Are all Liner Locks created equal?

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guitarted

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Hi guys.
I am talking about Liner Locks on custom folders.

I read lots of negative stuff about this type of lock and have always avoided them I mostly get lockbacks , frame locks and axis locks . The thing is, every now and then I see a custom folder that has everything I like about a folder except for the lock.

Are Liner Locks on customs by top makers different than those on production folders? or are these locks inherently weak and should be avoided?
 
I don't own any custom liner locks, but I know that I've see production liners that are very well-made. Given that, I'd imagine that the liner lock for any given knife is going to be as good as the individual maker's skills and workmanship permit.

I've read that the liner lock is more inherently prone to failure under severe torquing forces; I've yet to accomplish this, myself. Of course, I endeavor to avoid prying and twisting with my knives, particularly folding knives. In an emergency scenario, I imagine that a well-made liner would be able to do the job just fine, within reasonable boundaries (I can't imagine successfully chopping down a 24" diameter tree with a 3.5" folding knife blade :p )
 
I would put more stock in the quality of the work from the maker than the type of lock they may employ. It's hard to present an "all things being equal" scenario between custom and production knives, so I'll just say this: if you prefer not to use/own linerlocks, that's fine, but I think you wouldn't be giving a lot of high quality knives a fair crack of the whip to prove their worth.
 
It seems that every Christmas, for the past twenty six years, my bro-in-law gives me a knife. He might've skipped a year or three. They're all low-end to no-end, though some of the low-end ones aren't bad. The liner-locks on these knives are TERRIBLE.....unsafe.... and it pains me to use them. So I don;t.

On the other hand, my experience with well-made liner locks extends to Benchmade and Gerber. I don;t like the Gerber knives, but the liner locks I've handled were fair to excellent. The BM liner locks are par excellence.

A folding knife is not a fixed blade. It's not for full-force stabbing into chunks of ironwood or cement sidewalks. It sometimes pains me to hear folks say their liner locks failed when they hold the handle on theie knee and strike several hard blows with the palm of their other hand on the spine....until the lock fails. Now, I can;t say I haven;t done this once or twice, but I've never had the lock fail. BUT if it did fail, I wouldn;t be surprised....
...... Just like I wouldn;t be surprised if one of my fixed blades wouldn;t fold up nice and smooth.
 
No way are all liner locks created equal. I agree with StretchNM that Gerber and BM are great. CRKT has absolutely never let me down and I've handled a lot of them. I've heard some bad stories but I've never experienced it myself. Spyderco makes a good liner lock as well. Now, the absolute best experience I've ever had with liner locks absolutely would be Kershaw. They are strong, well-made, wear great, and I've never had one with play. Kershaw hands down makes the best production liner lock IMO.
 
FWIW, I also don't favor them as much as other locks, but of the production models that I'd be confident in are -

1. The Al Mar SERE 2000 - This is the only one I've never held. If you do a SEARCH however in the forums or on the Net, knowledgable and experienced knife knuts will tell you this is one of the best. Here's a review and a pic of how thick the liner is -

http://www.kingsley-hughes.com/outdoors/kit/kn.php

2. Buck-Strider 880 - One tank of a knife. Some pics.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=465700

3. Black Hawk Blades "Crucible" folder - it took two hands to close the first time I held it. Top of my wish list.
 
guitarted said:
Hi guys.
I am talking about Liner Locks on custom folders.

I read lots of negative stuff about this type of lock and have always avoided them I mostly get lockbacks , frame locks and axis locks . The thing is, every now and then I see a custom folder that has everything I like about a folder except for the lock.

Are Liner Locks on customs by top makers different than those on production folders? or are these locks inherently weak and should be avoided?
Click to expand...

All liner locks on custom folders are NOT created equal, and while they are not inherently "weak", my opinon is that the liner design has more inherent failure opportunities than other kinds of lock designs.

My personal experience suggests that liner locks can be durable, but are more prone to needing adjustment and TLC more than other lock designs. I have had three liner-lock designs by top "custom" makers fail as they had improper adjustment. I have had two of those three still work below my expectations after tweaking and readjusting.

On the other hand, I have had several superior liner lock models, specifically those made by Kit Carson and Phil Boguszewski that are as good as it gets.

On the production side, check out the Spyderco Military, arguable the most sophisticated of the liner lock designs. It has been in production for a long time (relatively speaking).

I personally no longer carry or own any conventional liner lock folders. There are too many alternatives that I prefer.
 
The only liner lock that I've had that disengaged fully and closed on my fingers was a custom. Since then I've been a little gunshy on them although I'm carrying a Kershaw JYD2 today. It's lockup is light years beyond the custom I had though.:thumbup: When the custom disengaged on me I was testing the lock by holding the handle upside down so I could see the lockup and wiggling the blade up and down. Everytime I wiggled it the lockbar would move over a little more on the tang until it completely slipped off of it.:( All this happened within a couple of minutes of me recieving it from a trade so half of the bloody rags you see in pic two are the packing materials I recieved it in. I sent it to the maker to fix but when I got it back I never used it again.:(

Results:

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ps. Only us knifeknuts look for our cameras when we cut ourselves before we look for bandages.:) My dad went to the bone on the flabby part of his palm (8 Stitches worth) with a Delica while cutting stupidly and when I asked him if he could take some pics for me to make fun of him on the web he looked at me l was an idiot.:D (Who should know better than your dad if you're an idiot or not right?:) )
 
Liner locks can generally be OK, but there are some production and customs that get through with less than optimal lockup. It seems to be a case by case basis - so the best thing to do is double check who has the best reputation on a model by model basis, then handle one - or a dozen - to choose the best knife.

You may still get a loser, but it will educate you why the format requires close adherance to the many complicated factors that go into the type. And you'll also wonder why you trust any folder that much - they can all fail.
 
guitarted said:
Hi guys.
I am talking about Liner Locks on custom folders.

I read lots of negative stuff about this type of lock and have always avoided them I mostly get lockbacks , frame locks and axis locks . The thing is, every now and then I see a custom folder that has everything I like about a folder except for the lock.

Are Liner Locks on customs by top makers different than those on production folders? or are these locks inherently weak and should be avoided?
Click to expand...

The most precise liner locks I have seen are those done by Bob Dozier. Do a search on Dozier folders and you will find nothing but happy people.

If you are going to carry a liner lock this is the safest way to go.
 
Liner locks are def not created equal, I have seen some horrible ones and I have seen some very good ones. Thickness, Material, Alighnment etc make a big difference from knife to knife. My customs liner locks have all been very good, and most of my upper end productions as well(kershaw, benchmade, spyderco, WH). Some people dont like them at all but I have never had one fail me.
 
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