half stops?

M

mito0

Joined
Apr 27, 2007
Messages
250
hey everyone,
i'm not sure if i'm posting this int he right place, but i figured you all would know:
what's the point of half stops on a blade?
i find them really annoying, and i can't imagine why anyone would do it on purpose.
when i want my knife open, i want it open, not half-open.
could someone enlighten me?
thanks,
mc
 
Ya got to like and appreciate the old traditional slip joints to understand 'half stops' :D

Not sure of the purpose but I like 'half stops' on slip joints.
 
I don't build them without a half stop! Hah:p I just like the way they work and it shows a little more care I think. I'm sure someone knows the actual reason for them. Safety I would guess.
 
I always thought it was to make them easier to open. The nail nick is a bit precarious and on some knives I find myself changing position when opening, especially one that closes deep and you can't really pinch the blade or on a really tight knife. With a half stop you can easily change.
 
I thought the main idea was to stop the blade halfway when closing the knife, to avoid getting a finger caught between the blade and handle.
 
Definitely a safety feature.

I like them and I'm sure I've been spared a couple of N A S T Y cuts over the years because they were there.

My current EDC is a Loveless City Knife btw and he uses half stops. If it's good enough for him it's good enough for moi.

Just my 2 centavos

Syn
 
hmm.
i've got a lot of old slipjoints passed down from my grandfather and none of them have half stops. every slipjoint i've owned (up until recently) didn't have them and i've never cut myself closing a knife. in fact, i've come a lot closer to cutting myself with the half stop knives than those without. i'm just not used to them, i guess.
but, i suppose we all stick with whatever we grew up with, so i'm thinking it's probably more a matter of taste than real functionality.
thanks for all the responses!
 
I never used half stops till about a year ago . I am not sure what's up but people
seem to want them.
 
There were probably as many old slip joints made without half stops than with.

This would be a very good question for the 'Traditional folder and fixed blade forum'.
 
I read, years ago, that some of the old English cutlers insisted
on half stops that were exactly 90 degrees so they could be
used as squares.
 
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