half stops.... (bit of gore)

[wouldestous]

i thought the half stop was to prevent the blade accidentally closing on your fingers while you are using the knife? so if you are perhaps trying to cut something in tight spaces, the spine of the blade presses against something else and starts to close then the half stop will prevent the blade from closing on your fingers as you are grasping the knife.

that said, i kind of figure that if you are going to handle a knife then getting cut is always a possibility. its just a hazard you have to manage.

 

[Thalestin]

This topic comes into discussion every now and then; I'm almost sure I did open a thread about half stops long ago
I've always been very careful when opening and closing slipjoints, especially US traditionals. I grew up with friction folders (which, in my very personal opinion, are way safer than slipjoints) and/or knives with a light pull and no half stops (SAK's). SAK's (more than Sardinian folders) taught me how to always open/close a knife pinching the blade between thumb and index and keeping away from the space between the edge and the handles. This has kept me decently safe.
But, if you want my opinion, half stops, especially combined with a strong pull, are not a safety feature, not at all; they're just added danger. I know most of you folks will cringe at this...but then again, most of you are used to such knives. Yet, I'm sure that, if an enquiry could be made among knife users, many more cuts result from strong pulls, most of which with half stops, while SAK (or Buck 30x knives, for the matter) have cut less (fingers), and Opinel's (as representative of friction folders) even less.
I know it might be due to my "knife roots", but even thinking about it rationally, I really can't see any advantage in a knife with half stops.
As I wrote once (and made Kevin laugh), I'm not going to cut anything with the blade open at 90 degrees

Fausto

I agree with you fully Fausto. Give a slip joint with a solid half stop to someone that isn't that familiar with knives and its going to be a scary site

 

[ptradeco]

well i could also see no half stop could also be a way of showing the makers talent, like if it is perfectly rounded and completely smooth all the way to the open position. i would think that would take a bit more talent than a half stop.

Not so sure about that but willing to consider the possibility. Maybe a maker or two will chime in on this.

 

[TheGoldenWalrus]

well it just seems like it would be harder to make a rounded surface than a flat one, thats all i'm saying.