Just finished a spine whack test on my Buck Select.

Folders...batoning...spine whacks...owners should probably have everything sharper than their house keys taken away... ;)
 
Bugout Bill said:
I don't really see how that is a plausible situation. If I am every going anywhere were I see the possibility that I would need to live off the land (which I would fail quickly at), I carry a fixed blade or have one in reach. If I am ever outdoors and I loose my fixed blade, I will have lost my pants and with it any folders I was carrying (Belt and leg tie down on my big knives). In that case, I am probably going to die. There is a reason why a lot of people carry dedicated neck knives or carry a conventional knife around their neck.

If you lose a large (5-8 inch) fixed blade, you have done something seriously wrong.

Also, why baton with the knife in the locked position?
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I realized, that you responded to a sarcastic comment but thats actually a pretty good reason for carrying a neck knife, LOL.
Ive never been much into them, but can actually see how carrying an Izula or Street Beat in neck carry mode could come in handy, in case you suddenly find yourself in the outdoors up a creek with neither paddle nor pants....



DarkPatriot said:
Well the spine whack test is completely valid for testing whether you're folder can handle being stabbed into a tree to be used as a step to reach the next branch when being chased by a grizzly bear. Think about it, that grizzly is coming after you, you may misjudge the distance to the closest branch and need to jump up and down on the spine of the knife to reach that branch and pull yourself to safety ;). I agree with Bill, I've been out in the woods for a month at a time before and never lost my fixed blade, maybe you need a more expensive one. I know the more I paid for something, the more closely I pay attention to its whereabouts. :)
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:D
On a more serious note (NOOOT!) I now see why a folder, which can withstand spine whacking, is the only thing to bring as opposed to a fixed knife in the above scenario, as the strong spring will actually elevate you out of bears reach (sort of like a trampoline), as you use the knife as a step up the tree.

...unless of course the animal is armed. I have heard some support the right to bear arms.



o4tg said:
People like the spine whack test, simply because it tells them how tough their liner is. No matter how invalid it is or not, does anyone really not like the peace of mind knowing their knife has a strong locking mechanism? The problem is repeated testing of it will cause undue stress to the liner, prematurely compromising lockup.

In reality though, a hacking test which stresses the stop pin is much more valid at showing the brute strength of a folding knife. I get rocks thrown at me for saying this, but the Buck Vantage line has one of the lamest and weakest stop pin assemblies I've ever seen.
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No rocks thrown here. I'm interested; tell me more. I havent seen an exploded view of the knife and wasnt aware, that it was prone to breakage.
 
JNewell said:
Folders...batoning...spine whacks...owners should probably have everything sharper than their house keys taken away... ;)
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Hey!!!! I baton a folder...well maybe...ummmm....you might have a point......can I keep the car keys too?:confused: :beer:
 
Man, I've gotten some good belly laughs from this thread! I had to go make some popcorn halfway through. All kidding aside though, I have a legit question about all this. Most of the scenarios I've heard about how a knife spine needs to be able to handle a heavy impact seem pretty silly to me, hence a lot of the eye rolling over the spine whack test. Having said that, it is important to me that my folders be able to handle a reasonable amount of sustained pressure against the spine. For example, sometimes I'll clean larger fish with my folders and I will have to exert a fair bit of forward pressure to punch the tip through a spine or bone. I'm always very conscious of what I'm doing, but sometimes a slip can occur and a significant amount of pressure can be put on the spine. Rare, but it can happen. Now this is not an impact, it is more like just pressure on the spine. I've never had a lock fail and hopefully never will, but y question is, what relevancy would a spine whack test have to how the lockup handles this kind of pressure? Any? None?

Ok, that's it! I apologize for derailing the comedy for a legitimate question. Seriously...this thread has been a hoot!
 
Surfingringo said:
Man, I've gotten some good belly laughs from this thread! I had to go make some popcorn halfway through. All kidding aside though, I have a legit question about all this. Most of the scenarios I've heard about how a knife spine needs to be able to handle a heavy impact seem pretty silly to me, hence a lot of the eye rolling over the spine whack test. Having said that, it is important to me that my folders be able to handle a reasonable amount of sustained pressure against the spine. For example, sometimes I'll clean larger fish with my folders and I will have to exert a fair bit of forward pressure to punch the tip through a spine or bone. I'm always very conscious of what I'm doing, but sometimes a slip can occur and a significant amount of pressure can be put on the spine. Rare, but it can happen. Now this is not an impact, it is more like just pressure on the spine. I've never had a lock fail and hopefully never will, but y question is, what relevancy would a spine whack test have to how the lockup handles this kind of pressure? Any? None?

Ok, that's it! I apologize for derailing the comedy for a legitimate question. Seriously...this thread has been a hoot!
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Gringo, what knife do you usually use for this? If I remember correctly, you like the Pacific Salt, a knife that I would not really worry about.
 
As comical as this thread may seem to some or all of you, it's actually given me a little bit better understanding of liner locks and just the respect you must have for all knives and their capabilities. Just a quick thanks for the info.
 
Spine whack = tactical testing....one of the best threads ever.
 
sunandsteel said:
As comical as this thread may seem to some or all of you, it's actually given me a little bit better understanding of liner locks and just the respect you must have for all knives and their capabilities. Just a quick thanks for the info.
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Yeah...I gained that after I white knuckled my buck vantage.
 
...and here I thought you were gonna whack somebody's spine with a knife - bummer...
 
I never pick up any knife to use without being aware that it could fail abruptly if pushed beyond its limits. You just have to develop the good sense to stay within its working envelope. Hopefully, this knowledge comes before you lose some part of your anatomy.

For me it began back in Scouts with woodcarving merit badge, using my Imperial Scout knife and some special woodcarving knives and gouges the camp owned. I learned to spot when a new woodcarving class had begun: bandages suddenly appeared on fingers around camp.
 
I live in a remote area and often hike trails with my dogs. It's a rain forest, here, so undergrowth quickly grows across trails during spring and summer. I like to use my folder to whack off some of the longer branches closing the trail. It's not enough work to use a machete, but it needs to be done regularly.

Any folder with a defective lock will fail under this kind of use because the vibration can make a lock fail and the downward inertia of the blade will close the knife on my fingers. This actually happened with a large Voyager I used to use some years ago. I always spine whack my user folders, but lightly, which is all it takes, to ensure they are solid. A properly designed lock will hold up just fine.

Any lock that fails a light spine whack is defective. Yes, you can still use the knife for most things, but it becomes a slip joint that can fail quickly at any time.

But really, a lock that doesn't fail easily is an important aspect of a well-made knife.
 
Twindog said:
I live in a remote area and often hike trails with my dogs. It's a rain forest, here, so undergrowth quickly grows across trails during spring and summer. I like to use my folder to whack off some of the longer branches closing the trail. It's not enough work to use a machete, but it needs to be done regularly.

Any folder with a defective lock will fail under this kind of use because the vibration can make a lock fail and the downward inertia of the blade will close the knife on my fingers. This actually happened with a large Voyager I used to use some years ago. I always spine whack my user folders, but lightly, which is all it takes, to ensure they are solid. A properly designed lock will hold up just fine.

Any lock that fails a light spine whack is defective. Yes, you can still use the knife for most things, but it becomes a slip joint that can fail quickly at any time.

But really, a lock that doesn't fail easily is an important aspect of a well-made knife.
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sounds more like a job for a fixed blade. i never take a folder off road, on a trail, or wilderness.
 
Twindog said:
I live in a remote area and often hike trails with my dogs. It's a rain forest, here, so undergrowth quickly grows across trails during spring and summer. I like to use my folder to whack off some of the longer branches closing the trail. It's not enough work to use a machete, but it needs to be done regularly.

Any folder with a defective lock will fail under this kind of use because the vibration can make a lock fail and the downward inertia of the blade will close the knife on my fingers. This actually happened with a large Voyager I used to use some years ago. I always spine whack my user folders, but lightly, which is all it takes, to ensure they are solid. A properly designed lock will hold up just fine.

Any lock that fails a light spine whack is defective. Yes, you can still use the knife for most things, but it becomes a slip joint that can fail quickly at any time.

But really, a lock that doesn't fail easily is an important aspect of a well-made knife.
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Hmmmm, not sure my first thought would be to 'whack off' any long branches closing a trail by using my EDC folder.....

It sounds exactly like the job for a machete or fixed blade chopper (which BTW can be had in quite handy and light weight sizes these days).

You are even aware, that it has to be done on a regular basis hence would hardly be surprised by the branches being there on a regular basis and thus could plan to bring the right tool for the job.

I am reminded of the seven Ps; Proper Prior Planning Prevents PXXs Poor Performance.
 
I thought the spine whack test was pointless until one day while I was gutting the attic of a house, I pulled out my Gayle Bradley to quickly cut out some sheetrock in a tight corner. When I pulled the knife out from the sheetrock, because it took some effort, when it popped out it hit a beam pretty hard right on the spine of the knife. If the lock hadn't held up, I probably would have had a nasty cut (because it took quite a bit of force to get out).
 
BladeScout said:
Hmmmm, not sure my first thought would be to 'whack off' any long branches closing a trail by using my EDC folder.....

It sounds exactly like the job for a machete or fixed blade chopper (which BTW can be had in quite handy and light weight sizes these days).

You are even aware, that it has to be done on a regular basis hence would hardly be surprised by the branches being there on a regular basis and thus could plan to bring the right tool for the job.

I am reminded of the seven Ps; Proper Prior Planning Prevents PXXs Poor Performance.
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If a properly made folder does it neatly and efficiently then it is the proper tool for the job.
 
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