Innovative Knives

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UnknownVT

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Feb 15, 2003
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What do you consider an innovative designed knife - that makes it unique and puts it out of the ordinary??

Hopefully it is still practical - rather than just novel for the sake of being novel.

Give us your thoughts - describe an example and what makes it innovative or unique in design - better yet show us pics if possible.

Here's my starter -

David Boye "Tweezer" Knife
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A Boye small "Basic" fixed integral metal handled knife (with cocobolo inlay) hinged to a folder handle - the butt of which is sprung to receive and hold/clasp the tip portion of the blade (hence the nickname "tweezer")

Once practised the knife can be easily opened one-handed by pinching the gap formed when closed by the folder handle and the "choil" part of the knife - ie: the part where the actual blade drops from the integral handle. I hope that description is adequate - (I'll see if I can think of a way to illustrate this with a picture)

The obvious disadvantage is that for the folded length one gets a very short actual sharpened blade, since part of the overall handle is formed by the fixed integral metal handle on the knife itself.

But the advantage is that there is almost no fear of the knife folding on one's hand since the hand holds partly the integral fixed handle and even if the knife folds in use, the hand is not really in the way of the sharpened blade as in regular folders....

Your pick(s)?
 
Well someone has to say it...SPYDERCO.
The hole
The clip
The serrations

The Sebenza...
The integral (frame) lock
Manufacturing to a higher level

Paul
 
Boye's whole blade-making technique is innovative, with the dendritic steel or cobalt. His Basic line of knives, even without the handles attached, is different.

I wouldn't be surprised if Blackie Collins made the first assisted openers, but Ken Onion working with Kershaw really made them a big thing.

The axis locks were a big innovation, and sparked a few copycat locks from SOG and Cold Steel.
 
Originally posted by Esav Benyamin
The axis locks were a big innovation, and sparked a few copycat locks from SOG and Cold Steel.
Click to expand...

Aren't the axis locks similar to another Blackie Collins cross-bolt lock?
 
I have a Gerber bolt-action, the lock Blackie C. designed. The axis is like it in that a spring pushes a bolt forward against a notch in the tang, to block the blade from closing up until you pull back on the lock.

But the bolt-action looks and feels from the outside like a rolling lock. It isn't ambidextrous -- although it could have been made so, in which case it would have been an axis lock, for all practical purposes. But it pushes a bolt inside the handle against the tang, not a roller that protrudes from the handle and serves as it's own lock release.
 
I'm not sure what came first, but I think Perrin's La Griffe blades are innovative (unless someone preceded him on the design). What I first saw it, I thought, "okay, big hole in the handle, so what?" Well, the hole makes all the difference in the world. It allows you to put a small handle on a fixed blade and still have excellent control and retention. I think it's a great feature.

The Hideaway, mentioned above, innovates on the general concept. The big step forward, for me, was that with your fingers in the "capsule", you could actually open your hands and work with your fingers. How often do you find yourself doing something around the house where you frequently have to do a cut, then manipulate the object with both hands, then do another cut, etc. Breaking down boxes, doing minor gardening and pruning, the examples go on and on. Constantly picking the knife up and putting it down gets old. The Hideaway has worked out exactly as I'd hoped: small highly-controllable blade with good cutting geometry, and when you need to work with your hands, just open them up and the knife stays put on your fingers, so when you want to cut just close your fist again.
 
Originally posted by Esav Benyamin
What, do you have some other Extremely Reasonable lock in mind?
Click to expand...

Nope, just mistyped. :D

But, thanks. The cross-bolt passive locking system from Extrema Ratio.
 
Originally posted by Verzejd
Is is still available & where? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I don't think the "tweezer" knife is in David Boye's current regular line of knives any more.

He currently appears to be only making his BDC (Cobalt) Boat Knives.

So it may be a case of finding/waiting for one via the resell market or contacting David Boye and asking him -

His web site is:

http://www.boyeknives.com/index.cfm
 
Many thanks for all the responses on this thread about knife innovations - I hadn't thought about it that way - but those were great suggestions.

Here's another great design:
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knife shown in the 2 locked positions - as a T-handle and in-line.

No, it's not an original - but a "copy" very much in the style of Ray Appleton.

This "copy" was made by Paul Chen's Hanwei knives -
the "Citizen" model KH1004 (marketed by CAS Iberia).
http://casiberia.com/cas_website/printer_friendly.asp?id=KH1004

It has similar functionality to Ray Appleton's knives - but obviously without the stunningly sophisticated locking mechanisms of Ray's work, or the painstaking workmanship/artistry.

But then again it is a very affordable knife -
and I can't quite stretch to the real Ray Appleton prices..........

In case people think I'm encouraging "knock-offs" -
I spoke to Ray Appleton some years ago when I first found the Citizen - and described the knife in great detail to him over the phone.

Ray basically laughed and said he welcomes as many copies out there as people care to make - because they just won't be able to duplicate his work - each and every one of his knives are unique. I was stunned by his response - but thinking on it - I thought this was a really open and generous attitude.

Ray's web site:

http://www.texinet.net/ray/

Below is one of my favorite real Ray Appleton knives - Ray sent me this photo by Weyer:
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