I Dont Understand Lanyards...Why do you need one??

C

clockman

Joined
Jan 14, 2009
Messages
3,176
I dont understand why a large knife with a clip needs a lanyard attached to

it hanging out of a pocket. I think the lanyard isnt necessary. I can under-

stand why a knife might need a lanyard if its In Your Pocket without a clip.


Folks with and without lanyards feel free to chime in...Id like to hear why

a lanyard is needed and not needed. They may look cool to some...I just

dont "get it"..........
 
While CA doesn't have a limit on folder length, being in LA county means no open carry of folders larger than 3 inches and no limit for concealed carry. That's why I'd put a lanyard on a large folder that already has a clip, for legally carrying the folder in LA.
 
In NYC any LEO that sees a pocket clipped knife is more than likely going to give you grief (or worse).... lanyards are legal though ;)
 
I don't like lanyards on my knives either but i do use some.
I prefer to sheath carry my knives and some knives do have a very snug fit so you have to use a lanyard to get them out.
Without it i will manage it to but with lanyard it will be easier and quicker.

I also have a large bm rukus and there is lanyard on it.
For sheath carry but also for pocket carry.
It has a low carry clip which i really like but i think the lanyard is a bit easier for grabbing the knife.
 
clockman said:
I dont understand why a large knife with a clip needs a lanyard attached to

it hanging out of a pocket. I think the lanyard isnt necessary. I can under-

stand why a knife might need a lanyard if its In Your Pocket without a clip.


Folks with and without lanyards feel free to chime in...Id like to hear why

a lanyard is needed and not needed. They may look cool to some...I just

dont "get it"..........
Click to expand...
It just depends upon where you're carrying at the time....

If you're using your knife on a boat, you would be wise to have it on a lanyard.
If the boat starts rolling and pitching, and you dropped your knife, it could injure someone else or slide off the deck and it to the water.

And a lanyard on the knife is a must if you are climbing or on top of a roof or cliff or tall ladder, etc...

It would also be good if you are hiking and camping and might encounter creeks and lakes and swamps and such.
Just jumping over a small creek could dislodge a pocket-clipped knife and you could lose it.

I also suppose it would be good if one was walking through thick snow.
If you dropped your knife it might be hard to find.
 
Lanyards (as in a loop that can go around the wrist) are nice to have for large choppers or in the scenarios mentioned by AllenC where having the blade slip from your grip could be a real problem. Other than that, I find them to be an embellishment that gets in the way more than anything else-especially for folders. I dislike using a knife with a lanyard flapping about, but that's just my preference.
 
I don't always clip a knife to a pocket depending on circumstances. At work, I keep it in my pocket and only use a very short lanyard to retrieve it easily. It I do have it clipped to a pocket then the short lanyard still gives me something extra to use for extraction.

I am talking about blades of 3" or so. I have no really "large" folders-with the exception of the folding bushman-and it is not a "typical" folding knife and has a lanyard from the factory.

I don't have any lanyards of more than 3-4 inches on any knives.

i think it comes down to practicality or personal choice.
 
I use them mainly for the purpose that fatcat55 mentions - to allow easier retrieval from a pocket, but also because they can sort of provide some more leverage/a better grip when opening tiny knives.

Here's a "for instance":

13sep90090001yyy.jpg
13sep90150001yyy.jpg
 
I have them on half my knives or so.

1. Useful for shorter knives as mentioned. A little something extra to hang-on too.

2. Helpful in finding in pocket.

3. Decoration. I think a well made, two colored lanyard looks nice. A bright color can help if you drop it in the woods too.

4. For a big chopper, a loop around the wrist can be helpful.
 
I can't stand them on EDC folders. I find they just get in the way, but I like them for fixed blades. I would carry one if I worked on a boat.
 
1) easier access to pocket knife
2) can add to the appearance
3) if you drop in snow can be very very helpful I guess this would also apply to grass etc if you have a high visibility lanyard attached...
 
I also didn't get how lanyards could be useful until I dropped my military in knee high grass in my farm. Spent a hot sweaty hour looking for it. I quickly made a lanyard after that for when I'm working in the farm.
 
I don't use any, I personally think they generally are for appearance. For a utility blade they just get in the way, and when around your wrist they hinder changing grips. I only use them for folding saws and large choppers, when I will be using the same grip. Also I wouldn't carry any knife (expect a slipjoint/sak) loose in my pocket, in case the blade opens.
 
At work I had to reach up and cut loose a box. when the box came loose a box behind it, that I did not know was leaning, caused the box to pop out faster than expected. When it happend it knocked my sm sebenza loose from my hand and falling towards my face. Luckly I had hold of my lanyard, and that was the only thing keeping the knife from scaring my face. Never really cared for them, but got used to it. Sure grad I had one the other day though.
 
Depends on if you mean a true lanyard (which loops around the wrist and prevents the knife from falling out of your hand) or one of those braided fobs that people erroneously call lanyards. I don't have much tolerance for the latter.
 
It doesn't really matter how big the folder is. If its in your pocket, and the clip is at the bottom of of the handle where they normally are, you are only going to have about an inch of handle at the most sticking out of your pocket. I don't like to only have about a thumb and two finger grip on my knife when i quickly pull it out of my pocket, it could easily be dropped in a stressful situation. With the lanyard you can hook your pinky finger around it, while also having a two finger grip on the handle, and easily grab it without having to dig around in your pocket.

Its also one more thing to stop it if the knife slips out of your hand.
 
elkins45 said:
Depends on if you mean a true lanyard (which loops around the wrist and prevents the knife from falling out of your hand) or one of those braided fobs that people erroneously call lanyards. I don't have much tolerance for the latter.
Click to expand...

If a true lanyard loops around the wrist, what's one like this that's clipped to your belt called?

spydercolanyard.jpg
[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]
 
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