They’re pointy, they’re sharp, they may or may not be serrated and they can certainly be fun to play with! That’s right we’re talking about knives in the Tin Soldier issue of Hit Replay! However, we’re not just talking about any kind of knife. This is not your typical butcher’s knife for your beefy needs or your happy crack-that-coconut machete-of-the-exotic! No, we’re talking about switchblades, of the Ponyboy, Sodapop & Darry from The Outsiders type. The type of hot blades that you’ll find in the middle of a Greasers vs. Socials type of gang fight, or perhaps your typical everyday carry for a hardcore biker. These lovely knives have made a comeback and are trending once again!
Switchblades have that magical characteristic of flipping open at the touch of a switch or button (hence “switchblade”). Typically they are spring loaded folding or sliding knives. The blade is housed in its handle and upon the release of the mechanism, flip or slide out and lock in place. The blades themselves are usually made of different alloys depending on required use or strength. The handles themselves vary in material greatly from the classic wooden handle to the more modern glass-filled nylon or anodized aluminum handles.
The earliest switchblades date all the way back to the mid-1700s. The first folding spring-loaded blades were used for bayonets on flintlock pistols and coach guns. These were the type you’d see in old wild-west movies or a la Assassin’s Creed 3 type heists. It was in the 19th century that these knives gained popularity in the market. The American Civil War saw to the mass production of pistols equipped with spring-operated knives. By 1890 these knives stuck with people (both figuratively and literally) and sales continued to rise. It wasn’t until 1892 when a man named George Shrade, developed and patented the switchblade knife design which we would come to know as the modern switchblade. The next century, as many know cemented the place of switchblades in the pockets and hearts of many.
So why are switchblades so special? Well maybe because they’re illegal to carry around, and paraphrasing the Canadian Criminal Code: “a knife that has a blade that opens automatically by gravity or centrifugal force or by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife” and something else along those lines. Anything illegal tends to catch people’s interest, for better or for worse. Another reason tends to be the all so great magic of Hollywood and of course books! How often have we seen some cool, biker gang member sport a road-worn switchblade and have it out right before a brawl? It’s also not hard to notice that switchblades have a certain allure to them, with their durable steel blades, fine handles, and notoriously devious instant flip-open action. They’re just begging to be held in your hand right?
Surely with the return of switchblades to the scene we’ll find ourselves in potentially pointy predicaments! So stay sharp and keep on the look-out for these little beasts! Never know when you’ll find yourself face to face, with one.
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