Thin Handled folders - Good or Not ?

J

Jason Cutter

Joined
Oct 9, 2002
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I was wondering what you guys thought about your folders.

I personally find that in particular, frame locks and liner locks can be hard to open with a very slim handle, simply because there's not enough "meat" for your fingers to grab onto to leverage the blade out.

In addition, I find that the pressure you exert on the handle when opening, can sometimes interfere with the opening smoothness because of the detent ball and the lockbar's position.

Even on lockback's - the thinness problem seems to be related mainly to one-handed folders.

However, thin handles are obviously unobstrusive and much lighter.

What do you think ? Jason.
 
I think the thinner a handle becomes the more important the profile of that handle becomes. For example, a thin folder with a skinny straight profile is quite difficult to manipulate. There's just not enough there to hold onto. I prefer a thin folder with a profile that has a belly and a bird's beak end. Smith and Wesson's HRT Framelock folders are a good example of what I'm talking about.

http://www.1sks.com/store/smith-and-wesson-frame-lock-2.html

This folder is really thin but it's profile gives one ample purchase to hold and manipulate it.
 
It all depends on your preference. Two of my favorite folders are the Spyderco Military and the Microtech LCC. The LCC inspires confidence because it is built like the proverbial tank. It is also a pleasure to hold and use because of the thickness and the contours of the knife.

I find myself carrying the Military more though. Why? Despite its size, the Military basically disappears when in my pocket or IWB. Its thinness and lightweight combine to make an eminently carryable knife.
 
I personally find that in particular, frame locks and liner locks can be hard to open with a very slim handle, simply because there's not enough "meat" for your fingers to grab onto to leverage the blade out.

Jason, I will agree with this. My fix is to carry tip-up. This allows you to use the clip for extra grip.(I'm right handed) If I like a knife that isn't tip-up, I can usally modify it for tip-up carry. I do like thin knives for EDC in pockets.

In addition, I find that the pressure you exert on the handle when opening, can sometimes interfere with the opening smoothness because of the detent ball and the lockbar's position.

I think I just get used to it. The only really thin knife I have that opens well is my Spyderco UK Pen. Just seems to open very naturally. (I think Spydie hole helps alot)

BTW: Jason, I was trying to use the quote feature, will try to get it right next time. Walter
 
Hi Jason,
I'm a lefty and most of my one-hand openers are right-handed. With medium size hands don't have a problem with slim handled folders.
Not having enough meat(blade) sticking out of the handle is harder to open, but I think what makes some one-handed folders difficult to open is placement of the thumb stud or whatever you're using.

Dean
 
I don't really care much for liner-locks or frame-locks.
But I do like certain thin handled folders--one that are thin but WIDE.
Knives like the Spyderco Endura, Police , and Military are thin but wide and so they still fill the hand well.

The worse is thin and narrow.

Allen.
 
I sure love my calypso junior, i kind of prefer a thinner handle to a thicker one. The less obtrusive a knife is in the pocket, the better. As long as the pivot strength remains reasonable I'm all for a slim handle.
 
I only have 1 liner lock and that is a Buck MiniStrider 881SP and you can not describe that as thin. I have the Spydie PM with the compression lock and it offers me no problems nor do the Spydie lock backs Delica, Calypso Jr, Blackhawk and Pacific Salt but then I would describe my hands smaller than average and these knives suit me.
 
I have a Klotzli that is very thin. EXTREMELY thin....

....and I have no problem with it. Opens easy, closes fast. As a matter of fact, next the my Sebbie, it's my favorite carry blade. But, call me wacky, I like wharnies.... :D
 
As AllenC pointed out above, a thin cross section that is wide relative to your palm is a good combination.

Personally, I was very leery of thin knives. I "re-gifted" my Ka-Bar Dozier, which was a beautiful knife at the price, because it was just plain skinny. I have large hands with a wide palm but rather stumpy fingers, and I just couldn't hold the Dozier for long periods without it starting to feel awkward.

For years, my EDC had a fairly wide cross section (about 1/2" to 5/8" was my ideal). I carried a Gerber AR 3.0, an Buck 442, and a couple of others. However, for about a month, I've been carrying my new Spyderco Scorpius, which has stainless steel scales and is about 1/4" thick but over 1" wide. Others on this forum have raised concerns about the "grippyness" of SS handles, and I, too, was concerned, but I have had no problems with either the thickness or the SS grip. The Scorpius has INCREDIBLE ergonomics -- the best I've seen on any knife, and I've handled all the big names at all price points.

So, in conclusion, I think handle thickness is a personal preference that depends on ergonomics, handle materials, and the individual.
 
Just be careful that you pick out strong handle materials. Al Mar makes a great knife, but their Micarta (e.g. on the Falcon knives) handles aren't up to rough use.

_z
 
You know, this was a real issue for me with the Sebenza. I guess I'm just used to thicker material for my knives and I just couldn't get used to how thin and how narrow the handles were. I'm ordering a BM 630 w/some b-day money and I'm thinking that the wider handles will make up for the thin nature of the framelock. Personally, I prefer fixed blades because they've never failed me and won't fold on my fingers. However, for folders I would have to say that handle geometry would be important. I've never had a problem opening my Spydercos b/c the geometry has always been so good. I don't have a problem with my EKI's either (my current EDC brand).

In short, I have to agree with what others have said, thiner handles make the geometry that much more important; and a thin knife w/narrow scales just doesn't work for me. It actually fatigues my hands quicker. In any case, that's what I think.

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
I've never had any problem opening my Spyderco Police, and find the handle very comfortable.

IMO, as long as the handle profile is a good shape, and the clip is in the right place, thin handles are good.
 
I'm not a big fan of thin handles except on small knives. The Spyderco Cricket SS would be a good example of this.

Mid sized folders, the Calypso Jnr. seems to have it about right.

On larger folders I much prefer a somewhat more chunky handle. My Strider SnG suits me down to the ground here.
 
It's about 1 1/2 oz, zytel handle, ATS 34 blade. And for me, it as easy or easier to open and close as my thicker handled BM 705 and mini-grip. Without a clip, I prefer the thinner handle in my pocket. It's not as strong as a fully lined Benchmade. But for EDC, it's fine. I rotate my AG Russell with my 705 and a slip joint just to get a different feeling. Each knife has it's own tradeoffs. I can't speak to the difficulty of opening a linerlock or framelock knife simply because I would never buy one. Too many horror stories about liner lock unreliability. And though the framelock is stronger, the difficulty I encountered in trying to open my friend's Sebenza has made me shy of these as well. So, I pretty much limit myself to lockbacks, Axis, and buttonlocks. So, a thinner handle isn't as much of an issue for me.

Kref
 
I'm one that prefers handles that are on the thinner side for my work EDC stuff. I don't mind it being slightly thicker if it's clipped. My work doesn't demand hard use out of a blade. Cable ties & computer server Box knockdowns are about as hard as it gets for me during the week. Cargo Pants pockets - whatever :D Example - I clip my BM Mini-Ambush (left pocket), but my Delica rides free in my left pocket. I tried it the other way around and found that the Mini-Ambush was just a little thick. Weekends are a different story - I carry my heavier folders in either my back pocket or on my belt in a pouch sheath depending...... Ka-Bar/Dozier folding hunter (thumbhole) is a thin folder but has a good handle size and is light enough (like the Delica) for IWB carry and virtually no "presence". I have both the Kershaw Vapor and Camillus EDC and have found that they can be a bit hard to open if you have open them quickly. Especially if you are a lefty. I guess bottom line here for me is thin is OK as long as the handle is deep enough to get a reasonable grip. This is where I find the BM Mini-Pika to have a bit of a shortcoming. Blade shape is nice and very useful, but the handle is just a tad small depth wise to get a good grip if you need to use it hard. And I have fairly small hands. For me - the Mini Ambush is much better than Mini-Pika. Would I buy the Pika? Probably not. Would I buy the Ambush? Yes, I think I will own one ultimately, but not 'til after my BM550 shows up and I've acquired a Spydie Para Military. The Ambush is kinda on my list of "I just can't think of what I want to buy next" and I have some loose cash days. It's not expensive enough to put a dent in the wallet (well, not really big ;) ) and easy enough to acquire and get reasonable blade on those impulse moments :D

- gord
 
I.....NEED..... the clip on my Delica to hold onto while opening.

My gripe is METAL handles. Slippery metal handles. Especially on assisted open folders. I know a guy with a CRKT XXL (?) that almost flies out of my hand unless I remember to REALLY grip it.

Otherwise, thin is in. Especially IN pockets.
 
A well-designed grip can be very thin and still be effective. Curved slabs work better than flat ones. Texturing makes a huge difference. Width is also a big factor.

My EDC is a Camillus Aftermath, which is thin but provides a comfortable and secure grip. The outsides of the scales are somewhat curved, the flame pattern serves the same purpose as texturing, and the front-to-back contours of the grip insure positive indexing and security. All that and it disappears in my pocket, despite its size.

I've handled a lot of thicker knives that are not nearly as comfortable as some of the thin ones. Ergonomics can be very subtle.

--Bob Q
 
I find that as long as the handle is well-designed (and long enough to fit in my hand), that the thickness of the handle makes little difference in the use of the knife. My Calypso Jr., Paramilitary, and SBT Police Utility are all comfortable in use. For carry, however, I prefer the Spydies most days, as the SBT is so thick (and the FRN scales so textured) that I can tear up my hand while trying to quickly dig out my keys, pen, SAK, or other junk I carry in the same pocket.

I occasionally carry a Becker Necker on my belt, and find that handle comfortable in use as well. I haven't wrapped mine yet, so it's only as thick as the .150" blade stock, but it's wide (tall?) enough that I can grip it well in my XL-sized hands.

Jeremy
 
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