Pen knife with half stop?

Ernie1980

Ernie1980

Joined
Apr 19, 2012
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8,099
I am carrying my Joseph Rodgers pen knife today, and realized that the only pen knives I own with a half stop on either blade (and I have one with it on both blades) are vintage versions.
Are there any current or recent production pen knives with half stops? If so, can you post make and pictures please:)

Here is my Joseph Rodgers that started this idea:
 
It would be interesting to find that out. I wonder why if they have stopped making them with half stops?
 
RobertJ1 said:
It would be interesting to find that out. I wonder why if they have stopped making them with half stops?
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Probably has/had something to do with time and cost? Or perhaps the THEY decided half stops were "obsolete"?
 
Interesting. I assumed that all single-spring Penknives were cam by construction and would not have half-stops. Also, the absence of a half-stop on a small slim knife would make for smoother easier opening.
 
The only penknives of relatively recent manufacture by the few remaining Sheffield firms that I've seen with half-stops have been ring-openers, and even most of those are made with cam-tangs.
 
I don't suppose the Douk Douk counts? The smaller versions are of appropriate size, and they have an effective half stop. I love my Douk Douk.
 
An interesting topic. I don't have too many single spring knives but these two have half stops. Neither is in current production though.

2002 Schrade-Kious Reverse Congress penknife.
DSC03390 1.jpg
2009 Case-Bose Norfolk (My Norfolk is ebony. This pic was borrowed from somewhere.)
tbose-norfolk2-1.jpg

As added info I checked these;
The Northwoods Norfolk that KSF released a few years ago does not have half stops.
A 1972 Case Half Congress pattern penknife that has half stops.
I've got a custom Half Congress pattern penknife from Rick Menefee that does have half stops.

I'm curious to see what others come up with.
 
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Thanks for the input! I have a half congress with half stops, but I don't consider those to be pen knives. (Of course I could be splitting hairs here) lol
I have pondered contacting a custom maker and getting one made to my specs, but then the thought of the cost stops me:)
 
Cory Hess said:
Nope, that just means that GEC doesn't make one. ;)


My Queen #03 has half stops on both blades. I'd include a picture, but Photobucket doesn't seem to want me to.
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Thanks for that info, Cory. I have been eyeballing those and the fact that they have half stops makes them even more attractive. I appreciate the info.:thumbup:
 
Railsplitter said:
Thanks for that info, Cory. I have been eyeballing those and the fact that they have half stops makes them even more attractive. I appreciate the info.:thumbup:
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Just for clarification, the half stops are not very snappy on mine. They're more of a rolling half stop. A half pause, if you will. When I'm opening the blade on most of my knives with half stops there are two audible clicks as it goes to the half stop and then fully open. That's not the case on the 03. If I were to graph the pressure it takes to open the blade there would be two definite arcs, but they don't sharply pop into the half stop position like most do. If there's a term for this I don't know it. Maybe a weak half stop, like a knife with a weak pull or weak snap?

I don't know if I'm describing this well. I just don't want you to pick up a knife based on what I said and be disappointed because I didn't provide all of the information.
 
Cory Hess said:
Just for clarification, the half stops are not very snappy on mine. They're more of a rolling half stop. A half pause, if you will. When I'm opening the blade on most of my knives with half stops there are two audible clicks as it goes to the half stop and then fully open. That's not the case on the 03. If I were to graph the pressure it takes to open the blade there would be two definite arcs, but they don't sharply pop into the half stop position like most do. If there's a term for this I don't know it. Maybe a weak half stop, like a knife with a weak pull or weak snap?

I don't know if I'm describing this well. I just don't want you to pick up a knife based on what I said and be disappointed because I didn't provide all of the information.
Click to expand...

I think I know what you mean. My Railsplitters all have round tangs, not square tangs like on a knife with true half stops, and most of them have this ghost of a half stop that you describe. I chalk it up to roughly finished surfaces on the section of the tang that rides on the spring.

Would that be the case with these 03's?
 
I don't know if I'd say that they look roughly finished. It looks intentional to me. It looks like they made a square tang and then purposefully rounded the corners off of it.

I wish that Photobucket was working. Tonight I'll try it again and if I can't get it working I'll open an account on another hosting site so that I can post up what I'm seeing.
 
I understand what you mean, I have a sodbuster with a soft half stop like what you describe.
 
Thanks for the clarification, Cory. Much appreciated.

I'm not going to spring for one just yet. Maybe in a few days if I still want one then. It has been stated in other topics that the main blade is rather small in proportion to the rest of the knife. I actually kind of like that feature in this particular knife.

Ernie, my apologies for sidetracking your thread.:o
 
Not much of a half-stop on my Queen Sleeveboard, more on the secondary, very slight on the master. However, fantastic snap and no blade rub!

Gary is of course correct, the CASE/Bose Norfolk has very smart half-stops and is single-spring.

The Rough Rider Half Whittler also has half-stops/single-spring. It is smaller than the Norfolk but bigger than a CASE Penknife.
 
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Looking more into it, I am really liking that case/Bose! I will need to keep my eye out for one:)
 
Ernie Just to focus your mind :D:D Here's the Norfolk in half-stop position with other Traditional comrades

IMG_3629.jpg


Thanks, Will

RR Half Whittler:thumbup:

IMG_3505.jpg
 
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