- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 4,842
A.R. sent me his knife last week, and I got some time to play with it this weekend. Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera yet, so I'm going to use his pics from his ebay ad.
Check out the pics at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1983172435
Go ahead and open that up in another window and scroll to the bottom for the pics.
A brief discussion of the knife. It's nicely done, in S30V and G-10. Hopefully A.R. will correct any mis-measurements, but both the blade and liners are hardened S30V, and all are 1/8". If that sounds like a thick blade with massive hardened S30V liners, you've got the idea. The blade itself is a hollow grind. If you're looking at the middle picture in the link above, what you see that looks like the edge is actually a pretty tall primary bevel, but the knife actually has a small secondary bevel at the very edge. It is a well-above-average sharpening job compared to most custom knives. Finish is pretty good, a little bit of machining marks in a couple of places but overall nicely done. So are the G-10 liners. The knife is heavy for a folder. The lock engages with a solid ka-chunk that makes a framelock seem flimsy.
Since the lock is the star of the show, let's concentrate on that. What I'll try to describe is:
Check out the pics at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1983172435
Go ahead and open that up in another window and scroll to the bottom for the pics.
A brief discussion of the knife. It's nicely done, in S30V and G-10. Hopefully A.R. will correct any mis-measurements, but both the blade and liners are hardened S30V, and all are 1/8". If that sounds like a thick blade with massive hardened S30V liners, you've got the idea. The blade itself is a hollow grind. If you're looking at the middle picture in the link above, what you see that looks like the edge is actually a pretty tall primary bevel, but the knife actually has a small secondary bevel at the very edge. It is a well-above-average sharpening job compared to most custom knives. Finish is pretty good, a little bit of machining marks in a couple of places but overall nicely done. So are the G-10 liners. The knife is heavy for a folder. The lock engages with a solid ka-chunk that makes a framelock seem flimsy.
Since the lock is the star of the show, let's concentrate on that. What I'll try to describe is:
- How the blade is unlocked from the handle
- How the blade goes from closed to open position
- How the knife locks open
- How the blade unlocks and closes
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Okay, looking at the pictures, you can obviously tell that a lever is used. Don't get confused by the thumb stud, it's just a stop pin. Okay, so now look at the bottom picture, and I'll walk you through what's happening. Keep in mind that when the knife is completely closed, the blade is locked closed.
How the blade is unlocked from the handle
Okay, now in that bottom picture, first note the little ball that seems to be jutting out of the rightmost liner. I imagine that little ball is press-fit into the liner. There's a cylinder jutting out of the left scale -- that cylinder is actually attached to the lever, and rubs up against the little ball on the right scale. As you pull the lever, the cylinder (which is cut at an angle) engages more and more of the ball, and that forces the entire pivot area apart. That's what you're looking at in the picture -- the lever has been thrown part way, and the pivot area has split open. The butt-end of the handle remains screwed together. I asked A.R. if the butt-end ever gives and loosens up, he says it hasn't happened; I'd have to keep playing with this knife for a few months (which I plan to do) to see if that will happen.
How the blade goes from closed to open position
Once you throw the lever completely, the pivot area is spread so wide apart that the lock (described below) disengages. At that point, a spring propels the blade out of the handle.
How the knife locks open
Now looking down past the ball and cylinder, you'll see a piece of metal that appears to be growing off the right part of the blade. If you imagine that I take a nickel, cut it in half, and weld that to the pivot area of the blade, that's roughly the idea. I'll call that the "lock disk". There is a pocket milled into the thick hardened scale that matches the shape of the lock disk. When the blade opens all the way, the lock disk falls into the scale cut-out, and the pivot area closes again with a resounding snap.
Now, the first thing I asked myself was, "is the lock disk welded on? If so, can't it come off?" I called A.R., who told me that the lock disk is actually integral to the blade. So he gets an S30V bar that's twice as thick as he needs, and grinds off most of one side, so you end up with a half-thickness (1/8") blade with an integral lock disk hanging off it. In theory, to get the lock to fail, you'd need to shear through the 1/8" hardened S30V lock disk, or the 1/8" hardened S30V liners. Starting to get the picture that this thing is strong?
Note that it isn't a breeze to throw the lever. The liners put a lot of closing pressure to keep the pivot together. In addition, I found that finger positioning is everything with this knife. Everyone (including me) that tried this knife tried to throw the lever in a natural hold, where your 2nd index finger knuckle is supporting the knife -- you don't get enough leverage even at full strength to open the knife. A very tiny matter of hand-repositioning, courtesy of A.R., did the trick. Use the 1st index finger knuckle (the one closest to your nail) to support the pivot. That's all it takes to do a nice smooth pull, though you're still applying enough pressure that you're not going to want to sit on the couch absentmindedly opening and closing it.
How the blade unlocks and closes
To unlock the blade, you have to throw the lever again, which opens the pivot back up, so you can manually close the blade. Note that the blade won't go anywhere -- open or close -- until you throw the lever to split the pivot apart. The harder you grip the knife, the harder it is to get the pivot apart. So holding the knife firmly seems to reinforce the lockup, not compromise it.
Testing the lock
Okay, I took the lock through its paces. Since the lock seemed so strong, I did test it a better harder than usual.
First, full power stabs into a phone book.
Next, spine whacks. Instead of stopping at my usual light-to-medium whippy snaps, I built up to hammer blows with the spine.
Next, torquing in a vice.
Next, lean the knife over a table edge, put hand on blade spine and lean down with as much weight as possible.
Next, simulate a hard stab, then as I'm pulling knife away, try to "accidently" grip the lever and cause a release.
So far, I haven't gotten the lock to break a sweat. When applicable, I did tests both with my hand gripped around the handle (to give the reinforcement it would have in real life) and without.
Summary
What I liked
Overall, this is a nicely-done knife. Everyone I handed this knife to said, "cool!" once I showed them how to open it up. The lock bears more testing, and I'd like someone besides myself to take a crack at it, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was by far the strongest and most reliable lock in my collection. It's a unique piece, no doubt, nicely executed.
YMMV
I personally am not a huge fan of this particular blade shape, and the knife is heavier than I favor for a folder. On the other hand, with robust folders being such a rage these days, the Megaladon should be popular with a lot of people. The opening mechanism is cool but your thumb will eventually pay if you open it over and over again (which is kinda tempting); bear in mind your thumb is the focus of all the leverage needed to overcome the closing force imparted by two thick steel liners that want to stay parallel. And, it is likely that in many (most? all?) jurisdictions, this knife is an automatic.
And keep in mind
I don't think this knife is for everyone. It's heavy and robust, appears to be massively strong, it's an auto in most places, and the opening mechanism requires some force (rather than the silky smooth liner and axis lock mechanisms we're used to). It's done with S30V steel, with unique styling. If this run doesn't sell, there likely won't be any more; if it does sell, well, you've got one from first run. Locking strength and reliability, which is what I was asked to comment on, is so far outstanding.
Joe
Joe
