The Liner Lock, a Seductive Alternative To The Traditional Switchblade

The principle of the primitive knife, that is to say a blade swiveling on an axis to fold into the handle, lasted for a long time: Jambette, Eustache, Capunchin. It can still be found in reproductions, just like the Corsican knife. The inconvenience of such a system is naturally the uncontrolled movement of the blade, since it is held firmly in neither an open nor a closed position. The fitting of collar on Nontron and Opinel knives, for example, is a safety feature that helps to avoid a major hazard, that of accidently closing the blade on one’s fingers during use. The discovery of the spring was a definite advance, since the blade could no longer swing open in one’s pocket. With the Laguiole it was the forced switchblade that was used. The contact parts including blade heel and spring are fitted in such away that one has to exert additional pressure on the blade to force it to close. The solution was the switchblade, made a specialty by Nogent in its time, with its characteristic ring placed on the back to ensure its release. Buck made the modern switchblade, with a button on the back of the handle, popular in 1963. In 1906, Cattaraugus had patented a linear switchblade system, but it didn’t take off.

It was only in 1980 that Michael Walker modernized this linear system to produce areal “one handed” version. The revolution consisted of placing a spring inside the plate, whose extremity would stop against the heel of the blade when open, keeping it firmly in that position. To close the blade the spring just had to be placed against the plate.

By fitting a protuberance on the blade where the thumbnail groove usually was, the blade could be opened and closed easily with the thumb of the hand holding the knife. Opening and closing a knife with just one hand became child’s play. The concept of the “liner lock” and “one handed” operation was born, and with great success.