noob question... flicking open a folder?

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  • cyprant

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    Dec 13, 2011
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    Is it poor form or bad for the knife if you "flick" open a knife by using a thumb stud and a short snap of your wrist? I am not talking about assisted opening knifes, just thumb studs or holes...

    Thanks
     

    M67

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    Jan 15, 2011
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    IF you have a Chris Reeve and you flick it open, you void the warranty, a puppy dies, and an angle is cast out of heaven.

    I'm a flicker personally, the beauty of good knives is the lifetime warranty, if something happenes to screw up, I'll send it in, I don't care.

    But, I know people who are......delicate on their folders (gruntsoldier :p ).

    Anyway, personal prefference. To be honest though, I like the sound of a good frame lock popping into place after the blade been flicked :D
     

    Dirty Steve

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    My EDC knife is a Benchmade and I have been opening it like this when I use it and sometimes for fun when I'm bored for more than 10 years. It has not seemed to effect the locking mechanism in the least.

    Dirty Steve
     

    Bradsknives

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    When flicking, the stop pin, blade tang, locking bar, (not to mention washers, bushings and bearings at the pivot point) or any other metal to metal contact surfaces are much more abused and it will speed up the wear on those parts which leads to a shorter life span or even a possible failure. Same thing applies to other locking systems, more wear on the parts.​

    Example: When flicking a knife hard, a lot of times the lockbar (both framelock and liner lock) will travel further along the blade tang for a harder lock. When you go and close it, it can be much harder to close because the bar catches more. It will feel sticky or feel like it is catching when closing....this causes more wear on both the locking bar and blade tang.

    Example: I know a person that is a hard "flicker". After about 3 years of hard flicking on a certain knife, the pivot hole start to become elongated from wear, thus allowing the blade to move around in the pivot hole. This resulted in a failure when the blade folded on him during hard use. The excessive wear at the pivot hole allowed the blade to move just enough to slip pass the locking bar.

     
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    jbombelli

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    I view every folding knife as a novelty more than a hard-use tool, so I flick them open. I don't really care if that causes a bit more wear, since if I'm going to do anything tougher than cutting string or clamshell packages I use a fixed blade anyway.
     

    cbseniour

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    I carry one of several Columbia River knives I own and when it comes out for any purpose I flick it open. So far, 3 years, no issues.
    It's quick, easy and the way the knife was designed to be opened.
     

    David Rose

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    I got a Spyderco Edura in 1994-5. Because of the tip up carry design I learned to hold the hadle and flip it open instead of using the hole. Using the hadle to flip it open probably generates more force than pushing the blade out and then flipping it open. After about a decade of continuos carry and on and off carry since then the knife seems to be no worse for all that abuse.
     

    jsharmon7

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    Huh! I never knew that. I thought flicking it open was the whole idea behind the flipper tab on the back of the blade. I will be more carefull I guess!
     

    jbombelli

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    Huh! I never knew that. I thought flicking it open was the whole idea behind the flipper tab on the back of the blade. I will be more carefull I guess!

    Most likely it's ultimately a case of getting the quality you pay for. A $25 Gerber will probably wear out MUCH faster than a ZT, or a Crusader Forge, or Hinderer, or a Strider, etc.

    So in my opinion if you have a quality, beefy folder, especially one with a flipper, it should probably hold up just fine. And if your ZT doesn't for some reason hold up, I'd bet they'll replace it for you.
     

    Bradsknives

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    Let me be clear in what I stated earlier. Alot of knives are designed to be flipped open and most of your higher quality knives (flippers and non flippers) can take it because of the higher quality materials that are being used and the tighter tolerences. Most of the time you will never have issues because of flicking. I was just answering the OP on whether it can be bad to flick open a knife. Hard flicking will cause more wear. Look at it this way, when you close a door, if you slam it shut every time , do you think it will last as long as if you would just close in a manner that is considered normal?:twocents:
     
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    twolfcale

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    If someone considers a good Kershaw or Benchmade "cheap", then they can abuse it as much as they want, because they have the $$$ to replace it!
     

    El-Cigarro

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    I've been opening my $25 Gerber Icon by flicking it ever since I bought it.
    It's still holding together. I read somewhere that is the way they recommend you open it, so it will lock up tight....
     

    cyprant

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    My main reason for asking the question is because I have bought a couple of better quality knifes as of late and I see my self with some higher end knifes in the future. I dont want to end up with a collection of "abused" knifes. I also was wondering this in terms of etiquette when handling a knife I am considering purchasing. Luckily the blade I was flicking open at Brads table followed me home... I want to avoid being "that guy"...

    Thanks for the advise.
     

    billyboyr6

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    I view every folding knife as a novelty more than a hard-use tool, so I flick them open. I don't really care if that causes a bit more wear, since if I'm going to do anything tougher than cutting string or clamshell packages I use a fixed blade anyway.

    I don't agree with this at all. Most quality modern folders are built just as strong if not stronger then a lot of fixed blades. Unless your talking about your grandpas old slip joint case knife or similar. Then I agree, the only thing that they are good for it cutting string, or picking dirt out from under your fingernails after planting your Pansy's in the garden. :D

    The sound of a good solid lock up of a titanium frame lock being flipped open is just as sweet of a sound as a pump shot gun being racked. IMHO

    I look at it this way, no matter if you spend $20 or $400 on a folding knife, you should use it the way you want to use it. Who cares if it wears out in 2 years instead of 5. Thats why i carry at least one back up all the time anyway. And That just gives you the excuses to go buy another one. :)
     
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