Thinking about getting a slipjoint

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underaged!

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Sep 11, 2004
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I have almost no experience with slipjoints, I've only owned locking folders, and a couple of fixed. Is there any danger in treating a slipjoint like a locking folder? How much differently will I have to handle it? Recommendations for brands ?(looking for a cheap way in.)
 
I would say it is pretty dangerous to treat a slipjoint like a locking blade. The only thing keeping a slipjoint form closing on your fingers is the small amount of pressure from the backspring. Any knock, or fair amount fo pressure and it will close. If it is a good slipjoint, with a good backspring then probably not all the way, but why take chances? You just need to remember that the blade doesn't lock, and raelly only use it to cut putting pressure in the locking direction.

The good news is that slipjoints are not that expensive, production ones anyway, when compared to tactical folders. Queen makes some really nices pieces using D2 and various scale materials. If you just want really cheap way in to see what it is you could go with Schrade. Especially something like an Old Timer that uses carbon steel. You shouldn't have a problem finding a good slipjoint for under $50 to get started.
 
I love my OT in CS. Just remember, they came in stainless Scrade +, and now that Scrade is out of business, they are a little harder to find. Camillus and moore maker still offer CS relatively cheap, though.
 
I'd say get yourself a Victorinox brand sak. They can be had for under 20 bucks, have great fit and finish, and the soldier or tinker models are compact enough to make a good pocket knife.

Once you get used to having one of these around its hard to do without one. And the factory service and warrentee is the best in the trade.
 
Well, the trick is simple, when comparing lockbacks to slips:

1. Lockbacks tend to allow brute strength over finesse.
2. Slipjoints require finesse.

The main difference is that you have to cut more, press down less. I've used a mighty thin Queen #11 at work for about a year, and an equally thin Old Timer 8 for the five years before that. It's retired now, as the blade was getting worn down, but I never had a problem with it.

Maximize finesse, minimize force, and you'll do just fine. :)

If you want a cheap starter, Victorinox is good, as are Schrade and Camillus. Plastic or metal handles, either SS or CS blades depending on the maker. Queen's a step up, with D2 and a pretty decent range of materials, while Case offers about every handle material under the sun. Their SS is pretty shoddy, though.
 
Basically non-locking means you cannot stab with the tip if you are used to stabbing cardboard to start a cut, you need to change how you do it.
Also, you can only cut with a slippie, and you want to make sure that when you are slicing, that if the blade binds, you don't try to yank it free.

Other than that, you should be fine.

For cheap, get a CASE CV (yellow), an Old timer, or a Queen D2 each with delrin scales (cheaper). Can get these for under 50.00 shipped. You can get something fancier later.

One more thing about SJs: A good user slipjoint MUST be carbon steel or D2, which will require that you keep it clean and oil every once in a while. Most stainless SJs are too soft to make good users.
I don't know of any SJs with premium stainless steel (that are affordable).
 
I am a recent convert to slipjoints. For years I carried a Buck scoutlite. I now have a schrade peanut. I was reading some other posts about convexing the blades. How do the rest of you do it? I now carry the peanut and a BM 805 TSEK. The Schrade gets used about 5 times more often than the Benchmade. Anyone who wants a knife for daily chores would do well to check out a slipjoint of some sort. The blades are thin and mine cuts almost effortlessly.
 
me2 said:
I am a recent convert to slipjoints. For years I carried a Buck scoutlite. I now have a schrade peanut. I was reading some other posts about convexing the blades. How do the rest of you do it? I now carry the peanut and a BM 805 TSEK. The Schrade gets used about 5 times more often than the Benchmade. Anyone who wants a knife for daily chores would do well to check out a slipjoint of some sort. The blades are thin and mine cuts almost effortlessly.
Click to expand...

What I do is thin the blade to 15 degrees or less and then I strop on sandpaper which is attached to a foam pad. I start at 220 grit aluminum oxide and go to 360 and finish (polish the edge) with 600. Then I go back to the sharpmaker at 30 (15 per side) or 40 (20 per side) depending on the use for the blade and how thin I initially got it. The final step on the sharpmaker fixes any burr and cleans up the edge, making it very sharp. (the stone just touches the very edge)

If you use your blade for fibrous materials, you could use a medium stone for the final step.. then you would have a "toothy" edge, but with a highly-polished back bevel that would provide very little resistance.
 
If you're looking for an "intro" slipjoint, SMKW ( www.eknifeworks.com ) has closeout OldTimers priced from $10 - $15. These OldTimers don't have the high carbon blades like the older ones, but for the money it's hard to beat the value of these closeouts.

If you're looking spend a little more, you can move up to higher-grade knives with natural handle materials and better steel. Queen is probably top of the American brands. Camillus and Buck are OK. I've always liked Case but lately I've read poor reviews of their quality control - it seems you might or might not get a good one. Bear Cutlery is relatively inexpensive, the fit and finish is good, and they use natural handle materials - I don't know much about their steel though.

Here are some things to watch for when checking the quality of slipjoints. The spring should 'snap' when the knife is opened or closed; it shouldn't feel 'mushy'. The blade shouldn't have a lot of side-to-side movement when open. The blades shouldn't rub or hit each other, or the liners. The liners should be straight and well-fit to the handles with no gaps.

Happy Shopping,
Bob
 
I just wondered how everyone else did it (convexing). My old timer was on the porch for about a month, and when I decided to revive it, I just stretched out a 1x30 belt and laid the blade flat against it. Took of the rust, and convexed the entire blade at the same time. I then finished down to 1500 grit paper and stropped.
 
I've was big into slipjoints before a goin' "tactical" and still collect SJs from time to time. SS Slipjoints are best for collecting with exotic handles (expensive, some may actually be an investment, and almost no worry about rust), but most are weak and provide crappy edge holding, like said earlier ALL good user slipjoints have CARBON blades. If you want a user (I'm assuming you do) I'd go with a Yellow Handle or Amber Bone (the only non-yellow handle that comes with CV blades) CASE. You'll find Case CV to be superior to the Old Timer Carbon (I expect flames, but it's true). Case's also tend to have stiffer (more resistant to closing) than Schrades. However, being foolish with any SJ can result in cut fingers. Also, Queen makes theirs in D2 which is supposed to be great but will be harder to sharpen than Case CV (something to think about if all you have to sharpen is an old whetstone). Also, if you want a high-end Stainless, Queen (Schatt and Morgan) and now Case make a line of SJ in ATS-34, but they are more expensive/harder to sharpen than their Carbon counterparts.

As far as a 1st slipjoint pattern I recommed a Large Stockman, prob most versatile pattern, also the Trapper is good, and the Canoe is probably the best smaller pattern:) Just my $.50 :D
 
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