Pocket knife
Encyclopedia
A pocket knife is a folding knife
with one or more blade
s that fit inside the handle that can still fit in a pocket
. It is also known as a jackknife
or jack-knife. Blades can range from 1 cm (1/2 inch) to as much as 30 cm (12 inches) in length, but a more typical blade length is 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 inches.) Pocket knives are versatile tools, and may be used for anything from opening an envelope
, to cutting twine
, to slicing an apple or even for self-defense
.
The earliest known pocket knives date to at least the early Iron Age. A pocket knife with bone handle was found at Hallstatt, dating to around 600-500 BC. Iberia
n folding-blade knives made by indigenous artisans and craftsmen and dating to the pre-Roman era have been found in Spain.
is the original and most basic design of folding pocket knife, using a simple pivoted blade that folds in and out of the handle freely, without a backspring, slipjoint, or blade locking mechanism. The first peasant knives date to the pre-Roman era, but were not widely distributed nor affordable by most people until the advent of limited production of such knives in cutlery centers such as Sheffield, England commencing around 1650, with large-scale production starting around the year 1700 with models such as Fuller's Penny Knife and the Wharncliffe Knife. Some peasant knives used a bolster or tensioning screw at the blade to apply friction to the blade tang in order to keep the blade in the open position. The smallest (Nos. 2 -5) Opinel knives are an example of the peasant knife. The knife's low cost made it a favorite of small farmers, herdsmen, and gardeners in Europe and the Americas during the late 19th and early 20th century.
that allows the blade to fold if a certain amount of pressure is applied. The first spring-back knives were developed around 1660 in England, but were not widely available or affordable to most people until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution
and the development of machinery capable of mass production. Most locking knives have only one blade that is as large as can be fitted into the handle, because the locking mechanism relies on the spring along the back of the blade to lock it and it is difficult to build in multiple levers, one for each blade. Slipjoints tend to be smaller in size than most typical pocket knives.
Some popular styles of slipjoints are:
knives formerly consisted of variations on the American camper style or the Swiss Army knives manufactured by Victorinox, Wenger, and others. However, the concept of a multitool knife has undergone a revolution thanks in part to an avalanche of new styles, sizes, and tool presentation concepts. These new varieties often incorporate a pair of pliers
and other tools in conjunction with one or more knife blade styles, either locking or non-locking.
Multitool knives often have more than one blade, including an assortment of knife blade edges (serrated, plain edged, saw
s) as well as a myriad of other tools such as bottle opener
s, corkscrew
s, and scissors
. A large tool selection is the signature of the Swiss Army Knife
. These knives are produced by Victorinox
and Wenger
and issued to the army and sold to the public. Similar to the Swiss Army knife is the German Army
knife, with two blades opening from each side and featuring hard plastic grips and aluminum liners. The U.S. Military utility knife, issued by the United States Army
, Navy, and Marine Corps, was made for many years by the Camillus Cutlery Company
and Imperial Schrade
. It was originally produced with carbon steel
blades and brass
liners (both vulnerable to corrosion
), but with the arrival of Vietnam War
was modified to incorporate all-stainless steel
construction. The current-issue U.S. military utility knife has a textured stainless grips and four stainless blades/tools opening on both sides.
.
An electrician
's knife typically has a locking screwdriver
blade but a non-locking knife blade.
The credit card knife is a very thin knife that is the shape and size of a credit card. It is designed to be carried in the wallet along with regular credit cards. Some credit card knives can contain other small tools, such as tweezers, or toothpicks.
Knives with locking blades, often referred to as lock-blade knives or clasp knives, have a locking mechanism that locks the blade into its fully opened position. This lock must be released in a distinct action before the knife can be folded. The lock-blade knife improves safety by preventing accidental blade closure while cutting. It is this locking blade feature that differentiates the lock-blade knife from either the peasant knife or the slipjoint spring-back knife.
Lock-blade knives have been dated to the 15th century. In Spain, one early lock-blade design was the Andalusian clasp knife popularly referred to as the navaja
. Opinel knives use a twist lock, consisting of a metal ferrule or barrel ring that is rotated to lock the blade either open or closed. In the late 20th century lock-blade pocket knives were popularized and marketed on a wider scale. Companies such as Buck Knives
, Camillus
, Case
, and Gerber
, created a wide range of products with locks of various types. The most popular form, the lockback knife, was popularized by Buck Knives in the 1960s, so much that the eponymous term "buck knife" was used to refer to lockback knives that were not manufactured by Buck.
The lockback's blade locking mechanism is a refinement of the slipjoint design; both utilize a strong backspring located along the back of the knife. However, the lockback design incorporates a hook or lug on the backspring, which snaps into a corresponding notch on the blade's heel when the blade is fully opened, locking the blade into position. Closing the blade requires the user releasing the blade to apply pressure to the bar spring located towards the rear of the knife handle to disengage the hook from the notch and thus release the blade.
The Walker Linerlock
and the framelock came to prominence in the 1980s. In both designs the liner inside the knife is spring-loaded to engage the rear of the blade when open and thus hold it in place. In the case of the framelock, the liner is the handle, itself. The Swiss Army knife
product range has adopted dual linerlocks on their 111 mm models. Some models feature additional "positive" locks, which essentially ensure that the blade cannot close accidentally. CRKT has patented an "Auto-LAWKS" device, which features a second sliding switch on the hilt. It can operate as any liner-lock knife if so desired, but if the user slides the second control up after opening, it places a wedge between the liner-lock and the frame, preventing the lock from disengaging until the second device is disabled.
In the 1990s in the United States, as a response to restrictive gun laws, tactical folding knives became popular. The trend began with custom knifemakers such as Bob Terzuola, Michael Walker
, Allen Elishewitz, Mel Pardue, Ernest Emerson
, Ken Onion
, Chris Reeve
, Rick Hinderer, Warren Thomas, and Warren Osbourne. These knives were most commonly built as linerlocks. Blade lengths varied from 3 inches to as long as 12 inches, but the most typical models never exceeded 4 inches in blade length for legal reasons in most US Jurisdictions.
In response to the demand for these knives, production companies offered mass-produced tactical folding knives. Companies such as Benchmade
, Kershaw Knives
, Buck Knives, Gerber, CRKT and Spyderco
collaborated with tactical knifemakers; in some cases retaining them as full-time designers. Tactical knifemakers such as Ernest Emerson and Chris Reeve went so far as to open their own mass-production factories.
There has been criticism against the notion of a "Tactical Folding Knife". Students of knife-fighting point out that any locking mechanism can fail and that a folding knife regardless of lock strength can never be as reliable as a fixed-blade combat knife
. Lynn Thompson, martial artist and CEO of Cold Steel
pointed out in an article in Black Belt magazine that most tactical folding knives are too short to be of use in a knife fight and that even though he manufactures, sells, and carries a tactical folder, it is not ideal for fighting.
patent where the user presses the pad of his thumb against a hole and opens the blade by rotating his thumb similarly to using the thumb-stud. Another innovation of Sal Glesser
, Spyderco founder, was the clip system, which he named a "Clip-it". Clips are usually metal or plastic and similar to the clips found on pens except thicker. Clips allow the knife to be easily accessible, while keeping it lint-free and unscathed by pocket items such as coin
s. Assisted opening systems have been pioneered by makers like Ken Onion
with his "Speed-Safe" mechanism and Ernest Emerson's
Wave system, where a hook catches the user's pocket upon removal and the blade is opened during a draw. One of the first one handed devices was the automatic spring release, also known as a switchblade
. An innovation to pocket knives made possible by the thumb-stud is the replaceable blade insert developed in 1999 by Steven Overholt (U.S. Patent no. 6,574,868), originally marketed by TigerSharp Technologies and as of 2007 by Clauss. Some systems are somewhat between assisted opening and the normal thumb stud. CRKT knives designed by Kit Carson often incorporate a "Carson Flipper", which is a small protrusion on the back of the handle (when closed). By using an index finger and a very slight snapping of the wrist, the knife opens very quickly, appearing to operate like a spring assisted knife. When opened, the protrusion is between the base of the sharp blade and the users index finger, preventing any accidental slipping of the hand onto the blade. Some designs feature a second "Flipper" on the opposite side of the blade, forming a small "hilt guard" such as a fixed blade knife has, which can prevent another blade from sliding up into the hilt in combat.
s.
In the United States, knife laws vary from state to state and even within different cities and counties of the same state. Some local jurisdictions prohibit the possession or use of pocket knives that feature locking blades. Others prohibit certain blade styles perceived by law enforcement and legal authorities as optimal for offensive fighting, transforming the pocket knife from a utility tool into a deadly weapon. These might include knives with dirk
, dagger
(double-edge), bowie, or stiletto
blades. In some jurisdictions it is illegal to conceal knives larger than a certain size or with blades over a certain length, particularly when combined with locking blade mechanisms. The possession or carrying of a folding pocket knife with a quick-opening mechanism such as a gravity knife
, butterfly knife, balisong
, or switchblade
may be prohibited. Under U.S. federal law, switchblades and ballistic knives
are banned from interstate shipment, sale, or importation, or possession on federal or Indian lands or U.S. possessions and may be prohibited entirely in some states. Knives of any size or configuration may be prohibited by federal or state laws in certain designated areas or places, such as schools, courthouses, jails, power plants, or airports.
In the United Kingdom it is illegal to carry knives in public without "good reason". The terms "in public" and "good reason" are not defined, but examples of "religious duty", "national dress" and "requirement of employment or hobby" are given. It is left up to a police officer's individual subjective discretion, and ultimately a magistrate
to decide if a knife is being carried "in public", and for a "good reason". Folding knives with blades of 3 inches or less may be carried without needing to provide "good reason" so long as the blade is not capable of being locked in the open position. However, it is illegal to have the intention of using any object in public as a weapon, meaning that even a knife that is legal to carry without needing "good reason" may still be found to be illegal if the police officer has grounds to suspect it will be used as a weapon. The onus lies on the officer to prove that intent. Recent court decisions in the U.K. have made it easier for public prosecutors to obtain knife possession convictions by preventing the accused from citing self-defence or even fear of attack as a justifiable reason for carrying a knife. The U.K. government advisory website on crime and justice states flatly that "even if you carry a knife to protect yourself or make yourself feel safer but don’t intend to use it then you are committing a crime."
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
with one or more blade
Blade
A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...
s that fit inside the handle that can still fit in a pocket
Pocket
A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets may also be attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items...
. It is also known as a jackknife
Jackknife
Jackknife may refer to:* Jackknife, pocket knife* Jacknife, 1989 American film* Jackknife, jackknife hold, a pinning move in wrestling* Jackknife, kicking move involving 540-degree rotationJackknife may refer to:* Jackknife, pocket knife...
or jack-knife. Blades can range from 1 cm (1/2 inch) to as much as 30 cm (12 inches) in length, but a more typical blade length is 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 inches.) Pocket knives are versatile tools, and may be used for anything from opening an envelope
Envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card....
, to cutting twine
Twine
Twine is a light string or strong thread composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together. More generally, the term can be applied to any thin cord....
, to slicing an apple or even for self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
.
History
Iberia
The name Iberia refers to three historical regions of the old world:* Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Portugal and Spain** Prehistoric Iberia...
n folding-blade knives made by indigenous artisans and craftsmen and dating to the pre-Roman era have been found in Spain.
Peasant knife
The peasant knife, farmer knife, or penny knifePenny knife
The penny knife dates from the 18th century and was an extremely basic utility knife, originally with a fixed blade. It received the name penny knife for what it reportedly cost in England and America during the late 18th century...
is the original and most basic design of folding pocket knife, using a simple pivoted blade that folds in and out of the handle freely, without a backspring, slipjoint, or blade locking mechanism. The first peasant knives date to the pre-Roman era, but were not widely distributed nor affordable by most people until the advent of limited production of such knives in cutlery centers such as Sheffield, England commencing around 1650, with large-scale production starting around the year 1700 with models such as Fuller's Penny Knife and the Wharncliffe Knife. Some peasant knives used a bolster or tensioning screw at the blade to apply friction to the blade tang in order to keep the blade in the open position. The smallest (Nos. 2 -5) Opinel knives are an example of the peasant knife. The knife's low cost made it a favorite of small farmers, herdsmen, and gardeners in Europe and the Americas during the late 19th and early 20th century.
Slip joint knife
Most pocket knives for light duty are slip joints. This means that the blade does not lock, but, once opened, is held in place by tension from a flat bar or leaf-type backspringSpring (device)
A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
that allows the blade to fold if a certain amount of pressure is applied. The first spring-back knives were developed around 1660 in England, but were not widely available or affordable to most people until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the development of machinery capable of mass production. Most locking knives have only one blade that is as large as can be fitted into the handle, because the locking mechanism relies on the spring along the back of the blade to lock it and it is difficult to build in multiple levers, one for each blade. Slipjoints tend to be smaller in size than most typical pocket knives.
Some popular styles of slipjoints are:
| Style | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Barlow | The Barlow knife has a characteristically long bolster, an elongated oval handle, and two blades. It is assumed to be named after its inventor, although there is some dispute as to which Barlow this actually was. | |
| Camper | The traditional camper knife has a large spear and shorter clip blade, along with a can opener, combination cap lifter/screwdriver, and an awl or punch | |
| Canoe | The canoe knife has a handle shaped somewhat like a native American canoe and usually comes with two spear point blades | |
| Congress | The congress knife has a convex front with a straight or shallow concave back. It usually carries four blades. | |
| Elephant's toenail | The elephant's toenail is large design similar to the sunfish but usually tapers on one end giving it the "elephant's toenail" shape. These knives like the sunfish usually have two wide blades | |
| Peanut | The peanut knife is a very small knife with one or two blades. | |
| Penknife | The penknife was originally intended to sharpen quill pens, but continues to be used because of its suitability to fine or delicate work. A pen knife generally has one or two pen blades, and does not interfere with the appearance of dress clothes when carried in the pocket. | |
| Sodbuster | The sodbuster has a simple handle with no bolster and usually only one blade. | |
| Stockman | The stockman has a clip, a sheep's foot and a spey blade. They are usually middle-sized. There are straight handled and sowbelly versions. | |
| Sunfish | The sunfish is a large design with a straight handle with two bolsters. The blades are usually short (less than 3 inches), but both the handle and blades are very wide. Sunfish knives usually have two blades. | |
| Trapper | The trapper is larger knife with a clip and a spey blade. | |
| Whittler | The whittler is a pattern of pen knife which has three blades, the master blade bearing on two springs. |
Multitool knives
Multi-toolMulti-tool
A multi-tool is any one of a range of portable, versatile hand tools that combines several individual functions in a single unit...
knives formerly consisted of variations on the American camper style or the Swiss Army knives manufactured by Victorinox, Wenger, and others. However, the concept of a multitool knife has undergone a revolution thanks in part to an avalanche of new styles, sizes, and tool presentation concepts. These new varieties often incorporate a pair of pliers
Pliers
Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, for bending, or physical compression. Generally, pliers consist of a pair of metal first-class levers joined at a fulcrum positioned closer to one end of the levers, creating short jaws on one side of the fulcrum, and longer handles on the other...
and other tools in conjunction with one or more knife blade styles, either locking or non-locking.
Multitool knives often have more than one blade, including an assortment of knife blade edges (serrated, plain edged, saw
Saw
A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...
s) as well as a myriad of other tools such as bottle opener
Bottle opener
A bottle opener is a device that enables the removal of metal bottle caps from bottles. More generally, it might be thought to include corkscrews used to remove cork or plastic stoppers from wine bottles....
s, corkscrew
Corkscrew
A corkscrew is a kitchen tool for drawing stopping corks from wine bottles. Generally, a corkscrew consists of a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle. The user grips the handle and screws the metal point into the cork, until the helix is firmly embedded, then a vertical pull on the...
s, and scissors
Scissors
Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
. A large tool selection is the signature of the Swiss Army Knife
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
. These knives are produced by Victorinox
Victorinox
Victorinox is a knife manufacturer based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has, once more, become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army.-History:...
and Wenger
Wenger
Wenger is one of two companies that have manufactured Swiss Army knives. Based in Delémont, Wenger was acquired by rival Victorinox in 2005.- History :The history of Wenger S.A...
and issued to the army and sold to the public. Similar to the Swiss Army knife is the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
knife, with two blades opening from each side and featuring hard plastic grips and aluminum liners. The U.S. Military utility knife, issued by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Navy, and Marine Corps, was made for many years by the Camillus Cutlery Company
Camillus Cutlery Company
The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States. The Company, which has its roots dating back to 1876, produced millions of knives until it filed for bankruptcy in 2007 due to fierce overseas competition...
and Imperial Schrade
Imperial Schrade
Imperial Schrade Corp. was an American knife manufacturer of hunting knives and pocketknives. Existing in various forms, the company was the eventual consolidation of the Schrade Cutlery Company, founded in 1904, and the Imperial Knife Company, founded 1916. In 2004 the company stopped making...
. It was originally produced with carbon steel
Plain-carbon steel
Carbon steel, also called plain-carbon steel, is steel where the main interstitial alloying constituent is carbon. The American Iron and Steel Institute defines carbon steel as: "Steel is considered to be carbon steel when no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt,...
blades and brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
liners (both vulnerable to corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
), but with the arrival of Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
was modified to incorporate all-stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
construction. The current-issue U.S. military utility knife has a textured stainless grips and four stainless blades/tools opening on both sides.
Miscellaneous designs
Another style of folding, non-locking knife is the friction-folder. These use simple friction between the blade and scales to hold the blade in place once opened; an example is the Japanese higonokamiHigonokami
A is a type of folding pocketknife native to Japan. The knife has no locking system, but is a friction folder, using the friction of the swivel and/or the pressure of the user's hand on a protruding tang to prevent the knife from folding during use....
.
An electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
's knife typically has a locking screwdriver
Screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...
blade but a non-locking knife blade.
The credit card knife is a very thin knife that is the shape and size of a credit card. It is designed to be carried in the wallet along with regular credit cards. Some credit card knives can contain other small tools, such as tweezers, or toothpicks.
Lock-blade knives
Lock-blade knives have been dated to the 15th century. In Spain, one early lock-blade design was the Andalusian clasp knife popularly referred to as the navaja
Navaja
The navaja is a traditional Spanish folding-blade fighting and utility knife. One of the oldest folding knife patterns still in production, the first true navajas originated in the Andalusian region of southern Spain...
. Opinel knives use a twist lock, consisting of a metal ferrule or barrel ring that is rotated to lock the blade either open or closed. In the late 20th century lock-blade pocket knives were popularized and marketed on a wider scale. Companies such as Buck Knives
Buck Knives
Buck Knives is an American knife manufacturer founded in San Diego, California and now located in Post Falls, Idaho. The company has a long history through five generations of the Buck family from 1902 to the present day...
, Camillus
Camillus Cutlery Company
The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States. The Company, which has its roots dating back to 1876, produced millions of knives until it filed for bankruptcy in 2007 due to fierce overseas competition...
, Case
W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company is an American manufacturer of traditional pocketknives, fixed blades/sporting knives, limited edition commemoratives and collectibles. The company originated in Little Valley, New York around the turn of the 20th century before relocating to its current home,...
, and Gerber
Gerber Legendary Blades
Gerber Legendary Blades is a maker of consumer knives and multitools headquartered in Tigard, Oregon, United States, within the Portland metropolitan area. Currently Gerber is a sub-division of Fiskars Brands Inc, owned by the Fiskars company of Finland...
, created a wide range of products with locks of various types. The most popular form, the lockback knife, was popularized by Buck Knives in the 1960s, so much that the eponymous term "buck knife" was used to refer to lockback knives that were not manufactured by Buck.
The lockback's blade locking mechanism is a refinement of the slipjoint design; both utilize a strong backspring located along the back of the knife. However, the lockback design incorporates a hook or lug on the backspring, which snaps into a corresponding notch on the blade's heel when the blade is fully opened, locking the blade into position. Closing the blade requires the user releasing the blade to apply pressure to the bar spring located towards the rear of the knife handle to disengage the hook from the notch and thus release the blade.
The Walker Linerlock
Walker Linerlock
The Walker Linerlock is a locking system developed by custom knifemaker Michael Walker in 1980 for use on folding knives.When the blade of the knife is in the opened position, it is held in place by a leaf spring that butts up against the tang of the blade to prevent the blade from closing...
and the framelock came to prominence in the 1980s. In both designs the liner inside the knife is spring-loaded to engage the rear of the blade when open and thus hold it in place. In the case of the framelock, the liner is the handle, itself. The Swiss Army knife
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
product range has adopted dual linerlocks on their 111 mm models. Some models feature additional "positive" locks, which essentially ensure that the blade cannot close accidentally. CRKT has patented an "Auto-LAWKS" device, which features a second sliding switch on the hilt. It can operate as any liner-lock knife if so desired, but if the user slides the second control up after opening, it places a wedge between the liner-lock and the frame, preventing the lock from disengaging until the second device is disabled.
Tactical folding knife
Buck's lockback knife was originally marketed as a "folding hunting knife" and while it became popular with sportsmen, it saw use with military personnel as it could perform a variety of tasks. Custom knife makers began making similar knives, in particular was Guatemalan-born knifemaker Bob Terzuola. Terzuola is credited with coining the phrase "Tactical Folder".In the 1990s in the United States, as a response to restrictive gun laws, tactical folding knives became popular. The trend began with custom knifemakers such as Bob Terzuola, Michael Walker
Michael Walker (knifemaker)
Michael Leon Walker is an American custom knife maker and sculptor based in Taos, New Mexico. Walker is the inventor of over 20 different knife mechanisms including the Walker Linerlock which he secured a trademark for in 1980...
, Allen Elishewitz, Mel Pardue, Ernest Emerson
Ernest Emerson
Ernest R. Emerson is an American custom knifemaker, martial artist, and edged-weapons expert. Originally an engineer and machinist in the aerospace industry, Emerson became a knifemaker known for making decorative knives but later became better known for his combat knives, eventually founding a...
, Ken Onion
Ken Onion
Ken Onion is an American award-winning custom knifemaker based in Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA who invented the "SpeedSafe" assisted opening mechanism for Kershaw Knives...
, Chris Reeve
Chris Reeve
Chris Reeve is an American knife maker, recognized as one of the most influential people in knife making history. Reeve founded Chris Reeve Knives , and is co-owner of the company with his wife, Anne Reeve.-Background:...
, Rick Hinderer, Warren Thomas, and Warren Osbourne. These knives were most commonly built as linerlocks. Blade lengths varied from 3 inches to as long as 12 inches, but the most typical models never exceeded 4 inches in blade length for legal reasons in most US Jurisdictions.
In response to the demand for these knives, production companies offered mass-produced tactical folding knives. Companies such as Benchmade
Benchmade
The Benchmade Knife Company is a knife manufacturer run by Roberta and Les de Asis in Oregon City, Oregon, United States. Its products are geared toward many niche markets, such as outdoor sporting cutlery, rescue, law-enforcement, martial-arts, and military...
, Kershaw Knives
Kershaw Knives
Kershaw Knives is a multinational corporation that designs and manufactures a range of knives, including kitchen cutlery, pocket knives, and outdoor knives...
, Buck Knives, Gerber, CRKT and Spyderco
Spyderco
Spyderco is a Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. based cutlery company that produces knives and knife sharpeners. Spyderco introduced many features that are now common on folding knives, including the pocket clip, serrations, and the opening hole...
collaborated with tactical knifemakers; in some cases retaining them as full-time designers. Tactical knifemakers such as Ernest Emerson and Chris Reeve went so far as to open their own mass-production factories.
There has been criticism against the notion of a "Tactical Folding Knife". Students of knife-fighting point out that any locking mechanism can fail and that a folding knife regardless of lock strength can never be as reliable as a fixed-blade combat knife
Combat knife
A combat knife is a fighting knife designed solely for military use and primarily intended for hand-to-hand or close combat fighting.Since the end of trench warfare, most military combat knives have been secondarily designed for utility use in addition to their original role as close-quarter combat...
. Lynn Thompson, martial artist and CEO of Cold Steel
Cold Steel
Cold Steel is a Ventura, California-based maker of knives, swords and other edged weapons and tools. Cold Steel was founded in 1980 by company president, Lynn C. Thompson...
pointed out in an article in Black Belt magazine that most tactical folding knives are too short to be of use in a knife fight and that even though he manufactures, sells, and carries a tactical folder, it is not ideal for fighting.
Other features
Traditional folding knives are opened using nail-nicks, or slots where the user's fingernail would enter to pull the blade out of the handle. This became somewhat cumbersome and required use of two hands, so there were innovations to remedy that. The thumb-stud, a small stud on the blade that allows for one-handed opening, led the way for more innovations. One of these being the thumb hole: a SpydercoSpyderco
Spyderco is a Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. based cutlery company that produces knives and knife sharpeners. Spyderco introduced many features that are now common on folding knives, including the pocket clip, serrations, and the opening hole...
patent where the user presses the pad of his thumb against a hole and opens the blade by rotating his thumb similarly to using the thumb-stud. Another innovation of Sal Glesser
Spyderco
Spyderco is a Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. based cutlery company that produces knives and knife sharpeners. Spyderco introduced many features that are now common on folding knives, including the pocket clip, serrations, and the opening hole...
, Spyderco founder, was the clip system, which he named a "Clip-it". Clips are usually metal or plastic and similar to the clips found on pens except thicker. Clips allow the knife to be easily accessible, while keeping it lint-free and unscathed by pocket items such as coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s. Assisted opening systems have been pioneered by makers like Ken Onion
Ken Onion
Ken Onion is an American award-winning custom knifemaker based in Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA who invented the "SpeedSafe" assisted opening mechanism for Kershaw Knives...
with his "Speed-Safe" mechanism and Ernest Emerson's
Ernest Emerson
Ernest R. Emerson is an American custom knifemaker, martial artist, and edged-weapons expert. Originally an engineer and machinist in the aerospace industry, Emerson became a knifemaker known for making decorative knives but later became better known for his combat knives, eventually founding a...
Wave system, where a hook catches the user's pocket upon removal and the blade is opened during a draw. One of the first one handed devices was the automatic spring release, also known as a switchblade
Switchblade
A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
. An innovation to pocket knives made possible by the thumb-stud is the replaceable blade insert developed in 1999 by Steven Overholt (U.S. Patent no. 6,574,868), originally marketed by TigerSharp Technologies and as of 2007 by Clauss. Some systems are somewhat between assisted opening and the normal thumb stud. CRKT knives designed by Kit Carson often incorporate a "Carson Flipper", which is a small protrusion on the back of the handle (when closed). By using an index finger and a very slight snapping of the wrist, the knife opens very quickly, appearing to operate like a spring assisted knife. When opened, the protrusion is between the base of the sharp blade and the users index finger, preventing any accidental slipping of the hand onto the blade. Some designs feature a second "Flipper" on the opposite side of the blade, forming a small "hilt guard" such as a fixed blade knife has, which can prevent another blade from sliding up into the hilt in combat.
Legal issues
Pocket knives are legal to own in most countries, but may face legal restrictions on their use. While pocket knives are almost always designed as tools, they do have the potential to be considered by legal authorities as weaponWeapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s.
In the United States, knife laws vary from state to state and even within different cities and counties of the same state. Some local jurisdictions prohibit the possession or use of pocket knives that feature locking blades. Others prohibit certain blade styles perceived by law enforcement and legal authorities as optimal for offensive fighting, transforming the pocket knife from a utility tool into a deadly weapon. These might include knives with dirk
Dirk
A dirk is a short thrusting dagger, sometimes a cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt rather than a knife blade. It was historically used as a personal weapon for officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail.-Etymology:...
, dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
(double-edge), bowie, or stiletto
Stiletto
A stiletto is a knife or dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, intended primarily as a stabbing weapon. The stiletto blade's narrow cross-section and acuminated tip reduces friction upon entry, allowing the blade to penetrate deeply...
blades. In some jurisdictions it is illegal to conceal knives larger than a certain size or with blades over a certain length, particularly when combined with locking blade mechanisms. The possession or carrying of a folding pocket knife with a quick-opening mechanism such as a gravity knife
Gravity knife
A gravity knife is a knife with a blade contained in its handle, and which opens its blade by the force of inertia or gravity. As the gravity knife requires gravity or inertia to propel the blade out of the handle, it differs fundamentally from the switchblade, which opens its spring-propelled...
, butterfly knife, balisong
Balisong (knife)
A Butterfly knife, also known as a fan knife or Balisong, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. It is sometimes called a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas in the...
, or switchblade
Switchblade
A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
may be prohibited. Under U.S. federal law, switchblades and ballistic knives
Ballistic knife
A ballistic knife is a specialized combat knife with a detachable gas- or spring-propelled blade that can be fired to a distance of several feet or meters by pressing a trigger or switch on the handle.-History and usage:...
are banned from interstate shipment, sale, or importation, or possession on federal or Indian lands or U.S. possessions and may be prohibited entirely in some states. Knives of any size or configuration may be prohibited by federal or state laws in certain designated areas or places, such as schools, courthouses, jails, power plants, or airports.
In the United Kingdom it is illegal to carry knives in public without "good reason". The terms "in public" and "good reason" are not defined, but examples of "religious duty", "national dress" and "requirement of employment or hobby" are given. It is left up to a police officer's individual subjective discretion, and ultimately a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
to decide if a knife is being carried "in public", and for a "good reason". Folding knives with blades of 3 inches or less may be carried without needing to provide "good reason" so long as the blade is not capable of being locked in the open position. However, it is illegal to have the intention of using any object in public as a weapon, meaning that even a knife that is legal to carry without needing "good reason" may still be found to be illegal if the police officer has grounds to suspect it will be used as a weapon. The onus lies on the officer to prove that intent. Recent court decisions in the U.K. have made it easier for public prosecutors to obtain knife possession convictions by preventing the accused from citing self-defence or even fear of attack as a justifiable reason for carrying a knife. The U.K. government advisory website on crime and justice states flatly that "even if you carry a knife to protect yourself or make yourself feel safer but don’t intend to use it then you are committing a crime."
See also
- Balisong (knife)Balisong (knife)A Butterfly knife, also known as a fan knife or Balisong, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. It is sometimes called a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas in the...
- HigonokamiHigonokamiA is a type of folding pocketknife native to Japan. The knife has no locking system, but is a friction folder, using the friction of the swivel and/or the pressure of the user's hand on a protruding tang to prevent the knife from folding during use....
- Laguiole knifeLaguiole knifeThe Laguiole knife is a high-quality traditional Occitan pocket-knife, originally produced in the town of Laguiole in the Aveyron region of southern France....
- Okapi (knife)Okapi (knife)The Okapi is a lockback or slipjoint knife originally produced in 1902 for export to Germany's colonies in Africa. The knife takes its name from the okapi, an animal which had recently been discovered in the Belgian Congo....
- SwitchbladeSwitchbladeA switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...