In Praise of The Jacknife (Giveaway!)
Posted by Chris Dangerfield on
(Scroll to the bottom to go straight to the discount codes!)
I'm not a hypnotist, nor am I a neuro-linguistic programmer, yet I know a couple of words that will cause many men of the pre-internet age to shudder excitedly and become childishly attentive, a couple of words that will almost drown them in nostalgia. The two words are: 'Flick' and 'Comb', or, put together in all their glory... 'Flick Comb'.
The amazing and original Flick Comb, simply delightful.
Until you were old enough to visit France and buy a proper flick knife, (which seemed to be the dream of all my classmates), or wait 20 years for the internet to arrive, the Flick Comb was a cool, sort of affordable and potentially convertible, acceptable replacement for an actual, dangerous weapon, the flick-knife (or switchblade); the sort of thing young boys all over the globe are attracted to. In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king, and in my school, void of all weapons, owning a flick comb meant something. People were going to comb their hair, and fast! And hordes of kids would gather round to watch it flick out, and click back in, ad nauseam.
The attraction was obvious, and apart from a missing sharp point and razor edge, the whole unit was very cool. The action was convincing, a satisfying and Wolverine-like 'Snikk!' when you pressed the button and the comb whipped round and out. And an equally satisfying 'click!' as the comb pressed back snugly into the discreet housing. There was something delightfully eccentric about it, as well as the delicious covert and discreet nature of it's entire existence. I mean, let's face it, in the absence of an actual blade, the comb is simply an afterthought to the mechanism and secrecy of the unit.
Modern marketing geniuses 'Supreme' have tapped into this stuff.
And look - let's be honest, although there was constant talk of swapping the comb for a blade, or how in a dark alley you wouldn't know it was a comb, not a knife (until of course you took a swipe and violently combed your mugger's beard) I'd guess that an almost non existent percentage of people who showed an interest in these concealed grooming items intended any violence whatsoever - or combing even! Meaning the attraction was in the unit, the charm of the item was beyond the blade; there's just something exceptionally 'I want one' about such a thing. It appeals to a certain type of person. James Bond types, Gadgeteers, and....well.... lock pickers.
From Houdini's book - perhaps the first Jacknife (for warded locks!) Perhaps the first Flick Comb, for the folically challenged.
So, you can imagine how my heart pumped overtime when as an adult, and a lock picker I saw a Jacknife - a multi-tooled lock picking gizmo. The self-same appeal of the Flick Comb was again ignited in my heart and a few weeks later it arrived. And wow! JUST WOW. All that excitement and allure I experienced as a child was awakened, and yet, instead of a comb (although minus a 'flick') it contained lock picks - this thing was actually useful. Pure lock picker's heaven.
The Jacknife is a pleasure to own. They feel good in the hand and contain a very good range of picks - and a wrench - of course. They are just the right weight, to feel satisfying in the hand, and the picks are well made - across our range. The treat of being prepared to pick, whatever your situation is great - and each has a hole for a key-ring, so you can have your Jacknife on your keys.
SouthOrd win the prize for 'First commercially available Jacknife' and there slick little unit is perhaps still the most well known of the available Jacknifes today. They set the bar high, it's a quality build and the picks are great. A Jacknife needs a variety of picks, and a tension tool, all tucked away and compact in the unit. And the manufacture needs to be good, the design, slick. The SouthOrd Jacknife ticks all these boxes.
Soon the Chinese got involved, and after a selection of tools that weren't worth the postage, H&H launched their Jacknife, which looks much like the SouthOrd version, but with a shiny, rather than matt finish. A great bit of kit.
They both have pros and cons, the H&H is incredibly well priced, and suits the budget of even the most casual lock picker. You're going to pay a bit more for the SouthOrd one, but wow is the machining and finishing good - and well beyond the H&H - although the actual picking ends are much the same for both picks.
A few handmade Jacknives have been released that are overworked, over-detailed, overpriced and with caveats on the product page like "I understand that I will wait up to 5 weeks for my product to be shipped" over indulging in themselves. As far as I can see they offer nothing new, better, or even interesting, just loads of waiting time, and money.
Multipick added their offering and - as is typical from Multipick - it's perfect. Sure you pay a bit more, but Multipick are the Gods of high-end lock picks and if exquisite and precision German manufacturing and slick, beautiful design are your thing, wow do they tick all the boxes! An exquisite item that is a pleasure to own and use.
So there you go - a little look at some of the best Jacknifes on the market. And to celebrate these MUST HAVE items, that ensure you're prepared to pick wherever you are - we've got a Discount code! You can get a WHOPPING 15% off - ANY of our Jacknifes!!
Use code - jack15 - at checkout to SAVE 15% off any of our wonderful jacknives. (while stocks last!)
* One use per customer
LINKS:
Multipick Jacknife (+10 picks)
Happy Picking!
Chris Dangerfield