To Half Stop or not?

To half stop or not?

  • Half Stop

    Votes: 28 42.4%

  • No Half Stop

    Votes: 23 34.8%

  • No preference

    Votes: 16 24.2%
  • Total voters
    66
Getting a spring flush in all three positions is (for me) way easier than constructing a proper cam tang. The flat on a square tang barely makes contact with the spring when the blade is in motion whereas you're using the entire area of a cam tang so it has to all be smooth, uniform, and designed correctly. Lots can go wrong there.

Eric
 
Half-stop or not, I never let the blade drop, always let it down.

Have old and new slipjoints (Northwoods from your side o' the pond too) that have half-stops, and some, not.

Am not in favour of any one in particular..........but certainly in favour of quality, fit n finish.

What does strike me though, can't explain, the more 'pure' of them, to me, is without half-stop
 
The only place I like half stops is on the screw driver blades of my SAKs and similar knives. Because that allows those blades to be used at 90° to the handle. On cutting blades, the stop half way just doesn't feel right. It feels like it has the potential, while opening the knife, for me to slip, loose my grip and cut myself.

O.B.
 
It’s my understanding that half stops were the “original” way spring knives were made. In the 18th century the French developed the cam tang which made knives easier to open and potentially longer lasting (though I think this is fairly academic. I’ve encountered equal numbers of worn out knives of both tang type. Lack of oil for years is an ugly thing.)

I think a half stop is more fun but frankly I think a cam tang is a little safer. Less abrupt snapping and more control over the blade’s travel. My family evidently preferred cams, I never knew what a half stop was until I was an adult. It was a revelation to me that some knives could have blades that stopped in the middle.
 
I prefer no half stops, I have had to many close calls and nicks with the half stop knives I’ve had.

I’m very careful with the half stops that I have and usually shy away from using them if possible. There’s a couple of them that are not as strong that aren’t to bad but I have a few that are bear traps and are ridiculous hard pulls and nail breakers. Those ones I rarely use if at all.

I wouldn’t mind at all if I could change my half stops to the cam style tangs but that would be very difficult and probably expensive.
 
I want to add that I have found that opening a half stops is safer if you open the handle away from the blade rather than opening the blade away from the handle. Just hold the blade firm and stationary and rotate the handle away from the blade. I know this is not a natural way of doing it after decades of habit but it just takes a bit of awareness and practice.
 
AusLoX said:
ron_m80

Thread 'Half-stop?'

What is the reason for a half-stop on a traditional slip-joint folder?

Thank you.

“Many people will tell you that it's for safety and all that, but really, originally, it had to do more with ease of construction and reliability. For a very long time, blades - particularly the tangs - were filed to match hardened patterns. It's a heck of a lot easier to file a square tang profile (the half stop is the flat end of the tang) than a rounded one (actually the profile isn't quite square, but we'll ignore that for now). Also, for a long time the old mark of quality construction was the "clean and square" joint - basically the square tang was matched to a square bolster, essentially filling the joint, even when closed. This meant that if you dropped your knife in the dirt, the dirt didn't get into and around the joint to foul up the mechanism. (Remington "discovered" this early last century. :rolleyes: )

A square tang is largely self cleaning -- the corners sweep debris either toward the end of the knife or back into the body - either way, the debris gets moved out from under the tang/joint mechanism where it can then be removed. Properly cleaning up an old, gunked up knife and getting all the crud out of the mechanism is a lot easier with one that has square tangs.

Also, a square tang causes less wear and tear on the spring over time - assuming the corners of the square tang were rounded a tiny bit in construction. The corners sweep back and forth along a length of the spring in operation. spreading the wear evenly along that length. A round or cam end tang concentrates the wear in a much smaller area of the spring - becoming a problem when proper maintenance and oiling is neglected.”
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Yes! That's where I read it.
ea42 said:
Getting a spring flush in all three positions is (for me) way easier than constructing a proper cam tang. The flat on a square tang barely makes contact with the spring when the blade is in motion whereas you're using the entire area of a cam tang so it has to all be smooth, uniform, and designed correctly. Lots can go wrong there.

Eric
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That's a revelation for me. From a non-maker point of view, it always seemed to me that it must be easier to make a rounded tang that allows only two positions of the blade, open and closed, than a square tang that should allow a proper position in the middle also. Very interesting insight, sir, as usual, thank you!
Hatchet_Jack said:
a half stop has saved me from cutting myself but it’s also caused it
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Same here! 😅


As for the preference, maybe I just got used to the half-stop for most of my traditionals have it, but I kind of appreciate that extra *ting* between the opening *ding* and closing *thwack*, if that makes any sense. 😂

Edit: there might be an objective advantage of half-stop - ability to easily bring a knife into "presentation" position. Same one that causes writing on shields be "upside down" regardingt to the normal in-hand position.
 
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Primble said:
Given a choice, I would choose a smooth operating cam tang every time. Not as hard on my old fingernails either. 🐸
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- yes............in fact, the more I think about it, the most 'favourite' of my slippies to pocket and use are those that are pinch-pull to open............and of course, that is the very same action I use to close them

Yours truly,
Old Fart with weaker thumb nails xx

😄
 
There are a No. of threads on this subject as it's a popular debate :) No rational person ( are there such types amongst collectors ? ;)🤣) would turn down a fine knife simply because it sports a cam-tang or not. I prefer the tang cam for its smooth opening, many French knives are easy to open but difficult to close-exactly how it should be-and it's another reason why they need guided closing no slam shut-no kick.

The safety thing always puzzles me, depends solely on operator competence. Half-Stops with a heavy spring are the exact opposite of safe-guillotine principle :eek:and an oily blade or greasy hand can be a liability, also the tip can dig painfully into your palm when attempting closing. However, don't run away with the idea that cam-tangs are benevolent ...and what's all this whining about old age and fingernails eh? :D I'm as old as the hills but never found a knife I can't open, my fingernails are strong-file them never clip, and get those vitamins down yer! The rest of me may be wreckage mind.... As for cam-tangs and safety, not really..this CASE 18's Sheepfoot caught me soon after buying it-so much for all that stuff about CASE blunt edges and poor W&T uh uh! :eek:

1738585096576.jpeg
 
Will Power said:
There are a No. of threads on this subject as it's a popular debate :) No rational person ( are there such types amongst collectors ? ;)🤣) would turn down a fine knife simply because it sports a cam-tang or not. I prefer the tang cam for its smooth opening, many French knives are easy to open but difficult to close-exactly how it should be-and it's another reason why they need guided closing no slam shut-no kick.

The safety thing always puzzles me, depends solely on operator competence. Half-Stops with a heavy spring are the exact opposite of safe-guillotine principle :eek:and an oily blade or greasy hand can be a liability, also the tip can dig painfully into your palm when attempting closing. However, don't run away with the idea that cam-tangs are benevolent ...and what's all this whining about old age and fingernails eh? :D I'm as old as the hills but never found a knife I can't open, my fingernails are strong-file them never clip, and get those vitamins down yer! The rest of me may be wreckage mind.... As for cam-tangs and safety, not really..this CASE 18's Sheepfoot caught me soon after buying it-so much for all that stuff about CASE blunt edges and poor W&T uh uh! :eek:

View attachment 2779079
Click to expand...
OUCH!! 🫣 That cut looks pretty angry! Been using this stuff on small cuts and skin cracks for years. It really helps with the healing on fingers. I'd say you coulda used some here.

 
First of all, you gotta be safe with either iteration...so it's kinda a non-issue for me.

On single bladers that are pinchable with a good sharp-walled nick or flat ground <where top of spine is the widest point> I like half stop. It makes it easy for me to walk the blade all the way down without hitting other blades just before it gets home.

On multi bladers I find myself letting loose of the blade just before it gets home-- especially on the smaller, subordinate blades.

OTOH, I was raised up with Case and Boker slipjoints that I was taught to close on the side of my leg and letting the blade snap all the way home and letting the chips fall where they may.
 
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