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I cannot think of one example of where the removal of material has ever made any structure stronger. 'Strong enough' is an entirely different concept... 
-Brett

-Brett
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But I think it's pretty common sense that a knife with an internal stop pin system with a heavily milled out pivot area, is weaker than a knife with the pivot area still intact. Probably not suited for hard cutting task such as through thick cardboard or carpet or other tough materials that might require some twisting in order to cut through, as opposed to knives with an intact pivot area , using external bladestops or the conventional stop pin.
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I cannot think of one example of where the removal of material has ever made any structure stronger. 'Strong enough' is an entirely different concept...
-Brett
I don't see any evidence that an internal pin is "inferior" other than the keyboard theories we have here![]()
glaringly obvious evidence they are inferior in strength.
I'm not sure that it really matters. I feel like when dealing with a well designed folding knife other pieces are going to break before the stop pin when the knife is under stress. .
Who said that removal makes it "stronger"? If the design is weaker, what are we comparing strength values to? I don't see any evidence that an internal pin is "inferior" other than the keyboard theories we have here![]()
This is the number three thing we send knives back to manufacturers for. Not just ZT but all knives that have a thumbstud through the blade.
If you're using your knife to the point of breaking your pivot (internal pin or not) then you are using the wrong tool to begin with...
What if a folder is all you have at the time? It is something that cuts, right? Not everyone has access to a chainsaw. Maybe you have to cut through that material in the nick of time?
Sent from planet Mars
Nobody knows why the thumb studs make the blades crack. Stress risers, & ill fitting studs seem likely. This means the defect is there, before you start using it. So, is your knife strong, or not? You won't know until it breaks.I agree, external bladestops might cause the blade to have a hairline crack due to shock. However, ive only heard that from striders. Hinderer, CRK Umnumzaan etc, i don't remember seeing any reports of such. Now, Im not saying any design is perfect. They all have their own flaws. But I initially was merely stating that of the internal stop pin, how vigorous cutting that might require some twisting to get into the material MIGHT cause the blade to snap at the pivot. External blade stops would be more suited as they provide side-to-side stability when doing such tasks.
Sent from planet Mars
Cold steel and ZT do stop pins correctly. Radius cut outs for the impact section of tang to stop pin. I think it's just lazyness for any manufacturer to have a flat surface smacking against a round pin surface, it will always develop a flat spot. I was really surprised to see that even Chris Reeve left this out of his designs. A simple little cutout solves a lot of issues, especially on frame locks where that flat spot has a big effect on the lockup. Chris Reeve could've avoided so much of the "do not flick our knives" fiasco because of the later lockup it was causing if the impact area had that proper radius and the stop pin was at the right hardness.
Cold steel and ZT do stop pins correctly. Radius cut outs for the impact section of tang to stop pin. I think it's just lazyness for any manufacturer to have a flat surface smacking against a round pin surface, it will always develop a flat spot. I was really surprised to see that even Chris Reeve left this out of his designs. A simple little cutout solves a lot of issues, especially on frame locks where that flat spot has a big effect on the lockup. Chris Reeve could've avoided so much of the "do not flick our knives" fiasco because of the later lockup it was causing if the impact area had that proper radius and the stop pin was at the right hardness.
WOW,Hey everyone lets have a discussion about stop pins: ... What are your thoughts?
My personal thoughts:
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...
Do share your thoughts about the respective styles!
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The concept that removing material from anything makes it inherently weaker seems to be a difficult concept to argue ...