Half stops and pinchable blades

[2Dead]

I have a preference for knives without half stops but a half stop is not an issue with me buying a knife. I prefer no half stops because the pull is usually smoother without the half stop. I have never had a cam tang knife that was too difficult to open. In my experience, its harder to open a knife with a strong back spring when it has a half stop.

I also find it safer closing a cam tang knife than one with a half stop. I have a bad habit of closing my knives with just one hand. With a cam tang, it is more predictable when closing so I can grip the knife and push the blade closed with my thumb while still holding the knife like I was using it until about the halfway point, and then reposition the knife where the back spring is at the base of my fingers and finish closing it by now pulling down with my thumb. I don't recall ever getting bit when closing a cam tang knife this way as my fingers are usually pointing straight out. The base of my fingers along with my pointer finger at the pivot are holding the handle. When using a knife with a half stop, especially a strong half stop, I feel like I am no longer in full control of the blade as the half stop takes over part way and the blade jumps away from my thumb. With a strong half stop, the entire knife almost jumps out of my hand if I close it as outlined above. I can still close a knife that has about a 5 pull or less and half stop in my preferred way without issues but anything stronger than that needs two hands just to be safe. Yes, I know I should be using two hands anyway and be following the blade through all the way but I just prefer not to.

 

[mdsmith]

They don't really bother me either way, but I do find it interesting that the only blade on my Victorinox soldier with a half stop is the bottle opener.

 

[black mamba]

Trand said it all very well for me, prefer smooth pulls without half-stops.

 

[kc custom]

I've carried slipjoints for lets say the last 50 some odd years and for myself I don't beliieve half
stops to be a safety feature.
I do believe most people want them cause its something else to play with, and supposedly more
difficult to make. The biggest plus I can see from a makers point is if a collector stores or displays
a knife with all blades open theres no pressure on the spring if its flush in all positions.
The downside is spring rise twice for every opening and closing, the cleaning feature of them yes.
All springs have a finite number of flex's and the rise twice fact remains.
Ken.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

They don't really bother me either way, but I do find it interesting that the only blade on my Victorinox soldier with a half stop is the bottle opener.

I'm betting that's more for the screwdriver tip on the same tool. I've noticed that too, and I've used the screwdriver in the half-open position before. Allows a little more leverage on the handle, and might also help if used in a low-clearance location, where the full-open position might not work. The obvious downside to the additional leverage, I found, was that the screwdriver is fairly easily bent, if one torques a little too hard on it. The tip on mine is a little bit twisted now.

 

[Humppa]

Hi Fausto,
Hi guys!

I personally prefer pinched blades (traditionally here in Germany are pinched blades). On multibladed knives they are more easy to open. Than without.

To half stops, I think as the most guys here, it´s mostly because of safety. Peanuts (by Case) have them and my Case Mini Trapper also has halfstops. I think they are useful, but I also could live without it. Nothing very special I prefer or I don´t want to have on a knife. When closing a Peanut, which is sharpened like a scalpel, I think they are pretty good. Especially because thoose knives have mostly a pretty mighty snap...

KInd regards
Andi

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I have also found the half-stops on the Peanut to be useful. I've been carrying a 1970 stag Peanut for a little while now, and have been in the habit of wiping down the blades each evening, when I take it out of my pocket to put it away. I've found it very convenient to open each blade to the half position, to wipe it down with an alcohol swab. The springs on it are astoundingly strong for such a small knife, and it's comforting to know the blade won't snap shut from the half-open position.

 

[coyote711]

..... Also, not all nail nicks are equally comfy. Or maybe it's just me

Fausto

You have a good point there, Fausto , and no it's not just you. I like a deep nail nick that's somewhat "undercut" - keeps my thumbnail from slipping out of the nick. Most of my GEC's have such nicks and I really appreciate that. Some of my other knives - especially my Case Peanut - have fairly shallow, narrow nicks that my thumbnail will slip out of if I don't pay attention.

 

[2Dead]

Another thought on half stops... how safe are they really? How much extra snap do they give a blade once you pass from one flat side of the tang to the other? Once you pass a certain point with that angle, the blade is going to move so that a flat portion meets the spring. If the tang is rounded, the force isn't as pronounced. Only at moving the blade in the full open or full closed position do you feel the spring taking over. Take a knife that has a half stop and one that doesn't. Slowly walk them through the full motion. Which one will go farther before the back spring takes over?

One other thought since I have one in front of me... I know its not traditional but take a look at a Spyderco UKPK. Its a slip joint with a cam tang as well as a half stop. It will open smoothly but still stop half open if needed. Best of both worlds imo.

 

[coyote711]

One other thought since I have one in front of me... I know its not traditional but take a look at a Spyderco UKPK. Its a slip joint with a cam tang as well as a half stop. It will open smoothly but still stop half open if needed. Best of both worlds imo.

Trand, I've got a Queen serpentine jack with what I call "soft" half stops. Sounds like it may be similar to your Spyderco. Flat tang on the end, but the shoulders are rounded off instead of sharply squared off. Not quite sure why this isn't used more often. I agree - best of both worlds.

 

[jujigatame]

It's a good point you make regarding the UKPK setup Trand. The half stop is there if you want it but it's easy to move past it either opening or closing without getting hung up like a square tanged knife can sometimes do.

On the overall question of having half stops or not I'm pretty well on the fence. I like them on some knives, would rather they weren't there on others. Guess I'm catching that pesky election year flip-floppishness.

 

[quattromori]

Trand,
you have a good point on the UKPK. Its "smooth half stop" feels good in the hand, and pushes me back to my original thought, that a smooth half stop is better than a tough half stop...and no half stop is better than both

Ken,
your post on the spring's wear due to the "double" rise of blades with half stops really got me thinking. As a user (and my knives don't get intensive use), I wouldn't have thought about it, and I'm glad you pointed that out.

Other things make sense (the display matter, for instance, or the cleaning factor) but honestly the safety thing still does not convince me at all.
Also, from my own point of view (very personal and very culture biased ) most American knives usually have too much snap and an excessively strong backspring. Some knives I've handled close like hunters' traps. That, to me, is unsafe.
Personally, I feel I have to apply too much strength when opening or closing such blades...and a stronger move is, inevitably, less controllable. That's why I prefer a smooth pull (or a friction pull) with no half stop: it's a continuous move that I can control better.
I'm very glad I opened this thread, since I learned a few things I didn't know of, and, as always, I'm interested in what others think (yes, I'm curious )

Fausto

 

[2Dead]

Trand, I've got a Queen serpentine jack with what I call "soft" half stops. Sounds like it may be similar to your Spyderco. Flat tang on the end, but the shoulders are rounded off instead of sharply squared off. Not quite sure why this isn't used more often. I agree - best of both worlds.

Keith, my CSC Stockman is the same way. Actually the UKPK is a little different where the entire tang is rounded but there is a little divot as well. I think that divot catches something on the back spring which is why it stops at halfway.

 

[coyote711]

Trand, thanks for the info. That sounds like a great set up on the UKPK! [Sidenote: I only have one Spyderco (had to see what all the fuss was about) - Dragonfly G-10 - but I'm very impressed with the ergonomics of it, especially for such a small knife.]

 

[Pointshoot777]

The knife that cut me the worse on opening was a GEC with extremely stong backsprings and half stops. That knife was a real nail buster. (Ive never run into a slipjoint with such strong backsprings before or since - it was an early knife) With the half stops, opening was 'jerky' and I ended up running my thumb into the blade with the momentum of trying to force it open when it hit the half stop. I reached the point that I wouldn't open that knife without leather work gloves on. I prefer slipjoints without half stops, but its not a deal breaker. It depends on how strongly the knife backsprings are and the design of the nail nick.