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- Aug 27, 2004
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Ok. This came up in a conversation Cliff Stamp and I were having on one of my review threads.
We were talking a while back about folder design though in yet another thread and although Cliff and I do disagree on a lot from time to time and even get a bit disgruntled with each other on rare occasions we do see eye to eye on many things. One is that a folder should be designed with an intended purpose in mind when you sit down to design one and that then it is best to put all elements of it toward the same goal.
When I look at folders for others, for what I plan to use as an EDC and/or write a review of I always look at them as a system, or at least try to. You know, looking at the whole of the system and how it all comes together in balance or as the case may be, out of balance. My HK29 is a prime example of a folder that has a balanced design. Everything comes together to form a system that all melds well together. In other words the pivot and stop strength match up well to the lock and handle strength and the blade thickness and profile match up to the handle style and uses the knife may see. When I see a knife with a big bull pivot and bigger stop but set up with a weaker lock I basically give the knife a lower score in my mind looking at the system that makes up the knife. I've found that both BenchMade and Spyderco make pretty balanced knives. Probably why I prefer them a lot for user knives.
Looking at knives many things can stand out to me at times and some are so outstanding that there is no other word to describe it except for a flop. In other words a disaster of design. Not to be cruel here as it is not my intention. A flop can be very well made so don't take that to mean they are crap. They just don't really do what was intended, or you have to struggle to figure out what the heck it was supposed to be designed for in the first place.
I'm interested in what some of you may see that would categorize a flop to you. Two examples I have in my own collection are the Cold Steel Spectre, which is a very well made super tough strong folder but as I said earlier. Its a flop. The handle which is highly polished slick black Micarta with bolsters in conjunction with the mirror polished blade come together to give off the aura of a gents folder. Yet the blade style is a viscious stabbing or thrusting type short sword at 5mm thick and curved like a talon. So we have a self defense or tactical style blade in a gents folder body. Someone lost their way in the design in other words so I call it a well made flop. Its not an everyday carry knife. Its not quite a gents folder, but not a survival or defense weapon either really so where do you put it? When you have to ask, 'what do you do with that knife?" you may have a flop in the making.
Another example I own is this folding Bowie I have which again is a well made super quality folding knife with beautiful stag handles and a super sharp high quality Soligen steel blade. This one happens to be made by Boker, but there are other brands out there also. This is another one of those knife designs that you look at as a whole and have to ask yourself. What the heck do you do with such a knife? How much chopping can you do with this? I suspect not much and yet, its got aspects of a fixed blade Bowie knife and a folder but does not do either design justice. I call it a flop.
What else can we add to the list? Oh yeah. Try to be kind please. No real reason to be mean or disrespectful. I happen to collect flops when I see them and zero in on knives that I see that qualify at least to me. Some may not be ones that you guys agree with, while others are easier to see what I'm referring to.
Here are some pics of two stand outs in my opinion. And also, for the record, I added the pocket hook opener to the Spectre shown here by the knife that started the Spectre folder idea. The Dawson Spike fixed blade, which is more in balance and easier to hold on to than the folder. So the folder is not exactly factory. I still have trouble opening this one using the thumb stud. It has a really strong detent in it. Without the pocket hook I couldn't even use it really.
STR
We were talking a while back about folder design though in yet another thread and although Cliff and I do disagree on a lot from time to time and even get a bit disgruntled with each other on rare occasions we do see eye to eye on many things. One is that a folder should be designed with an intended purpose in mind when you sit down to design one and that then it is best to put all elements of it toward the same goal.
When I look at folders for others, for what I plan to use as an EDC and/or write a review of I always look at them as a system, or at least try to. You know, looking at the whole of the system and how it all comes together in balance or as the case may be, out of balance. My HK29 is a prime example of a folder that has a balanced design. Everything comes together to form a system that all melds well together. In other words the pivot and stop strength match up well to the lock and handle strength and the blade thickness and profile match up to the handle style and uses the knife may see. When I see a knife with a big bull pivot and bigger stop but set up with a weaker lock I basically give the knife a lower score in my mind looking at the system that makes up the knife. I've found that both BenchMade and Spyderco make pretty balanced knives. Probably why I prefer them a lot for user knives.
Looking at knives many things can stand out to me at times and some are so outstanding that there is no other word to describe it except for a flop. In other words a disaster of design. Not to be cruel here as it is not my intention. A flop can be very well made so don't take that to mean they are crap. They just don't really do what was intended, or you have to struggle to figure out what the heck it was supposed to be designed for in the first place.
I'm interested in what some of you may see that would categorize a flop to you. Two examples I have in my own collection are the Cold Steel Spectre, which is a very well made super tough strong folder but as I said earlier. Its a flop. The handle which is highly polished slick black Micarta with bolsters in conjunction with the mirror polished blade come together to give off the aura of a gents folder. Yet the blade style is a viscious stabbing or thrusting type short sword at 5mm thick and curved like a talon. So we have a self defense or tactical style blade in a gents folder body. Someone lost their way in the design in other words so I call it a well made flop. Its not an everyday carry knife. Its not quite a gents folder, but not a survival or defense weapon either really so where do you put it? When you have to ask, 'what do you do with that knife?" you may have a flop in the making.
Another example I own is this folding Bowie I have which again is a well made super quality folding knife with beautiful stag handles and a super sharp high quality Soligen steel blade. This one happens to be made by Boker, but there are other brands out there also. This is another one of those knife designs that you look at as a whole and have to ask yourself. What the heck do you do with such a knife? How much chopping can you do with this? I suspect not much and yet, its got aspects of a fixed blade Bowie knife and a folder but does not do either design justice. I call it a flop.
What else can we add to the list? Oh yeah. Try to be kind please. No real reason to be mean or disrespectful. I happen to collect flops when I see them and zero in on knives that I see that qualify at least to me. Some may not be ones that you guys agree with, while others are easier to see what I'm referring to.
Here are some pics of two stand outs in my opinion. And also, for the record, I added the pocket hook opener to the Spectre shown here by the knife that started the Spectre folder idea. The Dawson Spike fixed blade, which is more in balance and easier to hold on to than the folder. So the folder is not exactly factory. I still have trouble opening this one using the thumb stud. It has a really strong detent in it. Without the pocket hook I couldn't even use it really.
STR
