Pull Weight of GEC And Opinel

K

KrabbyKakes

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Jun 22, 2013
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I recently discovered GEC and was thinking about modding one with a thumbstud. Does anyone know the pull weight of one of their 72 lock backs? I know that I won't be able to flick it open like a modern folder, but I wanted to know if I would be able to at least push it open with out the stud tearing my skin off. Also, how is the pull weight of an opinel? These seem fairly easy to mod and I want to know if a thumbstud is do able on one of these.

Thanks,
Kris
 
Thumb studs are better discussed in the General Knife Discussion forum.
 
Opinel has very little pull weight - the friction of the blade in the wood is the only thing keeping it closed, it has no spring. The downside is that it requires a rotating collar to lock it closed or open. One-handed operation would be a complicated affair - rotate the collar open, flick open the blade, rotate the collar closed. Some folks have modified their opinel where the blade is very loose, and a flick of the wrist is enough to deploy the blade, which would be a better bet than attaching a thumb stud.

The GEC would be... challenging... to open with a thumb stud. Some GEC models require a ratcheting comealong and a six foot prybar to muscle open.
 
An opinel would open with a thumbstud no problem, a slip joint on the other hand. A thumbstud would help get it open but one handed would probably tear your hide off on some models. It all depends on what you have I guess. I have handled some that you need a deuce and a half with a Detroit diesel, 6.10 gears, lockers and an M1 Abrams for good measure, and others that it just opens when you look at it. I don't have any GEC knives so I can't say for them.

I don't really see why you want a thumbstud on a traditional knife though. I buy traditionals for the old fashion and classy feel they bring to the table. I also don't really like thumbstuds :p I prefer a thumb hole or a flipper over studs.
 
Sorry if this is not in the wrong forum Peregrin, but I put it here because I wanted to know the pull weight of the knives. I only talked about the thumbstud part just in case anybody wanted to know why I was curious about the pull weight. If you would prefer it to be moved, feel free to move it to general. I just thought that I would get better feedback from here.

I know about the lock ring on Opinels, and I was thinking of putting some sort of grip on there to be able to turn it with just my thumb. The Opinel is mainly a just because project, I don't intend for it to be perfect or even usable, but it only cost $12, so why not? The GEC on the other hand, is my main concern. I know that slip joints are REALLY stiff because they have an extra strong back spring to help keep the blade open. Lock backs seem to be easier to open because the lock keeps them out. I am going to a gunshow in a couple of weeks, so I will hopefully try them out then.
 
The pivot on my opinel is pretty stiff. I think it varies based on the knife itself, break-in, lube, humidity, etc.
 
I've found the pull weight on Opinels to vary wildly based on relative humidity.
 
KrabbyKakes said:
Sorry if this is not in the wrong forum Peregrin, but I put it here because I wanted to know the pull weight of the knives. I only talked about the thumbstud part just in case anybody wanted to know why I was curious about the pull weight. If you would prefer it to be moved, feel free to move it to general. I just thought that I would get better feedback from here.

I know about the lock ring on Opinels, and I was thinking of putting some sort of grip on there to be able to turn it with just my thumb. The Opinel is mainly a just because project, I don't intend for it to be perfect or even usable, but it only cost $12, so why not? The GEC on the other hand, is my main concern. I know that slip joints are REALLY stiff because they have an extra strong back spring to help keep the blade open. Lock backs seem to be easier to open because the lock keeps them out. I am going to a gunshow in a couple of weeks, so I will hopefully try them out then.
Click to expand...

opinels require no modifications to open one handed. on a scale of pull strength they rate about a zero.

thumb stud on a gec is more likely to puncture your thumb than open the knife.

hers a video of how I open my unmodified opinel with one hand on a constant basis while working.

[video=youtube;uPcvH-k9Lhk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPcvH-k9Lhk&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

no flicking, tapping, swinging or any other tricks, just unlocking, pushing open, locking. done.
 
The spring on the #72 is very light, mostly to keep the blade closed when its closed and the lockback tab up when open. Kind of like a detent on a regular one hand opener. I'd put them at about a 3 on the pull scale (1 is the blade falls open on its own, 5 is about a Victorinox Pioneer).
 
A thumbstud on a traditional is just another pertrubance that can tear or wear a hole in your pocket.
 
That is what I was hoping 2Dead. Like I said before, the thumstud isn't to flick it out super fast, but to be able to operate one handed.

That looked really easy Goodeye, a lot easier than I thought. I still might try to add one because an Opinel is relatively thin and inexpensive in case I mess it up too bad.
 
RI Swamp Yankee said:
Opinel has very little pull weight - the friction of the blade in the wood is the only thing keeping it closed, it has no spring. The downside is that it requires a rotating collar to lock it closed or open. One-handed operation would be a complicated affair - rotate the collar open, flick open the blade, rotate the collar closed. Some folks have modified their opinel where the blade is very loose, and a flick of the wrist is enough to deploy the blade, which would be a better bet than attaching a thumb stud.

The GEC would be... challenging... to open with a thumb stud. Some GEC models require a ratcheting comealong and a six foot prybar to muscle open.
Click to expand...


It is as challenging as this :
http://s169.photobucket.com/user/okapiknives/media/002_zps108c6ddd.mp4.html
 
The Opinel is ideal for 1hand opening and closing due to the lack of spring action. It takes longer but my work shop isn't a tactical environment.

Perfection on Opinels happens over time if and only if the user is willing to tune and modify the lock ring and pivot.

For the ring, remove it and sand/file the pivot heads and adjust the tension of the ring to get a smooth but solid action of the ring. Very easy to operate one handed.

For the pivot open or close the inner ring with a flat head screw driver or pliers to set the overall friction. Maintain friction in wet humid with Vaseline.
 
I would say that the pull on my oh-so-beautiful Cuban (#53) is a 6.5 or 7. It mangles nails on occasion, but does not break them. Here is a chart of pull weights.

Connor
 
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