Nail Nicks and Rivets?

WillbertR

WillbertR

Basic Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2025
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57
Apart from remakes of old style knives, are these features now a bit dated?
There are alternatives for nail nicks - slots, holes (think Spyderco) and thumb studs etc. Rivets seem a bit old fashioned now and don’t make disassembly easy if maintenance is required. What do you think. And by all means show us some examples of what you particularly like, or dislike.
 
Nail nicks are really popular in the European market, even on modern folders. Many countries there have laws that prohibit carry of knives with one-hand opening features. Germany, for instance, allows you to have either one-hand opening or a lock, but not both. Personally, I'd rather have the lock for self defense.

Rivets seem to mostly be seen on budget knives intended for the masses, probably not just to save cost but also to prevent the end user from messing the knife up. I like being able to disassemble knives, but nice thing about rivets is that they don't loosen on their own and require adjustment. Oddly enough, many collectors look down on Torx fasteners in the world of custom straight razors for this reason.
 
SAK are still very popular and have both nail nicks and rivets .

Even my big RangerGrip SAKs have rivets under the scales and tools with nail nicks .

Still works and is time proven . Not that I want them on every knife . Mostly not .
 
Nail nicks are usually on knives that are not meant to be open fast and so because of this, usually not seen as a weapon as they (usually) require two hands to open, one to hold the knife and the other to hook the nick and pinch-pull the knife open.
Let me know if im mistaken
 
This is the sort of thing that looks better, to my eye at least (not the rivets though obviously) It looks nothing like a traditional old fashioned nail nick, but just as practical. I’ve seen quite a few knives with slots or grooves milled or punched into the blade like this.

IMG_5896.jpeg

I take the point about one handed opening. We have some of the strictest knife laws in the UK and non locking Spyderco’s are legal.
 
You need a nail nick so as to be able to post your knife photograph in the Traditional Forum :)

Rivets are not only used in cheap knives "for the masses..." unless the masses consider any traditional knife, irrespective of cost, as cheap, in which case the masses are not really the poor masses but the cheap masses.. :)
 
I prefer Spyderco knives with stainless handles to have pounded pins. I hate obvious fasteners on some knives, but it depends on the knife. Screws look fine on a Sebenza, terrible on a Buck 110 (IMHO). Go figure.
 
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I prefer rivets on a knife. On a knife with screws I never disassemble them anyway because it’s annoying and I clean them just like every other knife (soap, water, bristle brush) so for me they are just a piece to lose (among many in a modern knife) and get loose. Plus they’re ugly.

I like nail nicks too. They work well and look good. They don’t get in the way of cutting or sharpening. I don’t need the speed of modern opening methods because I, like every other normal person, don’t get into knife fights.

So I guess this stuff is outdated but I think it doesn’t matter. I think it’s more practical for most people actually to have something like a Swiss Army knife than a tacticool knife.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
I prefer rivets on a knife. On a knife with screws I never disassemble them anyway because it’s annoying and I clean them just like every other knife (soap, water, bristle brush) so for me they are just a piece to lose (among many in a modern knife) and get loose. Plus they’re ugly.

I like nail nicks too. They work well and look good. They don’t get in the way of cutting or sharpening. I don’t need the speed of modern opening methods because I, like every other normal person, don’t get into knife fights.

So I guess this stuff is outdated but I think it doesn’t matter. I think it’s more practical for most people actually to have something like a Swiss Army knife than a tacticool knife.
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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
It's too bad we can only like a post just once. This was a very good one with great points.

There seems to be a misguided idea that a knife needs to be disassembled to be maintained. No, it does not. I've been carrying SAK's and traditional pocket knives for my whole life, and never needed to take apart a knife. Aside from SAK's, a Buck 301 stockman that ws my true EDC for over 25 years, to include a tour in Vietnam. A rinse under a faucet and a little scrubbing with a toothbrush cleaned it fine. A drop of oil on the joints and it was good to go. If out in the field, a rinse in a creek will do. A drop of oil off a dip stick will lube things just fine.

Each to their own, but I like traditional things in general. Traditional pocket knives, revolvers and lever action rifles, old cars that don't need a computer to operate.
 
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WillbertR said:
This is the sort of thing that looks better, to my eye at least (not the rivets though obviously) It looks nothing like a traditional old fashioned nail nick, but just as practical. I’ve seen quite a few knives with slots or grooves milled or punched into the blade like this.

View attachment 3002912
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I would consider this to be a traditional old fashioned nail nick, it's known as a "long pull" and I really like them, too.

calm said:
Rivets are not only used in cheap knives "for the masses..." unless the masses consider any traditional knife, irrespective of cost, as cheap, in which case the masses are not really the poor masses but the cheap masses.. :)
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If you read the OP, he specifically excluded traditional knives and posted the topic in the general forum for that reason. My comment was about modern knives only. Now that the Spyderco Centofante has switched to torx, I can't think of a common modern knife that's quality and also uses rivets. I might be overlooking one, but it would certainly be the exception to the rule.
 
Lot of people now like to switch out scales, etc , to after market parts .

Repairs and adjustments , deep cleaning , are also much more difficult with rivets vs screws .

Nail nicks are slow , usually two hand opening , and can be nail breakers too often .

Mostly ,please just give me a nice wave opener with Torx . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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