Why pins instead of screws on slip joints?

Locutus D'Borg

Locutus D'Borg

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Let me start by saying this is not a grenade I'm lobbing, so please don't take offense at my question.

Also, I will stipulate that following tradition is the obvious answer, but I have a custom slip joint made with Torx and like 3 others made with pins. I also own GECs and Case. I have noticed Boker uses Torx with some of their traditional. (sorry, I can't un-bold this part for some reason).

What I'm wondering is that modern knife buyers - even some who specialize in slip joints - may expect higher tolerances than in the past. Modern technology gives makers the ability to use tight tolerances and I was thinking that over time, traditional knives can "loosen up" a bit, which wouldn't bother me but might bother some. And screws give the option of tightening.

Also, pivots would be easier to adjust using a screw vs pin.

I have never made a knife so I don't know about pins per se, and I've personally never had a knife with an issue, although I''ve owned older slip joints that were a bit loose (pivot loosened over time).

Thoughts?
 
I find Torx screws in particular hideous, but I wonder if there isn’t some advantage to pins besides aesthetics. Think about a maker like Victorinox - they continue to use pins even on the models where the pins are completely hidden. I imagine it is a cost issue in that case.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
Also, pivots would be easier to adjust using a screw vs pin.
Click to expand...
This is not necessarily true. Beside pins being quicker and cheaper to use, they are just as easy to adjust/ tighten, once you understand their nature!! And they don't come loose as easily as a screw!! Strip the threads and you have larger problems!!!

All this, besides the beloved traditions!! :)
 
Pins offer trouble free service and long life. I don’t want to have to periodically check my screws, or worse..when I need my knife, find the screw done fell out. Reliability in the field is unsurpassed by pins.
 
"tradition" may be part of the reason.
Cost; pins cost a lot less than small fie screws, and are considerably faster and easier to make.
Strength and reliability. Screws loosen over time. Pins don't.
As for tighter tolerances, I'd argue the pinned knife wins, since it is basically held together by friction rather than mechanical means (threads).
There are plenty of well used slipjoints over 100 year old with blades that are sill tight with to side to side wiggle. What causes a pinned knife to loosen up is torquing the blade, not normal cutting/slicing.

Aesthetics also play a part. On knives with more than tip bolsters, the pins that hold the knife together are are invisible. (only the rocker, and if used, cover and shield pins are visible.)
To my eyes "invisible" pins through the bolsters look better than screw heads.
There  were some pre-World War 2 "traditional" knives made on the commercial level. They were not popular. "They were a flop (or failure) on the market." would be n understatement.

There are some "modern" "traditional" knives with screw construction, for those that want screw construction, and have the budget for them. Lion Steel, is one.
 
Another Shepherd said:
How do you disassemble a pinned knife for cleaning?

Some very non-traditional locking knives also use pins.
Click to expand...
Generally speaking, it's not necessary to disassemble a knife to clean it. A good scrubbing with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush, followed by oiling the joints.
I have used an ultrasonic cleaner on really cruddy flea market finds, and if I needed a knife to be sterile, I suppose screwed construction might be handy. (but if I really needed a sterile blade, I'd use a disposable scalpel)
 
I like the aesthetics of pins over screws for most traditional knives. Pins are also cheaper, so that’s a plus from the maker’s perspective.
 
Screws have two advantages over pins, less likely to crack an expensive cover like pearl and if you drop the knife and crack the pearl it’s easier to replace. :)
 
Another Shepherd said:
How do you disassemble a pinned knife for cleaning?
Click to expand...
You don't.
BTW, Just because a knife  can be taken apart,  doesn't mean it should be taken apart.

To clean your knife with pinned or screwed construction: Rinse under warm running water, using a brush if necessary to remove any chunks, rinse, dry, lube the joints, and you're done.

Forget/don't fall for the "it's more sterile!!" b.s.! "Sterile" outside a lab is a myth. (chances are that "sterile" lab  isn't 100% sterile, either.)

Think about it. EVERYTHING in contact with the atmosphere is contaminated by/with everything that is naturally in the atmosphere, to include (but not limited to) dust (the majority of which did not originate on or in this planet) mold spores, pollen, bacteria, viruses, microbes, and so on.
(including "super viruses, bacterias, and microbes" created by the bacteria and viruses that survived the "kills 99.9% of germs!" cleaners used regularly several times a day at hospitals. (That 0.1% that survive "have babies" are also immune to those cleaning agents and chemicals.
Hospitals are (unintentional?) factories for "super diseases" that traditional medications can't affect.)

"Sterile" is nothing more and nothing less than a marketing tactic. "Sterile" does not exist in real life.
 
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Locutus D'Borg said:
Let me start by saying this is not a grenade I'm lobbing, so please don't take offense at my question.

Also, I will stipulate that following tradition is the obvious answer, but I have a custom slip joint made with Torx and like 3 others made with pins. I also own GECs and Case. I have noticed Boker uses Torx with some of their traditional. (sorry, I can't un-bold this part for some reason).

What I'm wondering is that modern knife buyers - even some who specialize in slip joints - may expect higher tolerances than in the past. Modern technology gives makers the ability to use tight tolerances and I was thinking that over time, traditional knives can "loosen up" a bit, which wouldn't bother me but might bother some. And screws give the option of tightening.

Also, pivots would be easier to adjust using a screw vs pin.

I have never made a knife so I don't know about pins per se, and I've personally never had a knife with an issue, although I''ve owned older slip joints that were a bit loose (pivot loosened over time).

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
You are preaching to the choir. The advantages of screws over pins are numerous. Pins are cheaper like 1095 steel, so they will be around for a while.View attachment 2047861
 
wRRCWAB.jpg
 
I've always taken it as an aesthetics thing. Screw construction was tried over the years by a few older American firms, and a decent amount by the French, but it just never caught on with the older generation well. Now, you've got a lot of guys venturing in from the tactical side, where screwed together construction is the norm, and it's more accepted. I still like pinned construction usually, it just looks cleaner to the eye for me in most cases, but some screwed knives are quite nice.

From a maintenance standpoint, it certainly is easier for most people to deal with screws I think.
 
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