almar sere miserably fails spine wack

Guess I'm one of the lucky ones, but it is distressing to hear of the several that have failed this test.

Blues

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Live Free or Die

Blues' Knife Pix
 
Just got my Al Mar SERE 2000 knife today. I tried the whack test while holding the knife in my right hand. I hit it with the palm of my left hand and it closed on the back of my hand. It put a 2 inch gash there. I am a dentist so I had suture material at home I put in 2 sutures left handed with no anesthetic. I tried to save a trip to the emergency room. Be careful. If anyone else gets whacked perhaps we should get a lawyer to go after the Al Mar co. Any lawyers out there interested.
 
Brother Mathis,
Perhaps you did not know that Al Mar was a real person, not just a company name. Al died quite a few years ago. I knew Al, he was not a geek. Please consider how his widow and his children might feel if they heard harsh words about their departed loved one.

I recently conducted a test for Sporting Knives of many of current generation of folders. The SERE was rated second in cutting ability. In spite of considerable hard use, including battoning through over 25 saplings between 1 inch and three inches in diameter, the lock did not fail. The liner did bend but it did not fail.

The failure you describe may have been due to poor quality control. If so it should be immeditaly brought to the attention of the manufacturer.

Someone who is about to admonish another should realize within five qualities before doing so. That he may be able to say:
In due season will I speak, not out of season. In truth will I speak, not in falsehood. Gently will I speak, not harshly. To his peofit will I speak, not to his loss. With kindly intent will I speak, not in anger.

These words are over a thousand years old. They work for me. Perhaps you will also find some meaning in them.

Peace, Morgan
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by konrado:
I tried the whack test while holding the knife in my right hand. I hit it with the palm of my left hand and it closed on the back of my hand. It put a 2 inch gash there. I am a dentist so I had suture material at home I put in 2 sutures left handed with no anesthetic. </font>
Click to expand...

Ouch! Yikes. Folks, if you are going to spine whack, keep your hand/fingers out of the way for your own sake. Grip the scales firmly with our thumb and that thick meaty base-of-thumb on one side, fingers on other, with all flesh out of the path of a potentially closing blade. Holding the knife with the blade facing the ceiling, and gripping firmly, whack the spine on say a desk (w/ rubber mouse pad) and anticipate that the blade might actually fold back into the handle.

I don't mean to be an overly cautious butt head, but if yer gonna spine whack, take some precautions. Maybe a glove if you don't know for sure how to approach this.

I repeat....there is smoke around the Al Mar liner lock... and where there's smoke, there is often a real issue brewing. My SERE no longer graces my collection. All my other folders pass the test. I like my right hand fingers the way they are.
 
Jeeez Konrado you attempt a spine whack with
your hand in the blades path and you want to get lawyers to go after Al Mar????

What more can I say.
Tim Herman -if you are around could yo please issue this guy one of your "awards"?

 
konrado,
I don't know about lawyers but it seems to me you may have earned an honorable mention for the Darwin awards. To win, you have to kill yourself.
smile.gif


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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I don't normally perform the spine whack test as I don't find it to be of very much merit for real world applications, but for the sake of arguement, I subjected my brand new Sere 2000 to this test anyway.

I dawned a double layered, military repelling, leather gloves and held the handle of the knife very firmly between my thumb and forefinger. Then I whacked the back (spine) of the blade a total of ten times on my porch railing.

NO FAILURES to report!!!
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Now I know that I didn't attach the knife to a broom handle for extra leverage, but, I did whack the hell out of this knife with all of the force that I dare.

So take that for what it's worth.

Now, on the subject of the sharp thumbstud...

I'm going to have to agree that this knife comes with a fairly sharp stud. I would even go so far as to say that if you had let's say ......fair, womenish, non-working hands, then you will probably end up bleeding on your first attempt at opening this folder.
I fixed this situation on my knife using a jeweler's file to remove the sharp edge. It's perfect now.

The Sere 2000 appears, IMHO, to be a over-built workhorse of a knife that is worth the price. It certainly blows much of the competition out of the water.

So if you are still seeing smoke.......it's probably just from me putting out the fire!!!
wink.gif


--The Raptor--

 
Raptor,

Don't get comfortable with your liner lock just because it passed once. Later, when it has worn a little, gets a little dirty, sooner or later, it will fail. Expect it.
 
Me???......Comfortable???......Never!!!!!
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Steve,
Were you refering to the Sere 2000 specifically, or all liner locks??
I'm sure that all linerlocks will, if used enough, eventually loosen up providing us with concern as to their reliability.
Thanks for the reminder. We should all keep that in mind.

--The Raptor--
 
Just posted this on the other post. Tried both of my SERE's using the whack test and had ZERO failures. Don't know what else to say. Most appear to be passing while a few fail. Agree that with lockup comes the sound of "thunk". I know that sound alone does not tell the tale, but the liners' on mine both have a little "stick" when locked up and require more effort than most to push over in order to unlock. I still think this is quite a knife, and a best buy for the price.

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Art Sigmon
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Php. 4:13

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"
Heb. 4:12
 
All liner locks in my humble, individual opinion.

Most seem to lock up OK, but a few release at the drop of a hat, this is typical of all liner locks. The differences between the ones that seem to be holding, and the ones that barely hold are likely miniscule, and a week's worth of use can move a knife from one category to the other, whether it is from wear, or an accumulation of pocket lint, or a drying of the lubricant.

 
i really hope konrado was joking. you would have to be real stupid to try that. Also, what is the deal with people going out and abusing their knives?? I highly doubt that more than a handful here would ever have to put that much pressure on their knives EVER. They are a cutting tool. not a hammer, or wrench, pry bar, or particle accelarator. i think too many nimnuts out there are expecting way too much when they buy a knife. If you keep it sharp it will slice things. there you go. crap, when i get a knife i dont start beating it up to check and see if it will hold up my weight just in case i am ever rock climbing and i need something to drive into solid rock and hang there for a while.
sheeesh. get real. and even though it has been said already, Al Mar was one of the masters. There is not much anyone alive can say about his designs other than that they were innovative and its not his fault other people can mess up his ideas now that he is no longer around.
 
Different people require different things from their tools. As Jim Keating is fond of saying, don't judge the whole world by your own shi++y standards.

The Benchmade Axis locks, the REKAT Rolling lock, some auto button locks, most integral side locks already provide a level of SAFETY, security, and reliability that far surpasses the liner lock. The real problem is that so many liner lock folding knives are designed and marketed as "tactical". The ability to withstand hard use is implied, but unfortunately, the liner lock, in the Titanium and G-10 format as it is most often found, is dismally inferior to the available alternatives.

Fine for art knives, and gentlemen's pocket knives though of course.




[This message has been edited by Steve Harvey (edited 03-15-2001).]
 
I bought rdangerer's knife, thinking it was NIB. When I began reading, I found that he had reported on numerous threads and posts that his S2K had "miserably" failed the spine whack test and that he had sold it. I guess his fingers are more important than mine.

Anyway...after I received the knife and read up on it, I tried the spine whack test, and it did fail - repeatedly, and with only a slight tap. I vowed that I would either send the knife back or fix it myself BEFORE I used it or sold/traded it. I took it apart (simple chore) and sprung the liner lock a little more away from the handle side. I also took a file and very gently removed a very small amount of metal. I was careful to keep all angles the same as factory. I reassembled, and tried the spine whack test again. NO FAILURES of any kind.

My lesson here is to read up on a knife thoroughly before buying or trading. I would also recommend that you question the seller as to whether or not the knife is actually NIB as advertised or if it has been carried/used and whether or not there are any QC issues with it.

Bottom line. If your S2K fails the spine whack, and it bothers you; send it back or fix it yourself. It's not a difficult fix. Now I can whack all day (the knife) and not worry about my fingers.
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