Boa Locks...must disassemble!

Z

Zytif

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Dec 27, 2002
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How many of you here own Kershaw Boas and think the sliding plastic locks are useful? Everytime I would try to close the knife the lock would slide down. It was getting very annoying so I busted the lock off and now it's a much better knife. Has anyone else done this, or are the lock busters just a rare breed? You might think the blade would pop out with the slightest touch on the flipper. But it doesn't. It stays in there pretty good w/out the lock. It's just one less thing to fumble around with.

Other than the crappy locks the Boas are my favorite production tactical folders. I don't see what all the Emerson hype is about. The Wave catches on clothing and it's not as fast. How does the Wave even compare to the Speed Safe? Is the steel on the Emerson's that much better than CPM440V?

:confused:
 
I really haven't had a problem with the sliding lock and it does probably provide a bit of extra safety.

I also agree that the Boa is a real "sleeper"--beautifully made, great ergonomics, top quality materials and top QC. I'm surprised it doesn't seem to have more of a following around here.
 
My wife owns a splatter-paint Boa and loves the lock. She's a lefty and uses the tang on the back of the blade to open the knife. Her inger is there by the slide anyway.

The knife is +2 years old and still tight.
 
Originally posted by Zytif
I don't see what all the Emerson hype is about. The Wave catches on clothing and it's not as fast. How does the Wave even compare to the Speed Safe? :confused:
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You must be confused, because you don't know what you're talking about.:rolleyes: You obviously haven't seen, held, or used an Emerson with the wave, or you would know that there is no comparison to the speed of the wave. An Emerson with the wave opens the knife as it clears the pants. How can it get any faster than that? Sure, Emersons aren't for everybody, but to slam the company because you don't think the wave is all that is stupid. I respect the fact that you like the Kershaw Boa. I own a chive and like the flipper, but it isn't even close to the speed of the Mini Commander I owned.
The Wave catches on clothing...
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No $hit, that is how it works.:rolleyes:

Mike
 
Originally posted by Medic1210
No $hit, that is how it works.:rolleyes:
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No, really, Mike! :D The Wave is great, but I had to get used to the Commander or it would open every time I took it out, even when I didn't mean to Wave it! Sometimes subtlety is a good idea ...

It does take time to learn, to get the clip just loose enough to release the knife without fumbling, too
 
Yep, I removed the safety from my all black Boa. I never used the thing intentionally, it would just engage by itself every now and then. Very annoying!

Now that I've removed it, I only have two complaints. First is the weight; it's a bit on the heavy side for my tastes. Second is that you can't get an uncoated blade with the black handle. I didn't want the multi-colored handle because it reminds me too much of those 1980s weightlifter pants, but the coated blade is a bit too aggressive looking. And now mine is all scratched up.

With the 440V blade the coating isn't really necessary for rust prevention, so I'm thinking that I might remove it. Has anybody else done this?
 
I don't know how the boas work, but on the chive the plastic slider can be tightened down with a screw driver preventing it from moving at all, so you can lock the lock open if that makes any sense :) then if you ever feel the need you can losen it back to normal and lock the knife.


i leave my pretty tight but still moveable, so that I can lock it if need be but it doesn't get in the way.

i figure if I ever need to loan it to someone its better to hand it to them locked so it wont open up in transit.

although ive noticed the chive isn't a great loaner anyway, first time someone opens it they inevitable drop it in surprise even after an explanation of its workings =/

also I screw it up tight in a locked position when im traveling so that any monkey "checking" my baggage for illegal weapons/bombs won't "mistake" it for a switchblade and "confiscate" it for "the good of the nation"
 
No such luck with the Boa. You've got to remove it. I guess that you might be able to wedge it into place somehow, but it's probably easier to remove it entirely.
 
I carried mine for close to two years and only had the lock engage itself once or twice in that span so I've never bothered to remove it. I have wanted to remove the thumbstud since I never use the thing, but it seems to be loc-tited and so I haven't gotten around to taking it off yet (too lazy). The Boa SpeedSafe isn't as snappy as some of the others (i.e. Chive, Leek, etc.) so it stays closed pretty well (for me anyway).

tribal--I have the same complaint about the blade/handle combinations but have not yet attempted to remove the coating (again, too lazy). The weight never really bothered me though. In fact, my current EDC is bigger and heavier (LCC) so the Boa seems pretty small now.
 
again, I don't have a boa, but on the chive the thumbstud is the stop which prevents the knife from opening too far. you may wish to examine closely before prying the studs off your boa:p
 
I considered bead blasting, or sanding the teflon coated blade on mine too. But with time the all black look kind of grew on me. G.I. Joe's had a 20% off knife sale and they only had one black in stock. But I originally wanted the colored model. Then about a month later I saw the colored one at Excalibur Cutlery and lemme just say, I'm glad I settled on the black model. The speckled one looks like it was designed by Brutus The Barber Beefcake. The color's name should be The WWF Spandex Special.

Two colors to pick from... Tactical or Testicle.:rolleyes::p:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by ZENGHOST
The Boa SpeedSafe isn't as snappy as some of the others (i.e. Chive, Leek, etc.) so it stays closed pretty well (for me anyway).
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I've noticed this lack of kick (compared to my Leek) with my Boa as well. Do you think that is because the blade is so much larger, or is the mechanism just weaker? I'm inclined to guess that the extra weight of the Boa's blade, especially with the relatively tip-heavy blade shape, is the culprit, but then I've never compared the guts of my Leek and Boa side by side.

tribal--I have the same complaint about the blade/handle combinations but have not yet attempted to remove the coating (again, too lazy). The weight never really bothered me though. In fact, my current EDC is bigger and heavier (LCC) so the Boa seems pretty small now.
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 I've always loved the look of the LCC, but to know that it's even heavier than the Boa puts me off a bit. Is the handle much thicker than the Boa's? I guess that the additional weight wouldn't be the end of the world as long as it didn't mean a lot of additional bulk.
 
I compared my boa to my whirlwind side by side. And I think it's just the tip heavy mini bolo that makes it a tad slower. I don't think the springs are weaker in the boa, I'm pretty sure it's just the weight of the blade. The boa is thicker along the whole length of the blade - compared to the whirlwind. But I did owne a whirlwind in the past that had a spring that was so weak it would barely get the blade 1/2 way out. So either the springs vary in strength or it's possible the blade bolts are screwed down too tight.
 
Originally posted by PointyReckoning
again, I don't have a boa, but on the chive the thumbstud is the stop which prevents the knife from opening too far. you may wish to examine closely before prying the studs off your boa:p
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The Boa's set up differently than the smaller SpeedSafes so the thumbstud does not double as the stop (it doesn't come into contact with the handle). Only the Chive, Leek and I think the Scallion use the thumbstuds as a stop.

Originally posted by tribalbeeyatch
I've noticed this lack of kick (compared to my Leek) with my Boa as well. Do you think that is because the blade is so much larger, or is the mechanism just weaker? I'm inclined to guess that the extra weight of the Boa's blade, especially with the relatively tip-heavy blade shape, is the culprit, but then I've never compared the guts of my Leek and Boa side by side.
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I think it's actually a little of both. Naturally the larger blade will slow down the mechanism, but I also notice that my Leek seems to be "snappier" than my Chive which has a smaller blade. So I think the newer SpeedSafes tend to be a little stronger than the early ones (my Ricochet and Whirlwind were also a little on the slow side compared to the Leek). Could just be my experience though.
 
Originally posted by tribalbeeyatch
I've always loved the look of the LCC, but to know that it's even heavier than the Boa puts me off a bit. Is the handle much thicker than the Boa's? I guess that the additional weight wouldn't be the end of the world as long as it didn't mean a lot of additional bulk.
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Here's a couple of side by side pics of my LCC and Boa. Looking at them side by side, I guess the LCC isn't that much bigger than the Boa, but it does feel heftier. You can't tell too much, but the difference in handle thickness is about the thickness of one of the LCC's handle scales.

My LCC tips the scale at ~6.5oz. whereas the Boa comes in at ~5.0oz. Keep in mind, though, that the weight of the LCC is dependent upon which scales you get. Carbon Fiber is probably lighter than the MOP scales that I have on there, and the micarta scales are different too.

boalccsidebyside.jpg


lccboaspines.jpg


The LCC may be heavier, but it just feels really good in my hand. In fact, the thing that made them both my primary EDCs during their respective stays in my pocket is the fact that they both fit my hand very nicely. But I would never have bought it had I not handled it at a local shop. To be honest, I really don't notice the added weight--unfortunately everyone is different in their preferences. Hope that helps you.
 
Thanks for the info, ZENGHOST. And the side-by-side photos really bring it all home for me. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for a good deal on an LCC.
 
Personally I think the mechanism that locks a speedsafe knife closed is much more of a gimmick than anything else. Most of the time, it's a piece of plastic that give me the feeling that it will probably break off if someone really tried (or by some freak accident.)
As to the Emerson comment, the Wave does work, and it's not terribly hard to use. But from a sample that I've seen I don't quite understand the hype behind the whole knife. To me it looked unremarkable (and at one point disgusting because the blade was so much off center it was rubbing). The wave was nice, but the whole picture just doesn't quite appeal to me. I don't see how I'll get myself to fork over 150+USD to pay for a knife that's similar quality to a 100USD dollar knife that other manufacturers are offering. And Mike the medic, you've seen my rant, and I remember that you thought most of my arguments were fairly reasonable ;)
 
It's a proven FACT the plastic locks aren't wimpy. I proved it when I had to pound mine out with a screwdriver. It's that tough nylon kind of plastic. The kind that just takes a beating and absorbs without cracking. I was afraid to take the whole thing apart...that's why I took a screwdriver to it. :D

But there is another option: You can take it apart and bend the coil-less spring upwards so it holds the plastic lock in place better. If you look up inside the knife you can see the shiny steel arm - that's the coil-less spring. That's what I would've done if I really saw a need for a lock.
 
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