The “spine whack” test: Valid quality metric, or much ado about nothing?

I’d like to see a stab lock test. About a decade ago ( I drank often ) , did really stupid s___t with my edc - Benchmade Adamas. I did the spine whack test like a dumbass, often, for a few years - never failed. I did find that if the knife was stabbed into something like a coffee table or tree stump, the axis lock would disengage. To be honest, it was more of a no spin throw into coffee table and tree stump. This made me a little worried as I’ve cut my fingers open enough times for this lifetime. I’m sure the omega springs were a little less than 100%. I did carry that knife daily for 7 + years.

Spine whack test is worthless in my unsolicited and often ridiculous opinion.
 
This subject was brought up so many times and it started so many pointless discussions from people who done it and one who didn’t even think about doing it, that I can almost write a blueprint of statements for both sites…
if done with no intention of breaking the knife, and on different locking systems, it could be some how educational.
‘Otherwise the “test” have nothing to do with the tests in general, it’s basically waste of time.
 
Landshark99 said:
For me they are a waste of time, use the right tool for the job, never had a lock failure using a knife the way it was intended to be used.
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As “tests” they are waste of time, true, but the notion about using the right tool for the job is unrealistic, simply because there are elements of given environment that can always interfere w your right tool without your permission, whack the back of your blade, therefore unlocking it, without your control.
 
POCEH KOCEB said:
As “tests” they are waste of time, true, but the notion about using the right tool for the job is unrealistic, simply because there are elements of given environment that can always interfere w your right tool without your permission, whack the back of your blade, therefore unlocking it, without your control.
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If use my folding knife to cut and slice, what it is intended for, what strange circumstance out of my control is going to happen, my house, my rv and my jeep are all full of tools. I try to always grab the right tool for the job. I do not want or need to use my folders as screw drivers, pry bars, chopping tool and for sure not batoning.
 
Paratrooper06 said:
Here is one of the more dramatic showings:

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If you look at the video, it’s pretty obvious why the two locks are disengaging and it’s not the locks flaw.
lame stuff, besides, nobody should be batoning all the way down, you start with the edge placed FLAT on the surface and continue with a wedge, not with f-ing folding knife…
 
POCEH KOCEB said:
If you look at the video, it’s pretty obvious why the two locks are disengaging and it’s not the locks flaw.
lame stuff, besides, nobody should be batoning all the way down, you start with the edge placed FLAT on the surface and continue with a wedge, not with f-ing folding knife…
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Don’t most people disengage the lock before batoning?
 
Landshark99 said:
what strange circumstance out of my control is going to happen, my house, my rv and my
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Just because it didn’t happen to you, doesn’t mean you are right…
‘I was stripping a small wire in my jet-ski when a metal cable under tension broke and bumped the knife out of my hand. It closed the blade. Here is your out of control circumstances, happening in your garage.
 
POCEH KOCEB said:
Just because it didn’t happen to you, doesn’t mean you are right…
‘I was stripping a small wire in my jet-ski when a metal cable under tension broke and bumped the knife out of my hand. It closed the blade. Here is your out of control circumstances, happening in your garage.
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not to go back and forth here but I would have been using a wire stripper instead of a knife, dropping any knife is rarely good for the knife. As i said before testing the knife for some rare event that is not in the world of how I plan to use it, just does not interest me.
 
If.....

The knife would need to be securely clamped in place. Otherwise, the knife bounces, and you lose energy transfer.

The impact needs to be done by something mechanical, so it can hit the same place, with the same force, on every knife.

If you're just out there bashing knives with sticks in your back yard, then it's just another Youtube video.
 
the way Andrew Demko, Mike Wallace and crew used to test over strikes and spine whacks...I was good with. the way some youtube folks do it......hard as they can over and over until it fails, is meaningless to me.......
 
I've never watched any of those videos. Personally lock strength is one of the last qualities I look for in a knife, most of my daily drivers are slip joints or friction folders. It's like all of the hullabaloo over the "lock rock" in the sebenza 31s. I have no clue as to what possesses people to come up with these things.
 
It's a valid test if done within reason and not excessively. It's fine to firmly tap the blade spine on a locking knife to see if the lock too easily disengages. There are possible situations where you could be using a knife properly and accidentally hit the spine, or get it stuck and need to twist and pull it out, putting closing pressure on the blade. You should expect a good locking knife to be able to handle this.

It is not at all reasonable to bash the spine full power like you are trying to cut down a tree with the wrong side of the blade. That is not a reasonable expectation for a pocket knife, and could damage the internal parts.
 
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