Your opinion of half stops on slip joints?

I like both.

But, I am coming to prefer cam tangs (no half stop).

My knives without half stop are able to be opened with one hand (hook a nail, pull it part open, switch grip and finish opening it on my leg, or with fingers).

More importantly, on a knife without a half stop, I can push it half way closed with my thumb (without it snapping to the half position and biting me) and close it the rest of the way with just one hand.

My next custom I will request cam tang.



I do still like half stops, though on some knives.
 
I like them, whether it would be a deal breaker would depend on the knife and its use. My TL-29 has a half stop, it's a work knife and makes complete sense for its purpose, it's the only knife I have with a half stop and after carrying it for a while, I really came to like the half stop. One knife I think should have a half stop, given its purpose, is the Case Folding Hunter.
 
I used to prefer half stops. But I got a few very good knives with cam tang and that changed my opinion. Now, I have no preference.
 
Depends on the knife. I grew up using knives without half stops, so my normal predilection is for "no half stop".

But that has not stopped me from buying knives which have them.
Sometimes I buy a knife with half stops and find that I like them on that knife.
Sometimes I buy a knife with half stops and kind of wish it did not have them.
I don't think I have ever bought a knife without half stops and wished for them on that knife.

So it's obviously not a big thing to me.
 
Although I appreciate the extra care and work that goes into a knife being flush in all three positions, I really only two positions. I like the idea of half stops but don't really care for them.
 
It varies by knife for me. I like the half-stops on my GEC 15. I don't care much for them on my Case Peanut. I think I'd like it if there were half stop on the SAK blades for the 85mm and 91mm models. I also think they'd go well on Sodbusters.
 
The thinner the handle and the stronger the spring, the more I like half-stops. I don't think my Douk-Douks would be safe to handle at all without them. Other than that, I like them only if I can pinch the blade, using the nick can be a problem with a strong spring and half-stop.

If they are there, then they should be flush in all three positions on a quality knife IMO.
 
I'm oblivious as to whether a particular knife purchase will include a half stop or not. If it comes that way, fine...if without, that's fine to. Now, I can see the viability of a half stop on a multi-tool knife, such as the bottle cap opener/flat head screw driver on a SAK knife...they come with a half stop, and I understand it's to facilitate a better grip of the knife when unscrewing a particularly difficult screw; more torque some say.
 
No half stops for me. I do own some with half stops, but I like a nice smooth open and close. it bothers me if a cam tang isn't smooth.
 
What is most interesting to me is that both camps have their choice for safety reasons over the other! What some dislike about half stops is what I like, and what I feel is a safety feature is seen by others as a liability!

Different strokes for different folks and all of that!
 
i recently bought gec knives- a #15 boys and a #76 jack knife and i love the look, the fit and finish, the steel, the blade shape, almost everything about these knives-but i cant live with the half stops, especially because they snap quite strong in the half position (i dont mind the half stop on the case peanut). i knew they would have it and i thought that it would be no big deal but no, it is a big deal. :( for me the half stop is just a unnecessary feature, doesnt mean more quality and it makes the blade less stable too...does anybody know if the #81 abilene stockman has the half stops as well? or if any #15 knives exist without the half stop?
b
 
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I prefer half-stops in most cases but as others have said they are not necessarily a deal killer. Most of my favorite patterns do have half-stops and some of my least favorite pattern I think I would like better if they had them.
 
Sorry to hear that Bjoern, half stops or no half stops... I'm not that bothered. As long as I can carry it closed and use it when open, I'm not fussed. :)
 
Bjoern I think 2Dead (Trand) has a list of GEC knives with/without HS as a thread. on here. It may help you with future buying. I prefer a knife without HS too, I believe the majority of European knives (excepting some Sheffield products) do not use HS.

Regards, Will
 
I like em on smaller knives, like the peanut. I wish the small toothpick came with em also, but no such luck. Prefer not to have them on a larger knife, a nice steady pull is much more pleasing to me
 
I really didn't like half stops at first but after carrying knives with half stops for a couple years now, I've softened my feelings on them. I slightly prefer cam tangs or even rounded half stops to squared half stops but its not a deal breaker either way. I don't really like half stops on knives with really strong springs though. On my users that have half stops and strong springs, I filed down the squared portions a bit which makes it easier to open/close. IMHO, this shouldn't be done if you have any plans on selling the knife.

Thanks for the mention Will :) Here's a link to the thread. I updated it recently with the #21 Bull Buster. Waiting on the #77s but I think Charlie already said that they have half stops.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1091784-List-of-GEC-knives-and-if-they-have-half-stops
 
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