Mini-review. Meyerco Bolt Action Half Serrated Edge Utility/Clip. I received mine the other day from Smoky Mountain for $15.99. According to SMKW the list is$59.99, I have seen it before for an asking price of around $39. I got more than one, to either give away or sell, or accumulate. I picked two at random, to keep. One has a medium strength clip the other one is tighter. (I checked another, it had a weaker clip, but could probably be adjusted.)
The clip is designed for deep pocket carry, which I have decided that I definitely prefer. The clip fold is almost at the end of the knife, with screws to each side to allow this high fold over. This differs from the SERE 2000 deep pocket clip which is actually screwed into the end of the knife.
Fairly substantial Zytel type handle, what SMKW calls black polymer. Weighs 2.9 oz. (For comparison the SERE 2000 or S2Kweighs about 6.1 oz, although as I recall, with the manufacturer stating the nominal weight as 6 ounces. They may have better scales and the digital postal scale would have to give the next increment up, even if the weight was an infinitesimal amount over the ounce. The Boye folder weighs about 2 ounces.)
I am using the one with the medium strength clip as it opens easier. The amount of blade play up and down seemed about the same, slight, and neither had any side to side motion, so I chose the easier to open of the two. A straight forward flick while holding the lock button open to reduce tension easily opens the blade, and then let go of the button. This is somewhat different then some I have, that require or work best with a downward wrist snap and turn to flick the knife open. That method does not work very well with this knife. The amount of force required, with exercise of moderate care, does not seem excessive, although using the ambidextrous thumb studs, most of the time, is probably the better part of discretion, especially around other individuals.
It came sharp out of the box. I assume the steel being 440 stainless is probably only 440A, not B or C, so I do not know how long the edge will hold up. I have only shaved some hair, opened a package, envelope, and a few other small cutting jobs. Fit and finish seem good, with the variances noted above. The blade is flat ground, which I consider a plus. I bought the combi-edge as I figured it might be preferable on a blade of modest steel, for general utility purposes.
The manufacture has an insert which warns against abusing the lock, in that, strong impacts or twisting forces may damage the safety mechanism and may result in the blade folding during use. It also has a limited lifetime warranty to the Original Purchaser. I have no idea how reputable they are in backing up the warranty, or what they consider the original purchaser. In other words do you have to buy it from a dealer, or what if you buy it NIB (new in box), but from someone else. They do ask that proof of purchase be sent in for warranty repair, but how many of us will have that 10 years from now? There is no registration.
Back to the lock. Pinching the knife between thumb and fingers and bringing it down onto a 6 inch high stack of paper and newspaper causes the blade to close slightly. It does not seem to go any further with another modest whack or two. This is not a lot of force, so I am mildly disappointed with the blade movement; on the positive side, it does not seem to go any further.
I do not know if this typical of this type of lock, or whether it depends on how close to tolerances the fit is. I know that a custom maker is using a similar lock as his knife was on the cover of one of the knife magazines a while ago. As I recall, it had a striking orange handle. He had apparently developed it independently and when he found that Gerber had a similar one, was relieved to be informed that they were not going to make an issue of it, considering the number of knives he could make. It is refreshing to see some reason in the world.
Revvie, Does your Gerber knife and bolt action lock react this way? It helps that you do not report any problem.
Does anyone have both a Gerber and a Meyerco Bolt Action knife to compare? I do know someone that I see occasionally, that has one, and if I get the opportunity I will compare them, as much as a brief examination can do. His seems to have held up to some use.
I also recall Gerber having some of this type knife that had interchangeable blades. Does anyone have one of these, and if so, how do they work?
Bottom line, a nice serviceable knife, especially at the price. The sharp, flat ground blade, easy to use lock, and deep pocket clip are positive features.