The Knife Lanyard

Doc_Savage

Doc_Savage

Gold Member
Joined
May 18, 2009
Messages
1,158
While I was going to start this thread anyway, I was spurred on by the BK2 lanyard thread. Alas, I am adding this thread to find out a lanyard use consensus, and add, if I may, some advice...

I like lanyards on my knives.. they look nice. However, as a general FYI... DO NOT PUT ONE ON YOUR WRIST WHILE YOU ARE CHOPPING....

I know.. I know... the standard responses.... "I have done it for years"... "It is safer".... "That's YOUR opinion"...

Well, I've made this same plea on another forum of a well known knife manufacturer. One of the forum gurus that is well respected in his knife reviews and opinions (many of you would know him here) actually replied that it was fortuitous that I had posted. He indicated that up until the previous weekend he would have argued with me.. (and been believed, since he is a guru, and as such, compared to him, I am perceived as a dumb shit) except that he had himself had suffered the same fate that awaits those of you that persist in this dubious practice. He lost grip of his knife while chopping, and it whipped around and bit his arm.

If you lock your hand to a blade, when it comes loose... AND IT WILL. It can, and probably will flip back and cut your ass. As sharp as many of you keep your blades, you could seriously hurt yourself... some of you could damn near lop your arm off with your wicked edges.

Much like riding a motorcycle, when you are falling, get away from the bike.. let it go, and do its thing... it can hurt you...you do not want to be around it when it comes down..

Believe me.... I have hauled many men to the ER because they had to have a wrist lanyard on their machetes, (we use them constantly in our profession) and when it came loose, they got cut. And folks, most of my guys were/are strong men... and I ain't no slouch... and yet, it will come out of your hand....IT WILL.... if you chop long and hard enough...

I am a surveyor, as are my men... we can chop for miles (yes, you read that right...miles)...(well, I did in my younger days, but I be da boss now)... and muscles fail.. ask any weightlifter ...( lift till failure)... and this can seriously hurt you...

If you chop long enough and hard enough, your grip WILL fail...It's not a matter of if, but when...

*****as a side note.. these knives/machetes with built in hand guards....JUNK.... don't buy one, unless you are just trimming rose bushes... a totally stupid idea...*****

The aforementioned guru was doing a chop off, his muscle failed and he got bit.... not badly, but he got bit.... and he is a sharpening expert... he could have f*ed himself up royally... he was lucky, and came on the forum and backed up what I said...

Be that as it may... most of you are adults... do as you please..its your ass, but, for our younger colleagues, please take heed of an old surveyor's advice.

However, to facilitate further discussion, I submit:

Do you actively employ a lanyard on your wrist when chopping, and why?

just an informed user's opinion...
Doc
 
Well, the alternative could be that it flies out of your hand, and bites someone ELSE. I'd rather it bite me than someone else. Just something to consider. Maybe say, use a lanyard if you're chopping around other people, but NOT if you're by yourself. Also, STOP chopping when you start to feel fatigue.
 
Doc, I hear ya! Although, I also agree with CF that I'd rather it cut me vs. cutting someone else. For that reason, I have adopted the technique Moose showed me. I believe it's posted around here somewhere and he'll be the first to tell ya that he didn't invent the technique. So, we shouldn't do anything stupid like call it "Moosing"(something else entirely, and probably illegal) or the "Moose lanyard technique".
 
I would have before I read this thread. After reading it I think I'll skip the lanyard around the wrist. Either that or carry some appropriate forearm armor to avoid blade bite.
 
Charlie_K said:
I would have before I read this thread. After reading it I think I'll skip the lanyard around the wrist. Either that or carry some appropriate forearm armor to avoid blade bite.
Click to expand...

Your comment about forearm armor may have been facetious, but really I try to wear a long sleeve thermal or jacket or SOMETHING when I am chopping or generally around things that might fly off and cut me. A thin thermal shirt is enough to slow down/soften a swinging blade enough to make the difference between a deep cut to the artery or a superficial flesh wound. Just ask the guys in prisons who stuff pages of National Geographic under their shirts on their sides to act as 'armor' against getting stabbed with shivs.

All that said, I usually only use my lanyards when I am cutting somewhere that if I lost my grip the knife would be lost as well (on a cliff, near a river/waterfall, etc).
 
I'mwith Doc on this one. I tried lanyards a few times but never felt like it made me any safer. I would use one only if it were secured both in front of and behind my hand. Not many knives are designed for that set up. Unless you like choppers that cost as much as a house payment and are made out of some kinda infinitely magic steel. :D
 
Last edited:
we wore lanyards playing raquetball, because sooner or later you WILL spaz and your raquet will fly and typically smack your partner in the head...

so it's better it simply fwips around and smacks you

taught me that a standard wrist lanyard is a bad idea of edged tools

some years ago, i saw the thumb to back of the hand lanyard thingy, and tried it. can't say it's my favorite thing, and i often go back to no lanyard, and i'm CAREFUL. if i spaz, it's probably because i was tired. so i stop and/or switch tools.

what's scary is when your axe slips. or your chainsaw. or ...
 
Back when I was doing wild-land firefighting, we put giant rubber bands around the bottom of the handle. My first fire, was 36 hours, hours and hours and hours of swinging my Pulaski... that rubber band around the base of the handle... it works.

I made a forward lanyard for my machete, if my hand slips, it will cinch up around my hand and I think have much less of a chance of flying back to me.

I also know what a razor sharp machete can do to me or the people around me. I always swing away from myself when it's possible, and with hatchets and axes, I try to keep something between me and my swing.

When using a chopper/axe/machete around other people, it's good to have something for retention. Better to have the guys take care of you if you mess up than bloody up a co-worker or friend.
 
RogueBowie said:
Your comment about forearm armor may have been facetious, but really I try to wear a long sleeve thermal or jacket or SOMETHING when I am chopping or generally around things that might fly off and cut me. A thin thermal shirt is enough to slow down/soften a swinging blade enough to make the difference between a deep cut to the artery or a superficial flesh wound. Just ask the guys in prisons who stuff pages of National Geographic under their shirts on their sides to act as 'armor' against getting stabbed with shivs.
Click to expand...

Actually I was being quite serious about proper protection. With the right tools and some leather remnants a dedicated guard could likely be made to keep a blade from rebounding and biting into your arm.

However I'm wondering about a different lanyard approach. Why not attach the knife to a belt loop with 3-5 feet of paracord? That way you're not likely to lose it if it slips out of your hand, and it won't necessary rebound back into your arm.
 
Last edited:
During the gathering events we require the use of a lanyard, typically in the manner Murph described.
 
Charlie- If a person attaches a knife to a belt loop instead of their wrist it may be true that it won't bite them in the arm, but it also opens up a possibility of biting their knee, leg, or foot. If it's bad enough with your arm you can walk out of the woods to get help with a tourniquet or QuickClot on your wound, but if it's bad enough on your legs you're screwed. You can't walk, especially with a dressing on, and depending on how far out you are and where the cut is, you could well bleed out before you can drag yourself to the truck. It's a good idea, but IMO not all that good in a real world enviornment.
I don't use a lanyard on any of my Beckers or my own bushwhacker solely because I don't chop that much with people in front or to the sides of me, so if I do spaz the knife won't hurt anything but a tree. That and the fact that my own bushwhacker (not a machete) doesn't have a lanyard hole and I'm far too lazy to drill one.
When using my dad's Woodsman's Pal in the past I did use a lanyard in Moose's way of using one though. I agree with Murph and Crimsonfalcon wholeheartedly, if anyone is going to get hurt by my blade I would very much prefer it to be me. I couldn't live with the guilt if someone got permanantly injured because of my blade flying out of my hand.
 
Last edited:
Now this does make a lot of sense. I think I will take your advice, especially because i'm one of the youngest here. thanks for the word of advice. I really do appreciate it.
 
Wow thanks for the advice. I started that BK2 thread but I think I will be taking my lanyard off now. Or at least try to think of different way of using one.

Levi
 
Last edited:
I am going to post this for a second time (somewhere else in this forum but I don't remember where) because I think I can do a better job this time and also because it is a very misunderstood subject and because it is misunderstood, there is the possibility of serious injury if used incorrectly.
Somebody previously said he didn't care for the thumb thingy...well here is the thumb thiny and I urge you to try it.
The major problem is that people think the lanyard should go around the wrist, so that if you are chopping or batoning and the knife slips from your grip, it can be easily recovered and controlled. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you doubt this try an experiment, but do it carefully and do it with not much vigor. Go through the action of chopping with the lanyard around your wrist and then let go...not on the back swing please...shudder!! If you are careful you will note that the knife swings dangerously with its sharpened edge going places you don't want. As another person posted earlier, your muscles will get tired chopping sooner or later and you probably will let go of the knife!
Now try the following way.
Loop the lanyard over your thumb as you see in the first shot. Make sure the back of the handle is facing in as seen here.
7637845630_0f175d58ca_c.jpg


then rotate your hand down to wrap around the handle of the knife keeping the lanyard looped over your thumb.
7637849052_6ac552c353_c.jpg


Now snug down the lanyard slide button until you have the lanyard firmly wrapped around your hand.
7637847080_8734bb451d_c.jpg

If you do the exercise again with this grip, you will find when you let go of the knife, that your control is greatly enhanced and once you get it just right, you can make the knife swing back right into the palm of your hand. Done this way, you will never lose your knife flying off into the brush or worse, the snow and the chances of you injuring yourself is almost nil.
So if you have not used a lanyard because you don't trust them, now you are free to put one on your knife. I have a friend who does a lot of wilderness winter camping and he has a lanyard on each of his knives when out there and he uses this method, which I am happy to say I taught him. For my part I must credit Mike Stewart of Bark River fame for revealing this method to me.

Cheers
Leo
 
If you are chopping and the knife slips your hand, won't the thumb method suffer from the same problem as putting it around your wrist?
 
If you use the method I describe above, there is almost no chance you will lose control of your knife. If it is done correctly, the lanyard is too short for an uncontrolled swing and it is anchored by being hooked over your thumb. If you follow the directions, the knife will swing back into your hand in the correct hold position.
Try it yourself and practice a bit, you will see what I mean. :)

Best regards
Leo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top