The Tenets of Knife Safety

there are a couple of lessons
which everyone can learn from...
Kid Knife GIF - Kid Knife Running With Knives GIFs
 
I'm sick of hearing this a sharp knife is saFer than a dull knife

Sharp knives are awesome. I much prefer having a sharp knife

But

I've cut myself many a time with a very sharp knife

I've never cut myself with a dull knife. Anf i have a few! Specifically cheap kitchen knives.. I've had many close calls where I've thought oh thank God that knife was dull....

Might apply better to axes though...
 
Never run with a knife in your hand - grab a pair of scissors instead.
 
Hey guys. Just out of curiosity, do you use pull cuts? Like when peeling fruit, the edge faces you and you cut towards your thumb. Personally, it makes me uncomfortable and “peeling away from me” always seemed to work for apples and potatoes at least.
 
Herr geiser said:
I'm sick of hearing this a sharp knife is saFer than a dull knife

Sharp knives are awesome. I much prefer having a sharp knife

But

I've cut myself many a time with a very sharp knife

I've never cut myself with a dull knife. Anf i have a few! Specifically cheap kitchen knives.. I've had many close calls where I've thought oh thank God that knife was dull....

Might apply better to axes though...
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It's based on the idea that instead of putting more force behind a dull blade to make the edge bite, the edge immediately gets into the medium. If the dull edge slips and ends up in tissue, the damage is much more of a pain to suture (voice of experience here).However, if you don't cut toward yourself or others, your blade is obviously safer than the difference between it being sharp or dull. The worst knife lacerations I have ever seen were with knives less-than factory sharp and literally always were the result of doing something that the user shouldn't have done.

All my reasons are admittedly anecdotal. But for me, I would say the safest bet between ONLY those two factors is to keep the knife sharp. It's not going to save you from bad decisions, but if you fail to follow the basic rules of knife safety you're easier for me to suture up.
 
timberweasel said:
1) Never trust a lock---there are no folding fixed-blades. Folding knives are designed to do two things: they fold and they cut. The when, what and how rests with the user. Mind-blowing, I know...

2) Don't touch Killgar's knives.
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The Cold Steel lock is fairly sturdy though. Hasn’t failed me yet, although I don’t do anything extreme with my folders.
 
Herr geiser said:
I'm sick of hearing this a sharp knife is saFer than a dull knife

Sharp knives are awesome. I much prefer having a sharp knife

But

I've cut myself many a time with a very sharp knife

I've never cut myself with a dull knife. Anf i have a few! Specifically cheap kitchen knives.. I've had many close calls where I've thought oh thank God that knife was dull....

Might apply better to axes though...
Click to expand...

StoneAndSteel said:
It's based on the idea that instead of putting more force behind a dull blade to make the edge bite, the edge immediately gets into the medium. If the dull edge slips and ends up in tissue, the damage is much more of a pain to suture (voice of experience here).However, if you don't cut toward yourself or others, your blade is obviously safer than the difference between it being sharp or dull. The worst knife lacerations I have ever seen were with knives less-than factory sharp and literally always were the result of doing something that the user shouldn't have done.

All my reasons are admittedly anecdotal. But for me, I would say the safest bet between ONLY those two factors is to keep the knife sharp. It's not going to save you from bad decisions, but if you fail to follow the basic rules of knife safety you're easier for me to suture up.
Click to expand...

A sharp knife is safer because it cuts predictably and with less effort. A dull knife needs more force and can slip. Think about trying to carve wood cutting a tomato with a dull blade. The edge doesn't bite, the blade wanders and slips and generally doesn't go where you want it to. So you press harder, the blade doesn't cut like you expect it to, and now you need stitches. Or think about cardboard. A sharp blade slices right through, in a straight line. A dull blade will curve away, will stick and bind, or even simply push/tear the cardboard, so you push/pull harder and now you need stitches. It's really not about how the cut looks under a microscope or how it heals - we're talking about a knife cut, not one from a rusty fence or rottweiler bite. You're simply much less likely to cut yourself while using a sharp knife than a dull one. Assuming you're not being careless with it.
 
Planterz said:
A sharp knife is safer because it cuts predictably and with less effort. A dull knife needs more force and can slip. Think about trying to carve wood cutting a tomato with a dull blade. The edge doesn't bite, the blade wanders and slips and generally doesn't go where you want it to. So you press harder, the blade doesn't cut like you expect it to, and now you need stitches. Or think about cardboard. A sharp blade slices right through, in a straight line. A dull blade will curve away, will stick and bind, or even simply push/tear the cardboard, so you push/pull harder and now you need stitches. It's really not about how the cut looks under a microscope or how it heals - we're talking about a knife cut, not one from a rusty fence or rottweiler bite. You're simply much less likely to cut yourself while using a sharp knife than a dull one. Assuming you're not being careless with it.
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This is much better said. I agree with everything other than the how it heals being irrelevant. But it could be entirely a function of work. That and how much I hate suturing up blunt lacerations (takes longer, looks worse, and adds needless effort for a shittier outcome).
 
DangerZone98 said:
Hey guys. Just out of curiosity, do you use pull cuts? Like when peeling fruit, the edge faces you and you cut towards your thumb. Personally, it makes me uncomfortable and “peeling away from me” always seemed to work for apples and potatoes at least.
Click to expand...
I use pull cuts all the time, and also cut towards myself a lot when seated whittling or carving - I find it gives me far greater control.

In the case of pull-cuts, if the blade does slip, I might risk nicking my thumb at most. If it slips while cutting towards myself, I am positioned so my hand or forearm will hit my torso not the knife.

If your blade slips or a big chunk of wood breaks free unexpectedly while pushing hard AWAY from yourself, there is nothing to arrest its travel until your arm is fully extended or it hits something it shouldn’t. I am always super careful in those situations to be aware of where the blade might go (like hopefully not into my femoral artery…).
 
The pull cut (pairing cut) is very useful and safe. Something about the thumb and the knife in the same hand stops you from cutting yourself. It’s a very controlled cut.

Yet it breaks that first rule.

This whole thread brings me back to my first knife experience. 6 years old first SAK a gift from my dad got the safety speech.
“Never cut towards yourself”

Within a couple days I caught him using the pairing cut. Calling him out lead to even more lessons. Lol
 
Owen K. said:
Gosh darn autocorrect. Thank you.
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😅 what did it autocorrect to? hahaha

to the O.P.
I'll be teaching my children how to properly hold a blade

how to cut away from themselves

how to cut safely around others

public knife use aside from smalllllllll folders is scary to non knife people
 
tinfoil hat timmy said:
😅 what did it autocorrect to? hahaha

to the O.P.
I'll be teaching my children how to properly hold a blade

how to cut away from themselves

how to cut safely around others

public knife use aside from smalllllllll folders is scary to non knife people
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It changed tenets to tenants. 🤣 Safety from those temporarily living in cutlery.
 
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