Is using a pocket knife without a lock safe? Wouldn’t the blade fold and close and cut your fingers completely off when trying to use a knife without a lock?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “lockable knife storage“
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Umm… do you cut with the back of the blade for some reason?
The hinge on a pocket knife closes towards the sharp edge, not away from it, so if you’re putting pressure on the cutting edge, it should be pressing the hinge open , not shut.
I really can’t think of any way someone would use a pocket knife that would risk the blade closing on one’s fingers while cutting with it .
[A slightly unusual pocket knife design—but the actual folding mechanism is perfectly ordinary.]
Original Question:
“Is using a pocket knife without a lock safe? Wouldn’t the blade fold and close and cut your fingers when trying to use a knife without a lock?”
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I will assume that you are referring to knives that lock into place and require using a button or latch to disengage in order to return to storage configuration.
The answer is yes, it is safe.
Most pocket knives like this have a tight hinge that keeps it from moving around. It takes effort to close it back up.
I’ve used such a knife to the point where the hinge became loose, and would close without any effort.
Yes, it did close on my fingers. However, with only it’s own momentum, it lacked any power to cut the skin.
There is also a chance that the blade was dull. I usually replace dull pocket knives rather than sharpen them.
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Is using a pocket knife without a lock safe? Wouldn’t the blade fold and close and cut your fingers when trying to use a knife without a lock?
Not unless you cut with the back of the blade.
A pocket knife is hinged in such way that it closes towards the edge.
And when you think about it, it has to be. Closing this way ensures that when it’s closed the edge is hidden, and when it’s open you can apply pressure to the edge (as you would when cutting something) without the blade folding back on itself.
That said, I won’t lie to you–– when I was younger, I did manage to close a penknife on my fingers. I was having trouble cutting through some quite tough wood, the blade got stuck, and because I was young and stupid my response was to jerk erratically at the knife in an attempt to force the edge through. Unsurprisingly, I managed to turn the knife and send it flying spine-first along the piece of wood, whereupon it caught on a knot and closed on my fingers.
I got a cut on the back of my fingers. No big deal. And it bears pointing out that:
It happens so rarely that in the roughly 18 years in which I have carried and used a non-locking pocket knife every single day, I have managed to do it exactly once.
On that single occasion it happened because I wasn’t using the knife in a safe manner.
Used properly, a non-locking penknife is not going to close on your fingers.
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I’m 68 years old. I’ve been using a non-locking pocket knife since I was 10 years old. I still have all my fingers. If used properly, a no-locking knife is very safe. It only becomes unsafe when you star using it in ways that it was not intended to be used. If you’re afraid of a non-locking blade then you should stick to using a locking blade knife. Or better yet, you should refrain from using any knife.
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The type of knife you are talking about is called a Slip-Joint knife.
This style of folding knife is at least 2000 years old, so people have been using them successfully for a long time.
A few key things to make sure that you don’t cut yourself.
Keep your knife sharp. Dull knives can slip and risk injury.
Cut away from yourself. This way the knife blade is forced into the locking position by your motion.
Don’t apply force with your hand to the back of the blade. It’s common for people to place a thumb on the back of the blade – while this is a good way to make sure that you always cut away from yourself – for a slip lock knife you run the risk of putting more force to the blade than the handle, which could case the blade to begin folding and might make your cutting motion end up in a twist – which could be dangerous to your fingers if the blade begins to close.
Humans are tool users and have successfully used knives for thousands of years. I think you should be fine if you pay attention and stay safe.
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Ish?
I have a scar from 1980 from when I was trying to dig the rubber ground plug from my pole vaulting pole and the 2blade Case pocket knife closed across my knuckle down to the bone at the first joint of my trigger finger.
Took four stitches to close.
It wouldn’t have happened if I had used a locking blade or had not been a dumb 7th grader trying to dig with a pocket knife.
The scar is a good reminder though.
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For your average user you don’t need a lock. Using the blade normally will apply pressure to the edge, forcing the knife to stay open.
If you use your knife in non-average ways there is a risk a non-locking knife will close on you, but while it will cut your fingers it won’t cut them off . Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way. Which is why I carry a locking knife. I’ve had to use my knife to do things like pry, prod, or otherwise used it in rough ways that did cause a Swiss Army Knife to close on my hand.
My fault, I was being dumb.
I cut a few fingers and bought a locking knife by the end of the week.
For the average user a non-locking knife is fine. If you’re like me and will be in positions where your only tool is a knife or where you have to basically use it in ways that aren’t safe with a non-locking blade, get a locking blade. For example I sometimes have to use the spine as a scraper. Saves the edge, and with a locking blade I can do that without pushing the blade closed on myself.
Original question- Is using a pocket knife without a lock safe or if the lock fails? Wouldn’t the blade close and cut your fingers off when using the knife, or does cutting and putting pressure on the blade part and in the opposite way it closes keep it from closing?
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Common sense is don’t cut in a way that will fold the blade and don’t stick your fingers in danger. Mechanical locks can and will fail, anyone who relies on them to compensate for their own stupidity is an accident waiting to happen either way.
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That’s right. Any time you use any tool, whether it be a gun, a knife, a old pressure cooker, or anything else without a safety, you must keep that in mind. In other words, only use a knife like that in such a way that the blade is not in a position to close on your fingers.
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I have used small pocket knives without a locking blade for years without cutting myself. If you are using a knife you have to pay attention to what you are doing. Carelessness will get you cut, with or without a locking blade.
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Not with normal and semi-intelligent use. You open the blade and place it on a material you wish to cut. You are pushing the blade away from yourself. This is opposite of the motion it takes for the blade to close. You place material on a flat and pull the blade across it to cut it. Same situation. The motion is maintaining the open position and it takes the opposite of that motion to close the blade. A lock may be better if you’re planning on stabbing someone. Other than that I think of a lock as a gadget. Maybe useful, maybe not.
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Yes.
Basically as you’ve already answered, whe. Applying pressure to the she, you’re keeping the blade open.
The only time I’ve cut myself on a pocket knife, is when carelessly closing it.
One time I ran the edge against my leg thinking I was using the back of the knife to close it, and I stead cut my leg! I no longer use thaterhos for closing. Hahahaha 🥸
The police say, that even with a fixed blade or any blade used to attack someone, the attacker has been cut too. As the force needed to stab someone means your hand can slide down the blade.
Anyways
Care should always be taken when using a knife, especially of it has a good edge. Altho I have blades which lock, I don’t take that for advantage, as that’s when accidents happen.
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The question is an obvious troll (or at least I hope so)… but sometimes you have to feed them for the ****s and giggles…
if it were serious, I’d say something like: How the heck are you using your knives?!?!?
One of the most popular knives frequently used by CHILDREN has no lock… the venerable Swiss Army knife.
I still have my Victorinox BSA Huntsman and I still take it camping (I prefer a single-blade lock-back folder for every day carry as an adult… but there is nothing wrong with a Swiss either).
None of the other scouts I was with had any issues closing this knife or avoiding their fingers…at the ripe old age of 10.
If you can’t figure out how to use a non-locking folder without cutting off your fingers, it’s probably best you don’t try most adult things like driving, cooking, sports, shooting, home repairs, or cutting your lawn.
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The answer depends on how one uses one’s pocket knife. I prefer locking blades, but I do carry small pocket knives with non locking blades. Just be careful, respect the knife and you will be fine.
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Except for the time I was in a hospital or bedridden at home I have carried and used a knife daily for 50 years-in all of those years I have never had a knife close accidentally while using it. I did have a neighbor who had one closed on his finger by a kicking calf while using it to cut its bag off and he lost half of his index finger but he lost it because it got infected and the doctor had to amputate it. Had he went to the doctor as soon as it happened it would not have gotten infected and he would not have lost it. So I would say that it is safe to use a knife without a lock
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