How do you like your pull?

My preference is for a solid #5 pull, just like a Swiss Army Knife but with a bit more snap than most SAKs. I don't mind a heavier pull, like a 7 or 8, provided the blade is longer with the opening nick positioned for better leverage.
 
jkulysses said:
I have weak fingernails so prefer a medium pull but don't mind a little stiffer pull as long as the blade can be pinched open or has an eo notch.
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+1 Same for me. I don't like nail breakers (I have none). I prefer light/medium pulls though it is less an issue on knives I don't use often. Furthermore if they can be pinched open.
Esthetically I do prefer long pulls. Adds a vintage touch to the blade.
 
I don't have much trouble opening knives that have quite strong pulls, but I don't especially like them. My preference is probably around 6, if a SAK is 5. I don't like having to push a blade the last little bit to close it completely; I'd rather have some snap to close. I think my favorite knives in terms of opening and closing may have a range of pull strengths, but what I really like about them is a smooth, uniform force required through their entire "range of motion". Don't really appreciate different amounts of force needed at different positions as the knife is opened.

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
I don't have much trouble opening knives that have quite strong pulls, but I don't especially like them. My preference is probably around 6, if a SAK is 5. I don't like having to push a blade the last little bit to close it completely; I'd rather have some snap to close. I think my favorite knives in terms of opening and closing may have a range of pull strengths, but what I really like about them is a smooth, uniform force required through their entire "range of motion". Don't really appreciate different amounts of force needed at different positions as the knife is opened.

- GT
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I think to get that even effort GT would require a knife with no Half Stop. I also like the even pull but prefer to have a half stop with a pull of around 7 or 8 and I realize that is a subjective number. My 7 may be someone else's 5 or 10 etc. , etc. , etc.

Harry
 
Just wondering, when most on this forum talk about pull , are you describing actual poundage (like one may use a scale to check a gun trigger pounds of pressure to break), or meaning a random scale of hardness between 1-10? Woe, did I just do all of that in one sentence?

I'm thinking those in the know are probably talking an actual weight, while others may be talking scale of easy to hard. Would be nice to know if those throwing out specific numbers are speaking subjectively or using actual specifics.
 
bflying said:
Just wondering, when most on this forum talk about pull , are you describing actual poundage (like one may use a scale to check a gun trigger pounds of pressure to break), or meaning a random scale of hardness between 1-10? Woe, did I just do all of that in one sentence?

I'm thinking those in the know are probably talking an actual weight, while others may be talking scale of easy to hard. Would be nice to know if those throwing out specific numbers are speaking subjectively or using actual specifics.
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For me , there is no actual measurement , it is just a WAG on what I perceive to be easy or hard for me to open based on a 1 to 10 scale in my mind.
 
Pull strength is described in a relative continuum, from 1 being flop open and closed, 5 being the average SAK pull (because they are so consistent), to 10 being almost impossible to open without pliers. 9-10 are thought of as "nail breakers," while 2-3 are "mushy," so the actual working range of knives without defect is from 4-8 (though some people with weak nails include 8s as nail breakers).
 
I figure I would prefer something around a 6 as I imagine it. Maybe a 7 with a properly placed nail nick. Nothing bothers me like a knife ruined by an improperly blacked nick.

As Jackknife said, I don't like to struggle with my knives. I spend a lot of time in the woods and on lakes and rivers. Soone or later I am going to have to open my knife when my hands are cold and my nails are softened by the water. Better a knife have a little less snap than cut myself trying to open it.

All of that said, I like the pull to be strong enough as to not partially close when I withdraw the knife from a deep cut while notching or feathering. My Buck 301 is just too soft for that
 
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