Tell me about knives with lanyard tubes

Josh K

Josh K

Joined
Sep 29, 2008
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I'm finding myself more frequently carrying a more traditional style knife. Seems I like having a lanyard on it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a deal breaker, but I like it. It seems—as someone relatively uneducated here—that most models don't have one.

Is there any sort of history for lanyard tubes on slipjoints? Reasons for/against them to exist? What are some common models, if I was going to pick up more?

I recently received a GEC #43 and it's a great. I'd love to find a slightly smaller (3" or less blade) which had a lanyard possibility.
 
I find them unattractive and prefer bails personally, but its all matter of taste I suppose.
I've never owned many patterns with them, but would probably utilize one if it was there, especially larger knives.
I'm carrying a big hulking Vic Huntsman today and have it suspended in pocket from a lanyard attached to my belt.
It really helps those bulky, heavy patterns much easier to carry and easier to retrieve.
 
Josh K said:
I'm finding myself more frequently carrying a more traditional style knife. Seems I like having a lanyard on it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a deal breaker, but I like it. It seems—as someone relatively uneducated here—that most models don't have one.

Is there any sort of history for lanyard tubes on slipjoints? Reasons for/against them to exist? What are some common models, if I was going to pick up more?

I recently received a GEC #43 and it's a great. I'd love to find a slightly smaller (3" or less blade) which had a lanyard possibility.
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I would suggest a GEC 83 to you . It is a Lockback .

Harry
 
Old Engineer said:
I would suggest a GEC 83 to you . It is a Lockback .
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Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for that one.

solphilos said:
I find them unattractive and prefer bails personally, but its all matter of taste I suppose.
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A bail would be interesting. I agree, it's a matter of taste. I like knives without it, but mainly was interested if there's some context or historical reason for certain models or designs to have one and others to not. I'll also cheerfully accept any recommendations on models to look into.
 
Folding hunters sometimes have lanyard holes. Camping, Utility and fishing knives often have bails and some of those will have a tube--the tube is usually just wide enough for a metal bail.

A tube running through the entire handle needs to have room so that it doesn't interfere with the blade. Sometimes the upsweep at the tip of a clip point allows sufficient space. Sometimes the blade sits a bit higher in the closed position. Etc. The Benchmade Proper has a lanyard tube but the blade doesn't have much of an upsweep so they made the handle longer than the blade. It is "underbladed" --not a great design imho... for that reason and several other reasons.
 
I like lanyards a lot! There's nothing about lanyards that make them non traditional. I don't know any of the history, but it seems to surround Navy types of knives? Maybe?
t5WAF3P.jpg
 
AShearer said:
I like lanyards a lot! There's nothing about lanyards that make them non traditional. I don't know any of the history, but it seems to surround Navy types of knives? Maybe?
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That looks beautiful, especially the stacked bolster. Who's the maker?

supratentorial said:
It is "underbladed" --not a great design imho... for that reason and several other reasons.
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Certainly this might be a bit off-topic from my original intentions, but the Proper was a knife I had been looking at. Can you enumerate the other reasons?
 
I have a GEC 47 Viper that has a lanyard tube. Some of the 71s, 72s, and 73s have them too.
 
Josh K said:
Certainly this might be a bit off-topic from my original intentions, but the Proper was a knife I had been looking at. Can you enumerate the other reasons?
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I didn't like the grind. Also... all of the modern makers seem to produce something similar when they try to make a "traditional knife". It is quite possible they don't know anything about traditional knives and just copy each others attempts. It was a missed opportunity. I would have liked to see them make a real traditional pattern.

Here are some photos and discussion: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/benchmade-proper.1475454/#post-16979380

Personally, I'd rather have one of the GEC knives suggested by Old Engineer Old Engineer and JTB_5 JTB_5 . There are some others from GEC also. I think Collector knives also did some GEC SFOs with lanyard tubes. The Case Back Pocket and the Case Bose Wilfred Lockback also have lanyard holes. They are variations of folding hunters like I previously mentioned.
 
The GEC farm and fields tend to have lanyard tubes. I routinely carry a hayn helper. I ran a parachute cord through the tube and added another to make a 4-strand braid with a knot on the end. It’s just long enough so the knot sticks out of my pocket and I can pull the knife out by the knot. Maybe more of a fob than a lanyard?
 
Josh K said:
That looks beautiful, especially the stacked bolster. Who's the maker?



Certainly this might be a bit off-topic from my original intentions, but the Proper was a knife I had been looking at. Can you enumerate the other reasons?
Click to expand...
Thanks! That was made for me by T.A. Davison.
 
Here are three that you may have already considered. A GEC 83, 73, and a Wenger with a bail. For my use lanyards are just decorative. They have served a purpose in the past though. They make it easy to pull it out of my pocket, but for any serious work I find they just get in the way.
image.jpeg
 
Love me a lanyard tube, especially on a knife that I can fit in a watch pocket. One of the many reasons I love my 83.
 
I think my only traditional with a lanyard hole is the Case Back Pocket. I have the little braided leather fob that Case made for those on mine. It seems, from my experience, that they are more common on larger knives, and perhaps knives that are expected to see some outdoor use. Where you might want to attach them to a real lanyard, which would serve as an attachment point so you didn't lose or drop it.
 
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