iansoady said:

I've always pressed the button when applying the handbrake on any car I've driven for 50 years or so*. I can't see the point of wearing the ratchet teeth unnecessarily (quite apart from the horrible noise!)

*Except a Spridget with a fly-off handbrake - remember them?

Click to expand...

Spridget? Will need to search "fly-off handbrake"! Recall as a youngster my dad's old Simca (it was old back then) - it had a little mushroom button on the floor - that was the handbrake and clearly it wasn't always obvious if it was on or not! Also drove cars with column manual and auto shift when I first got my licence - that was fun!

Thing was, I was always taught to depress the traditional handbrake button at all times! Pretty sure the pawl or ratchet don't get damaged if you don't depress the handbrake button when putting it on - will listen for the third click today!

Intestinalworm said:

Spridget? Will need to search "fly-off handbrake"! Recall as a youngster my dad's old Simca (it was old back then) - it had a little mushroom button on the floor - that was the handbrake and clearly it wasn't always obvious if it was on or not! Also drove cars with column manual and auto shift when I first got my licence - that was fun!

Thing was, I was always taught to depress the traditional handbrake button at all times! Pretty sure the pawl or ratchet don't get damaged if you don't depress the handbrake button when putting it on - will listen for the third click today!

Click to expand...

The "knock-off or fly-off" handbrake lever had a sort of reversed pawl arrangement. To apply it you pulled the lever up as normal but then you had to press the button to lock the lever in place on the pawl. To release it you just pulled the lever up a little bit and the button on the top popped out again and you just let go of the lever releasing the brake. It sounds like a pretty hairy arrangement, but in those days brakes were pretty hairy too.
I nearly had a fly off handbrake on my old Midget, but then after closer inspection I found that the mounting plate on the transmission tunnel for the lever had almost torn to pieces (sh1t-ite metal was used) and if I had pulled it any harder it was about to fly off and leave the vehicle completely!