Evolution

A folding knife with one hand opening and lock is a wonderful invention. I am glad we live in a country that allows us to have such products.  If you read my page on Rescue Blades then most is already sad there. A Swiss Army Knife with such a blade and different functions represents for me a fantastic tool. I just hope we can continue to enjoy such freedom in Norway because so far we can choose from traditional knives to all kinds of folding knives and multitools.

From ancient times humans discovered and learned from evolution, a knife is one of the tools that made the world. I also would like to mention some very important things. We must remember that it is not only Switzerland that makes high quality products. I would like to mention USA because they have a knife community and products with high quality, innovation and evolution.

Do not forget all the multitools that was designed and made there. We in Norway must preserve the traditional knives but we must also remember that everywhere in the world people make knives and products. Looking on knives made in the west or east or in Europe tell us that knives has been a major part and represents to them culture just as the traditional knives does here.

It is important that even tactical knives or knives made with super materials get the chance as well. So far people can buy such knives here and why not? The use knife will always be my favorite knife but the truth is that they borrow from each other.

For me I can say that I am into Swiss Army Knives in a big way but I also enjoy traditional or factory made knives here, some with influence from America, remember Morseth! My fixed blades are more modern made here but i can see the influence. I enjoy the Leatherman history and evolution, the New Wave is a formidable tool. When using a multitool with a lock and one hand opening one does not like going back to the first Leatherman at all. I would say it would be the same as using old technology. Some still use the old type with joy and I understand this as well.

When people get together in the world and combine traditions with new inventions, materials and mechanisms then we get the evolution.

A country need to have laws and need to have certain limits with knives and I understand this well.

It is important not to limit the freedom for people because it will only limit the country but never the criminals. To prevent violence with knives one need to focus on completely different measures than a law that only will hurt the wrong people.

Most schooled knife experts I have talk or read from mention that it is important not to limit the field of interest to just one area. If we study knife history we see clear as day that every invention did borrow from other inventions, by this I mean small details and important quality factors.

I can honestly say that I try not to limit myself because it is very easy to do so because I like SAKs so much.

In knife history we can see that the steel many countries use is from many parts of the world and this is a very good solution for everyone.  It is the same with materials for the handle, or the sheath.

Many bakers or professional chefs use special purpose fixed blades with different shapes, these tools are very important for them. Many artisans, sportsmen and craftsmen use special purpose folding knives, some with one hand opening and lock. These tools are very important for them.

Folding knives has borrowed from a fixed blade and vice versa.

There are not many in the world that would be willing to bet on when the first folding knife was made, it is many hundreds of years old at least. Who made the first slip joint? I do not know, it is very old. I have done much research and followed history people on the internet and so far I cannot say for sure.

The back spring on the Swiss army Knife hold the blade in open or closed mode and the lock make sure the blade does not accidental close. When using force against the edge then the back side of the blade leans against the back springs end.  

The hole in the blade is for the thumb so one can open the blade in a secure fashion. Who made the first one hand opening blade in the world with a thumb stud or hole? I am sure it has been done a long time before the modern times.

Today people can put together the history and incorporate modern materials to make a very high quality tool. The modern machines and production can make this available all over the world.

It is very important to remember the history and the people before us. By this I mean to respect the evolution. We have borrowed from them or inherited knowledge. This is how it has always been.

A folding knife is thousands of years old.

A serrated edge is not just made to look cool. No, it serves a special function like I have explained in the Rescue Blades page. The serrated edge is not a modern invention also. It`s been used on different knives in history.

If we look on the knives used in the Stone Age and in the Neolithic Era and the tools. We can see that the people used different materials to be used as a cutting edge. They used stone, bone or teeth just to mention a few examples. If we look on the edge on a flint knife or a shark tooth then we see that the edge is serrated. So I am sure the use of the best possible plain edge or a serrated edge is extremely old.

I would like to write a few more words on the evolution. We cannot say that one knife is better than the other. By this I mean a fixed blade or a folding type because it depends on the situation.

If we study the history of folding knives or pocket knives made in Germany, France and England we can see just how much interest there is for a folding knife and especially with functions. To have more than one function on a knife is ancient.

For me the Swiss Army Knife represents evolution and history combined. It is the same with Leatherman tools. I am not sure when the first plier was introduced on a knife. For me when I read on the knife history in the USA I can see many of the pocket knives with functions made there in history. So for me the Leatherman multitool is a product that represents history and the modern need for a knife and functions.

Then to something very interesting and I find this important to mention. The combination of a fixed blade and a multifunction tool is a formidable combination.  To have both side by side with you is the smartest solution always.

When was the first locking mechanism introduced on a folding knife? I do not know and this we will probably never know. I am sure it is very old if not ancient.

A locking mechanism on a knife blade prevents accidental closing. It is important to use the knife as it should have no lock at all.  

If people in the services or army need a folding combat knife then I would suggest that a Swiss Army Knife is not made or intended for such use. For me it is completely opposite in philosophy because the lock serves as a safety feature for comfort and use. A rescue blade with a lock is much better than a knife without.

Then another very important factor! The best multitools in the world use locking mechanisms on the functions. This is a very important part of the evolution because it so very elegantly shows us what the best is. The comfort when using a Leatherman with locking is much better and safer. We cannot prevent the functions to accidental close from time if it does not have a lock. This can cause damage on the hand or gear. It is for the same reason a lock was made for a Swiss Amy Knife blade and functions.

For me:

Military requirements change in time and it develop with the modern needs. Special purpose or not we can see this in most cases that the new need require a tool for use in the field, on gear or as a safety tool for soldiers.

It is not just the military or armies that see these new needs. No! It is the same with services and civilians. I honestly would not call the knives on the picture for combat knives. It is very obvious for me that the safety and utility for use on gear and equipment is the mind and philosophy behind it.

In many cases the safety and comfort that the military require does fit very well for the civilians as a very good tool to have with you.

Is the Spyderco Tenacious on the picture a bad thing? No! I would say it would be a very good safety knife. The steel is just an average stainless but the whole product together is very well. It is so with the US marked that serrated or just plain edge is something people can choose from. This knife can be opened with one hand and closed with one hand very comfortably and safe.

The Tenacious can be used for many different tasks. It is very easy for people to judge this knife in a bad way because of the design. If the color is bright yellow or blue then many would look upon it very differently.

This knife is made in China by Spyderco and it is a civilian knife to be used for most tasks in the everyday life for people.

Some more on Spyderco Tenacious.

With the use of a liner lock type and the hole in the blade you get a very comfortable opening and closing mechanism. In some cases a folding knife with such a configuration would be the best. I will explain why. If you are in a kayak the use of a knife with one hand is necessary and useful. The same is for work up in a ladder or just as simple as a knife to be used in a storage facility.

A liner lock type is not the strongest lock but it is a lock that is very comfortable and easy to use.

G10 or a similar material is a very nice and a safe material but not the most comfortable sometimes. It serves its purpose!

It is not so that a sheath fixed blade is always the best for normal use in the everyday life for people.This knife can be used just as well in the nature as it can at home.

Many knife people that I have talked with or read from does mention that after getting used to such a configuration they cannot imagine going back to a normal slip joint type again.

The lock on this type of knife is not the same as on a Swiss Army Knife. It prevents accidental closing but it is not a lock that should be abused because then it could fail just as it can on a SAK.

People should not fear a lock because a fixed blade is much more dangerous.

The use of a belt clip can be a very good feature in many cases and should also not be looked upon as a gadget. It is made for use.

Every invention borrows from each other.

A Leatherman or a similar tool is a very smart invention and it is the result of the history and the need for a knife in the modern world. It represents to me a philosophy that is a milestone.

The Swiss Army Knife has seen an evolution from the beginning until today and it is a fantastic invention as well.

The use of one hand opening and locking on a Leatherman is for me the absolute best configuration. On the picture is the old Wave.

Not fear a lock

In the Tenacious update I wrote that “People should not fear a lock because a fixed blade is much more dangerous” By this I mean that usually with laws a regulations a locking folder is looked upon as dangerous. Not because it can fail but because it can be used for violence. A fixed blade knife is much more dangerous always.

People should not fear a locking folder but look upon it as a helpful tool in the everyday life.

Ok some say. But the folding knife could be carried in a pocket and used for violence and it is difficult to see.

I can mention a test that was done one time with what is the most dangerous knife. The result was that a small fixed blade carried in a special sheath could be concealed more and it was faster.

A fixed blade is always more dangerous.

From history we did learn that Victorinox received requests from people to make a larger Swiss Army Knife and with a locking blade.

Already in the late last half of the 1970s Wenger had made a lock on the 85mm knives to make it safer and to prevent accidental closing. This lock has seen some modifications.

Victorinox in the late 80s presented the slide lock 111mm category knife that is still made today. This category is one of the most successful large knives made by the Ibach factory. This knife has seen some changes in design and function too.

Around 1990 Wenger presented the Ranger knives with a locking large blade and large functions.

The reason for using a lock on all of these knives is from what I have been told made to prevent accidental closing. Do not get me wrong I really enjoy a traditional SAK but I also know what the best for more safe use is. The size does matter too. Comfort and safety goes hand in hand.

Accidental closing still happens around with a slip joint knife but this is in most cases or usually always because of human error and wrong use. Do not walk around and cut at the same time.

The introduction of a one hand opening blade on the more new Victorinox 111mm liner-lock type category in the early 2000s is a new design with better qualities than the normal 111mm category. This is a knife for services or civilians. Take a look on my rescue blades page.

If we look on the SAK history then we see the development and evolution on the 85mm Wenger and the 91mm Victorinox. It started with Wenger from the last half of the 1970s. In the early 1980s the push locking on the screwdriver was introduced. From here on both companies developed the SAK to be more useful and safer. Today we see a Wenger product with evolution scales and functions + a lock on the 85mm knife. The Evolution and grip inserts is not just a knife made because the company needed a running change and the economy was down. Wenger has seen bad times on several times in the history. The new 85mm category was made to be a better knife.

That sad, for me some of the functions and designs on a SAK from both companies can be looked upon as just gadgets. The main functions and categories are however not so. They are made for use.

I am however careful by saying just gadget because I have been surprised many times by what people can use their knife for, in a good way. With a Swiss Army Knife the brain follows..