Who else doesn't use thumb studs or holes??

TODD1

TODD1

Joined
Nov 21, 2000
Messages
475
just wondering who else flips there folders out like a gravity knife instead of using the thumb stud or hole(disk etc.) to me its just easier then haven to locate your thumb just right!
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"when in doubt,empty the magazine!"
 
I do sometimes, but not in front of people it bother. It is also harder on the stop, so I don't do it that often.

Keith.
 
Yes, I must confess, "I'm a Flicker".
My favorite is my Art Washburn folder, it begs to be flicked. So smooth you can wish it opened.

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"Will work 4 Knives!"
My PhotoPoint Site
 
Many years ago, before tactical folders with opening aids were available, I learned to open folders by pinching the blade between thumb and middle finger. You lift the blade a bit, then use your thumb to continue the blade around.
Lost a bit of skin! Of course, the knife has to have enough blade exposed to grab.
 
It depends on what type of flicking.

Although I can flick open most of my knives, I find flicking by wrist-snapping alone as more "showing off" than practical.

In addition, some knives are inherently more "flick-friendly" than others. For example, it is much more difficult to flick some lockbacks with heavy backsprings, than it is to flick a loose linerlock.

Therefore, if you can't duplicate that same action with different knives, and under varying conditions, it is more of a trick than a skill.

However, flicking by using the thumbstud is much more certain. That is, you nudge the blade with your thumb (or thumbnail) as you flick it. Let's call it a thumbstud-assisted flick. It is also safer since you aren't wailing on the knife and will therefore lessen the chance of the knife flying out of your hand.

Keep in mind that the shock that the knife endures with that snapping action may not be so good for the knife. Kind of like dry-firing a gun.

So, yes, I do snap open knives occasionally for fun. However, I keep it to a minimum.
 
Bikewr, I too became very proficient at opening knives with thumb & forefinger before holes & studs. At the first hint of trouble, I could have a folder open in my coat pocket, ready for use, and close it back up without ever revealing it.

Of course now I kick myself, as the hole/stud concept is yet another $million idea that I did not cash in on.
mad.gif
 
I have the use of both hands. I find that by holding the scales between the fingers of one hand, and pulling the blade open with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, the knife opens reliably and without undue stresses on the knife as a whole.

Call me old fashioned if you will.

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Sometimes I catch myself assuming that everybody knows their way around a pocket knife. Then I remember what the first three letters of "assume" are.
- James K. Mattis
 
Some people are unaware of how smooth some folders can be. These are usually the folks who go to shows, reach for a knife, and snap it open before they even look at it.

I had a pearl handled knife hit the edge of the table, and then the floor last year by one of these folks. It cracked the pearl!

It seems such a shame for makers to put so much time and effort into a folder to make it as slick and neat looking as possible and then have somebody do this. The knife goes under the table. It ruins the whole thing for anybody who wanted to see that knife later.

If you like continually snapping a folder open, because you think it's "cool", be prepared to send it back for repair later. If you do it at my table, be prepared to buy the knife on the spot!

(By the way, nobody "applauded" when that pearl handled folder hit the floor!)



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Tom Anderson
Hand Crafted Knives
 
Of course, if you own a production Axis lock (that is, one of Benchmade's Axis line), flicking really isn't much of a problem. Built like a tank. Now, if I ever see someone flick one of the custom Axis knives (that is, McHenry & Williams), I'm going to have to scream...

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
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