Knife opened in my pocket.

[Bloke]

Saturday morning was sunny and warm but a little too windy to go fishing or anything so I grabbed a book to read under our mango tree with a cup of coffee. I was wearing a pair of knee length shorts with cargo pants style pockets with button down flaps and noticed a length of thread hanging from a pocket so grabbed the closest knife handy off the side board in the kitchen, S30V Military.

I went outside cut the thread off my right hand pocket and slipped the knife into it unclipped and obviously tip up. I sat and read for a while and when I went back inside I lifted the flap on my pocket to retrieve the knife and was quite surprised and a little shocked to find the knife was open, at very least a couple of inches. I didn’t cut myself or anything but that was more good luck than good judgement I reckon.

Anyhow, this is the first time ever I’ve had a knife open in my pocket and for the life of me can’t understand how or why the knife would and did open. At best all I would have done was cross and uncross my legs sitting in a chair reading.

Quite bizarre and a bit of an eye opener for me and I’d be interested to hear of any similar experiences.

[James Y]

Bloke,

Many years ago, I had a Spyderco Rookie cut my finger in my pocket. Which is weird, because it’s a lockback. I had it clipped, tip-down, in my RF pocket. I had reached deeper down in the same pocket for something else, and as I was withdrawing my hand, the blade somehow came open partially enough for the tip to cut the side of my hand. Nothing serious, but there was blood dripping off my hand. Truly bizarre, because you would think a tip-down lockback knife, clipped to the pocket, would be one of the knives that WOULDN’T open. I think the pulling of my hand somehow caught the hump of the blade and opened it slightly.

So far, I haven’t had a knife with a detent open in my pocket (knock on wood).

Jim

[zhyla]

Happened to me with a manix 2 while clipped on my front pocket. Somehow when I pulled the pants back on it opened and stabbed me in the leg. No real harm but was surprising.

Backlocks are fairly immune to this, FYI.

[mb1]

Wow Bloke. Glad you were able to type this with all your fingertips!

A couple of blades I’ve purchased in the past year (Yo2 M4 and Rex Millie) have both had notably strong detents. I felt like they were even on the “too strong” end of the spectrum, at least in comparison to what I was used to. I wonder if that was by design to address situations like yours.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Saturday morning was sunny and warm but a little too windy to go fishing or anything so I grabbed a book to read under our mango tree with a cup of coffee. I was wearing a pair of knee length shorts with cargo pants style pockets with button down flaps and noticed a length of thread hanging from a pocket so grabbed the closest knife handy off the side board in the kitchen, S30V Military.

I went outside cut the thread off my right hand pocket and slipped the knife into it unclipped and obviously tip up. I sat and read for a while and when I went back inside I lifted the flap on my pocket to retrieve the knife and was quite surprised and a little shocked to find the knife was open, at very least a couple of inches. I didn’t cut myself or anything but that was more good luck than good judgement I reckon.

Anyhow, this is the first time ever I’ve had a knife open in my pocket and for the life of me can’t understand how or why the knife would and did open. At best all I would have done was cross and uncross my legs sitting in a chair reading.

Quite bizarre and a bit of an eye opener for me and I’d be interested to hear of any similar experiences.

Very glad you were not hurt.

I have had similar things happen after that I tightened things up being able to drop shut a blade is unimportant to me I prefer things remain closed.

Not saying this is the case but just something to consider.

[knivesandbooks]

My clipped tip up advocate somehow opened in my pocket the other week. Somehow did not cut myself but it sliced through the stitching of the top of my jean'd pocket when I pulled it out without looking. Felt lucky. I blame the Advocate's soft detent but am still surprised it opened because the spine was against the seam. Kinda mad at the knife right now.

[JonLeBlanc]

Wow that's crazy, I've never had that happen to me, but I'm glad you didn't get cut!

[MichaelScott]

Lucky escape, Bloke. Since transitioning to Great Eastern Cutlery slip joints I never expect that to happen.

Yours has to have, or have developed, a weak detent. No other explanation really.

[Mushroom]

Sorry to hear it Bloke! This has actually happened to me twice in the past. Fortunately, no serious injuries after either instance.

The first time it happened, I was carrying a Spyderco Cat clipped in my right front pocket with the spine of the blade against the outer seam. I noticed it was slightly open when I brushed my hand against my leg and scraped my hand on the tip of the knife that was poking through the side of the pocket.
The second time it happened, I had a Ladybug loose in my pocket and it managed to work itself open.

[Evil D]

Are you certain it was closed all the way when you put it in your pocket?

This is my only explanation for one of two times I've had knives open on me. This was a Para 2 clipped tip down and somehow the blade tip snagged and pulled itself open while clipping the knife into my pocket and I later stabbed myself in the palm of my hand on the tip that was sticking out of the thigh of my pants. It could only have happened because it wasn't fully closed, otherwise there's no way the blade could have opened as far as it was in my pocket.

The other time was a Ladybug on my keys that were clipped to my belt loop and hanging into my back pocket. I figured that one was just from bouncing around and it eventually inertia opened. After this one I over tightened the pivot to make sure it takes deliberate force to open it.


Oh, I did have a third, my Autonomy fired open on me but I also removed the safety and I was carrying a wooden beard comb in the same pocket, so I figured the comb was hard enough to press against the fire button and cause it to open. I stopped carrying anything else in the same pocket with the Autonomy and it hasn't happened since (in about a 1.5 years of non-stop EDC).

[Doc Dan]

Saturday morning was sunny and warm but a little too windy to go fishing or anything so I grabbed a book to read under our mango tree with a cup of coffee. I was wearing a pair of knee length shorts with cargo pants style pockets with button down flaps and noticed a length of thread hanging from a pocket so grabbed the closest knife handy off the side board in the kitchen, S30V Military.

I went outside cut the thread off my right hand pocket and slipped the knife into it unclipped and obviously tip up. I sat and read for a while and when I went back inside I lifted the flap on my pocket to retrieve the knife and was quite surprised and a little shocked to find the knife was open, at very least a couple of inches. I didn’t cut myself or anything but that was more good luck than good judgement I reckon.

Anyhow, this is the first time ever I’ve had a knife open in my pocket and for the life of me can’t understand how or why the knife would and did open. At best all I would have done was cross and uncross my legs sitting in a chair reading.

Quite bizarre and a bit of an eye opener for me and I’d be interested to hear of any similar experiences.

Now you understand why many of us prefer backlocks. While still possible, they are much less likely to open than a detent dependent knife.

Glad you were not cut.

[James Y]

Lately, I’ve been starting to become a bit wary of the reliability of knives held closed with detents, even though I’ve never had one open in my pocket yet.

All of this is very reminiscent of why I never carry automatic knives, even CA-legal ones. When I was a kid back in the ‘70s, I carried an Italian-style switchblade to school in my RF pocket for a few months. Until one day it had somehow come open in my pocket, and I only noticed it while sitting in class and feeling a very slight prickling sensation on my right privates. It turned out, the 3”-bladed switchblade must have been open in my pocket for awhile, and that prickling sensation was the blade’s tip. Luckily, it never broke the skin. I was a bit shaken, and never carried that knife ever again.

Jim

[wrdwrght]

Some years ago, a GB1 opened in my pocket. So did an Air on a different occasion.

The resulting nasty cuts taught me that Spydies with weak(ish) detents must have one or two things done to them to keep you safe.

Either clip the knife into a pocket with the blade’s spine tight against a seam. Or tighten the pivot so the blade can’t drop shut. Or both.

I do both with my SpydieChef and Caribbean, for example. The Air now has a tightened pivot because it must ride loose in my pocket. My GB1, PM2s, and Millies are good enough tight against the seam. In all cases, I retrieve and withdraw with care

I really like lock back Spydies—they make these considerations largely unnecessary—but I don’t seek them exclusively because I also really like what many detent-based Spydies have to offer.

[The Mastiff]

I had an old Benchmade liner lock Panther open in my RFP. It got me pretty bad and caused trouble when I was at a gas station trying to pay. I had my pocket pretty much fill up with blood and I was trying to not call attention to myself while in line. I never carried that knife again but I believe I still have it somewhere.

[zuludelta]

Sometimes, pocket lint will find its way to a folder's lock face (or some other part of the pivot/lock mechanism) thus preventing the lock from fully engaging & increasing the likelihood of it opening. I've had this happen in both detent-based locks (a Para 3) & a non-detent based lock (a Delica 4). It doesn't happen often... I want to say it's happened to me three times over the past 10 years, but it's still something I try to keep aware of

[Wartstein]

Glad your fingers didn´t get harmed, Bloke!

I almost exclusivly carry backlock-Spydies, had never open one of those in the pocket.
One time my PM2 opened a bit (didn´t cut me though), but that was when I had the action tuned in TOO loose I think

The only knife that opened in the pocket AND really cut my fingertips was a BM Minigrip, even twice. The axxis-lock is really cool, but not the safest in my experience.

[Vivi]

Sorry this happened to you. I had a Millie open up in my pocket too. Glad you noticed it before it had a chance to cut you!

I do have to point out the irony. Seems 2019 is the year of knives opening in pockets.

For years I've talked about how I don't trust detent locks, and have endured a lot of "user error" and "learn how to carry a knife the right way" comments.

Now it seems the issue is becoming more wide spread for some reason.

I tried to genuinely warn people of my experience. This was the result:

"I think some people over react and have the tendency to transform isolated accidents into a potential rule."

"If the blade is flush against the pocket I can’t see how it could open.. "

"If the lock is in proper order this shouldn't be an issue"

"The bottom line is you need to be smarter than your knife"

"I consider this operator error. Whether a knife is carried tip up, tip down, right side, or left, any folding knife clipped in a pocket needs the blade positioned against the seam of the pocket for safety."

"Many occurrences also seem to be the result of inattention to the knife’s condition and position"

"if you position a blade against the seam of your pocket you can't cut yourself and your blade can't open"

"Am I the only one who carries my (large) folders in my rear pocket? Accidental opening of a Mille is impossible carried in this way"

"If you listen to some of the critics (of liner locks) they'd have you believe knives fly open in your pocket and you're at risk of serious injury" - Bloke

Basically everyone ignored the fact that I, and others, have had knives open in our pockets "carried the right way" with the blade against the seam of the pocket. I've had them open in my back pocket. I've had new knives in great shape open in my pocket.

It's time to accept it. This is a genuine issue.

[Dee]

Bloke,
This summer my S110v military came open about 1/4 way when it was clipped in my rt front pocket. Poked about 1 1/2 inches thru the pocket and pants and stabbed my thumb as I was walking. I think I might have disturbed the blade when I was digging in that pocket for a flashlight. I now mind that pocket a little better. Knives are our hobby, we are going to get cut. I still carry that military many days each week in the same pocket.
Regards,
Dee

[ChrisinHove]

Lucky escape, Bloke! Maybe strap it round with rubber bands, next time!

[ChrisinHove]

Lucky escape, Bloke. Since transitioning to Great Eastern Cutlery slip joints I never expect that to happen.

Yours has to have, or have developed, a weak detent. No other explanation really.

I wondered why I hadn’t seen you post much recently. How is the Dark Side?
Hope you’re well, btw.