All About Pocket Knives

Does anybody on here know if a valor#187-m knife was marketed as a gravity knife in the 1960's?.Cause I have one that has a spring in the handle that runs under the humpback part on the side of the handle.When you hold the handle and depress the humpback button and flick your wrist it releases the blade.If anybody has any info about this please share. MikeK

The purpose of the spring is to produce tension on the lock, with the blade in both the open and closed position. When the knife is closed, the lock produces pressure on the tang of the blade to hold it closed, so pressing the lock/hump in removes that pressure allowing the blade to swing freely. The method of opening you describe is merely a coincidence of the knifes design.

As to whether Valor ever advertised that method of opening as a feature I don't know. But since such a method of opening would make the knife illegal in many states, and might be problematic under the Federal Switchblade Act, I'd be surprised if they did advertise it as a "gravity knife".

Of course several manual stiletto magazine advertisements often used language like "Flips open instantly", etc, but I believe that was more marketing than an accurate description of how the knives were designed to be opened. It's possible Valor may have used such language in their advertisements.

Killgar, thanks for your reply,what you said makes alot of sense.I actually got that knife from my cousin a long time ago and she said it was marketed as a gravity knife in the 1960s. Thanks alot for your explanation though. MikeK

to AAPK, Mike.