would destroy their knives. I can't see how to open an assisted opener without it snapping open unless I use two hands because at a certain point the torsion bar takes over but I also don't want to hurt my knives either, they are the best knives I have ever owned. Thanks.
 
I've been "flinging" my kershaws for years and years, many times a few hundred times a day (Yeah I'm weird :) )
You should be fine, if it does create blade-play, just put a dab of loctite in the pivot once you remove the pivot screw.
That's actually what Kershaw puts in all of their knives to keep them from moving out of a designated position

You should be fine :thumbup:
 
Well I personally flip my knives all the time , there are guys here on the Kershaw forum that do the same and I have never heard it discussed until now. So if I were you I would flip away, snap them open and use the speed safe system all you want and rest assured that you are backed by the best warranty and customer service in the industry with Kershaw. If flipping open a knife would damage it I would think it wasn't much of a knife, My opinion of course.

ENJOY, and no worries friend !

Dave
 
I've read about the flipping causing so much trouble for a knife, but seeing how strong a speedsafe opens the blade, I question the concern. Also, I picked up 2 Grooves & a RAM within the last few weeks (A reg. & tanto model), & that's how they work. You "flip" them open.

So, the big question is, are Kershaws, the ones that flip open or with a strong A/O mechanism, are they designed to take more "abuse" that flipping causes?
 
I'd imagine Kershaw engineers the torsion bar to deliver an amount of force the knife can withstand.
Torsion bars can be calibrated; human "flinging" cannot.
Of course, there's flinging and then there's FLINGING. The second one will ruin your knife eventually.
 
I think this flinging and destroying the knife idea is totally dependent on the quality and tollerances that the knife was made to. I've been able to fling a few cheaper buck knives to the point where liner locks moved all the way across the blade and play developed in all directions, but I have not been able to do this to my spyderco wenger even though I have tried to destroy it in this way to give me a reason to buy another spyderco. The hardness of the handle material, the stop pin and pivot as well as the correct angle of the blade to liner lock all make a well designed knife difficult to wear out even with hard flicking.
 
Thanks for giving me some feed back guys.

CL101 you put my question perfect, that's just what I was trying to ask but I am better at talking than writing.

STABMAN I agree with you about there being a difference between flinging and FLINGING. I try not to fling my 0200 too hard, just enough to lock it. It's still getting broken in I think so maybe later it won't take so much effort to move all the way open.

I just can't imagine kershaw not taking into account the fact that they can't control how everyone will fling a knife such as the 0200 when they are in the design room.

maybe Thomas could pipe in.

Thanks for your opinions guys I feel a little better, I don't want to wreck my knifes. Money certainly doesn't grow on trees where I come from:)
 
trucker, sounds like a lot more flipping is in order, you shouldn't need any wrist at all to get the 0200 to open authoratatively. :D

Well, at least it's a good excuse for continuous flipping, "no, really, I need more practice".
;)
 
Hi Kneedeep, nice to meet you. Thanks for the advice. I thought about loosening the nut on the pivot some to make it easier because I've seen y-tube of someone opening it just like you said but I thought maybe those brass washers just get broke in after a while. I certainly don't want to get any blade play from it being loose I guess I'm scared to mess with it I love it so much. This one locks up tight and strong it is really a fine knife. I think it's one of the best knife deals you can get. Great for my big hands and I think it fits in my pocket nice too.
 
trucker1964 said:
Money certainly doesn't grow on trees where I come from:)
Click to expand...

They do here

istockphoto_2329138_money_tree.jpg


:D:D:D
 
Trucker, glad to see you are hanging around.

You probably shouldn't have to adjust the pivot if it doesn't feel "draggy" when you manually pull it open. I put a of drop of Hot Sauce (reel lube) on each side of the pivot/washers and it is really smooth. I pre-load the flipper by actually pushing the flipper in the direction of the axis of the pivot, then rapidly change to curling the finger back toward the butt of the knife. It'll generally pop open pretty solidly, with no wrist movement.
 
Thanks Kneedep now I know how it's done:D I've been practicing your way and most of the time I can make it snap open even with the blade pointing straight up. That's pretty good because this is no light blade.I can tell I will be doing this a lot.

I have something coming in the mail called Weapon Shield. It's supposed to be a super improved CLP with much better lubricating qualities. I've stuck with CLP since the Marines but if this stuff performs like I've heard people on the Internet say I will be switching.

I talked to Zt and they said they lube with Breakfree at the factory.
 
Trucker, I agree that the new knives of today can with stand this sort of use. I remember the cheaper knives I carried in the 70s and 80s that would wear down quickly from flicking open too much and lock failure was common. One word of advice, some states view this form of opening as a "gravity knife" and the Federal Definition of switchblade defines this method of opening as the same. I ONLY mention this as your title is Trucker so if you travel beyond your state you may find certain officers who would find you in violation for opening the knife this way. In NY it would get you arressted ( I am a former NYC LEO).

I will add the federal Law definiton since some one always says I am wrong. This applies to all Federal lands, offices, etc, and knives shipped interstate as merchandise. Many states use similar language in their laws....Section 1241. Definitions

As used in this chapter -
(a) The term ''interstate commerce'' means commerce between any
State, Territory, possession of the United States, or the District
of Columbia, and any place outside thereof.
(b) The term ''switchblade knife'' means any knife having a blade
which opens automatically -
(1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the
handle of the knife, or
(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both.
 
Thanks for the advice tom19176. Thankfully I am a local driver only (couldn't bare to be away from the wife and kids). I really researched the laws here in SoCal after I bought my first Blur at Wal-mart. I couldn't believe it was legal. That said everyone should know an officer can mess with you for having a multitool or screwdriver if they don't like you (always try to make them like you). I am really clean cut. Around here anyway the police can pretty much tell who the bad guys are. I've had a lot of officers ask me what force I'm with when I am out and about. I've talked about this subject with some of them and they pretty much told me they are not worried about a guy like me. Believe it or not I've had three different officers tell me they wouldn't do anything even if I had a gun, it's up to their discretion (definitely not gonna put that to the test).

I really need my knife at work all day long as I do lots of residential deliveries in some areas. I always try not to freak out my customers with my knives, by trying to be discrete when opening them. Sometimes in certain places I don't use my pocket clip, like when I go to a school etc... it's best not to go waving black blades around nowadays as a general rule.
 
In California you seem to be OK with the Kershaw knives as they all have a detent. Now does everyone know the law who enforces it? lol....
 
Ya I'm with you there. That's why I'm glad I look like a cop. I definitely get treated differently than some of the other people I work with, but come to think of it maybe the cops are pretty good at profiling because I am just an honest good guy and the people I know who get hassled all the time - well it kinda seems like it always turns out they were involved in something shady.

sorry we have gotten off topic, still would like to hear some other opinions--Thomas?
 
tom19176 said:
As used in this chapter -
(a) The term ''interstate commerce'' means commerce between any
State, Territory, possession of the United States, or the District
of Columbia, and any place outside thereof.
(b) The term ''switchblade knife'' means any knife having a blade
which opens automatically -

(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both.
Click to expand...

I think the key word is automatically. Even though inertia is used to open a flipper knife, the blade doesn't open automatically. It still must overcome resistance.

Then again, I've had 5 beers and I am watching The Office, so hopefully I make sense.
 
Well I thought the thread in General answered both sides of this discussion t1964.

My opinion...I've seen a lot of guys over the last 20+ years slap their knives open hard (mostly as a way of thinking it's cool, at least that's the best I could figure). Their technique was a seemingly over-dramatized arm (not wrist) motion, that was quite dangerous in my eyes, as was way too easy for the knife to fly out of the stud's hand.

Today when I witness this stallion maneuver, I always chalk it up to inexperienced hands and limited knife understanding. Other than that, I'm not sure why one would find slamming a blade open fun or necessary. To qualify, I don't find SpeedSafe to fall under the "slamming" category I mention above.

Personally, I've never seen the construction of a Kershaw or ZT for that matter compromised over velocity opening.

Jeremy, no need to hide it, I believe the board knows you're flipping to The Office during the Grey's Anatomy's commercials while drinking wine coolers.
 
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