Walk and Talk

First, Welcome to bladeforums!

"Walk and Talk" refers to how well a pocketknife, usually a non-locking slipjoints blades open and close under the power of the backsprings. It's not something most users can change on their own.
 
ok thanks

i have a stockman would that walk and talk?

also does anyone have any could sharpening advice?
 
bobrifleman said:
ok thanks

i have a stockman would that walk and talk?
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It will, if it was well made. It's one of those "it either does or it doesn't" kind of things.

also does anyone have any could sharpening advice?
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Check out the Toolshed forum under general knife discussion, lots of sharpening and stropping threads there.
 
"Walk and talk" refers to a slip-joint knife with a half stop - a flat spot on the tang end that causes the blade to stop half open/closed.
 
Thomas Linton said:
"Walk and talk" refers to a slip-joint knife with a half stop - a flat spot on the tang end that causes the blade to stop half open/closed.
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I'd never heard this. Interesting!
I always heard half stops referred to as half stops.
 
I always thought Talk meant that upon full extention of the blade you hear a loud Snap and Walk refers to how smoothly it opens/closes.:confused:
 
pogo said:
I always thought Talk meant that upon full extention of the blade you hear a loud Snap and Walk refers to how smoothly it opens/closes.:confused:
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The "click" of the opening and closing = "talk."

The hesitation caused by the half-stop = "walk."

Thus is has always been, as noted by A.G. Russell, Hughes, Ken Warner, Case, Queen, and -- most important - both of my grandfathers.

It's a sign of better construction -- an extra step of machining and fitting.

Then again, you can have it mean anything that makes you happy. It just won't mean what us old guys mean when we use the expression.
 
pogo said:
I always thought Talk meant that upon full extention of the blade you hear a loud Snap and Walk refers to how smoothly it opens/closes.:confused:
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This is what I'd thought too.
 
rifon2 said:
pogo said:
I always thought Talk meant that upon full extention of the blade you hear a loud Snap and Walk refers to how smoothly it opens/closes.
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This is what I'd thought too.
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Me too.
Walk is the action, Talk is the snap. Has nothing to do with half-stops. I have plenty of slipjoints without half-stops (and plenty with), and they walk & talk based on the strength of the backspring, and the smoothness of the action.
 
I would be curious to know how many posting are under fifty years of age. This may be a generational thing that tracks with decline in use of half stops.

It happened to "sex" and "is." Why not "walk and talk"?

I presume we can agree on "snap" (even if some eBay sellers can not).
 
Not doubting you here. I have a small Western folder that has this halfstop or walk as you call it. What about a slipjoint that has no halfstop but, still hesitates upon opening or closeing? Is this considered Walk as well?:confused:
 
As far as half stops go, I like'um. As to walk and talk, I though I knew but now I'm not sure. Whatever it means, I'm sure we all agree it is a good thing.
 
I'm relatively new to all of this, but I also thought that Walk was the smoothness of opening, and talk was the sound (indicative of the strength of the backspring) of the knife opening.
 
I was always wondering about this. My Gerber EZ-out has a half stop. It's a pretty weak stop since the spring is much weaker than it would be on a slip joint but its got one nontheless.
 
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