When did folders first become prevalent?

Newbie question I guess but when did slipjoints become less prevalent and folders more so (apparently).

I know that there are still plenty of slipjoints made (and sold) but when I was a kid I don't remember there being the style of knife that is now generally referred to as folders.

It seems like much of the interest now is in the folder category.

Did improved materials contribute to this or is it mostly just a current fashion or trend?

Thanks.

By folders,i take u to mean Locking Folders? Based on that, the answer is when Al Buck developed the Folding Hunter in the early 60's.It wasnt the first locking knife, but became the most popular.It was originally designed for a hunter to use on a two week hunting trip.As the knife became more and more popular by workers in their every day life,the 110 was beefed up to handle the rigors of everyday use.
As a sidebar,the Folding Ranger was designed at the request of Sailors in San Diego because the Navy had a 3 inch max blade length they could carry.

Well the earlist I can find is a Spanish Navaja (clasp knife) with a ratcheting lock made in the 18th century and from there Sheffield in England and a lot of European makes made locking folders of different designs. The first liner lock was made in 1906 by Watson & Chadwick for Cattaraugus knife co they held the patent. The knife was a electrician's knife and had a brass liner that would spring across in front of the blade tang just like Michael Walkers titanium version of today only quite a bit of upgrades have been made. But the Buck lock back did start the hole locking folder craze in the states and when Walker introduced his new improved liner lock in the 80's the Buck lock back to a back door to that and now the frame lock that Chris Reeves makes is considered to be one of the best locks going. I looked up most of this info in a old Levin's Guide to Knives books I had laying around If you do some in depth research on the internet you might found more current info.

Per-Sev,are you using Levines Guide First Edition? If so ,that book is a classic! Still have mine and the second edition also.No better info out there.

guyg said:

Per-Sev,are you using Levines Guide First Edition? If so ,that book is a classic! Still have mine and the second edition also.No better info out there.

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Mine is the 3rd edition I have had it a long time, its got a lot of use.

Part of the reason folders have become more popular recently is a long list of laws (in the 70s IIRC) that made carrying fixed blades considerably harder in many locations.

Spyderco is at least partially (if not fully) responsible for the popularization of what is today's folder -- one handed, pocket clip, locking, which was introduced in the mid 1980's.

carrot said:

Spyderco is at least partially (if not fully) responsible for the popularization of what is today's folder -- one handed, pocket clip, locking, which was introduced in the mid 1980's.

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You are so correct carrot Spyderco started the one handed opening craze and the pocket clip, but I don't know if you remember the one handed bandit that would clamp on the back of you buck knife also or people would grab the blade and flick the knife open using the weight of the handle. Then we can thank Michael Walker not only for the lock mechanizes he has invented but the use of titanium and anodizing. And of course Ron Lake for the high end interframe handle where he inlays almost any material in the handle so perfectly you can inspect it with a 10x loupe and not find a single flaw. And the list goes on and on.

Per-Sev said:

Mine is the 3rd edition I have had it a long time, its got a lot of use.

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Those were all good books that dont really go out of style

Per-Sev said:

You are so correct carrot Spyderco started the one handed opening craze and the pocket clip, but I don't know if you remember the one handed bandit that would clamp on the back of you buck knife also or people would grab the blade and flick the knife open using the weight of the handle. Then we can thank Michael Walker not only for the lock mechanizes he has invented but the use of titanium and anodizing. And of course Ron Lake for the high end interframe handle where he inlays almost any material in the handle so perfectly you can inspect it with a 10x loupe and not find a single flaw. And the list goes on and on.

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I'm too young to "remember" these innovations but I am aware of them.

But I believe it is definitely Spyderco who put all three of these innovations together to make what is now one of the most common folding knife designs on the market.

For me the milestones were the Buck, the Spyderco and finally the Benchmade w/Axis lock.

The Bucks gave me and one handed knife, the Spyderco improved the action and added a clip and the Benchmade finally allowed me easy flip open and close without my fingers ever entering the path of the blade.

Lots of important knives between these three and coming out all the time, but from my perspective, three earthshaking discoveries!

In the US/Canada the Buck 110 started the trend back in the late sixties . Gerber , Al Mar , Spyderco , and Benchmade accelerated the trend .

Chris