Half Stops

As has been mentioned if a knife has a strong spring they provide some measure of safety. And since I like a harder pull on my knives I am a fan of the half stop. However, when a knife has a light pull, let's say under a 5 or even 6. I don't think that they are at all necessary, regardless of whether or not the pattern had one historically.
 
Wharncliffe blades in particular give me the willies when closing them, a half stop is appreciated. Cam tangs seem to work well on sodbuster type patterns.
 
The irony I find here is that many are saying a square tang is safer for extremely hard to open knives... Yet all my extremely hard to open knives are square tangs...
 
DeathbySnooSnoo said:
As has been mentioned if a knife has a strong spring they provide some measure of safety.
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I've never been able to figure out the logic in that argument. I have all sorts of soft closing traditional knives, including a Buck 303 which I carried and used every day for well over a decade for all sorts of nasty cutting chores. In well over 50 years of using traditional knives I have NEVER had a knife accidentally close on my fingers.

Traditional knives are meant for cutting with the edge, not piercing with the tip. As you cut with the edge, you are pushing the knife open. How is it going to close on you? If you need a piercing cut, you use a sheepsfoot or Wharncliffe blade so that, as you push, you are actually pushing the knife open.

As for half stops, I mostly don't care for them. But the presence of one is not a deal breaker for me.
 
knarfeng said:
I've never been able to figure out the logic in that argument. I have all sorts of soft closing traditional knives, including a Buck 303 which I carried and used every day for well over a decade for all sorts of nasty cutting chores. In well over 50 years of using traditional knives I have NEVER had a knife accidentally close on my fingers.

Traditional knives are meant for cutting with the edge, not piercing with the tip. As you cut with the edge, you are pushing the knife open. How is it going to close on you? If you need a piercing cut, you use a sheepsfoot or Wharncliffe blade so that, as you push, you are actually pushing the knife open.

As for half stops, I mostly don't care for them. But the presence of one is not a deal breaker for me.
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I meant when opening and closing. I should have been more specific. I just find that if your knife has a tough spring, then that half stop allows for a repositioning of the hands. I will use the nail nick to open the knife to the
half stop and then grasp the blade to fully open. The same for closing. Use the fingers to close the blade to the half stop then reposition to push the blade closed with no fingers in the way.

With the majority of knives having pretty weak pulls these days, it's not a very big deal. But I've got a few that I would class as an 8 or above, including a GEC #54 Harness Jack that I would call a bear trap...and I am very glad for that half stop.
 
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Thanks for the clarification.
I'm still not certain I agree with it for the reasons given by Cory, which I've quoted below.

Cory Hess said:
I've done it several times. It happens when you first get the blade over that first corner and it shifts from wanting to close to wanting to open. If the spring is very strong and the half-stop is very defined there is a sudden change in force. The blade used to be pushing against your thumbnail that's in the nick, and now it's pulling away. What happens is your nail slips out of the nick and you don't have time to react, so you're still pushing with that thumb. The thumb slides up past the blade and the edge catches on your knuckle. My 23 has caught me a couple of times like this, especially when it was new and I wasn't yet accustomed to it's mighty snap.
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Just hold them between your thumb, forefinger tip, and middle finger tip with the end cap or barehead against the pad of your thumb and swing them open while keeping your thumbnail firmly engaged. Why would anyone place any finger or a thumb over the opening of the well/frame once the blade leaves the well/frame opening -- says the guy that stuck himself in the stomach once when opening a knife with a half stop when his thumbnail slipped out of the nail nick when the half stop engaged!!!!:rolleyes:
 
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Definitely prefer half stops. Anecdotally I observe that they prevent wear and help the spring retain its snap after years and years. Also possible self-cleaning properties. Finally, the square and flush joint a la Remington is a thing of beauty.
 
Sonnemann said:
Definitely prefer half stops. Anecdotally I observe that they prevent wear and help the spring retain its snap after years and years. Also possible self-cleaning properties. Finally, the square and flush joint a la Remington is a thing of beauty.
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I think the opposite is actually the case, that the square tang increases wear, though I suspect that because of our harder steels it's far less evident than in the 18th century, when rounded tangs were introduced specifically to reduce spring wear. Definitely with you on the square and clean joints :thumbup:
 
A few custom makers incorporate a lighter pull on opening to the half stop, heavier to the full open position. Those of us with thumb issues appreciate it :)
 
I've always preferred a knife without half-stops, I like the smooth opening and close when the spring is about 7. Nor do I understand the 'safety' aspects of half-stops??:confused: If anything, I find the opposite where you have a strongly sprung knife it can cut your fingers if you slip off the blade when attempting to close it. :eek: However, half-stops would never prevent me from buying a knife I fancied.

Is a square & flush joint the same as square end construction? As found on say GEC 73s? It looks neat and takes skill, but they're much more difficult to oil without overdoing it I find.....
 
I don't mind half stops on knives with modest pulls. But combine a half stop with a really strong spring and that turns it into a bear trap. Much more of a safety hazard to me than a safety improvement.
 
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