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beenalongtime
11-23-2018, 12:25 AM
I generally keep an inexpensive (sub $50) pocket knife as the majority of the uses it receives, is opening packages. The other day my leg was bothering me, and I figured either my keys were rubbing me wrong, or my pen had come apart and was poking a hole in the pocket. Nope, I reached into my pocket and found my knife had come opened in it as my pinky slide across hit.

This made me wonder if there is a knife that locks shut, as well as open?

HeavyDuty
11-23-2018, 12:46 AM
My EDC Kershaw Onion Chive has a little safety to prevent opening.

beenalongtime
11-23-2018, 01:01 AM
Thank you. I didn't know that was a thing, or the term to look for, now I have a good start (just have to choose what model)!:)

SecondsCount
11-23-2018, 01:32 AM
I have a Benchmade Emissary, which has an assisted opening, and it has a little safety which locks it closed.

Cory
11-23-2018, 07:16 AM
I have a SOG with a tanto blade somewhere that locks shut. It's a little tab on the side. I think it was under $50 new. I bought it used from a friend.

https://www.sogknives.com/type/knives/flare.html
Thats not what I have, but any with that little metal tab will lock. This one is under $50 and it looks like you can get a 20% discount if you sign up for a newsletter.

-Cory

mtnbkr
11-23-2018, 07:29 AM
My EDC Kershaw Onion Chive has a little safety to prevent opening.

The Leek as well.

Chris

peterb
11-23-2018, 08:08 AM
The classic Opinel folding knives lock closed.
https://www.opinel-usa.com/collections/opinel-beech-wood-handle

BillSWPA
11-23-2018, 10:02 AM
I carry tip up knives right up against the rear edge of my front pockets. It is impossible for them to open without removing them from the pocket.

Since this is my preferred carry placement for a folding knife, I avoid tip down, which can accidentally open when I reach into the pocket.



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Shoresy
11-23-2018, 10:09 AM
As a data point, Gerber makes knives with a safety (locks the blade whether open or closed). I'd take just about anything mentioned in this thread over the one I owned. It had durability issues that even most budget knives would normally shrug off.

blues
11-23-2018, 10:09 AM
I had a Boker with a button lock I gave away a few years back. Locked in both the open and closed position. I think it was a German border guard model that I had won on another forum. Not the highest end steel but it was very secure.

RoyGBiv
11-23-2018, 10:17 AM
I have a SOG with a tanto blade somewhere that locks shut. It's a little tab on the side. I think it was under $50 new. I bought it used from a friend.

https://www.sogknives.com/type/knives/flare.html
Thats not what I have, but any with that little metal tab will lock. This one is under $50 and it looks like you can get a 20% discount if you sign up for a newsletter.

-Cory
Thanks! Added to my Amazon cart for the son, who just yesterday requested one for Christmas.

Wondering Beard
11-23-2018, 10:49 AM
I carry tip up knives right up against the rear edge of my front pockets. It is impossible for them to open without removing them from the pocket.

Since this is my preferred carry placement for a folding knife, I avoid tip down, which can accidentally open when I reach into the pocket.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's the way to go.

Cookie Monster
11-23-2018, 11:49 AM
Back in the day, twice in mountain bike crashes after the yard sale was over, I found my pocket knife locked open next to me. I started to pick in inside something. A bad day could of been much worst but really they always can.

Chuck Whitlock
11-23-2018, 01:32 PM
I carry tip up knives right up against the rear edge of my front pockets. It is impossible for them to open without removing them from the pocket.

Since this is my preferred carry placement for a folding knife, I avoid tip down, which can accidentally open when I reach into the pocket.

Same here. I like the CRKT knives with the full crossguard....works like a waved opener.

Such as:

https://www.amazon.com/Special-Folding-Tacticle-Knife-AutoLAWKS/dp/B00C3HDGH2/ref=sr_1_8?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1542997858&sr=1-8&keywords=crkt+m16

RJ
11-23-2018, 06:17 PM
I carry tip up knives right up against the rear edge of my front pockets. It is impossible for them to open without removing them from the pocket.

Since this is my preferred carry placement for a folding knife, I avoid tip down, which can accidentally open when I reach into the pocket.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I learned this the hard way.

I thought my newly-back-from-Lifesharp Benchmade Mini-Grip clip was mounted wrong. Swapped the clip and went to Lowe’s.

Reached in to get my keys out, and had a feeling like an electric shock in my fingertips.

Pro-Tip: Having a first aid kit with a buncha 2”x2” bandages in the door of the truck is a super good idea.

I didn’t need any stitches but it left a fairly nasty reminder.

Mark D
11-24-2018, 01:23 AM
I learned this the hard way.

I thought my newly-back-from-Lifesharp Benchmade Mini-Grip clip was mounted wrong. Swapped the clip and went to Lowe’s.

Reached in to get my keys out, and had a feeling like an electric shock in my fingertips.

Pro-Tip: Having a first aid kit with a buncha 2”x2” bandages in the door of the truck is a super good idea.

I didn’t need any stitches but it left a fairly nasty reminder.

I had a similar experience with a Benchmade Griptilian in D2 tool steel. My fault for carrying it appropriately. Cut my thumb into a bloody mess. I should have got stitches but I used bandages and copious amounts of duct tape.

Regarding knifes that lock shut, I had a SOG that would lock in the closed position. But the lock would self-activate in the pocket and then I couldn't get it open easily.

Now I just carry tip up, with the blade against the back of my pocket, as BillSWPA described.

RevolverRob
11-25-2018, 07:44 PM
If legal to carry where you live, a properly designed latch equipped balisong (butterfly) knife locks open and closed. The Benchmade 51 Morpho is more or less the gold standard for a carry balisong.

JCS
11-25-2018, 08:16 PM
I carry tip up knives right up against the rear edge of my front pockets. It is impossible for them to open without removing them from the pocket.

Since this is my preferred carry placement for a folding knife, I avoid tip down, which can accidentally open when I reach into the pocket.



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This^^*.

What type of knife was it? I once had it happen with a flipper that I decided to carry weakside in a back pocket. After that I only carried tip up where it couldn’t open with flippers.

olstyn
11-25-2018, 08:23 PM
The Leek as well.

I've actually got the safety on my Leek disabled 99% of the time, since I, too, carry it tip up with the spine of the blade against the back edge of a pocket so it can't open. (Just put it in the "safety off" position and tighten the screw down a bit and it won't move into the "safety on" position.) However, when I put it in a checked bag the last time I flew, I re-enabled it so that I could ensure it wouldn't open and stab stuff in transit. Even though I don't use it most of the time, the safety was a nice feature to have for that purpose.

drummer
11-25-2018, 10:53 PM
There are too many modern folders, in my opinion, that are way too prone to accidentally open. Most of them are liner locks. I've got a scar on my left palm from an Emerson that opened inadvertently. As several others have mentioned, carrying with a clip in the tip down configuration will prevent you getting stuck if it ever did open inadvertently.

That said, moving away from the Walker liner lock (and to a bit lesser extent the Reeve Integral Frame Lock) to lock-backs would help your problem without having a lock in the closed position. Lock-back knives tend to put more pressure on the blade in the closed position requiring more effort to open. They also benefit from being more bomb-proof and longer lasting, in my experience.

More traditional knives such as slip joints and friction folders would also work well for you if you didn't want to use a pocket clip. Their stiff springs (or friction) and lightweight blades create a knife that won't open in your pocket. When's the last time you heard of someone complaining about a Swiss Army Knife opening inadvertently? You didn't because they don't.

Chuck Whitlock
11-26-2018, 12:21 PM
If legal to carry where you live, a properly designed latch equipped balisong (butterfly) knife locks open and closed. The Benchmade 51 Morpho is more or less the gold standard for a carry balisong.

Back when I was into them, I considered them to be the safest folder. Can't close on you during use sans catastrophic failure.

Unfortunately, too many legislators watched Kung Fu Theater on the weekends. :cool:

JBhunter45
11-26-2018, 01:00 PM
I carry tip up knives right up against the rear edge of my front pockets. It is impossible for them to open without removing them from the pocket.

Since this is my preferred carry placement for a folding knife, I avoid tip down, which can accidentally open when I reach into the pocket.



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Not impossible. I've had a Leek open while in the pocket a few times.
Not fully but enough to scalp a knuckle or slice a finger when reaching in for my wallet.

BillSWPA
11-26-2018, 01:30 PM
Not impossible. I've had a Leek open while in the pocket a few times.
Not fully but enough to scalp a knuckle or slice a finger when reaching in for my wallet.

Are we talking about the same carry position right up against the rear of the front pocket? In that position, the fabric of the pants physically blocks the opening of the blade.

RevolverRob
11-26-2018, 02:01 PM
Are we talking about the same carry position right up against the rear of the front pocket? In that position, the fabric of the pants physically blocks the opening of the blade.

Usually it does that. But I've had tip-up knives 'walk' forward a bit during every day movement, allowing just the tip (leave it...) to unfold. I've been stabbed by tip-up knives carried this way more than once.

Far less likely to deploy accidentally are knives carried like the Spyderco P'kal is intended to be carried. That is the clip is setup like you might setup a knife for left hand back of pocket carry, then the knife is placed in the forward portion of the right hand pocket (this to allow maximum purchase for a 'wave' to work, reverse this orientation if you're lefty). I've found the forward-of-hip location of the knife does not result in unintentional opening of the blade. Further, even if it did, the blade tip is covered by your pocket material at the front of the pocket, reaching inside the pocket for something else, will not allow you to find anything other than a knife handle, even sitting down will not result in you stabbing yourself, unless you have a large spare tire and tight pants on.

In my opinion, short of a balisong, which as Chuck Whitlock noted is excellent, because barring truly catastrophic failure it cannot unintentionally open or close on an individual, a waved knife with a good detent carried in the forward portion of the pocket, will almost certainly not deploy unless you want it to.

I cannot vouchsafe for how such a device might work if you crashed while mountain biking or motorcycling. But in those scenarios, a fixed blade in a good kydex sheath with additional retention strap, would probably be preferable.

JBhunter45
11-26-2018, 02:31 PM
Are we talking about the same carry position right up against the rear of the front pocket? In that position, the fabric of the pants physically blocks the opening of the blade.

Yes, in Cintas 270 type work pants with front slash style pockets. Still able to open tip about a inch from the knife handle.

Rob,
I've also cut pocket material.

Small wallet hitting the flipper might have something to do with it.

Navin Johnson
11-26-2018, 07:57 PM
I frequently carry IWB at 5:00 or loose in a pocket. The only knives I trust for that are Spyderco lock backs (a slip joint will also work).

Too many people are worried about speed or cool factor. Waves open whether you want them to or not (and half the time only part way). Flippers and axis locks practically fall open. Liner locks and frame locks are only as good as their stay closed detent. Every axis lock, compression lock, liner lock etc. pop open with a simple waist-high drop to the carpet. if I carry one of those kinds of locks it must be up against the rear seam of a front pocket in a pair of jeans Etc. (I've had a number of those types of locks open by me falling or even bumping into something)

The other option is a kydex neck sheath. I frequently carry a paramilitary like that.

BillSWPA
11-26-2018, 08:06 PM
I frequently carry IWB at 5:00 or loose in a pocket. The only knives I trust for that are Spyderco lock backs (a slip joint will also work).

Too many people are worried about speed or cool factor. Waves open whether you want them to or not (and half the time only part way). Flippers and axis locks practically fall open. Liner locks and frame locks are only as good as their stay closed detent. Every axis lock, compression lock, liner lock etc. pop open with a simple waist-high drop to the carpet. if I carry one of those kinds of locks it must be up against the rear seam of a front pocket in a pair of jeans Etc. (I've had a number of those types of locks open by me falling or even bumping into something)

The other option is a kydex neck sheath. I frequently carry a paramilitary like that.

If one of my kids has managed to get a shoelace or other piece of clothing caught in an escalator, speed becomes much more than merely cool. When my son recently managed to wrap up his finger in a twisted teddy bear ribbon to the point that his finger was swelling by the second, speed was helpful.

Wave opening has been the fastest and most dependable opening method I have found. The Emerson-licensed Spyderco waves are generally the most reliable and gentlest on clothing. Emerson and Zero Tolerance have been less reliable due to the much smaller waves.



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Navin Johnson
11-26-2018, 08:32 PM
Reliable opening trumps all.....by the time I have a Spyderco to a useful position I can thumb ride it all the way open..... Waves don't work well when you are pinned against the wall or the floor.... you simply end up with a partially opened knife..... The best way to open a folder is with two hands......the hump with the hole gives a great purchase for your off hand..... Fixed blade is the fastest.....choose your risk/reward and drive on.

BillSWPA
11-26-2018, 08:54 PM
Reliable opening trumps all.....by the time I have a Spyderco to a useful position I can thumb ride it all the way open..... Waves don't work well when you are pinned against the wall or the floor.... you simply end up with a partially opened knife..... The best way to open a folder is with two hands......the hump with the hole gives a great purchase for your off hand..... Fixed blade is the fastest.....choose your risk/reward and drive on.

If I am in a fight I am only going for a knife if something is stopping me from going for my gun. The two times I have needed a knife readily available (the other was releasing my son from a car seat with a defective buckle) it was for something far different than a fight.

Whether a fixed blade is fastest depends on where and how it is carried. A Bud Nealy multi-carry sheath suspended from an inside jacket pocket is absolutely fast. A neck sheath, not so much.

If the wave fails, there is absolutely nothing stopping me from thumbing open the knife, or merely flicking it the remainder of the way open.

Navin Johnson
11-26-2018, 10:28 PM
I think the original question was about safety. Specifically a folder that stays closed. I gave a response to the original question from my real world experience. If you find it objectionable so be it. However defending your personal decisions based on my experience is not what the thread is about.

Radar Love
11-28-2018, 09:33 AM
Are we talking about the same carry position right up against the rear of the front pocket? In that position, the fabric of the pants physically blocks the opening of the blade.

I stopped carrying my Leek because the clip couldn't be adjusted so I couldn't carry it like that in my front right pocket. I really like that knife except for the fact that it kept opening in my pocket. That little safety slider thing didn't inspire much confidence.

As to knives that lock closed off hand I can think of the Benchmade mini Barrage (https://www.benchmade.com/mini-barrage-family.html), CRKT Lake series (https://www.crkt.com/lake-111-z.html) and some of the more more mall-ninja s&w knives (https://store.smith-wesson.com/smith-wesson-large-military-police-m-a-g-i-c-assisted-opening-liner-lock-folding-knife-partially-serrated-clip-point-blade-aluminum-handle-4).

Clusterfrack
11-28-2018, 10:49 AM
Reliable opening trumps all.....by the time I have a Spyderco to a useful position I can thumb ride it all the way open..... Waves don't work well when you are pinned against the wall or the floor.... you simply end up with a partially opened knife..... The best way to open a folder is with two hands......the hump with the hole gives a great purchase for your off hand..... Fixed blade is the fastest.....choose your risk/reward and drive on.

I have had very good performance with waved folding trainers in grappling and entanglement. Very high ratio of successful deployments and only a few failures.

LSP552
11-30-2018, 08:43 PM
I learned this the hard way.

I thought my newly-back-from-Lifesharp Benchmade Mini-Grip clip was mounted wrong. Swapped the clip and went to Lowe’s.

Reached in to get my keys out, and had a feeling like an electric shock in my fingertips.

Pro-Tip: Having a first aid kit with a buncha 2”x2” bandages in the door of the truck is a super good idea.

I didn’t need any stitches but it left a fairly nasty reminder.

I’m afraid that knife is cursed.....it tried to kill us both!

I have a G10 Mini-Grip that I really like. But the keys are in the other pocket so they can’t open up the knife. A Spyderco hole is much harder to open in the pocket compared to the Axis stud.

The only thing that goes in that pocket is small Swiss Army knife.

RJ
11-30-2018, 08:50 PM
I’m afraid that knife is cursed.....it tried to kill us both!

I have a G10 Mini-Grip that I really like. But the keys are in the other pocket so they can’t open up the knife. A Spyderco hole is much harder to open in the pocket compared to the Axis stud.

The only thing that goes in that pocket is small Swiss Army knife.

Ken I would Karma it on but I don’t want to endanger anyone here. :cool:

LSP552
11-30-2018, 09:11 PM
Ken I would Karma it on but I don’t want to endanger anyone here. :cool:

Good call Rich. Promise I didn’t know it was cursed!

beenalongtime
12-01-2018, 12:19 AM
I have a SOG with a tanto blade somewhere that locks shut. It's a little tab on the side. I think it was under $50 new. I bought it used from a friend.


-Cory


Thanks.

Found that one, and was being nagged for a Christmas list, so that model was sent to them and is on the way.
Now if I can avoid stabbing myself until then.

RevolverRob
12-02-2018, 12:31 AM
I have had very good performance with waved folding trainers in grappling and entanglement. Very high ratio of successful deployments and only a few failures.

Me too.

And going for the blade while pinned is putting the cart in front of the horse. Remember the three Ps folks - Pressure, Posture, Position. Dominant positions win fights, not knives.

And I've especially had no problems deploying waved blades when they are carried at the front of the pocket P'Kal style. In fact, to have that trapped, I'd have to be on my stomach or side. In which case I'm not in the right place to be trying to get a knife out anyways.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-p4YmUJ4PA

MistWolf
12-10-2018, 03:08 PM
The CRKT Igniter locks closed.

What does "wave" mean?

Clusterfrack
12-10-2018, 03:11 PM
The CRKT Igniter locks closed.

What does "wave" mean?

The Emerson Wave that opens the folder when the knife is drawn from the pocket.

MistWolf
12-10-2018, 10:02 PM
The Emerson Wave that opens the folder when the knife is drawn from the pocket.

Gotcha. Thanks