Contrary to popular belief around here I am not comfortable pitting one company against another if I can help it. The fact that there are many more liner locks in this industry than all other locking type folders is worth mentioning I think. Its been said if the liner lock did not exist the industry would be 2/3rds the size it is now. I would say due to this that we should expect more issues with the liner lock and indeed that is the case. I would say the liner lock is the most controversial lock in the industry for a whole lot of reasons and at the same time the most popular in the industry for a whole lot of reasons. No two makers or manufacturers seem to have the same thoughts on what works and what doesn't, what is correct and best and what is not or even what the liner lock is or is not capable of handling. No two individuals seem to have the same ideas of what its characteristics are under load either. Testing brings out some strange results and if nothing else testing proves that this type of lock is quite simply the most unreliable type lock made in folding knives, particularly in certain uses that load the lock with extremes of pressure and wear.
Not wanting to point fingers or be accused of having some agenda, because I don't, it gets tricky for me these days. I am a political atheist when it comes to being asked these things and will not drink the kook aid or tow the party line just because of majority opinion. I know enough to get in trouble and that can be a bad deal for guys like me. I get a large sampling of knives sent to me for work other than lock repairs so I get to see quite a bit of todays liner locks as well as others both when they need work and when they are working fine and only here for something like a pocket clip or just some new clothes. A surprising number of them defeat with ease that owners are completely unaware are so unreliable until I notice too and yes even some of your favorite ones.
Generally speaking I like and prefer a 7 degree angle for liner locks. Thats flatter in case you are wondering. It seems in my observations that Kershaw, Cold Steel, Buck, and a few others seem to use this angle or very close to it on their liner lock products consistantly. Some of the 12 and 15 degree angles from other companies really scare me. Actually the inconsistancy of some scare me also. I've tested some of these that are flat and sharply angled and the flat ones are more reliable. I've found with the ones above 12 degrees that they defeat far too easy when the contact interface is pitched that sharply. Usually they hold for a bit but after a certain amount of pressure on the spine or tip of the blade the lock just slides off even if its titanium which is known for sticking to dissimilar metals. Needless to say, when this critical pressure point is reached the lock slides off the contact interface and the blade closes cutting anything in its path.
Again though even the good angled ones can defeat. They all need tested to be sure they are where they can be trusted for normal use. I have a liner locking folder on the way back to one of the above mentioned companies for easy defeat problems that just arrived brand new in the box the other day.
One of the main issues with liner locks is of course how much of the lock actually gets out behind the blade. Most all the problems associated with these are on newer knives people buy thinking they are ready to rock when in fact makers and manufacturers would be well advised to warn the user to break it in first. They'll tell you its sharp but you are left on your own for the lock lessons.
Cold Steel's Peerless liner lock is my favorite in the industry. I've tested the crap out of some of these and they are impressive a high percentage of the time. Where they are not so impressive is in how hard they can be to operate. They rate the worst for ease of use I'd say but once they break in they become very sweet and are far more reliable than most for both wear and long term abuse based on my own testings. I'd have to say they rank as one of the stronger ones also. Don't get me wrong. Lynn Thompson is not my favorite individual anymore than Mick Strider or Duane Dwyer are but they make a fine product. Speaking solely on the product I rate what I've seen very high in the Peerless locks by Cold Steel. Their locks of this type have held up to more free hanging weight than many other so called hard use folders.
I like Kershaws knives and feel that many of their products offer much more bang for the buck than many knives three or four times the price made in the same country, made with the same materials and often times by the same processes.
I'd have to say these two, Cold Steel, and Kershaw are my favorite liner lock makers. Spyderco, Buck, and BenchMade fall in after that with Emerson dead last for me mostly due to the crappy finish which I kid you not is just flat out ignored on many of the ones I see but for the most part they function to a high level of accuracy and reliability but in my testing and my opinion no more so than a good Spyderco if more so at all. Still though to me a liner lock is always going to be my least favored style of lock. I just don't much care for them and I never and I mean never recommend them to someone that wants to hard stab. This to me is insane but hey, do whatever you want. I personally would sooner hard stab a mediocre frame lock I can get my fingers wrapped around on to secure the lock than I would even the best liner locks made.
STR
How does one hit a knife with their knee hard enough to make it fail a spine whack test but not feel it the next day. The only knife I have ever spine whacked has been a SAK tinker :grumpy: fails every time, yet I have carried on me for the past year almost religiously.
