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

justjed said:
ALL of which is a round-about way of saying that if yer gonna use a folding knife for much more than opening mail or spreading mayo, ya should probably keep an eye out for wayward 2x4s, beams, car hoods or anything else that might not have YOUR best interests in mind......,
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I’ve used locking folders and slip joints on and around all those things and more never had a failure or a random item jump out and wavk my knife while I wasn’t looking. It requires some level of skill and caution if you’re gonna use a knife while working.
 
I am glad that someone documents these faulty locks on youtube. The locking mechanism or the knife should break before the lock slips. If it takes little force to break it's a weak knife. If the lock slips it's a faulty lock. I get sick of hearing the "it's not a fixed blade" excuse to justify faulty locks and badly designed locks. I especially don't like those mall ninja "tough heavy duty folder" sales pitches on high end knives with bad locks.
 
greater said:
I am glad that someone documents these faulty locks on youtube. The locking mechanism or the knife should break before the lock slips. If it takes little force to break it's a weak knife. If the lock slips it's a faulty lock. I get sick of hearing the "it's not a fixed blade" excuse to justify faulty locks and badly designed locks. I especially don't like those mall ninja "tough heavy duty folder" sales pitches on high end knives with bad locks.
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So what is the real world application to slamming the spine of a knife on a 2x4?
 
DocJD said:
Why bother to have a lock at all ? :confused:

If you never really need a lock , just get a slip joint... instead of a half-assed junky lock that you have to be afraid to spine wack or otherwise proof test .

For those who want a folder to function as close to fixed as possible , these type tests are perfectly valid .

IMO , the whole purpose of a lock is to hold the blade open and in place . For whatever I need to do , even in an emergency or a fight . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

If your folder lock fails in some small way in regular use , probably no big deal . If it fails under hard use / survival conditions ...that would be sad . :oops:
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I know slip joints are perfectly viable tools that have been around for a long time, but I dunno. They honestly make me uncomfortable. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by locking knives for the longest time.
 
I just look at locking mechanisms as a way to keep the blade open, especially these ones running on bearings. The stop pin being robust seems more important as far as the business of what knives are for is concerned. I mean, it's cool to know how many Lynn Thompsons can hang off the knife and all, but my primary concern is how it cuts.
 
I’m just trying to picture this, working under a car hood, up in the attic around beams and 2x4s, tomato plants and other close quarters. Is your technic similar to a swashbuckling pirate slashing his way though a fight with his Cuttles blade? Or more like a banshee warrior high on opoids?

I just can’t see how you can wack the spine in those instances or have a lock failure unless something was jammed in the action preventing it from being fully engaged. I know my brother did that once and the lock channel was full of pocket lint. Still not the knifes fault!
 
I would be more uncomfortable if that slip joint had a large sharp blade with a lot of mass and even more uncomfortable if it had a lock advertised as strong that easily slips causing the blade to swing shut.
 
I would strongly suggest if you have difficulty with or no confidence in your folding knife lock you should probably stick with fixed blades. Folders are not fixed blades, locking or otherwise.
 
For me it is just an interesting test showing the lock strength under load and shock. I tried it many years ago on a couple of CRKTs M16, when at the time there was discussion on them needing the secondary lock as the lockbar would slip. Gently tapping on a table. I think one folded without the secondary lock but was fine with it.
In use, and even if I tried to fold the blade with both my hands (the blade edge covered with a towel or something similar) the knife was solid and gave no concerns. The combination of the force and the shock (shaking) just got the best of the knife.
 
Wild Willie said:
I just look at locking mechanisms as a way to keep the blade open, especially these ones running on bearings. The stop pin being robust seems more important as far as the business of what knives are for is concerned. I mean, it's cool to know how many Lynn Thompsons can hang off the knife and all, but my primary concern is how it cuts.
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If my folder can support five Hulk Hogans, I’m plenty satisfied with that level of security.
 
Paratrooper06 said:
If you almost lost fingers using a cs voyager in a tomato garden, I’m not sure the knife can share the bulk of the blame.
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I didn’t say tomato garden. You can’t be “sure” ‘cause you weren’t there.

You enjoy arguing more than you care to learn, is that ‘cause you knowitall?

It doesn’t take much force to make some locks fail with a tap on the spine. It’s a safety problem and grounds for a warranty claim.
 
brownshoe said:
I didn’t say tomato garden. You can’t be “sure” ‘cause you weren’t there.
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Well I’m on the edge of my seat awaiting the details.
brownshoe said:
You enjoy arguing more than you care to learn, is that ‘cause you knowitall?
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I think they can be mutually exclusive concepts.
brownshoe said:
It doesn’t take much force to make some locks fail with a tap on the spine. It’s a safety problem and grounds for a warranty claim.
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It is my opinion you haven’t explained the real-world application that makes “taps on the spine” a safety issue. Knives are made to cut things, not slam dents into 2x4s with the spine of the blade.
 
And, so, once again, for the third time, a fixie makes all of this lock crap a moot point.

I mean, you're STARTING with a knife that's already broken. Then you add a lock, to make it safer. But, unforeseen circumstances(and there are ALWAYS unforeseen circumstances) mean you need a safer lock.
And then a safer lock. An so on, and on, and on. Why! Because people do dumb things. Always have, always will. And, these days, people get PAID to do dumb things. Then, they try to convince you they're smart.
And that, unless you have the newest latest most strongestest lock ever designed by man, YOU WILL LOSE ALL OF YOUR FINGERS!!!! Cuz yer dumb. And you'll buy the latest greatest most strongestest lock EVER!
When ya coulda just used a fixed blade.......
 
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