Are you still buying liner locks?

I think the price is why they're still making them. There's no separate lockbar or spring to be fitted, so it's less parts and labor.
 
RH said:
My question is - why are they still making them? I keep hoping the fad wears out. My using knives are all lockbacks. The only liners I own (and carry on occasion) are 2 Delta Z gent's folders with wood scales. They are classy and show off a feature not found on lockbacks - an open spine with spacers connecting the handles.
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I think that says it as well as anything, the spine is open which makes for easy cleaning-a very good thing for in-pocket EDC, difficult to disengage accidentally, and they don't offer the resistance of a lockback which makes for quick openings.

Personally, I can't imagine why companies keep making lockbacks given all the new lock mechanisms out there. I guess that's what people are comfortable with, and it does offer an advantage for LEO and others who must operate with a gloved hand.

Why hasn't everyone switched to a frame lock or some fancier lock I don't know. I guess it's a testament to the endurance of the liner lock and lockback that the production and even the custom makers still choose to use them.

Bottom line: every system has its good and bad points, and we're fortunate enough that a community exists where we can choose among a variety of knife designs.
 
imho ya are severely limiting your options if ya dont consider liner locks, a LOT of the better designs are liner lock (ie strider/emerson/lots of spyderco/lots of BM/al mar SERE/etc etc etc) and as i have said before, a well executed well made well designed liner lock by a reputable manufacturer is as good as it gets imho, certainly good enough by about any standard.

are they better than the rolling lock by REKAT?? yes, imho, much better

better than axis locks? no they are not.

better than frame locks? nope.

but if made well, they are certainly good enough.

yes, i will buy liner locks.

greg
 
Not really. My last knife purchase was a Buck 110 with a S30V blade. The one before that was a fixed blade.
One of my edc's is a Kershaw 1416, though.
 
Liner locks are okay by me. I live in the city, so typically don't need to cut down trees or skin polar bears. My Buck Ecco 3 has been the equal of every blister pack we've encountered so far.
 
I have several liner locks and don't hesitate to carry them when the need or task favors that blade. I have more than enough knives to easily last my and my children’s life time, so I'm not buying as many knives now, but I would absolutely buy a liner lock if it struck my fancy.


Steve
 
My experience is the highest quality folders made come with frame locks. However, I own and regularly use linerlocks and find them to be no more or less reliable than any other type of lock.
 
So DeadManWalking, you throw out some very definitive claims in your post. Many posting after would disagree with you. Any data to substantiate your claims of lock strength, or lack of?
 
bruce said:
So DeadManWalking, you throw out some very definitive claims in your post. Many posting after would disagree with you. Any data to substantiate your claims of lock strength, or lack of?
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Sal Glesser and Spyderco cover that nicely, just check the ratings they put on their own locks and knives.
 
I carry a liner lock nearly every day and I would have no problem buying another one. I have no worries about a lock on a Carson, Obenauf or Herman knife failing.
 
There is quite some data out there on lock strength that pretty much supports what Deadman claimed, but aside from that just considering how the forces are applied in a liner lock it is quite clear that it can not be the strongest lock type. While for example in the compression lock the anvil pin will bear the major load, that load has to be carried by the locking pin in a liner lock. Same holds for the frame lock, though the locking pin is usually made of thicker material. In a lock back the forces are applied along the lock bar. If the blade doesn't slip over the lock bar, it is extremely hard to defeat.

But aside from these purely mechanical considerations, I think it is more important to ask: "How good is good enough?" The Military for example has a well made liner lock and is one of the most popular models in the Spyderco line up. No it isn't MBC rated, but none of the many, many Military fans seem to have any doubts about the strength of the lock. And really, if you look at the numbers. You would have to apply well over 400 pounds one inch from the pivot to overcome the lock. I am no weight lifter but I am not exactly weak either. Applying 400 pound on a hand sized handle is not an easy thing. As to the wear. Liner locks are self compensating, and if you don't flip the knife constantly you shouldn't cause major compression of the lock bar and it shouldn't wear beyond anything the lock can compensate for.

Personally, if a knife I like has a liner lock I would buy it. But if I see a knife with a creative and good new locking mechnism, it definitely gets brownie points.
 
Danbo said:
Well, since I don't go around spine wacking, liner locks are more than adequate for my needs.
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Agreed. Never had a liner lock fail on me even under hard use and abuse but I stay away from low end knives, BM, Spyderco nah never a problem.
 
I have never had even a slight problem with a liner lock. (High quality stuff, not chinese junk)

So, yes, I'm still buying them, even though I prefer the Axis lock, or a frame lock.
 
So there you have it, the collectors still buy linerlocks, the custom makers still make linerlocks, I've never heard anyone say not to buy one in any of the magazines.

The choice once again is up to you. Put your hands on the knife and decide for yourself if a linerlock is good enough. Incidentally I just bought a mini AFCK II off of ebay, I was thinking about dropping some cashflow and getting a custom frame lock conversion done but I'm rethinking that after handling the linerlock on it in person. Maybe money better spent elsewhere.
 
Some of the greatest knives made, by some of the greatest makers, were/are built with liner locks. They know what they're doing.
 
I cannot see any reason to ever buy another liner-lock knife.
There are so many folders with better locking systems that there is no need to risk your fingers.

Allen.
 
I just opened the UPS delivered box a few minutes ago and inside was my new William Henry 12P w/MOP that I ordered last week.

What a beautiful gents knife, linerlock and all.

I can't imagine eliminating this type of knife as a viable choice for a pocketknife.

As Dirty Harry said, "every man's got to know his knife's limitations".

Or something like that. :)
 
Only an exceptional few.

I have had three different liner lock folders by top-notch custom makers fail on me, under the most un-extreme circumstances. Not that they couldn't be adjusted or re-worked, but there are many other lock choices that are more durable than the liner lock. With few exceptions, I consider the liner lock to be relatively "fragile" compared to others I have used.

With the introduction of the button locks from William Henry, I don't even keep any liner-locks of theirs, and they do make a good quality liner lock.
 
AllenC, I'm not knocking your choice of locking mechanisms, but you still risk damaging your fingers with other locks too. There are many reliable locks of all kinds out there, but the best is still a fixed blade. A fixed blade doesn't close on your fingers unless its' broken.
 
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