Spyderco Tenacious, dangerous, finger guillotine?

Old thread, I know ;)

On my Tenacious, I was thinking about grinding part of the blade edge flat - a 1/2" section where it meets the handle. This would provide some 'insurance' against the 'finger guillotine" effect in case of lock failure (or human error). The grind could even be curved to look like a small choil though it wouldn't be used as such). I know this wouldn't be as effective as a real choil, since the blade is so thin where it would be ground, but it would at least square/dull the edge - better than nothing. Has anyone done this? I haven't had any accidents yet, but the 'all blade' design kind of makes me nervous.

Honestly, that seems to me to defeat the purpose of having all that edge in such a relatively short blade... there's plenty of other Spydercos that would give you a choil...
 
I think what nutnfancy doesn't know would take up even more words than he uses already. I have never seen any other single person say so little in so much.

John
 
On the contrary, I've been cut by my Navy k631 that has choil, because taking it for granted, I was holding it too far down so the finger is no longer catching the choil but the edge (operator error).

Having no choil, the Resilience I have forces me to be more careful when closing every time, thus no cut from closing it. I got cut by it but not from closing, so it doesn't count here. :p
 
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I have no experience with the Tenacious, but being new to knives, I am much more comfortable using a knife with a finger choil, such as with the Chaparral or PM2.
 
No problems with mine. It locks up fine.

I usually practice closing knives one handed, I go slow and try to figure out where potential slips could occur. Then I practice until I feel comfortable and confident that I won't nick myself.


Ric
 
I've used linerlock knives for 20 years, my Tenacious is the first one that has nicked me (no blood). I think it is because the blade is very broad so the cutting edge reaches your thumb faster than it would with other knife geometries. I still like the knife and carry it, I will just be more careful with it.
 
Honestly, that seems to me to defeat the purpose of having all that edge in such a relatively short blade... there's plenty of other Spydercos that would give you a choil...

So I decided to try dulling a small section of blade using the stones from my Sharpmaker. It worked out well. I used the coarse stone, placed it across the blade up against the tang and filed it down to about half the depth of the back bevel, creating a square edge, then smoothed out the rough edges with the fine stone. You can't even tell, unless you look for it. Only 1/2" of the cutting surface was lost (I rarely cut right at the rear end of the blade anyway).

Some guys may think this was unnecessary, but it gives me a little peace of mind. I like my fingers ;)

As far as getting cut when opening or closing the Tenacious, just respect the knife, pay attention, and you'll be ok.
 
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If you're worried close it with 2 hands. Or you could just close it slowly. If you try to open and close it as fast as possible that's where accidents tend to happen. I also think switching EDCs often can be a problem. I carried a Sage 2 for while and got used to that choil. When I switched to a Gayle Bradley I had to be more careful because it doesn't have the same choil design so my thumbnail won't stop the blade from closing on my fingers.
 
Yea, after being used to a Sage or Para 2, I can see how someone might reach for the choil on a Tenacious and grab the blade. Dulling the a small part of the edge would work in that case. But I was more concerned about a potential lock failure causing the blade to close on my fingers.
 
Yea, after being used to a Sage or Para 2, I can see how someone might reach for the choil on a Tenacious and grab the blade. Dulling the a small part of the edge would work in that case. But I was more concerned about a potential lock failure causing the blade to close on my fingers.

I think lock failure is overhyped. I've never had a folder close on me, but then again I don't throw my knives or bash the spine into tables or baton with them or do any number of things that are either abuse or something better suited for a fixed blade. If your knife is sharp and you're using it to cut things, the blade shouldn't close on you. I handled a Tenacious and it felt solid with no bladeplay. I wouldn't hesitate to use one to cut things.
 
I think the tenacious used to have a weak detent but spyderco fixed it. I don't know how true this is. My tenacious has a 'perfect' detent. I haven't cut my self closing it, even when practicing opening and closing the knife with speed. It has cut me quite deep, but it was user error. If your not used to it then you'll probably get bit if your not careful whilst closing it, due to the lack of ricasso or choil.
 
Some knife afi's believe that handle to blade/edge ratio is very important. We try to create many models to serve the preferences of our customers. Some like choils, some don't, some like humps, some don't, some like FRN, some don't. etc....

As long as the design is safe (built right), high performance, reliable, ergonomic and good value, we'll try it.

sal
 
Why not a flipper design for the Tenacious,Persistance,Resiliance models? would add a new flavor, build in finger guard, and get rid of the "finger guillotine" issue when closing the knife.
 
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