Locking Blade Essential?

jideta

jideta

Joined
Apr 8, 2020
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Do you really need it?
I needed it when I was young and dumb and trying to open C-rats with my fake SAK.
I apparently forgot there was a can opener on the knife.

Nowadays I don't stab and hack at stuff too much.
I also notice that some makers are doing nice things with friction and slips.

Locking blades absolutely?
discuss

I forgot to add that a lock does give me peace of mind knowing that if I still do stupid things with my knife it won't come back to haunt too bad.
Hopefully not emergency room bad.
 
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I like slip joints because that what I grew up with. As I got two be an old fart, I came to really appreciate friction folders like my Sardinian Resolza and Japanese Higonokami. These days most of what carry are small SAK's within locks. I haven't had a problem, but then I don't plan on stabbing anything. Even with my Opinel, I very rarely use the locking ring, and just use it like the friction folder it was many to be from 1890 to 1955 when they aded the locking ring. Probably some lawyer thing.

No, don't need no locks.
 
Well, all you really need to do is learn to use a knife as it was intended to be used. If you have a knife with a strong locking mechanism, you can get away with a lot more abuse. No lock, or even no back spring as in a friction type folder, just remember to stay within the limits of the design and you'll be fine.
 
In "the old days" folks had small slip joints for small jobs and fixed blades for big jobs. Now, we have locking folding knives that, for a lot of people, can do both.

For everyday use for me, a locking blade is not a necessity. But for more demanding use, it sure is nice. I usually carry a locking EDC-type folder clipped in my back pocket and a small traditional knife in one of my front pockets. A fixed blade or two are in the car. Got the bases covered!
 
jackknife said:
I like slip joints because that what I grew up with. As I got two be an old fart, I came to really appreciate friction folders like my Sardinian Resolza and Japanese Higonokami. These days most of what carry are small SAK's within locks. I haven't had a problem, but then I don't plan on stabbing anything. Even with my Opinel, I very rarely use the locking ring, and just use it like the friction folder it was many to be from 1890 to 1955 when they aded the locking ring. Probably some lawyer thing.

No, don't need no locks.
Click to expand...

You mention the lawyer thing; you may have something there.
With bicycles, they were fairly simple machines.
Now they have all sorts of weird safety things built into them like wheel retention stuff on the dropouts.
Lawyers.
 
Depends on what you are going to do with it? All-purpose EDC for all circumstances? YES I would prefer a locking blade. Does that mean I carry a locking knife every day, and never carry or use slipjoints? No, of course not!

Pick the right tool for the job, the right knife for the day and time.
 
Lock not required.
At least 90-95% of my "accumulation" are slipjoints and friction folders.
The only locking blade folders I have, are a small herd of Buck 110 & 110LT, and a few Schrade 6OT/7OT.
 
I do treat my sharps with healthy respect and, lock or without lock, I do discipline myself to use them like they are all slip joint with a really weak backspring. So having lock is not a 'necessity', but just extra insurance.

However, having said that, I do think lock is a good idea if you ever want to lend a knife to 'layman'--I will always remember how freaked out I was when I saw a slip joint being pushed towards its spine(reverse cutting?) when the person was trying to clear the tape on a box.
 
I grew up using slipjoint knives. I was taught that when you needed to put pressure on the point of the knife (using it to puncture something), you use your thumb and forefinger to hold the blade so that it can't close. You use the rest of your hand to hold the handle. Still works for me today.

Which is not to say that I don't have knives with locks, but I consider locks to be an alternate for springs, not something superior to them.

So, to answer the question, "Nope. Don't need a lock."
 
I like locks.
Safety features are a good thing.

I like seat belts too.
In a not bad car accident in the past, but it would have sucked if not for the presence of a seat belt.

I have slip joint knives.
My dad grew up with slip joint knives...he also grew up with guys who had scars on their hands from those knives closing on them. :D
My dad prefers knives with locks also. :thumbsup:
 
I like the added security of a blade lock, and the ease of opening and closing one handed (Walker, Axis, Compression etc.). Slipjoints are fine, too, and lockbacks, though they are not as convenient. But none of them are foolproof (or proof against fools:oops:).
 
When I was young I learned to appreciate a locking blade folder while working with livestock. When they kick or thrash around while you’re trying to cut with a slip joint they can close on your fingers in a flash. Of course a fixed blade would be better but sometimes they aren’t practical. Probably 99% of the time I don’t need a locking blade but it’s the other 1% of the time they can be very beneficial.
I remember a time my dad and I were out checking and feeding cattle and a cow had become tangled in some nylon twine wrapped around her hocks. We got a rope on her and tipped her over to immobilize her and tied up best we could but she wouldn’t hold still as we tried to cut her free with our stockman knives. After dad got a finger cut when she kicked and it closed on him, I found some side cutters in the pickup toolbox to finish the job but they didn’t cut as well as a knife and it took awhile. We actually got some shears from the veterinarian for just those situations to keep in the toolbox. Side cutters are for wire.
 
Locks? Why not. It's not like they're a bad thing.

I was cutting a sheet of rubber once, 3/16ths" thick. I was using a TL-29 electricians knife because of the very thin, very sharp blade. Well, I suffered a lapse in judgement, and when I reached the end of my cut I made the mistake of pulling the blade back out of the rubber rather than pulling down. The rubber gripped the blade and pulled it halfway closed before I realized my error. No injury was sustained, but it was a close call.

I never met anyone who was perfect. Met a few people who thought they were. I'm human, and that means I'm capable of making mistakes. If having a lock on a folder prevents me from needing stiches, or surgery, on the rare occasion when my judgement or attention might lapse, then I consider the lock worth having.

But at the same time, I don't look upon a non-locking folder as something dangerous. I still use that TL-29.
 
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