To wave or not to wave . . .

T

tirod3

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
1,700
and not at other Jeeps . . . .:rolleyes:

Emerson's wave feature is another innovation in opening blades, which should prove to any switchblade-phobic sheeple the complete stupidity of trying to outlaw technology. Holes, studs, discs, assisted, even holsters will speed the opening of a knife. No doubt the idea of allowing the "pocket holster" to assist the opening of a blade can be attractive.

And I defend your right to have one.

I just find it interesting that a lot of supporters in threads tend toward the "whip it out" school of thought that requires fast deployment in an Every Day Carry knife. I'm not talking SD, military, covert, or other users towards which Emerson apparently designed and markets his knives. I'm talking nail cleaners like most of us.

Perhaps you can clear up some misconceptions I have, and tell why fast opening and "instant" presentation is important to you - and how reliable it is.
 
Well, you might not be talking about self-defense; but that's one big advantage of the Wave feature. Ironically, you have to whip it out as quickly as possible.... otherwise the Wave feature doesn't work properly, and you end up with a partially open knife.
 
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. I don't care for em, but I guess they have their uses. You try and whip out your knife that fast and say there's water, sweat, or God forbid blood on your hand I'd say you'd be running the risk of flinging your knife behind you or dropping it. That's why, IMO, a smooth constant opening motion is important; it's just as fast. Just my .02
 
I've got no waved knives, but I do have one assisted opener.

What is the advantage to it?

It's fun to play with.

Chi-chaaa! Take that, FedEx box! Meet your maker, thread hanging off my sweater!
 
The wave makes great sense if there's some reason you might need to pull the knife out rapidly under stress, as you point out.

Otherwise, the wave is a pain. It causes the knife to open coming right out of the pocket even when you don't want it to do so. Also, depending on the size of the wave, it can be less comfortable to carry.
 
Joe Talmadge said:
The wave makes great sense if there's some reason you might need to pull the knife out rapidly under stress, as you point out.
Click to expand...

The thing I've noticed when I draw a folder without the Wave feature, whether tip-up or tip-down, is that after I thumb the knife open; it naturally ends up edge-up in my hand. Now you can fight from such a grip, but if you want the blade to be edge-down, you have to use fine motor skills to reposition it with your fingers. Those fine motor skills go out the window in a self-defense situation.

Plus, you have to reposition your thumb on the other side of the knife for a more secure grip. Your thumb is going to be passing over the edge of the knife. If you bring it down too soon during a stressful self-defense scenario.... :o

The Wave feature eliminates these problems. I can reach down, draw the knife quickly, the wave engages, the knife opens, I just wrap my fingers around the handle into an edge-down grip. All without relying on fine motor skills.

Still haven't perfected the draw where the Wave engages every time, but I have gotten better.
 
I have a Mach I non-waved that I can deploy in the same exact manner as my Waved Commander.
I like both equally, but I have to ask myself,"Why use this wave when I have a regular Emerson that deploys the same way?"




Because I can..........:thumbup:


Anybody else notice this about their non-waved Emersons?
 
The SnG opens this way every now and then, depending on how tight my jeans pockets are. I also have a cheap kerambit, it seems to not open about as often.

Fun, yeah. Publically responsible, well, the kerambit I have sent waves of mall ninja combatives radiating in multiple directions - and was a lousy box opener. The poorly ground swedge and hooked blade just jammed in the fibers. A good flat ground drop point always worked better.

Plus the draw is like cocking a revolver every time you pull it out. Sheeple look as if they're the next victim. Sure, they're sheeple, but most the time, they were co-workers and supervisors. I don't need the impression lingering at rating time - and I don't need to intimidate friends or strangers at every opportunity.
 
For the sake of discretion when I'm surrounded by sheeple I carry my knives inside my waistband. I've done it for so long, that getting it out and open is second nature. The wave is useless IWB. I do want to pick up a waved delica though as a work knife. I do have to say that I love functionality in its simplest form. I'm a knife enthusiest, so I think autos have their place, but I don't want to count on anything auto for EDC. Waved knives are simple and fast to open. No parts to break or malfunction. Simple.
 
I've played around with waved knives, but it really doesn't suit my needs. I like being up to quickly open and close a knife just because I'm impatient and if something needs cutting I want to get it cut and move on with what I'm doing. I find knives like the Benchmade AXIS lock knives perfect for me. I can flip them open quickly, make a cut, and flip them closed equally as fast. As far as a self defense situation, I've found a waved knife doesn't offer much of a speed increase for me as you have to draw the knife out of your pocket by pulling backwards, which would be away from an attacker. With an AXIS lock knife I pull it out in a forward motion and flip the blade open as I move my hand forward, so I could strike something infront of me faster with an AXIS lock than I could with a wave, from my experience.
 
I've always been on the fence when it comes to the Wave.
Sure it's cool but it only comes on a limited number of knives.
So that basically reduces my choices to a small subset of folding knives.
Also, I don't clip knives to my pockets so.... really no purpose for
me other then the 10 mins. of 'damn that's cool' when it first arrives
to my doorstep.

Of course I'm carrying a slip-joint right now... not exactly made for SD. :)
 
I like the wave, but am glad it isn't on all of my knives. If I'm reachin for my knife it may as well help me open itself. If I find myself with a waved knife and need to use it in public, I either pull it slowly, or slide it forward in the pocket so it doesn't catch. -That can be a pain, but...
 
I find the wave to be 100% reliable. It opens everytime and if I choose I can still remove the knife without engaging the wave. I don't worry about what the sheeple think, as long as my knife is legal they have no say in how I choose to open it.
 
To: WadeF -

I find the backwards motion on a Waved knife to be an advantage. If I'm drawing my knife in a self-defense situation, I don't want anything that could possibly interfere with the draw. Drawing the knife up and back means that an attacker has to lean forward if he wants to interfere with the draw stroke. As in, if he's stupid enough to do this, I can hit him with my free hand. Closing the knife is definitely slower than with an Axis-lock. (Then again, I think everything is). But if you don't want others to see the open blade, just turn it over into a reverse-grip and conceal the knife along the inside of your forearm until you have a chance to close it. The lock on my Emerson Mini-Commander is rock solid and stiff as Hell. Got to use two hands to close it.... And I wouldn't have it any other way!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To: tirod3 & Siggyhk-

Taking a Waved folder out of your pocket, without wanting the blade to open is easy. Before you draw the knife out, angle the bottom of the length of the handle towards your leg. Then, from that position, draw the knife out. If you pull it out from that angle, the hook doesn't catch on the pocket seam.
 
tirod3 said:
Perhaps you can clear up some misconceptions I have, and tell why fast opening and "instant" presentation is important to you - and how reliable it is.
Click to expand...

I suppose there could be a psychological effect (the sound of the blade locking up and the sight of the open knife suddenly appearing) if you "waved" it in a self defense situation, but it's very convenient when you only have one hand available whether due to the situation or a medical condition.

Besides, you have the option of "waving" it open or opening it in a normal manner.
 
Never tried a waved blade, but as WadeF notes, Benchmade's Axis lock blades are pretty fast. I believe I can flick open my Mini-Rukus faster than I could deploy one of the assisted-opening blades from Benchmade.
 
I think If i were carrying a knife specifically for defense, or perhaps if i am carrying an offhanded back up to my primary, the wave is a good option, especially in the latter, I mean if you are drawing an offhanded backup, you are in a situation where your concentration is probably not on your draw.

For EDC I dont really see it, I am not an "Operator", And I have a habbit of drawing my unopened knife, If I feel that something is off, I Knifesterbate often enough that my draw is pretty quick without the wave.


My only concern about the wave (and its not probable) is if I were asked to empty my pockets by an LEO, In a stressful situation I may forget and let it open creating the wrong impression in a highly caffinated armed, but otherwise probably freindly individual.
 
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