How to perform a proper inertial opening of your folder

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ThinkOfTheChildren

ThinkOfTheChildren

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Every once in a while someone chimes in to the forums with a post like, "Did you know that you can flick out an axis knife by pulling back on the lock?!?!" Or, someone will say, "Hey! I just loosened up the pivot on my folder and now I can flick it out!!!"

It seems like a lot of people want to know how to perform an inertial opening of their knife, but they're going about it all wrong.

You don't need to disengage the lock.
You don't need to make the pivot so damn loose the blade is about to fall out.

It's all about technique.

So, for your intellectual curiousity, I dug up an old article I had written, edited it some, and re-posted it on my site.

Here is a short piece on the proper technique for inertially opening a folding knife: http://cpm440v.tripod.com/inertia.htm

If you practice, I guarantee that you will be able to inertially open 9 out 10 one-handed folders on the market while they're still set at the factory pivot tension.

Please, if you think I'm a demon and that I'm a knife abuser, don't flame me. I offer this article as a piece of knowledge that I think is useful and I was prudent enough to stick two lovely disclaimers in it.
 
and I'm guilty of doing it a lot, but I noticed that it's slower than opening a knife as designed, and allows much more chance of dropping the knife, cutting myself or someone else, and getting myself arrested for a interpreted violation of the switchblade laws.
 
go ahead...I dare ya!...no...I DOUBLE DARE YA!

:D


...has this thread gone to the dogs or what?

:D
 
MelancholyMutt,
I'll have to disagree with you. Once you get the technique down for an intertial opening, I think it's faster than manually opening the knife. If you know what you're doing, you can incorporate the opening arc into the drawstroke so that the draw opens the knife.
As to grip security, this depends on the size/weight of the knife. On smaller knives, you'll be fine since you have all your fingers on the handle. Again, if you know what you're doing, you're not going to chuck your knife across the room. Whipping giant folders like the Sifu is another matter, however.
I think inertial openings also transition into full grips faster and easier than thumb openings. I don't have to reposition my hand as much.

Mongrel,
I hear ya buddy, that's why I said 9 out of 10, not 10 out of 10 :D
You know what's really frustrating? Try inertially opening a Spyderco Q. There isn't enough mass to get that blade moving at all. You'll feel like an idiot whipping your wrist around :D
 
It takes practice alright
perhaps you could suggest in your article to those who choose to practice to use a lanyard so that it won't be thrown to the ground, wall or flesh *ewwww*
 
but isn't it true it's not good for your knife?
Click to expand...

Bit like doing burnouts in a car...

Not good for the car, but so much fun...

and the better the car, the more it can take.
 
burnouts? no, the car quality doesn't control how many it can take. In fact, z-rated tires on high end cars *CAN* go through rubber pretty quickly. That said. you are sort of right in that my wife's Honda Odyssey can't even do it. Reminded of when a friend of mine in Austria let me drive his BMW Z-1 (ltd. edition predecessor to the Z-3 with some really funky doors)... his two comments were "You can shift before it gets to the redline you know..." and "You just left about 90 marks worth of rubber on the ground..."

:cool:

as to the knives, well I can open mine plenty fast by pushing the little button...;)
 
Originally posted by fracmeister
as to the knives, well I can open mine plenty fast by pushing the little button...;)
Click to expand...

That's my favorite opening method as well.
 
Thanks all for checking out the article.

Calyth,
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll put in a line about possibly utilizing lanyards or training knives.

Manji,
As I said in disclaimer #2 in my article:
DISCLAIMER #2 -- Many people will tell you that inertial openings are abusive to folding knives. I consider this to be true some of the time. In my experience, a well built folder will take inertial openings fine. Still, there are some folders that will show significant wear from inertial openings. This wear is most apparent in some liner locks. I wore the liner lock on my AFCK extremely quickly through inertial openings, but the liner lock on my Military has stood up fine. It's very knife specific but be aware that some manufacturers might consider this to be abusive behavior and you might damage your knife.
Click to expand...
 
I'm not too sure that flipping-a folder out and open will do much to improve our "knife nut" image too much to the "sheeple public".:rolleyes:.
 
I have been able to "flicK" just about every folder I've owned and never had to loosen a pivot point. It's pretty much a skill that one can learn. On the other hand, I don't make it a habbit to always flick them open because of wear and tear on the knives. I also have to agree with Glockmann that people can kinda get a little nervious if you are always flipping a blade open. Not to mention, that local laws might interpret a lawful knife....unlawful.
 
Well if you know how to use a knife responsibly then you can make judgement on when it's ok to inertia open a knife. I don't do it all the time but I don't abstain completely.
Is it ok to flip a knife open in your garage while you're working fix-it duties? Sure, why not? Unless you have tour buses coming through your house :p
Should you cruise over to the local department store, go to the soccer mom department to get your wife some clothing and whip out your biggest folder as hard as you can to cut off the tag? Of course not.

C'mon. I shouldn't have to explain common sense. Anyway, Glockman, you carry a Chinook and before that you carried a Sifu. I don't think you have much of a leg to stand on talking about not scaring sheeple :D
 
LOL.....:D So flipping out my Sifu or the MAXX at one of those fancy yuppy restaurant's to cut my veggie burger with humis in half is a bad idea???:p
 
If inertial openings will ruin your knife, get a better knife :)

My problem with inertia opening is, I've seen and heard of so many people throw their knives across the room, while under no stress at all, I worry for people who will try to do this in a defensive situation, where they are under tons of stress and their fine motor skills have completely degraded.

That said, I'm not sure if I use the exact same inertia opening mechanism as described on that page, but I find if you snap your wrist (as the web page said, don't lock your wrist) and aim the end of the whipping motion to have the force on the blade to be outwards, the blade will always fly out.

I don't open that way much, except for fun. I sometimes use a hybrid: I thumb-flick the knife open, which will usually open the knife anywhere from halfway open to fully open. I give my wrist a very slight flick at the same time, which imparts enough inertia that if the thumb-flick didn't open the blade all the way, the wrist flick will.

Joe
 
I have a much easier way of flicking a folder.Place your hand with the thumb and first finger in a V position.Put the closed folder between the thumb and 1st finger with the blade facing away from the palm of the hand and the butt end of the handle along the 1 finger(the back of the knife will be placed in the V with the pivot facing away or opposite from the 1st finger).Then just flick your wrist.You then have to position the handle into the sabre or hammer grip.I've found that almost any folder can be flicked open using this method,even a buck 110.
 
Originally posted by ThinkOfTheChildren
Calyth,
Now the article has a third disclaimer :D
Still the same address.
Click to expand...
Hey no problem. At least I learned from MY mistakes ;)
My CRKT KFF still doesn't have serious signs of wear.
 
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