There's been a lot of words in many threads being exchanged on the topic of locks and just how someone should use a locking folder. I'd like to get discussion going on this particular topic, hopefully getting input from people knowledgable in this area.
A lot of people recently have stated things to the effect of, "I never cut with the spine of my blade so I don't care what your knife did when you spinewhacked it." To you people, I ask, why do you carry a lock knife if you don't need the lock then? Furthermore, if I showed you a knife of mine that failed a wrist snap spinewhack to a hard surface, would you be interested in buying it from me or carrying it as your EDC? Why or why not?
I don't know how you use your knife. But personally, there are times where I do want a lock, which is why I've moved away from exclusively carrying a Swiss Army Knife like I used to do. I don't "cut with the spine of my knife" either, but I do sometimes load it. If I'm cutting through thick, heavy material, sometimes I place my left palm on the spine of the blade to apply additional force. If I'm cutting foods, such as slicing up a carrot or peeling an apple, I'll tap the spine of the blade on a cutting board or rim of a trash can to knock off the food scraps, which is the same action of a spinewhack (So yes, it does have real life application). Many piercing cuts require attention and care to not load the spine at all, such as poking into a large melon or thick cardboard boxes. When it the outdoors, my folders will get used to do light chopping through grasses and other vegetation and more rarely on wood. Sometimes when swinging a knife around I've accidently hit the spine on something, though this is rare. On occasion I've used a baton to cut through wood, metal and other tough materials, and this too can load the spine.
This is only my personal knife usage, I'm sure others can come up with other ways they "cut with the spine."
Why am I pointing this out? To show you, that yes, there are times where the lock is stressed when using a folding knife. Most of the things I've listed I've done with my Swiss Army Knives, such as tapping the spine of the blade on the cutting board to knock off apple peeling and the like. Why should my slip joint SAK be able to do this, but many claim doing the same thing to a lock knife is abuse? This seems contradictory to me.
If I can purchase, for 20$ from Company X, a liner locking knife that can take full arm swings to the spine (I consider this abusive and don't normally spinewhack my knives this way), why should a 50$ or 100$ liner lock knife from Company Y fail a wrist-snap spinewhack? Am I merely paying for fancy materials, rather than a higher level of craftsmanship? This seems contradictory as well.
These are all expectations I have being a fairly educated knife buyer (At least compared to the average Joe). Many of my friends will have absolutely no hesitation taking a 5$ Maxam knife and batoning it through wood using improper technique (That is, hammering right near the tip of the blade and keeping the knife locked). This technique stresses the lock very much, but these 5$ knives have, so far, held up to the abuse. This is just one example of what the "uneducated public" expects a locking knife to be able to do. I bring this up because what many here would argue as abuse pales in comparison to things other people do every day with their folders. Not saying I condone these actions, just using them for a point of comparison.
I would like to hear what others have to say, I've typed enough.
A lot of people recently have stated things to the effect of, "I never cut with the spine of my blade so I don't care what your knife did when you spinewhacked it." To you people, I ask, why do you carry a lock knife if you don't need the lock then? Furthermore, if I showed you a knife of mine that failed a wrist snap spinewhack to a hard surface, would you be interested in buying it from me or carrying it as your EDC? Why or why not?
I don't know how you use your knife. But personally, there are times where I do want a lock, which is why I've moved away from exclusively carrying a Swiss Army Knife like I used to do. I don't "cut with the spine of my knife" either, but I do sometimes load it. If I'm cutting through thick, heavy material, sometimes I place my left palm on the spine of the blade to apply additional force. If I'm cutting foods, such as slicing up a carrot or peeling an apple, I'll tap the spine of the blade on a cutting board or rim of a trash can to knock off the food scraps, which is the same action of a spinewhack (So yes, it does have real life application). Many piercing cuts require attention and care to not load the spine at all, such as poking into a large melon or thick cardboard boxes. When it the outdoors, my folders will get used to do light chopping through grasses and other vegetation and more rarely on wood. Sometimes when swinging a knife around I've accidently hit the spine on something, though this is rare. On occasion I've used a baton to cut through wood, metal and other tough materials, and this too can load the spine.
This is only my personal knife usage, I'm sure others can come up with other ways they "cut with the spine."
Why am I pointing this out? To show you, that yes, there are times where the lock is stressed when using a folding knife. Most of the things I've listed I've done with my Swiss Army Knives, such as tapping the spine of the blade on the cutting board to knock off apple peeling and the like. Why should my slip joint SAK be able to do this, but many claim doing the same thing to a lock knife is abuse? This seems contradictory to me.
If I can purchase, for 20$ from Company X, a liner locking knife that can take full arm swings to the spine (I consider this abusive and don't normally spinewhack my knives this way), why should a 50$ or 100$ liner lock knife from Company Y fail a wrist-snap spinewhack? Am I merely paying for fancy materials, rather than a higher level of craftsmanship? This seems contradictory as well.
These are all expectations I have being a fairly educated knife buyer (At least compared to the average Joe). Many of my friends will have absolutely no hesitation taking a 5$ Maxam knife and batoning it through wood using improper technique (That is, hammering right near the tip of the blade and keeping the knife locked). This technique stresses the lock very much, but these 5$ knives have, so far, held up to the abuse. This is just one example of what the "uneducated public" expects a locking knife to be able to do. I bring this up because what many here would argue as abuse pales in comparison to things other people do every day with their folders. Not saying I condone these actions, just using them for a point of comparison.
I would like to hear what others have to say, I've typed enough.
