Anyone ever broken a lockback?

R

RH

Joined
Jan 31, 1999
Messages
2,094
Not in the course of a "test" that isn't over until the knife is in pieces, but within normal usage.

I'm not talking about POS, I mean brand name lockbacks from:
Spyderco
Cold Steel
Benchmade
Gerber
Buck
SOG
Schrade
Camillus
...etc.

If you have, I want to hear about it. If not...then why are we all putzing around with "spine whacks" & such on inherently unreliable liner locks, or spending money on the new gee-whiz locks, when a good old fashioned lockback will work just fine?

I greatly favor lockbacks becuse they -
stay closed when they are closed
stay open when open
neither open or close freely without some effort by the operator.

To me that speaks of safety. Stays open, stays closed.

Too bad most makers save the lockbacks for the "boring" end of their product line, while the new designs all get liners or the new whizbang lock$.
 
regular lockbacks are certainly not distasteful by any means, but innovation is fun. for example, the axis lock is a unique idea, and has a safety feature that lockbacks don't have: you needn't put your fingers anywhere near the path of the blade when operating the lock. just buy what you like, man, and others will do the same. if nobody buys the lockbacks, there are more left for you. :D
peace.
aleX.
 
I broke the lock on a Spyderco Goddard lightweight, but am not sure how. It was used hard for a couple of years, but only for cutting, so....? Got flicked open alot, too. I could close it against my leg without disengaging the lock. Thought the lock was just worn out. Sent it back to Spyderco. They said it was broken, and that they thought it was a manufacturing defect. Goddard was discontinued, so they sent me a knife of my choice of equal value-which was very nice, and unexpected.
btw, I trust a liner lock to keep it open more than I trust a lockback. Undecided on which I think is "better".
 
I like lock-backs, but, then, I like nearly all the locks on the higher end knives. I do prefer the mid-handle location of the lock, which, with some practice, enables one to close the knife with one hand. My Civilian is probably my most cherished "tactical". I don't fight with knives and don't do "spine whacks", but do use my knives daily for utility. And can't really complain about any lock's reliability. Hell, I use traditionals regularly and still have all my fingers.
 
I have had three lock back knives fail, two were Buck’s and the third was a Schrade, I believe. Broken spring, lockbar and pivot pin, so there was no real pattern. Only one, the broken pivot pin, was under any real stress when the lock failed. I’ll admit that one was my doing ;)
 
Over the years, I've broken four during hard use.

1 Buck
1 Cold Steel
1 Spyderco
1 Al Mar

While I know that the Lockback is supposed to be a lot more secure and strong than a liner lock, I've NEVER had a linerlock give way or break on me.
Hmmm.
What can this mean?
 
I break knives when I abuse them.

I have broken a Buck 110 when I split shingles using the blade and a hammer and one when I used it as a pry bar.

I broke a Gerber Folding Sportsman 2 when it fell 200 ft onto the rocks while doing a vertical rescue evolution.

I have broken a Gerber Guardian while trying to practice throwing.:(

I'm not counting all the times when I broke tips trying to use the knife as a screwdriver!

The only knives I broken while _using_ them as a "knife" were Taiwan POS'.

191ahc
 
My Cold Steel liner locking blade was a great little knife, till the handle fell apart in the barn. Never found all the parts. The blade and lock never failed, but won't buy another knife with a handle held
together with screws.

John
 
The lock on my old Buck 110 failed on me. It didn't break, but simply gave way during a thrusting movement while I was cutting up a chunk of (raw) beef. The blade closed on my fingers and cut me. I retired that one right away, and didn't buy another 110 for almost 20 years. I think they're making them better now, though. I bought a finger grooved 110 a couple weeks ago that seems pretty solid. We'll see how it goes.
 
Rocker-bar locks work just fine, but they're as vulnerable to the dreaded "spine whack test" as any other knife. Back when the Gerber EZ-Out was more popular, it was widely reported that most of these failed that test.
 
Yes, on a Beretta Airweight. It just got so I could make the lock fail by pushing on the blade with my thumb. I am not sure what I did to the knife to make it fail. Truthfully, it probably had a bad lock from the beginning. It was only used for light use though, so I never noticed it. It wasn't until someone on this forum said something about another lockback failing that I tried to make this one fail by doing the "spine-wack".
 
Darn it! I had this really dull POS story, but RH ruled those out. Still, never find myself wordless.

I don't have the familiarity with lockbacks by companies other than Spyderco -- except for my Gerber lightweight whatever -- another brain fart. But, particularly because I like the Native so well, and the Calypso Jr Ltwt, and a couple others, I can't agree that Spyderco has used lockbacks only for the dull end of their line. Don't know anyone who'd call the Chinook dull. Gotta remember too that the lock on the Chinook is rated up there at the top in terms of strength.

I'm also one of those who have had very good luck with liner locks. They don't scare me as much as some folks seemed to be frightened of their failure. But, am getting to the point where I think the frame lock is the best of the bunch. And, there are a lot of interesting knives coming out with those locks.
 
I had a Buck 110 fail back when they first came out. The spring bar broke. The 110 was a hot item back then, and I paid a premium price of $25 for it. I was really upset. With the spring gone, I could just flick my wrist and the blade would snap out. I could then push the lock bar down and lock the knife open. One of the guys working with me saw the way the knife flipped open and paid me $30 for that souped up knife. I bought a new 110 that evening when I got off work, and it lasted through 12 yrs of hard work. It was still going strong when it got stole.
 
yes i broke a lockback - i still have it, an edgemark, would have to look to see what model but looks like a BIG buck 110, in about '82 i was throwing it (yeah i know not the best idea lol but i was young and dumb) and something inside the knife (?) broke and the blade no longer locks (you can look at it and no apparent damage, but wont lock) i still have the thing, i found it in my old toolbox when i moved 6 years ago, and still look at it,etc but not any good for anything anymore, i guess....


sifu
 
I've never broken one myself, but I had a customer break one of mine once. The knife was a little larger than a Buck 110, ground from 1/8's thick 440C. He had shot an elk high up in the mountains, and had left his large pelvis-splitting knife at base camp. He split the pelvis using the lockback by (his words) "beating on the back of the knife with a large rock." He told me up front that the broken lock bar was due to abuse, and that he would pay me whatever it costs if I could fix the knife for him.

I fixed his knife, and when he reached for his wallet to pay me at a show a few weeks later I told him that in lieu of a fee I wanted him to go home and write 10 times, "I won't hit my knife with a rock."

The surprised look on his face was priceless.

John Ownby


John C. Ownby Handmade Knives
 
The only lockback I've 'ruined' so far has been a very old, cheap one made in Taiwan...this is very pre-Columbia River, and it has no manufacturer name. It has a brass(?) handle with a cougar relief on it, shaped a bit like a 110 knockoff. With the blade open, I can simply push lightly and it will close like a slipjoint. The well of the lock was poorly made, and is very shallow and rounded.

In fact, I would bet a lot of ruining of lockbacks may have to do with the way some people close them. Some people seem to just barely press the latch when unlocking the blade, just enough to close it...it would seem that over time this could cause the face of the lock where the lever fits in to round off, thus making it possible to close with simple hand pressure on the back of the blade.

When unlocking a lockback, now I always make sure I'm pressing the locking lever with enough pressure to make sure it completely clears the locking well.
Jim
 
I've lost count of how many lockbacks have failed on me -- mostly fairly low-buck knives, but even the good ones fail with enough pressure. After a lockback has failed once it will usually never really lock up again; the mating surfaces are damaged. On the other hand a lockback will always have some resistance to closing unless the spring breaks; even with damage it'll still be better than a slipjoint. Liner locks are often much worse than slipjoints.
 
i hear ol al gore has not only broken several lockbacks but he invented the design prior to inventing the internet....feverdoc
 
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