When would a spine whack EVER be necessary?

RevDevil said:
I'm using this thread as a guide for the "do not buy from" list on the Exchange... I don't want your LNIB spinewhacked folder... :barf:
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LNIB ZT 561 for sale; just for you Rev. Small scuff on the blade from one or seventy five spine whacks; I forget which... ;):thumbup::rolleyes::foot:

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I've come across old posts a few times after having bought a knife from a member here where they said they'd "beat the hell out of the knife" prior to getting rid of it. Hard to tell exactly what a used knife has been exposed to sometimes IMHO. That would have explained the late lockup though in my situation... :thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:

I try to be overly critical when selling a knife; in some cases I think it cost me the sale/trade. :foot::( But I'd rather avoid issues than have to deal with an unhappy recipient on the other end. :thumbup::cool:
 
I didn't read the thread but for me personally spine whacking is a test thought up by a person desperately trying to find a problem where there is none. I know this because I was guilty of this many years ago. But once you really look at this "test" objectively its hard not to come to terms with it being pretty useless. There are so many variables at play for why the test is not only not viable but can actually lead to future failures especially on a new knife with a titanium lock face. But I would say one of the biggest flaws in the test when talking titanium framelocks is it puts the knife under conditions that the lock would never face in any real life use situation. Now putting reverse light pressure on the spine of the blade to test for lock slip? Fine. But smacking it against things introduces a lot of variables otherwise never to surface during use. Not to mention the test usually requires that your hand no longer be reinforcing the lock. And how many people do you think sitting in front of their computers did this test after oiling the hell out of the pivot and likely getting oil on lock face. Too much room for human error and ignorance.
 
"The hand being part of the locking" idea doesn't make sense to me. You can't predict how you'll be holding a tool for a variety of tasks...

And NOW something has just hit me... Once I was on a very faraway trip on my bike (as in, a 400 miles bus ride kind of far), and the bike's chain jumped its gear, and somehow wedged itself viciously between the frame and some other part. It was wedged-in incredibly tight, from a full power pedal stroke, and NO amount of effort would make it seem like it would even consider moving... No tool was adequate because of the narrow space the chain was wedged in.

And then I though of something and pulled out my Cold Steel Pro Lite, opened it, and wacked the spine on the chain, spinning the thing by the tip of the handle and hitting with its prominent humped spine on the chain as hard as I could... Finally, after several dozen wacks, the chain came loose...

If I had not freed the chain, the wheels of the bike could not even be turned...: This meant I could not even walk beside the bike, so I would have had to actually carry it... This would have meant abandoning it... Not only would the trip have been ruined, but the bike would have been lost...

Aside from a recent "Survival" episode with a Randall Model 14, I now remember I considered this the most useful thing a knife had ever done for me in 30 years of carry... Given the number of online arguments I have already seen about spine wacking, I am actually bummed I did not remember this earlier... I'm fixed-blade centric these days... :) (I usually treasure any event where my knives actually save the day, because they typically have decades of utter uselessness to make up for...)

I have to say when I did this, circa 2003-2005, it never even occurred to me this was damaging to the knife, or that the knife could fail... It's amazing what you can learn online...

Gaston
 
Gaston444 said:
(I usually treasure any event where my knives actually save the day, because they typically have decades of utter uselessness to make up for...)
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I opine that this statement indicates a lack of general knife use. I find a use for my EDC every day.
 
Way back before we knew they were hazardous waste, I used to spine whack 8' fluorescent tubes to make them fit in the dumpster at work. They broke cleaner and with less "glass spray" than when broken over the edge of the dumpster. It's the only reason I ever spine whacked a knife, I didn't want to dull the edge breaking the tubes. Ironically I did break a Parker lockback folder blade at the pivot pin doing it...
 
When would a spine whack EVER be necessary?
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OK picture this : You are walking down the side walk, minding your own business, fingering your knife in your pocket, not bothering anyone
WHEN SUDDENLY !
from behind a bush springs a Samurai with a full on long sword drawn and coming down to lob off your poor defenseless shoulder, arm, and half your rib cage.
What can you do ? ? ? ?
Luckily you have your super lock equipped folder !
Shazam !
You whip it out, flick it open . . . take a quick look to be sure it is fully locked . . .
. . .
. . .
yup . . . she's good
and
Block that mighty sword just short of your oh so flushed flesh.

Any questions ? ? ?
I think not.
 
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