Well, to complete the review of the anatomy of folding knives, we should consider one more the most important detail, for some reason in the above article only mentioned in passing: fuse/lock. A lock is a mechanism that secures the knife blade in the “open” position and prevents it from closing spontaneously. Many different lock designs have been invented for modern folding knives; it is difficult to say which one is better - each has its own characteristics.

Liner lock

The most common type of lock, relatively simple to manufacture and yet reliable enough for most everyday tasks. The lock mechanism is based on a flat spring, which is part of the liner and rests against the shank of the blade when the knife is opened. You should pay attention to how far the spring extends onto the shank - this largely determines the reliability of the lock. This distance must be greater than the thickness of the spring itself, otherwise the knife may fold under light pressure.


Framelock (monolock, integral lock)

A type of liner lock. The only difference is that the role of the locking plate is played by part of the knife handle, which in such cases is made of metal. This adds strength to the entire lock, because... In this case, it becomes more difficult to deform the spring. In addition, the hand holding the knife additionally presses the locking plate.


Back lock

In castles like back lock the shank of the blade is fixed on the side of the butt by a spring-loaded rocker arm. These locks are more difficult to make due to the fact that the part of the rocker that engages and the slot on the shank must fit together quite precisely. Otherwise, the blade is either poorly fixed (the rocker arm does not fully fit into the shank) or wobbles (the rocker arm fits in freely). And even if they are identical, at a certain load vector there will be a slight backlash, which is due to the design itself.


In 2008, Cold Steel refined the back lock and introduced its new creation - Tri-Ad Lock. The original design received minor modifications: a locking pin was added, which takes on almost the entire mechanical load, the geometry of the rocker arm engagement itself and the groove in the shank was redesigned, and the hole of the rocker arm axis was made oval. As a result, the strength has radically increased, and when the contacting parts wear out, the rocker will simply change its position without increasing the play of the structure.


Compression lock

It is a hybrid of liner lock and (to some extent) back lock. The peculiarity is that the flat spring rests on the shank not from behind, as in a liner lock, but from above. Another feature is that the spring extends onto the shank on one side and rests against the locking pin on the other side. An undeniable advantage of the mechanism is that when closing the knife, not a single finger will be in the path of the blade.


Levitator lock

Knives with locks of this type are produced by Benchmade. Due to its characteristics, the lock can only be used in knives with a metal handle. A special pattern is carved on the handle, forming a spring plate, when pressed, the rod entering the blade's shank moves and releases the blade.


Coupling lock

Under the name Viroblock it is used in most modern knives of the Opinel brand. The blade is fixed using a rotating metal coupling with a longitudinal cut. In the extreme position, the clutch blocks the opening of the blade, and when the knife is in the open position, turning the clutch in any direction blocks its closure. Considering the low cost of such knives, the lock on them is simply excellent.


Pin locks

The AXIS lock type is a patented feature of Benchmade. The blade is fixed with a spindle-shaped pin, which fits into the corresponding grooves on the shank of the knife. In this case, fixation is carried out in both the open and closed positions of the knife, which avoids accidental closing of the blade. According to the results of testing the strength of locks on budget knives by enthusiasts of the website knifelife.ru, the most durable was AXIS in the Benchmade Griptilian 551 model. The main enemy of such a lock is dirt, which can damage the knife.


Arc lock, patented by SOG, is very similar in operating principle to AXIS, but has slight differences - the pin is additionally secured to a small rocker arm inside the handle.


Rolling lock- another lock from Benchmade. Here the pin is completely inside the handle and is activated by an L-shaped lever with a pin extended outward.


Ultra Lock- another type of pin lock, this time from Cold Steel. In this embodiment, the pin moves along a U-shaped groove in the blade's shank. The locking rod locks the blade at the extreme points, which ensures reliable fixation in the open and closed positions.


Push button locks

Lock type button lock(or plunge lock) most often found on automatic knives. When pressed, a spring-loaded button-pin of variable diameter moves its thinner part into the plane of the blade and releases it. Holds the blade both open and closed. The quality of locks of this type depends entirely on the manufacturer. In general, they can be very durable, but they are afraid of dirt.


Axial lock- a rather unusual lock, which puts most inexperienced knife lovers into a state of slight thoughtfulness. Such a knife opens and closes by pressing the knife axis and turning it with your thumb. On the axis there are protrusions that engage with grooves on the blade and in the handle.


Stud Lock

A movable pin lock design found on Kershaw knives. When opened, a spring-loaded pin on the knife blade engages a notch in the front of the handle. To unlock the blade, you need to move the peg towards the tip. With proper skill, closing the knife is seamless and quick, and the lock guarantees proper strength.

Deadbolt locks

Lock ram safe lock mounted on a rather unusual and recognizable Cold Steel Pocket Bushman knife. For all its technological simplicity, the lock is very powerful. In it, the shank of the blade is locked with a rod (crossbar), which moves parallel to the butt. The rod on the opposite side of the blade is pressed by a rigid spiral spring, and in order to open the knife, you need to pull the lanyard. Opening (and especially closing) with one hand is extremely difficult, but in order to break such a lock, you will have to work hard.


Design bolt lock differs from the previous lock by the presence of a pin attached to the crossbar and located on the side surface of the handle. The principle of operation of the lock is very similar to pin designs.


Gear lock

In design ratchet lock(or cogwheel lock) the rounded shank of the blade is made in the form of a comb with straight or slightly curved teeth, and the locking is done by a plate-plate with a slot for one tooth. When the knife is opened, the plate rises, and all the teeth of this half-gear pass through it, and in order to close the knife, it is necessary to manually lift the locking plate (most often by the ring). The lock is traditional for Spanish Navaja knives, but is also found on South African okapi (and their modern incarnation Cold Steel Kudu).


Balisong

It is difficult to call the design of a balisong knife (popularly called a “butterfly”) a lock, but, nevertheless, we will describe this method of fixing the blade. When folded, the blade is covered with halves of the handle on both sides. When opened, each half rotates 180 degrees; in some designs they are then secured with a latch, while in others they are simply held together with one hand.


Slip-joint

Perhaps one of the simplest types of lock, which has found its application in many budget models of tourist knives. In extreme positions, the blade is held from above by the rounded shank by a flat spring. The lock does not provide rigid fixation of the blade, but nevertheless prevents the blade from accidentally folding and damaging your fingers.


Friction fixation

So-called friction folder- the oldest design of a folding knife, the blade of which is held open due to the friction of the shank on the handle in the area of ​​the axis. Most of these knives have a lever on the tang that protrudes from the handle when the knife is closed. By pressing it, you can remove the blade from the handle, and then open the knife by the blade. In an open knife, the same lever is pressed by hand during operation and additionally prevents folding. Well-known straight razors, European medieval peasant knives and Japanese Higonokami knives are made using this principle.

Detailed description of the structure of the knife

Despite the fact that knives have a huge variety of shapes and types, all knives belong to short-bladed weapons, and although folding and throwing knives, yet their structure remains unchanged for hundreds of years. Let's take a look at what a knife consists of.

A knife is a specially processed strip of metal. So, the main element that makes up the knife is the blade in connection with the shank. Knife blades can be very different, and this concerns mainly the cross-section. Depending on the function of the weapon and on what kind of wounds it is supposed to inflict, there are flat, multi-sided and round knives. The cross-section of multi-faceted knives is especially varied, which can look like a rhombus, triangle, etc. Naturally, the cross-section of round knives has an oval shape.

As for the shank, the knife handle is attached to it. The blade is separated from the shank by a conventional line called the “base of the knife.” The side of the blade is called the “golomen”. According to the shape of the side, blades are divided into: straight and curved. The blade is considered straight if the middle part of the base and the tip are on the same straight line. If the blade is curved, then this imaginary line will go beyond the holomen, and the edges will be curved in one direction. Blades, both straight and curved, can also be wavy, that is, the edges of the side have a wavy shape.

The blade is the sharply sharpened edge of the blade. When it (the blade) is located only at the tip of the knife, it is called a false blade.

On the side of the blade there is a longitudinal line that begins immediately on the blade. This line is called the sharpening line, which can be sharpened at different angles. The variable angle has a radius sharpening. The blade blade can be sharpened on one side or on both sides.

The sharpening width is the distance from the blade to the sharpening line. The part of the blade that is adjacent to the shank remains unsharpened and is called the fifth. That part of the blade that is opposite to the blade has the name “butt” and also remains unsharpened. The butt comes in three types: straight, concave and convex. Quite often, notches are cut on the butt. In addition to the decorative function on ordinary knives, the notches on combat knives have the function of a saw, which, in addition to causing a painful shock in the enemy, allows you to easily saw through tendons and muscles. Also, with the help of these notches, it is much more convenient to remove the knife from the body.

A groove with a notch is often made at the base of the butt, which provides additional support for the thumb. If a weapon is intended for inflicting puncture wounds, its butt is made beveled. This bevel reduces the angle of convergence between the blade and butt. With such a blade it is convenient to inflict a puncture wound, but a cut one is much more difficult.

If the tip of the knife is below its center line, then the bevel is sharpened. Thanks to this, the penetrating ability of the blade increases and it is possible to deliver ripping blows from the bottom up. Such sharpening can be carried out on either one or both sides of the blade.

Where the butt and bevel of the blade meet is the tip of the knife.

On the side there is often a small groove called a “full”. Depending on the number of grooves on the side, the blades can be one, two, three or even four-lobed. Thanks to the fuller, the mass of the blade is reduced. The dol also allows you to bleed the animal faster if it is on a hunting knife.

Also on the surface of the blade there may be stiffening ribs that increase the weapon’s resistance to bending.

The transition of the shank to the blade has an extension called a shoulder.

The handle mount can be “mounted” or “plated”. With the mounting method, the handle is put on or screwed onto the shank and secured with a nut or riveting the end of the shank.

The plate method of attaching the handle involves the use of two overhead dies. These dies are riveted to the shank on both sides.

At the end of the handle there is a tip that gives a rigid fixation to the handle on the shank and prevents the weapon from slipping out of the hand upon impact. The blade is separated from the handle by a so-called limiter, which prevents the hand from sliding towards the blade.

This is how a short-bladed weapon, a knife, works. Despite its apparent simplicity, as you can see, it has a rather complex structure if you approach the knife from the point of view of production technology.

Types of knives and how to choose them

Knife is one of the most necessary attributes of the household and more. Depending on its purpose appointments and from its size, shape and length of the blade, there is and classification of knives.

Types of knives and their purpose

• Combat knives. These knives cannot be purchased. They are classified as edged weapons and are intended for arming the army.
• Knives for tourism. This type of knives is very easy to use and keep in good shape. They are made from steel, which is easy to sharpen and straighten. Their handles are made of synthetic materials, they are light and practical.
• Hunting knives. This type knives are characterized by a high degree of wear resistance and retain their sharpness very well. Almost all of them are fixed. Quite often they have a hook for skinning an animal.
• Folding knives. This type of knives has the most big variety by type, size and purpose of use.
• Multitools. This folding tool is multi-functional and always includes a knife.
• Special purpose knives. This category of knives includes knives for special use in a particular area, for example, medical scalpel knives, knives for rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, knives for divers, for gardening, etc.
• Camp knives or bivouac knives. They are fixed. Suitable for chopping any objects, although for rough work it is better to use an ax. They are used like a machete.
• Sports knives. Knives are used as sports equipment for throwing. For this purpose, knives are produced without overhead handles and without cutting edges.
• Kitchen knives. Mandatory attribute of the household. Used for cutting vegetables, food, bread, meat.
• Table knives. Used for table setting, designed for convenient eating.
• Survival knives. They are a multifunctional tool that comes with a number of different items necessary for survival in extreme conditions, for example, a compass, lighter, etc.

Combat knives

A combat knife is considered to be a knife that is used to defeat an enemy in close combat and is in service with army personnel. The main task of this bladed weapon is to defeat the enemy in close combat. In addition to this main task of a combat blade, it can be used for a number of other purposes - digging, cutting wire, etc. Its huge safety margin is enough for various types of actions not related to the defeat of the enemy.

Combat knives are always produced with a fixed blade, since they are the strongest (more often they are called fixed ones).

The main distinguishing feature of a combat knife from others types of knives, is a developed guard. The combat knife is designed in such a way that it can inflict stabbing blows on the enemy. All other types of knives are created with the main task - not to stab, but to cut.

Distinctive features of combat knives:

• they have a double-sided or one-and-a-half blade sharpening;
• the handle has an oval cross-section;
• the length of the knife with handle corresponds to 22 cm - 32 cm;
• the tip of a combat knife is in line with the handle and blade;
• the design of the sheath for a combat knife is specially created in such a way that it is convenient to remove it with one hand;
• The blade of this type of knife is often treated with a special black anti-reflective coating, which allows it not to shine in the dark or in the sun.

Knives for tourism

All types of knives photos for tourism can be seen on the website on the Internet. In order to choose a decent knife for hiking, you need to know what characteristics it should have in order to be an excellent assistant during hiking. So, what a good camping knife should “be able to do”:

• cut various branches, plan them, cut ropes of various thicknesses and from any material. Drop-point blades with lens-shaped triggers are suitable for this purpose. Having a partial serrated sharpening on the blade is also suitable;
• a camping knife is always a knife with a fixed blade;
• the angle of the blade tip should not be very sharp, as this may make it difficult to open canned food with this knife, for example, stewed meat in an iron can;
• Since a camping knife is often used for cutting food and cutting up game, it should be easy to clean. For this, it is important that its handle does not have cracks or cavities;
• A camping knife is often used as an ax for preparing wood to start a fire. Therefore, its handle must be thick, and the blade must have a wide blade to cope with shock and lateral loads;
• a camping knife should be purchased from soft steel so that it can be easily sharpened while on a hike;
• preference should be given to blades made of stainless steel, as it perfectly withstands any hardships of camp life;
• The best choice for a tourist knife is a knife with a plastic handle;
• One of the essential attributes of a good camping knife is the presence of a light and practical sheath. Today, scabbards made from Kydex are in great demand. They are easy to clean, comfortable and functional.

Knives for hunters

When going hunting, every hunter should be sure that his knife will be an excellent help in a fight with an animal, if one occurs. A hunter's knife must meet special requirements, since sometimes it can become the “straw” that a drowning person grabs. What should a proper hunting knife be like:

• must be convenient, high quality and practical;
• a hunter's knife must have a “warm” handle, that is, it must be made of wood;
• a developed guard does not necessarily have to be present, as it will interfere with the cutting of prey;
• The ideal steel option for a hunter's knife blade is Damascus steel. It is strong enough, but it will not crumble when it hits the bones of an animal;
• The optimal knife dimensions for a hunter are the following - the length of the blade should be from 10 cm to 14 cm, the width of the blade should be approximately 3 cm, the spine should be approximately 3-4 mm, and the hardness of the blade steel should be above 58 HRC.

One of the types of hunting knives is the skinner. This is a special knife for hunters, which has a wide and short blade. Its butt is equipped with a skinning hook.

Many hunting knives are the pride of their owners. They are decorated with various hunting scenes and decorative handles made of animal bones. Sometimes, hunting knives become collector's items. Owning a hunting knife is a great art, and many hunters believe that the height of a hunter's skill is demonstrated by the length of the blade. The shorter the blade, the higher the hunter's skill in cutting up prey.

Kitchen knives

Kitchen knife is a must-have attribute of any kitchen. No housewife can do without this tool, even if she is the most experienced and professional cook. In order to cope perfectly with all cooking tasks, three different knives are enough. However, they all must be of high quality and sharply sharpened.

Types of knife blades for the kitchen are very diverse. But in fact, you can get by with three types of knives. The most important knife in the kitchen, or chef's knife, is designed for cutting meat and cutting vegetables. It has a blade size above 20 cm. The second knife that you simply must have in the kitchen is a paring knife. Its blade length ranges from 5 cm to 10 cm. It also has a sharp tip, which is convenient for performing a number of actions when peeling vegetables and fruits. And the third type of knife for the kitchen is a saw knife for slicing bread. Thanks to special notches on the serrated blade, it does an excellent job of cutting thin slices of bread, as it does not crush or crumble it.

Other types of knife blades for the kitchen, are not mandatory, but possible for the convenience of cooking or table setting. For example, there is a knife for cutting pizza, slicing cheese, etc.

Blades for kitchen knives are made of two materials:

• metal. The highest quality knives are made from high-grade, high-carbon stainless steel. Products made from this material are distinguished by high strength, the ability to sharpen at home, and practicality - they cut everything and do not oxidize from exposure to acidic foods;
• ceramics. This material is characterized by increased hardness, it retains its sharpness for a long time, however, it is a rather fragile material (it can break if dropped on ceramic tiles or cement). Sharpening a ceramic knife at home is difficult, since diamond wheels are used for this.

The handle for kitchen knives is made of plastic. The production of all-metal knives is also practiced. The handle should be easy to clean with detergents and not have nicks or cracks where dirt can get in. To keep your kitchen knives sharp longer, avoid using glass cutting boards. It is preferable to use wooden or plastic cutting boards. All types of knives It is preferable to be sharply sharpened for use.

How to choose the right knife?

In order not to get lost in the variety of classifications and names of knives, and to choose exactly what you need, it is necessary to follow some rules when choosing a knife:

• clearly indicate the purpose of using the knife you are purchasing. Since, depending on the purpose of its purpose, other characteristics are selected. A hunting knife or a folding travel knife is not suitable for peeling vegetables while preparing dinner in the kitchen;
• When choosing a knife, hold it in your hand. It should be comfortable, in terms of weight, the configuration of the handle, the width of the blade;
• If you are purchasing a folding knife, then its choice should include an option such as easy one-handed opening. For fixed blades it has light value removal from the sheath.

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The limiter is the part of the knife between the blade and the handle that prevents the fingers from slipping from the handle onto the knife blade. Typically, the role of a limiter is performed by one (finger rest) or two arms (crosshair, crosshair). In the latter case, these arms can be straight or curved. The shape of the cross largely determines the grip you use on the knife. The most functional crosshair is one in which the arms are directed forward and have grooves on their surface for the thumb. The crosspiece is a mandatory accessory for combat knives.
In some knife models you can also find two limiters (sub hilt), but adding a second limiter does not provide any special advantage.

The role of a limiter can also be played by the heel of the blade (Central Asian pchak knives, some types of tourist knives, kitchen knives) or a deep sub-finger notch on the belly of the handle near the blade.

Survival knife guards can have small holes cut into them that allow you to use a cord or rope to turn them into a makeshift spear or harpoon.

The name of the guard, which is sometimes used to describe the limiter, is associated with blade fencing, where it served to protect the hand from blows from the enemy’s blade and consisted of a crosshair and a hilt.

Fencing with blade-to-blade knives is a thing of the past, but knives with a hilt guard are still produced. Most often, such a hilt is found on survival knives and diving knives, but its purpose is different - it allows you to hold the knife in your hand, leaving your fingers free.
Knuckle-hilted knives, derived from World War I trench knives, are now rare and illegal in many countries.

Handle

The following main parts are distinguished in the design of the handle: the handle (the part of the handle directly covered by the hand), the back ( top part handles), abdomen (lower part), cheeks - side parts, head of the handle (the farthest part from the blade).
In throwing knives, the role of the handle is played by the blade tang.

The handle as such is absent in small blade knives for concealed carry. Often the size and shape of such knives correspond to plastic credit card(card knives).

In addition to the main elements in the design of the handle, there may be additional ones that provide ease of use of the knife.
In most non-folding knives, the handle is in line with the blade. In some models it can be located at an angle to the blade, perpendicular or parallel to it.

The handle is located perpendicular to the blade - characteristic feature poke knives and daggers (push-dagger), which originate from the weapons of card sharpers of the Wild West. Since striking with such a knife does not require special training, this handle arrangement is often used in personal self-defense knives.

Recently, tactical and combat knives have appeared with the handle shifted below the blade line, which increases its cutting ability, worsening its piercing ability.

The indigenous population of Chukotka and Alaska have long used knives in everyday life with a handle located parallel to the blade. Such knives can be successfully used on modern kitchen, but this requires cutting board with a round depression in the middle.

Canadian hunting knives are characterized by a handle positioned above the blade line. These knives are very convenient for performing most household jobs and field conditions.

One of important characteristics the knife is its balancing, i.e. the location of the center of gravity of the knife (C. T.). The most functional is considered to be the location of the center between the blade and the handle. Offset?C. The point towards the tip increases the chopping properties of the knife and makes it easier to throw (survival knives, machete knives, throwing knives), and the shift towards the middle of the handle makes it easier to maneuver the knife. Determining the balancing of a knife is quite simple - you just need to find a position on an outstretched index finger in which the knife will maintain balance in a horizontal position.

Some throwing knives have a special weight that allows you to adjust the balance of the knife.

The handle can be attached to the knife shank in various ways. The simplest of them is a horse-mounted handle. This is a non-separable design in which the shank is shorter and narrower than the handle (push tang). Since the shank is hidden in the body of the handle, its shape and dimensions and, consequently, the strength of the entire structure cannot be determined externally. With a narrow and short shank, the blade may break when performing heavy work with the knife.
With a screw and riveted connection, a narrow shank runs inside the handle along its entire length (hidden tang).

Modern synthetic materials allow handles to be injection molded directly onto the tang as the final step in knife production.

With an overhead design, the length of the shank is slightly longer than the length of the handle (full tang), and its width is equal to or slightly wider than the side plates - the cheeks of the handle. The cheeks (scales or slab) are attached to the shank using rivets, screws or hollow tubes.

The most practical and durable knife design is with a threaded connection, cast handles or an overhead structure. The screw connection allows you to eliminate play in the handle linings that may appear over time, or even replace the handle or cheeks if they are damaged.
The stacked handle is formed from pieces various materials(usually multi-colored plastic, birch bark or leather).

A type of stacked handle is a composite handle consisting of several parts, usually wood different breeds, between which there are metal or plastic spacers. In functional terms, such handles do not have any advantages, but they are very aesthetically pleasing.

Traditional materials for making knives are wood and bone.

Nowadays, the most exotic types of wood for making handles are available in different textures and colors.
The wooden handle has a beautiful appearance, fits tightly in the hand, and does not get cold in the hand during the winter season. The disadvantages of wood include its low moisture resistance. Coating wood with varnish allows you to overcome this drawback, but at the same time it becomes more “slippery”, especially in a wet hand.

To prevent cracking of the handle during strong impacts with the edge of a knife, a special part made of metal (bushing, ferrule, fitting, holder) is installed in the front or rear part of the handle. The same part of the handle in the front part is also called a bolster or shoulder pad.

Bone handles are used in expensive handcrafted knives. In this case, the bone of exotic animals (walrus, elephant, mammoth, etc.) can be used as a material.

The leather inlaid handles are very pleasant to the touch and fit securely in the hand. But the skin is hygroscopic and susceptible to rotting. Impregnating it with varnish avoids this drawback, but reduces the reliability of the grip.

In the modern knife industry, various artificial materials are widely used for the manufacture of handles - micarta, polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS); plastics reinforced with glass fiber G-10, carbon fiber. Soft synthetic materials (elastomers) - kraton and santoprene - are especially convenient.

All these materials have excellent water resistance, resistance to various chemical substances. Handles made from these materials can be given a wide variety of shapes and textures.

To increase the reliability of holding the knife in the hand, the handle usually has a narrowing near the stop and pommel, corrugation on the back and abdomen, a special rough structure of the cheeks, finger cutouts and notches. It should be borne in mind that the under-finger cutouts must correspond to the size of the owner’s hand, otherwise it will be very inconvenient to work with a knife. In addition, the asymmetrical shape of such a handle limits the number of knife grips used.

Recently, “rings” for the fingers have appeared on the handles of knives, which were borrowed from the design of Malay karambit knives. They can be located in the front of the handle or at its end. A knife with such a handle is almost impossible to knock out of your hand, and in addition, it becomes possible to deliver “brass knuckle” blows with the handle.

The end of the handle of non-folding knives often has a hole for attaching a lanyard or lanyard. The presence of a lanyard (rope or belt loop) in knives with a handle without a limiter will protect your fingers from slipping onto the blade blade. In addition, the lanyard allows you to free up your fingers to do some work without releasing the knife from your hand.

The pull strap is most often used in conjunction with a plastic or leather sheath without fasteners and ensures quick removal of the knife from it.

Camping and survival knives may have a hollow handle. In tourist knives, a small grinder is placed into this cavity to sharpen the knife in the field.

In survival knives, this cavity stores NAS (wearable emergency supplies) - fishing line, fish hooks, matches, etc. The cavity in the handle is closed hermetically with a lid - a pommel, into which a small compass is inserted. This handle usually has a round shape. The round shape of the handle is not very convenient for working with a knife, but if necessary, you can insert a stick into it, turning the knife into an improvised spear.
The pommel of the handle of hunting and tourist knives is often made in the form of an animal’s head.

The end part of the handle may have a specific bend - a rear fuse, which makes it easier to pull out a knife stuck in dense material. Because of its shape, it is called "parrot beak".

At the top of combat and tactical knives there is often a special striking protrusion (shock tooth) for striking with the end of the handle or breaking glass in emergency situations (glass breaker).

Sheath

In folding knives, when not in use, the blade is hidden in the handle, which ensures safe carrying of the knife without any additional devices. For non-folding knives, in which the blade is always bare, a special case for the blade is required - a sheath. The sheath is an integral part of knives of this type. The ease of carrying and using the knife depends on them, including the speed of removing the blade from the sheath, on which in many cases the life of the knife owner depends.

The design of a classic sheath includes a “pocket” for the blade (its open part is called the mouth), elements for fixing the knife in the sheath, and elements for attaching it to clothing or ammunition.

The design of the sheath is largely determined by the purpose of the knife. For a combat knife, they must provide quick and silent extraction. Camping knives often have a special pocket for a sharpening stone or sharpening stone; survival knives also have compartments for flint or an additional small knife type. The knife may be sold without a sheath. In this case, the owner selects ready-made sheaths for himself or orders them based on his preferences, first of all, the way of carrying the knife, which determines the basic grip, the nature of the use of the knife, etc.
Previously, leather, wood or metal were used to make sheaths. Nowadays, metal sheaths are very rare, and wooden sheaths are used mainly in national knives, including those made as souvenirs for tourists. For designer artistic knives, the sheath can be made of bone and decorated with carvings and inlays.

Leather sheaths look aesthetically pleasing, are durable and easy to use. However, leather is not waterproof and is susceptible to microorganisms. As a result, the leather sheath warps, stretches and loses its shape. In addition, if the quality of the finishing is poor, the tannins remaining in the leather can have an adverse effect on the steel of the blade.

Sheaths made of synthetic material are free from these shortcomings. Most often, a special type of nylon fabric is used for these purposes - cordura (dense nylon fabric with moisture-proof impregnation and a special fiber structure).

Leather and synthetic sheaths are often riveted along the seam line to prevent cutting through the stitching threads. For the same reason, a plastic liner is inserted inside the sheath made of synthetic material, which also ensures the rigidity of the sheath. But the presence of an insert can cause the knife to make a knocking sound when you carry it.

Kydex sheaths are widely used in modern non-folding knives. The properties of Kydex make it possible to produce a sheath that exactly follows the shape of the blade. This is to some extent a disadvantage - the sheath is only suitable for a specific knife.
On the tip side of the blade, the plastic sheath may have a small ventilation hole.

Elements for fixing the knife in the sheath. To prevent the knife from falling out of the sheath, a strap (made of leather or fabric) with a clasp is often used. It covers the handle in the area of ​​the stop, its middle part or near the pommel. The most optimal location of such a strap - clamp in the area of ​​the limiter. If it is located near the pommel, then the knife will not fall out of the sheath if the handle in this place has a narrowing. The least reliable strap is the lock in the middle of the handle.

In knives whose blade shape differs from the classic one, the lock can be located in the blade area.
The simplest fastener design comes from pistol holsters. It consists of a special mushroom-shaped pin, which is fixed in a narrow slot in a leather strap. This simple, time-tested design ensures the knife is securely held in the sheath and the clasp is quickly unlocked and locked. Recently, such a clasp is rarely found, mainly on the sheath of bayonet knives.
Most modern sheaths use snap fasteners and textile fasteners (colloquially “Velcro”). The durability and reliability of their operation is determined by their design and the materials used.

Perhaps the least reliable are cheap buttons with an “O”-shaped spring. Buttons with an "Ω" spring are more reliable, especially the "Lift-the-Dot" variety often used in military equipment.

The textile fastener is less durable, but if it fails, it is easily replaceable.

There are two types of textile fasteners.

The first of them - “Velcro” (from the French VELours - velvet and CROchet - hook), has been known since 1948 and works on the principle of burdock. It consists of two tapes, the first of which has microhooks, and the second has the pile to which they cling. Its main advantage is its low cost, and its disadvantage is its fragility, since if the “lint” becomes dirty, it quickly fails. Its other drawback is the cracking sound produced when it is unfastened, which in some cases (combat and tactical knives) is unacceptable.

The second type of Velcro is “Dual Lock”, in which plastic pins in the form of a mushroom are located on two tapes. Such fasteners are distinguished by great reliability, durability (lifetime - up to 10 thousand cycles), as well as high connection strength, but also a high price.
In any case, for convenient unfastening and fastening, the fastener must have a tongue that is grasped by the thumb and forefinger when manipulating it. The absence of such a tongue on a cheap scabbard does not allow you to quickly unfasten the clasp, especially in winter.

If the tongue has a metal edge or the fastener is installed on a hard tongue made of plastic or metal, then in this case you can unfasten the fastener very quickly by prying it with your thumb. But for knives used in field conditions, this design has a significant drawback - spontaneous opening of the clasp if the tongue gets caught on a branch or twig.

Recently, fasteners - magnetic buttons - have begun to appear on sheaths. They are comfortable, durable and silent.
The clasp on the scabbard, as such, may be missing. For example, in the sheath of Finnish knives, the knife is inserted into them to a depth of 1/2 to 2/3 of the length of the handle. It is held in the sheath due to the friction of the handle against the walls of the sheath. Such sheaths are especially convenient in countries with cold climates - in the cold it is not so easy to unfasten the clasp. To make it easier to remove the knife, there is a pull-out strap/lanyard, or a mushroom-shaped pommel, which is characteristic of some models of Finnish knives. However, such a sheath is only suitable for knives without a stop and does not allow you to carry the knife with the handle down.

In a plastic sheath, the shape of which exactly follows the shape of the blade and handle, the knife is held due to the elasticity of the material that fits tightly around the knife in the area of ​​the stop. In the simplest sheath of this type, the knife can rattle when walking. To prevent this drawback, the sheath is provided with a special spring element that tightly presses the blade against the walls of the sheath.

In modern sheaths, hollow rivets are often found - eyelets. They serve to thread a cord, which significantly expands the options for carrying a knife. Round or oval holes in plastic sheaths serve the same purpose.

Attaching a knife to clothing or ammunition

In modern knives, a loop or a special spring metal or plastic clip (clip) is used to attach the knife to items of clothing. For combat and tactical knives, sheaths may have special fastening systems that allow the knife to be mounted in a variety of positions on various parts equipment and ammunition. Of these, the most widespread are systems using synthetic belts or a plastic plate with several holes, to which a Kydex sheath is attached with screws at different angles (the “Tek-Lok” system).

Small personal defense knives can be carried around the neck using a chain. Moreover, it does not require high tensile strength - otherwise it can be used by the enemy to strangle the owner of the knife. For the same reason, replacing the chain with a nylon or nylon cord is unacceptable.

The different combinations of the elements discussed above determine the enormous variety of models and types of non-folding knives, the design of which was formed on the basis of centuries of experience in their use in various regions globe or as a result of the search for the most optimal designs by knifemakers and designers based on the achievements of modern technologies. Some of known types and models of non-folding knives are shown in the figure.

Urbanization modern world led to an increase in the popularity of folding knives (in common parlance - “folders” or “folders”, from the English folder - a folded object). Such a knife is compact and convenient for a city dweller, attracts less attention, and is usually absolutely legal to carry.

It can be used for a variety of operations - opening envelopes and cardboard boxes, opening plastic packaging, cutting tape, etc. In a critical situation, it can also be used as a personal defense weapon. There was even a special term for the knives of a city dweller - “everyday carry knife” or EDC knife (from the English abbreviation EDC - Every Day Carring).
The activities of human rights organizations in many countries of the world have led to the fact that folding knives have come to replace fixed-blade knives in law enforcement agencies and even in special units operating in urban environments. These knives are called “tactical”. While superior to city knives in strength and reliability, they are inferior to them in size and weight.
In addition to self-defense, they can be used for a wide variety of operations - breaking doors, breaking through office partitions and, of course, cutting ropes, etc. These knives are often used as auxiliary knives in military units, as well as tourist (camping) knives or knives for working in field conditions.

Main types of blade clamps

The achievements of modern metallurgy and inorganic chemistry, the introduction of new materials processing technologies make it possible to bring to life the most daring design ideas. Close interaction between knifemakers and experts hand-to-hand combat allows you to create original models of tactical knives with enhanced combat qualities. As a result, new models of folding knives with unusual shape blades, ergonomic handles, additional design elements that increase the convenience and safety of using the knife.

Knives with increased cutting properties

There is no perfect knife. Certain design solutions and elements increase the performance of a knife for performing certain types of work. In addition, there are no identical people, they have different hand sizes, they may have a leading right or left hand. For those who are not experts in the field bladed weapons, the variety of designs creates certain difficulties when choosing a knife to suit your needs.

Design of folding knives
Folding knives have a long history and have gone from primitive designs to high-tech products, the manufacture of which uses the most advanced technologies.
A typical folding knife is a blade with a single-sided sharpening, mounted on the axis of the handle. When folded, the knife blade is hidden in the handle.
The main structural elements of a knife are the blade and the handle.
In the classic version, the blade rotates in the plane of the handle. Much less common are knives in which the axis of rotation of the knife is perpendicular to the plane of the blade. Such knives look very original, but are inferior in reliability to knives of classical design. An exception to this rule is hinged knives with a transverse blade opening.
In most folding knives, when open, the blade is in line with the handle. Among folding knives designed for personal self-defense, you can find knives in which the blade can be fixed in an intermediate position - perpendicular to the handle. In this case, the knife turns into a knife with a brass knuckle grip of the type of the famous “push daggers”, which originate from the daggers of the hidden carry of card players of the Wild West. The advantage of such knives is a simplified striking technique - a blow is similar to a blow with a fist.
The STI company even developed the Tai sabaki knife (from the name of the Japanese technique of turning the body), in which the blade can be fixed in six positions, which allows you to expand the technical arsenal of striking.

STI knife with blade fixation in several positions

According to the principle of opening, knives can be divided into knives:
- with manual opening and closing of the blade;
- with semi-automatic and automatic blade opening;
- fully automatic.
In knives with semi-automatic opening, to bring the blade into working condition, it is enough to move the knife blade slightly, and then it is brought to working condition by a special spring.

Semi-automatic knives and automatic knife (right)

In knives with automatic opening, you only need to press a special button or a folding trigger guard on the handle. In knife literature, such knives are often called “automatic” or “automatic knives,” although this is not entirely true, since the reverse operation of folding the blade is performed manually. A classic example of such knives is the “Italian stiletto” and its numerous clones.

Buttons for opening semi-automatic knives and an Italian stiletto

In fully automatic knives, both opening and closing of the knife occurs automatically. Moreover, the blade extends from the handle along the longitudinal axis of the blade (frontal ejection of the blade), and in the closed position it is completely retracted into the handle. This allows the use of dagger-type blades with double-sided or one-and-a-half sharpening in such knives, but imposes restrictions on the width of the blade - it cannot be greater than the width of the handle.
The process of opening/closing the blade is controlled by a special slider on the handle. These knives usually have a characteristic blade play. Only specialists from the Microtek company, known high quality manufacturing of knives, it was possible to create automatic knives that are practically free of this drawback. But the price for this is their high price.

Automatic knives from Microtek

The legislation of many countries, including Russia, classifies automatic knives with a certain blade length as criminal, and their carrying in these countries is prohibited. These restrictions do not apply to semi-automatic knives.
To avoid the risk of injury if these knives are accidentally opened in a pocket, they often have a special safety lock.
The main advantage of automatic and semi-automatic knives is that they can be quickly brought into working condition with one hand. It has great importance in a knife fight, as well as for people who, as a result, professional activity can operate with only one hand.
The disadvantages of these knives include increased sensitivity to dirt due to the rather complex design of the opening mechanism, and therefore less reliability. Cleaning the mechanism is a rather complex procedure, especially in fully automatic knives, where it can only be carried out by qualified personnel. Therefore, automatic and semi-automatic knives are not well suited for field conditions.
Knives in which the blade opens due to its gravity (“inertial knives”) do not have these disadvantages. The most famous of them is the knife of the Wehrmacht airborne units, which is still produced in a modified version today. The knife is very reliable, has simple design and can be easily disassembled for preventative cleaning.

Fixing the blade in the open position is ensured by special structural elements - locks(in English literature - lock). This fixation of the blade ensures safe use of the knife, especially during operations where its piercing action is necessary.
On the first primitive folding knives, the latch-lock was a special protrusion on the butt of the knife, similar to a straight razor. Currently, there are many varieties of these devices. However, only three types of locks are most widespread - back up (lock on the butt of the blade), liner lock (strip lock) and axis lock (axial lock), as well as their varieties. All of them allow you to create knives that can be opened with only one hand, and provide a fairly reliable fastening of the blade in the open position.

A type of lock on the butt of a blade

Lock on the butt of the blade (back up lock) considered the most reliable. But knives with this type of lock are difficult to fold with one hand. In addition, there is a possibility of accidental folding of the blade when the handle is squeezed tightly.
Knives that use a type of back up lock, which was originally used on Spanish Navaja knives, are free from this drawback. A similar lock is used on the South African Okapi. In this lock-clamp, the blade is locked in the open position by the protrusion of the butt, which fits into the hole on the spring bar of the lock. To disengage the lock, just pull the special ring. In modern versions, the ring is replaced by a more compact and convenient folding bracket - a lever.

Linear lock compared to the previous one, it allows you to close the knife with one hand (in fairness, it should be noted that due to the asymmetry of the design, this is not entirely convenient for people with a dominant left hand). Experts believe that in terms of the reliability of fixing the blade, this lock is inferior to the lock on the butt of the blade - under strong longitudinal load, the end of the locking strip may disengage with the heel of the blade.

Much less common is ring lock, which is used on French Opinel knives, which are produced with late XIX century. This lock has a very simple design - a ring with a slot. To unlock the blade, simply turn the ring so that its slot aligns with the line of the blade. The same type of lock was used on the original domestic knife “Fortel”.
In addition to the classic ones, there is a very interesting type of hinge-frame type knives. In these knives, the main design element is special frames or hinges, which simultaneously secure the blade. Such knives are characterized by high reliability of locking the blade in the open position while the knife is held in the hand. They have a symmetrical shape, making them equally convenient for both right-handed and left-handed people.

Frame knives consist of two frames, the planes of rotation of which are mutually perpendicular. Among domestic knives, these include “Chizhik” by master Konstantin Sazhin and “Skat” by the company “NOKS”.

Frame knives “Chizhik” and “Scat”

Of the hinged knives, the most famous is the Philippine balisong (butterfly knife) and its antipode, in which the plane of rotation of the blade is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the knife. The latter is perhaps the only knife with a transverse blade tear-off, which ensures very reliable fixation of the knife blade in the open state.
Among articulated knives, pantograph knives have the most complex design. Typical examples are the German Paratrooper knife and the Smith & Wesson Power Glide knife.

Knives with transverse blade rotation

The Paratruper knife, patented in Germany in 1938, is sometimes mistakenly called a Wehrmacht airborne knife. An indispensable condition for knives for parachutists is the ability to open it with one hand, but the Paratrooper cannot be opened with one hand. The reason for this misconception was the name of the knife, which translates as “paratrooper”. However, this name is not related to the purpose of the knife, but to the fact that its opening resembles the opening of a parachute canopy. A unique feature of this knife is that the length of the blade when open exceeds the length of the handle.
The main disadvantage of hinged frame knives is the inability to open the knife with one hand and the complexity of the design. The only knife of this type that does not have these shortcomings is the famous Philippine balisong knife.

Articulated knives

In most folding knives, when folded, the blade is completely hidden in the handle of the knife. Only part of the butt protrudes from the handle (for this reason, double-sided sharpening of the blade is not used in folding knives). However, there are knives in which, when folded, the blade comes out of the handle - semi-folding knives. A classic example of such a knife is the daggers of Admiral D’Estaing. This design combines the advantages large knives with a fixed blade and small dimensions of folding knives. This design of knives was quite common on hunting and huntsman knives in the last century. It is with this knife that Kuzmich cuts a pineapple from the garden in the popular comedy “Peculiarities of the National Hunt.”

Half-mounted knives

The downside to these knives is that they require a sheath to carry them. Knives are free from them, in which the blade is retracted into a special groove that extends from the handle when the blade is folded.
The Soviet knife designed by A. I. Shilin, deputy chief designer of the Kovrov plant No. 2 named after. K. O. Kirkizha (State Union Plant No. 2). The knife was developed as part of a competition to select a folding knife for officers of the Soviet Army, which was held in 1944, and took second place in this competition. According to some reports, a small test series of these knives was made in 1945. However, for unknown reasons, the knife never entered service. The knife had a blade with double-sided sharpening. When folded, the blade was hidden two-thirds of its length in the handle. To carry the knife, a wooden sheath was used, inside of which there were special hooks that ensured automatic extension of the blade to its full length when the knife was removed. In addition to the blade itself, the handle of the knife contained a standard set of tools necessary for Everyday life- awl, corkscrew, screwdriver, can opener and bottle opener.

Officer's knife designed by A.I. Shilin and its modern Chinese analogue

The ideas laid down by Shilin have now been used by the Chinese to develop a special knife that is in service with the Chinese police.

The blade is the main part of the knife. The piercing and cutting properties of the knife depend on it. The main factors that determine the operational characteristics of a blade are the material and technology of its manufacture, as well as its shape and cross-section. The blades of modern folding knives are made from corrosion-resistant types of steel. On blades from well-known manufacturers, the steel grade is often stamped on the blade at the base of the handle. On cheap knives you can often see the inscription on the blade - “stainless” or “rostfrei”, which simply means “stainless steel”. Currently, the knife industry uses several dozen different grades of steel. Since different countries have different standards for designating steel grades, the same steel may have different designations. The most common steel grades used for the manufacture of folding knife blades are shown in the table.

For an inexperienced user, it is enough to take into account the fact that the more expensive the steel, the longer it holds an edge, but this increases the fragility of the cutting edge and makes it more difficult to edit the knife at home. The quality of the blade is largely influenced by the technology of thermal hardening of the steel used by the manufacturer. With proper heat treatment, even relatively cheap types of steel provide good cutting qualities of a knife, and vice versa, even expensive types steel with flaws in heat treatment will not allow to ensure good quality blade. This is precisely why the high cost of folding knives from well-known manufacturers with modern equipment and carefully monitoring the quality of the blade.

The hardness of a cutting edge is expressed in Rockwell units. Typically, folding knife blades are hardened to 42–60 HRC. The larger this number, the longer time the knife holds an edge, but you have to pay for this with less resistance to impact loads and the difficulty of sharpening the knife. And, conversely, at low HRC values, the cutting edge is more ductile, easy to sharpen, but does not hold an edge well. When the hardness increases above 61 HRC, the blade of knives with a normal spine thickness becomes very fragile. Blade blades hardened to 42 units. or less, has low strength and is difficult to cut ordinary materials. This indicator is not given on the packaging of knives. Even when describing the model on the manufacturer’s website, it is not always possible to see it. When using a knife, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the knife blade is very sensitive to temperature increases. That is why you should not stir up the coals of a fire with a knife or use an electric sharpener for plumbing or carpentry tools to sharpen it.

The surface of the blade can be polished, matted, blued, chrome-plated or have a special protective coating.

Polishing increases the blade's resistance to corrosion, but this surface shines in the sun, which is not entirely acceptable in tactical knives. Matting increases the anti-reflective properties, but worsens the corrosion resistance of the knife.

When a blade is blued, a thin layer of protective oxide film is created on its surface, and the blade acquires a dark color. When chrome plating, a thin layer of chromium is applied to the surface of the blade, which prevents corrosion of the blade, but not its cutting edge.

In modern knives, blade coatings made of synthetic materials (epoxy resins, Teflon) are becoming increasingly common, which provide high resistance to moisture or acidic and alkaline environments. Because this coating prevents the blade from reflecting in the sun, it is often called "anti-glare" and is often used on tactical knives. The disadvantage of such coatings is low wear resistance and sensitivity to scratches.

Recently, as the industrial production of Damascus steel has become cheaper, more and more blades are being made from it. Damascus steel is produced by forge welding several layers of steel with different carbon contents. As a result, a beautiful pattern appears on the surface of the blade. Modern industrial production of Damascus steels makes it possible to pre-design the shape of this pattern (“mosaic Damascus”).

The combination of low-carbon steel strips, which provide ductility, and high-carbon steel, which ensures the hardness of the cutting edge, allows you to create blades with excellent performance qualities. In addition, the cutting edge of Damascus steel knives has micro-teeth, which increase the cutting ability of the knife.

Knives with Damascus steel blades look very impressive. However, it should be borne in mind that the risk of receiving a defective Damascus steel blade is much higher than when purchasing a knife with a regular steel blade. This is due to the rather complex technology of manufacturing such steel.

Doly, which are often called blood flows, are longitudinal grooves along the axis of the blade and serve to lighten the weight of the blade. At the same time, they increase the rigidity of the blade in the transverse direction. Sometimes they are through-cuts.

Ricasso— the unsharpened part of the blade at the handle serves for the convenience of sharpening the knife.

False blade came from combat knives with a fixed blade with a one-and-a-half sharpening.

Folding knives use a variety of blade shapes. For ordinary household operations, knives with a straight blade or a blade converging to the tip are preferred. The disadvantage of the classic blade shape is its lower strength at the tip, since the thickness of the blade smoothly decreases towards the tip. Blades in the form of “tanto” or “modified tanto” are free from this drawback.

At the beginning of this century, first on knives with a fixed blade, and then on folding knives, it began to be used special form blade with a reinforced edge. If increased cutting properties are required from a knife (knives for self-defense), blades with a blade that has a convex or wavy shape are used. At the end of the last - beginning of this century, knives with a sickle-shaped blade, which is characteristic of Malaysian karambit knives, came into fashion. Such a blade does not cut, but rips up the surface of the target like a plow. Knives with such a blade are used for self-defense or for cutting car seat belts. Knives in which the blade is located at an angle to the handle serve the same purpose. This idea received its maximum development in knives with pistol grips from STI.

Flat wedge It has high performance qualities, combining blade strength and a sharp blade. Due to the uniform distribution of force, it cuts well soft materials of large thickness. Disadvantages: difficult to sharpen, does not cope well with cutting hard materials.

Chisel profile— differs in manufacturability and ease of sharpening. It is widespread on the blades of Asian knives. It has excellent chopping properties and cuts thin materials well.

Plano-concave wedge and its variety, a flat-concave wedge with an inlet, is distinguished by its ease of manufacture, is easy to straighten and sharpen, and performs excellent shallow cuts. Disadvantages: low mechanical strength, difficulty cutting thick materials due to protruding side ribs.

Wedge profile has excellent cutting properties. The disadvantage is the fragility of the cutting edge and the difficulty of sharpening (it is necessary to sharpen the entire plane of the blade). The wedge-shaped section with inlet is free from this drawback.

Pentagonal profile combines manufacturability, strength, good cutting qualities, and is easy to straighten. Disadvantages: difficulty in sharpening when restoring the cutting edge.

In addition to the blade, folding pocket knives can have additional auxiliary tools - an awl, a corkscrew, a can opener, and a bottle opener. In the so-called “Swiss Army knives” the number of such tools can reach several dozen. Such multifunctional knives are called “multi-tools.” For self-defense, knives with two working blades are also produced, which allow you to hit a target with forward and backward strokes of the hand without changing the orientation of the knife or changing its grip.

Part of the blade blade may be sharpened in the form of a saw for cutting fibrous materials. In knife literature, such sharpening is called “serator” or “sereitor” (from the English. serrated"sawtooth") In self-defense knives, serrated sharpening makes it easier to cut through thick outer clothing and can be done along the entire length of the blade. The configuration of the teeth of this mini saw may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The presence of a serrated blade makes it difficult to sharpen a blade at home; for this you need to have a special tool and skills to work with it, or contact an appropriate specialist.

The design of most modern folding knives allows you to open them with one hand, both right and left. For this purpose, there are special elements at the base of the blade - cylindrical pins, round or square dies or holes in the blade (the round hole is protected by a patent owned by the American company Spiderco, and other manufacturing companies are forced to use other forms). It is more convenient to open knives with protruding elements - pins or dies, but they reduce the effective length of the blade.

At the beginning of this century, a special device appeared on knives in the form of a hook on the spine, which ensures automatic opening of the knife when pulled out of a trouser pocket. Owners of such knives should be aware that if the trousers are made of thin material, then after several cycles of drawing the knife they will most likely be torn.

Much less common on modern knives is a special semicircular cutout on the blade. Most often it is used in models that have several working blades or tools, or in knives without fixing the blade, which are well known to the older generation from Soviet times.

Another element that makes it easier to open the knife is the flipper. flipper"fin") - a special protrusion on the butt of the blade. To open regular knife It is enough to move the blade slightly, pressing the flipper with your finger, and then, with an energetic swing of the hand, bring the blade into the working position. In semi-automatic knives there is no need for such a swing; the blade is brought to the working position automatically by a spring mechanism.
In addition, the flipper plays the role of a kind of guard, preventing the hand from slipping onto the blade.

The most common grip for folding knives is a straight diagonal (fencing) grip. In this grip, the thumb is located on the butt of the blade. For more comfortable control of the knife, a special notch is made at the point of contact of the thumb on the butt of the blade. The part of the handle adjacent to the blade may also have a notch.

Handles

The handles of most modern knives have a stacked design consisting of an internal frame in the form of metal strips - liners and linings. Blade fixation elements and an automatic opening mechanism (for semi-automatic and automatic knives) are mounted inside the frame.
Simple monolithic handles with a groove for the blade or handles made of a bent strip of steel are rarely found in modern knives, mainly in the French “Opinel” and African “Duk-duk”. Previously, the parts of the handle were connected into a single whole using rivets. The axis of the blade was also riveted. In modern models, screw connections are usually used for this. The use of screw connections allows you to eliminate the loosening of parts that appears during the operation of the knife, regulate the “softness of the blade,” and facilitate disassembly of the knife for maintenance work. Most foreign folding knives use screws with a figured Torx slot. To work with such screws, you need a special tool - screwdrivers or socket wrenches with a corresponding head. Some companies include such keys with the knife, otherwise they have to be purchased additionally.

The shape of the handle, its cross-section, as well as the texture of the lining determine the convenience and safety of using the knife. The rectangular cross-section of the knife is technologically advanced in production, but is not convenient when performing long-term work with the knife. The round handle fits comfortably in the hand, but it does not allow you to determine the orientation of the knife by touch. Therefore, oval-shaped handles are most convenient. The rectangular shape is compact, but does not provide protection against the hand slipping onto the blade. The wedge-shaped handle better protects the hand when working with the tip of the knife, but when trying to pull out a knife stuck in dense material, the hand will slide off the handle. Small pocket knives often have this shape for performing small household jobs.

The concave shape of the handle provides a more secure grip, but is not entirely comfortable. The convex shape of the handle fits perfectly in the hand and is comfortable for work. This is the shape of the handle that time-tested Finnish-type knives have.

Even more convenient is the convex-concave handle, which is often used on tactical knives. Modern knives increasingly use handles of complex shapes that take into account the ergonomics of the hand. However, its configuration is designed for a medium-sized hand, and a person with a large or, conversely, small hand will not be able to take full advantage of its advantages.

Overlays

For their manufacture, materials of natural (wood, bone, horn) and artificial origin (metals, plastic) can be used. The main advantage of wooden overlays is their “warmth” and the beauty of a natural material. Expensive designer knives can use exotic wood species with very beautiful texture. The main disadvantage is poor wear and moisture resistance. A multi-layer varnish coating in some way solves the problem, but at the same time the reliability of holding the knife in the hand decreases. Another natural material is horn and bone. Handles made from these materials are well polished and look very nice. Disadvantage: They can crack and scratch easily. Metal linings are highly durable, but in the cold season, knives with such handles are inconvenient to use. In addition, they are difficult to hold in a wet or sweaty hand, even if they have a notch on them. In modern knives, titanium alloys based on aluminum or titanium are used for their manufacture. Damascus steel can also be used in expensive designer knives.

Materials based on synthetic resins allow you to imitate the structure natural materials and at the same time avoid their inherent disadvantages, although they are inferior in weight. One of the most popular materials of this type is one of the types of textolite “Micarta”. Recently, linings made from various types of plastic, such as ABC, Zitel, Kydex, etc., have been increasingly used. These materials are technologically advanced, moisture-resistant, durable and resistant to the external environment. They allow the production of overlays of any shape with any texture pattern - from a simple roughness inherent in the overlay material itself, or a rectangular notch to specially designed surface types. Thus, the knives of the CRKT “For Those Who Serve” series use a special honeycomb structure that prevents the knife from slipping in the hand. Rubberized inserts or structural elements such as sandpaper inserts are used for the same purpose.

At the end of the handles of many models of folding knives there is a through round hole for attaching a lanyard or lanyard to it.

Security Elements

Although modern designs of blade locks are quite reliable, nevertheless, as noted above, there is a possibility of accidental folding of the blade. To prevent this, modern knives have special fuses. For knives with a lock on the butt, they are usually located in the cutout area of ​​the locking lever. In models with a linear lock, they are located in the front of the handle under the thumb. Supplementing the blade locks with safeties practically turns the knife from a folding knife into a knife with a fixed blade.

To safely carry semi-automatic and automatic knives, the safety must prevent the knife from opening in a clothing pocket if accidentally touched. trigger. Therefore, in such knives the fuse often has a double effect - it blocks the blade in the closed and open state.

Clip for wearing

An almost obligatory attribute of modern folding knives is a steel spring clip. In knife literature, the term “clip” is often used to denote it. clip clamp, paper clip). It ensures convenient carrying of the knife in clothing pockets or on a trouser belt.

Many knife manufacturers make the clamp adjustable—that is, it can be attached to different sides of the handle depending on whether the owner is right-handed or left-handed. In addition, sometimes you can change not only the side of the clamp - at the base or at the end. In this case, the knife in the pocket will be oriented either with the tip down or up. Some experts believe that when wearing a knife with the tip up, there is a possibility of a cut when trying to get the knife out of your pocket if, for some reason, the blade comes out of the handle. At the same time, with this orientation of the knife, it is brought into working condition more quickly.

In some models of folding knives, the clip attachment point is not Z-shaped, but shaped like the letter “L” or “P”. In this case, when the knife is carried in a clothing pocket, the upper part of the handle is hidden from external view - only the spring plate of the clip protrudes from the pocket. Outwardly, it looks like an ordinary ballpoint pen.

Elements that enhance striking capabilities

For self-defense purposes, the knife can be used without opening the blade. In this case, it is used as a palm stick and the blow is delivered by parts of the handle protruding from the fist. In tactical and self-defense knives, the end of the handle, to increase the effectiveness of such strikes, often has a triangular shape or a special striking element in the form of a cylinder, cone or pyramid.

Concluding the review of folding knife designs, it should be noted that the legality of a knife, that is, the fact that it is not a bladed weapon, can only be determined by law by an expert. Therefore, when purchasing a knife, you should always ask the seller for a copy of the information sheet for the certification test report (in common parlance it is often called a “certificate”). The absence of such a document, no matter what the seller says, may indicate that the knife you like has not passed the test to be a bladed weapon. Moreover, it is best if such tests were carried out by the parent organization “Forensic Expert Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs”. It is better to always have a copy of this document with you, which will allow you to avoid unnecessary conflicts with law enforcement officials.

Most of the high-quality folding knives on the Russian knife market are products of foreign companies. Unfortunately, most serial domestic folding knives are inferior to foreign ones in almost all respects, and original models can rarely be found among them. Russian craftsmen and knife companies prefer to create knives with a fixed blade, and among them there are very original models that have no analogues abroad, which include the knives of Vitaly Kim, the Kondrat knife, the NDK-17 knife (a saboteur knife designed by Kochergin) . This is largely due to the more complex technology and the expensive equipment required for it. Among Russian masters only a few design and produce original handmade folding knives that are not inferior to foreign ones (including in price). As an example, folding knives from the Ural master Urakov and the workshop of the Shirogorov brothers are shown. The rapid pace of development of the Russian knife industry allows us to hope for the emergence of domestic folding knives that are not inferior to foreign models.

Anatoly Fomin. Magazine "Brother" 2013-01