Does bolster add strength?

jackknifeh · #21

The Deacon wrote:I'm not Sal, but the logical answer regarding the Sage IV is that the bolsters are there, and the size they are, because that's how Al Mar's early knives which introduced that lock were constructed. Duplicating the look of the originals is part of the "homage to knife makers" concept that the Sage series represents.

Ok, that sounds right. So now I wonder what the reason was Mr. Mar's knives had bolsters that long. Did he think they looked better than short ones? Did he think longer bolsters made the knife stronger but used something lighter for the rear of the knife handle to lighten the total weight? What about fixed blades? I assume bolsters are only for looks. Doesn't the tang being part of the entire handle result in strength?

Anyway, Sal summed it up by saying it was up to the manufacturer if the bolsters were to add strength to a knife or just be cosmetic.

One thing is for sure. I won't open paint cans with my Sage4 because it has bolsters. :)

Jack

Bolster · #22

Why is everyone talking about me in this thread?

LOL.

Bolsters provide the advantages listed above, and also are for the purpose of keeping the scales/handles from splitting/chipping when dropped. This was an advantage for antler and bone handled knives. In this respect they act like bumpers.

jackknifeh · #23

Bolster wrote:Why is everyone talking about me in this thread?

LOL.

We were wondering if you add strength or just good looks. :D

I crack myself up. :)

Jack

redyps04 · #24

So, looks like the consensus is that bolsters CAN add some strength over something like, as Sal said, FRN, but are not made specifically FOR the purposes of adding strength. In general, it's to the contrary- they are normally made simply for looks and a touch of class.

As for Jackknife's question about why the Sage's bolsters are so long, Al Mar knives are a front locking knife which divides the bolsters from the handle material right down the middle of the lock, which makes for a bolster that takes up more than 1/3rd of the knife. This is a bigger ratio than most companies use and I'm not quite sure why that is, but I have to say I like it. I think Spyderco did a great job of copying the nuances of Al Mar knives in the Sage 4- very well done. But to answer your original question, bolsters do not "add" strength over let's say a lined G-10 knife. After all, the Persian, Manbug, and Sage 4 are not what anyone would consider "hard use" knives.

RanCoWeAla · #25

I think bolsters are fine in their place and that being on traditional slip joint folding knives like those made by Case and others. I won't buy a tactical like those made by Spydrrco that has bolsters. bacause too much matal on a knife adds. too much unecessary weight

Sonny · #26

I notice that bolsters are often used on a "fancier" knife. I do think that they often are there to support the pivot. One of my better knives has a bolster that takes up 1/3 of the knife length, as was mentioned earlier. It makes it hardly worth the effort to make your own scales when there is so little space available to make a "statement" with some nice South American or African hardwood.
Sonny

Sonny · #27

I notice that bolsters are often used on a "fancier" knife. I do think that they often are there to support the pivot, and sometimes for looks, as Sal pointed out. One of my better knives has a bolster that takes up 1/3 of the knife length, as a previous OP mentioned earlier. It makes it hardly worth the effort to make your own scales when there is so little space available to make a "statement" with some nice South American or African hardwood.
Sonny

Bolster · #28

redyps04 wrote:So, looks like the consensus is that bolsters CAN add some strength over something like, as Sal said, FRN, but are not made specifically FOR the purposes of adding strength. In general, it's to the contrary- they are normally made simply for looks and a touch of class.

I dunno, that's not exactly what I took away from the discussion. I got the idea that bolsters generally add strength (or protection) but that on a well-designed knife, the additional strength of the bolsters is essentially overkill. With the downside of additional weight of course. The reason bolsters show up on some Spyderco knives is for that very purpose...overkill! As are many other design elements that we enjoy. "Overkill," for lack of a better word, makes life sweet. Do you really need a hemi in your car, to get from A to B? Or a stacked girlfriend, to have a family? Or an engraved, jimped, stag-handled knife, to cut your apple? No, but the overkill is fun.

jackknifeh · #29

Bolster wrote:I dunno, that's not exactly what I took away from the discussion. I got the idea that bolsters generally add strength (or protection) but that on a well-designed knife, the additional strength of the bolsters is essentially overkill. With the downside of additional weight of course. The reason bolsters show up on some Spyderco knives is for that very purpose...overkill! As are many other design elements that we enjoy. "Overkill," for lack of a better word, makes life sweet. Do you really need a hemi in your car, to get from A to B? Or a stacked girlfriend, to have a family? Or an engraved, jimped, stag-handled knife, to cut your apple? No, but the overkill is fun.

I like this outlook the best. Overkill, what a great word (or philosephy). Dad always told me, "If you need a B, shoot for an A".

Jack

The Deacon · #30

Bolster wrote:I dunno, that's not exactly what I took away from the discussion. I got the idea that bolsters generally add strength (or protection) but that on a well-designed knife, the additional strength of the bolsters is essentially overkill. With the downside of additional weight of course. The reason bolsters show up on some Spyderco knives is for that very purpose...overkill! As are many other design elements that we enjoy. "Overkill," for lack of a better word, makes life sweet. Do you really need a hemi in your car, to get from A to B? Or a stacked girlfriend, to have a family? Or an engraved, jimped, stag-handled knife, to cut your apple? No, but the overkill is fun.

Very true. Excess can be a lot of fun, if it's an excess of something you value. The opposite side of the coin is that there's always a price to be paid for it and not everyone wants to pay that price for any given excess. Still, I don't think very many folks who are attracted to bolstered knives buy them for the increased strength. I know it's not even a "fringe benefit" for me, I prefer them simply for their esthetic value. To me, the original Schempp Persians, and the red G-10 Persian Sprint, are handsome and elegant looking folders while the new "Persian 2" versions are neither. That's probably also why I find bolsters with visible hardware, like those on the Sage IV, to be far less appealing than those without it.

redyps04 · #31

Sorry to tell you man, but Spyderco did not add bolsters to any of theirs knives for the purposes of "overkill". They did it for appearances, and no other reason. The Sage 4 was a commemoration the Al Mar's front lock and style of large bolsters. The Manbug got bolsters to resemble a classy knife in which bolsters are synonymous with, not overkill. And the Persian got bolsters for the same reason- because they look nice. Lets not get confused here. The main, and only reason, bolsters are added is solely because of looks. Just because bolsters CAN add some strength, does not mean they were made FOR that purpose. I think it would be very difficult to make the case that Spyderco has added bolsters to any of thier knives for the purposes of "overkill".

Bolster · #32

redyps04 wrote:The main, and only reason, bolsters are added is solely because of looks.

I understand you have a very strong opinion about this. However, imagine you spread the bolster all the way across the knife--in this case that would give you a stainless steel or ti handled knife. Would you expect a SS or Ti handled knife to be only as strong as a G-10, FRN, or bone handled knife? I would not. I would expect a knife that had SS or Ti scales to be a hardier knife overall. That's self-evident. Not that you'd need that kind of strength. It would be overkill...and I've owned several SS handled knives (Delicas), and enjoyed the excessive strength and protection they provide. They weren't light weight, but they were sturdy.

redyps04 · #33

Is stainless steel stronger than a fully lined G-10 handle? I don't know. That could very well turn into another great and interesting thread. But that's not the point I'm trying to make here. My point is that Spyderco did not make any of their bolstered knives for the purposes of "overkill" as you stated. The purpose is simply to appeal to an aesthetically-oriented market. Like I said, it would be extremely difficult to argue the case that Spyderco did it for "overkill". If this were true, I highly doubt they would have picked the Persian and Manbug as the first recipients of all this "extra strength", and not something like a Manix or Military...

The Deacon · #34

Given that all of Spyderco's bolstered knives have fairly thick stainless steel liners, I'd say added strength is, at most, a secondary motive, and a distant second at that, for them. On the other hand, on a traditional folder with brass liners, I'm sure the bolsters serve a more vital role. By the same token, if one looks at the SS scales on the original brass lined Copilots as just "full length bolsters" then they too would be making an active contribution to the strength of that knife.

OTOH, "overkill" need not refer to strength alone. Given Sal's "tractors don't have to look like Ferraris" philosophy, one could argue that adding "looks" would be overkill for him.

:D

Bolster · #35

The Deacon wrote:Given Sal's "tractors don't have to look like Ferraris" philosophy, one could argue that adding "looks" would be overkill for him. :D

Ha!! Good point!!