Best lock on folder in dirty/wet conditions?

J

James Y

Joined
Feb 18, 1999
Messages
6,504
I'm just curious as to anyone's experience in wet/dirty conditions with a folding knife, what is the easiest to clean/keep clean and maintain?

My thought is that it's probably the linerlock, or the frame/monolock, due to lack of small springs, visibility/simplicity of lock, usually it's an open-back, etc. And probably a titanium locking liner if in very corrosive conditions where one may not be able to completely clean the knife.

My current fave lock is the Axis, but my question here is, again, reliability/ease of maintenance in less then optimal conditions.

Any opinions on this?
Thanks in advance.
Jim
 
I would say that the frame lock like the one that Sebenza and BM Pinnacle have is the easiest to maintain/clean.

HM
 
The various frame locks (Sebenza, Pinnacle, CRKT S-2) are the simplest locks and would be the easiest to clean (although my Sebenza has yet to leave it's safe home in the gunsafe).
In actual use I have found liner locks such as the Spyderco Military and BM CQ7 (which has an open back handle) to be very reliable when dirty.
I have had numerous failure to lock with lock backs such as the Spyderco Endura or Delica when the get dirty, even pocket lint will prevent the lock on my delica freom engaging.
Be safe,
Chad

------------------
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell
"Those who hold the thin blue line keep order, and insure that anarchy and chaos will not prevail."
 
From my experience, I've come to rely on my Sebenza to stay locked when I need it to. I've had a couple of other folders feel like they were unlocking in use, or the design found myself realizing that my thumb was pressing on the lock under certain manipulations.

The Apogee and Pinnacle should work just as well, probably followed by positive lock designs like the Axis lock.

------------------
Don LeHue

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
 
The liner lock seems to be fairly resilient to dirt and mud. There was a test a while back that compared an AFCK to either and Axis Lock or Rolling Lock (or both?). The test involved, among other things, taping the knives to the end of a bat and striking them spine-first against a tree... Anyway, the author/tester commented that the AFCK was the only knife that locked reliably when packed with mud.

I was very pleased with my Outdoor Edge Impulse and how it held up when I built a fence in my back yard. It was routinely clogged with Georgia clay and/or wet cement and never failed to lock. It was utterly reliable for everything I did with it. See my mini-review in the Outdoor Edge forum for more details. However, I wouldn't suggest repeated long term exposure of any folder locking mechanism to the abrasive qualities of wet cement.

As always, if you're going to be betting the farm on a folder in extremely wet/muddy conditions test the h*ll out of it first.

Jon

[This message has been edited by Ghecko (edited 08-22-2000).]
 
Fixed blade,full tang
biggrin.gif
 
If you have no legality problem, a balisong / butterfly knife seems quite recommendable to me. Every niche of the knife is visible like other modern open backed foders. And you will have an extra advantage by its simple and unique locking system that doesn't use any adhesion or pressure by spring to lock the blade. While you grip the handle(s), it won't fail. There are however exceptions in cheaper class.

------------------
Did you enjoy today?
\(^o^)/ Mizutani Satoshi \(^o^)/
 
Full Tang - Fixed Blade.

(Did't want to copy exactly, but a fact's a fact.)

As to the actual LOCK of a folder, probrably the Integral Lock ala Sebenza or it's copies. But, besides the lock, there is the issue of the hinge and its bushings, tolerances, etc.

Long and short, Fixed Blade - Full Tang, I mean Full Tang, ... well, you know what I mean.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top