Harbor Freight locking knife recalled PSA

[smiller43147]

Apparently the $5 folding knife doesn't lock and can cut you.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/recall-1-1-million-pocketknives-022715715.html

[cody6268]

This kind of stuff was why, as a kid, I learned "you get what you pay for".  Hard to believe it got by for 10 years without them noticing it wouldn't lock up.

[Alan K.]

People use non-locking knives all the time and aren't reporting this issue so if knives that are supposed to lock are closing on people it still means that they are not using the knives appropriately or in a safe manor.  A lock on a knife is a mechanical device and everyone knows a mechanical device is something that can and will fail. A lock on a knife is meant only to supplement your own safe knife handling and is not a magic talisman that prevents stupidity.

[cody6268]

People use non-locking knives all the time and aren't reporting this issue so if knives that are supposed to lock are closing on people it still means that they are not using the knives appropriately or in a safe manor.  A lock on a knife is a mechanical device and everyone knows a mechanical device is something that can and will fail. A lock on a knife is meant only to supplement your own safe knife handling and is not a magic talisman that prevents stupidity.

That's what I bought up on another board's discussion of this recall. Lack of maintenance and abuse probably accounts for a lot of failures.   With only four reports out of millions sold; it makes me wonder if those four individuals wanted a payout.

[gerleatherberman]

I am shocked the number of people injured isn't higher.

Regardless of opinion regarding knife safety and who is to blame(some blame HF and some blame the users), fact is that HF sold those smurf knives without doing enough quality checks to make sure it did what it stated it would do on the packaging. They sell a lot of stuff like that, and tool guys know it. The layman isn't keenly aware of HF's low cost items being junk.
Fact is thousands of people get injured on slip joint knives every year, but the knives weren't sold as locking knives, so blaming the company isn't possible.  In these cases, user error is the blame usually. The HF knife is different.
If I sell you a lamp that I guarantee will not burn your house down, I am responsible if your house burns down. I can't blame you for not keeping an eye on the lamp every second of everyday.
I blame HF and the users who got injured, because HF sold the garbage to begin with, and the buyers thought a $5 knife was a good idea.

HF won't be hurt from this, because not many people will bother returning the knives. $5 isn't worth the hassle for most people. I just hope HF learns a lesson to not sell garbage knives. Their newer everyday carry knives are quite good for $7/$8 though.

[LoopCutter]

You must take into account that HF is California based company.  By taking action on their part mitigates the lawsuit types that jump on an unresponsive firm.

Walmart sells a fairly good $4.97 knife, and Menards with the Guideman brand.

Also, have seen packaging indicating blade is got slicing and cutting only. Do not pry, throw, jab or poke the blade into material.  (Not verbatim)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rapidray]

This kind of stuff was why, as a kid, I learned "you get what you pay for".  Hard to believe it got by for 10 years without them noticing it wouldn't lock up.

[gerleatherberman]

The knives the recall was issued for are one of the most ridiculously heavy folding knives I have bought. Probably very few people actually carried one to notice they don't work right and have blade steel with 17.3345% margarine content.   

Now that there is a recall, I can sell my rare working examples for tons of money.

[comis]

People use non-locking knives all the time and aren't reporting this issue so if knives that are supposed to lock are closing on people it still means that they are not using the knives appropriately or in a safe manor.  A lock on a knife is a mechanical device and everyone knows a mechanical device is something that can and will fail. A lock on a knife is meant only to supplement your own safe knife handling and is not a magic talisman that prevents stupidity.

  That's why one of my 4 knife safety rules is to "treat every knife as a slipjoint"

[PitCarver]

Bought one of these, used the coupon and wasn't much more than the other model...

https://www.harborfreight.com/drop-point-edc-pocket-knife-63168.html

It's not a collector knife, by far, and I don't care for a serrated blade, but for under $10.00, it's a decent beater/toolbox knife.

[Aloha]

I have no dog in the fight but over time I have come to realize people do some crazy things with folders.  I wonder if the whole tactical folder thing spurred some on to thing a folder could be and should be used in such a manner?

I've went away from liner lock knives other than my MTs.  While I tend to prefer a lock back I always treat a folder as such, it is meant to fold. 

Be safe out there 

[Sea Monster]

We can all be as smug as we like about "idiots not using knives safely", but this is the fallout of cheap manufacturing, and advertising being permitted to have a fairly casual relationship with the truth. (Hey Bear Grylls, how you doing?)


Some of the cheap tools (even things as apparently simple as hammers or shovels) that you can buy today are flat out dangerous and unfit for their purported use.

I believe a once common term was "knife shaped object" as opposed to "knife" (knife = X = whatever)

but, the insertion of cheap goods takes sales from the pro manufacturers, who in turn put their prices up to make up for the lack of product movement (or close the doors entirely....)

The foolishness of those concerned here is not so much "they should not have been using the knife that way" as it is their acceptance and embracing of the economic systems that brought us here....

/rant

[ToolJoe]

Wal-Mart makes some decent cheapo knives..