First of all I’m not some kind of freaky Zombie slaying hyper survivalist, on the other hand sharp tools are frequently useful. I like Folders because the Sheath is built right in.
Now Lockback designs like your very first Cub Scout Knife are entirely acceptable provided you are completely sure about the direction in which you’re going to apply force because if you whack it on the Spine of the Blade (the not sharp part) you’ll very likely pop the Lock, close the Blade on your hand, and cut off several fingers.
Not that they can’t be fixed given immediate and sufficient attention, but now is not the best time and it’s a highly unpleasant experience regardless.
And it’s good enough for a Pen Knife you use for opening boxes or cleaning your nails.
When you grow up you get introduced to what are called ‘Liner’ or ‘Frame’ Locks. As near as I can tell ‘Frame’ applies to the same mechanism only some Knives have what are called ‘Scales’ which are slabs of other material applied to the gripping area of the basic Knife Frame for cosmetic and ergonomic reasons. For the Lock basically you cut a flat Stop in the Frame and bend it so it’s ‘springy’. When the Blade is deployed (Open), a good chunk of the Frame on one side has been poised against the resistance of the Blade (which is right against it in the Frame, preventing Failure #1 below) and once past the point where it is blocked, it springs open, slides across the base of the Blade, and prevents it from closing (Failure #2).
In Theory.
Now I’d like to talk about Opening.
There are basically 3 styles. The Pinch is what you’re used to from your Cub Scout Knife, you drape your Thumb and your Index Finger on either side of the Spine while holding the Frame in your other Hand and scrape the Blade Open.
Well, it would be very safe if it didn’t cut your fingers off when you tapped it on the back.
The second is what I call a ‘Flick’ Knife. Liner Lock with a Thumb Stud. Clear your fingers, free the Stud with your Thumb, ‘Flick’ your Wrist. One. Hand. Open.
I bought about a dozen of these as utility knives and carried them 2 at a time to give away to people who either admired or needed them. I thought they sucked because they would fall apart under heavy use (Scale inserts would pop out for one thing) and I like Fine edges (easy to sharpen) and these were half Serrated.
But they were safe.
Until recently I had no interest in anything except my Victorinox multi-tool (basically a Cub Scout Knife on Tool Steroids) but I found that I outgrew the kit and had to upgrade to a more serious multi-tool.
But they don’t generally come with good sharp tools and I decided I’d second source and improve. I’ve bought several as they’re not expensive and I didn’t really know what I wanted. Some were ‘Flick’ and others were what is called ‘Assisted Opening’
Some ‘Assisted Opening’ Knives work just like a ‘Flick’ Knife except easier. Others use a Spine Trigger and believe me you want your Belt Clip to position your Knife ‘Point Up’ (not that the other way is bad or more dangerous, just awkward). No one will advertise ‘Automatic’ Knives which fall under the Switch Blade provisions of many areas but some are more “Assisted” than others. I like them because they don’t put as much strain on my Arthritic joints.
What makes a Knife Safe
Before we finish I’d like to highlight what I think makes a Folding Knife safe.
- It doesn’t Open unless you want it to.
- It doesn’t Close until you tell it to.
Seems pretty simple, right? Well, if you go out on Amazon you’d be amazed at the number of stories about accidental Opening. I think these at least mildly exaggerated, never had it happen with my most aggressive Assisted Open even after I tuned it.
Oh, you should tune your Knives. There’s a Tension Dial that controls the resistance and you need to set it loose enough that you’re not using a Pinch Knife. Not the primary reason I needed my multi-tool (laptops), but it does come in handy.
On the other hand- Rule 1.
It doesn’t Open unless you want it to.
The way I test this is I grab the closed Knife on the Blade (not the Hilt/Sheath) near the Tip in a Pinch Grip and shake it. Up, Down, Side to Side.
If it moves at all it’s not a safe Knife.
It doesn’t Close until you tell it to.
In Lockback they are designed to fail. It’s the only way you can close them. They are not safe as a class and hearken to a day when a certain amount of casualties were widely accepted. My Cub Scout Knife is a memento and my Victorinox retired. They’re not safe.
This can be somewhat dangerous to test so you’re going to want to pay attention.
Find a solid surface that you don’t mind striking against (a block of wood). Open the Knife and make sure the Lock is deployed. For a Liner Lock that means that the Lock Spring is at least 33% of the width of the Blade and is fully in contact, meaning that no part of the Lock Spring is not engaged. Positioning on the Blade is less important if your Lock works at all.
Works at all.
Grab the tip (Point) of your Knife in a Pinch Grip, Blade Up. Tap the Handle/Hilt/Sheath on your solid surface about as hard as you think required. I am pretty rigorous.
If it fails all you do is smack your fingers with the handle which usually doesn’t require a trip to the Emergency Room. Don’t grab the Handle/Hilt/Sheath and tap the Spine because fingers.
They’re handy (hah, get it?).
I have in my possession a Flick Knife that is otherwise admirable. Liner Lock, visibly engaged. It fails this test and I no longer use it. Passes the First Test though.
For daily carry I choose Assisted Knives and I have found some that are nice out of the box and some that require tuning (one I had to put moleskin on because it was too slippery). Because I buy cheap the edges (the ones you’re supposed to touch) are sometimes a bit pronounced and I have to soften them with a file, also you have to hone them frequently which I don’t mind because I find it restful, like Crochet.
I like light and mine range from 2.5 to 7.5 oz with lengths from 2.5 to 3.6875 (duh, Blades, what else matters?). The largest is legal in most States (no accounting for California and banned in NYC). For comparison my Victorinox is 2.375 and 3.5 oz.
So, not that big actually. I’m not Paul Hogan (though I also own a Paul Hogan Knife) and I don’t carry to impress but for utility. Were I looking for harm I’d stab you from the back with a Pencil.
I don’t always go out with my tool kit but when I do, I do.