Button lock wear?

[Kmikaz3]

I have this sumo for a couple days now. I’ve noticed there’s a lot of wear on the corner of the barrel of the button lock presumably from open or closing when the tang of the blade hits it. But Jake claims it was hardened stainless steel but how come it gets so much dings? Will that prematurely fail?

is this something i should be worrying about?

I have a Mordax that doesn’t shows any wear on the outside of the barrel of the button lock whatsoever.

I have sent an inquiry to Jake Hoback and have yet to receive an answer back from him.

The button isn’t stationary, it will get more nicks and ding as it rotates from time to time when pressing on it.

 

[pholder]

Greetings,
looks like manufacturing defect, the reason i say this is the lock does not travel beyond the back of the blade otherwise the loch would not disengage, second, the wear marks are not consistent, and third the button retracts with a spring and it is not strong enough to retract it that hard, just my observation/opinion, have a good day and thanks for listening
Troy

 

[Kmikaz3]

Greetings,
looks like manufacturing defect, the reason i say this is the lock does not travel beyond the back of the blade otherwise the loch would not disengage, second, the wear marks are not consistent, and third the button retracts with a spring and it is not strong enough to retract it that hard, just my observation/opinion, have a good day and thanks for listening
Troy

That is a shame to hear. I hope it is not a defect. Currently trying to be in contact with my dealer and Jake to see what do they think of it.

 

[JPD1998]

I’ve noticed this on a few of my button lock knives and it’s usually caused by a small burr on the back of the tang, where it contacts the lock.

 

[Kmikaz3]

I’ve noticed this on a few of my button lock knives and it’s usually caused by a small burr on the back of the tang, where it contacts the lock.

I've talked with a fellow member @Weasipoint and it seems his has those markings as well not as pronounced like mine does but definitely there. Perhaps, that is the nature of button locks. But my Mordax doesn't have any though. Yes there is a small burr that is created and it affect the action a bit.

 

[Dallas T]

I had several auto Strykers from benchmade also button locks and never noticed any thing of the sort. And they’re autos that hit pretty hard when deployed

 

[Kmikaz3]

I had several auto Strykers from benchmade also button locks and never noticed any thing of the sort. And they’re autos that hit pretty hard when deployed

Have you tried to rotate and see if there was any wear all around?

 

[Silent H]

That definitely doesn't look right, there shouldn't be that many dings on a button lock, it's only a matter of time before that fails. The burr on the radius of the tang sounds like an issue, and the button may be softer than it should be.

 

[Kmikaz3]

That definitely doesn't look right, there shouldn't be that many dings on a button lock, it's only a matter of time before that fails. The burr on the radius of the tang sounds like an issue, and the button may be softer than it should be.

Ill wait to see what Jake think about it.

 

[Kmikaz3]

Here is some more clearer pics. My dealer replied:

Would you be able to send us a clear photo of the area of concern? We
can send it to our contacts at Jake Hoback and perhaps get an answer for
you sooner.

As long as you kept the packaging and the item has not been used and was
only opened and closed you can certainly send it back. We would be
hesitant to replace it with another before hearing back from the
manufacturer. To our knowledge this is the first model from them with a
button lock, the wear patterns are as of yet unknown, so we can not say
confidently what is or is not normal. Since these are all from the same
production run they will all have parts that behave the same way.

For now we have taken that last unit out of inventory, just in case. If
you have a chance please send over that photo and we will see if we can
get a quick answer.

Thanks

Just have to wait what their contact or Jake think.

 

[marrenmiller]

Wow, that's not good. It almost looks like the button lock is titanium or unhardened steel...

 

[Kmikaz3]

Wow, that's not good. It almost looks like the button lock is titanium or unhardened steel...

Wish it was Ti as it would be much more stronger than stainless steel. I believe it is 17-4 PH SS. Jake claims its hardened stainless steel but i dont feel its is hardened at all.

 

[marrenmiller]

Wish it was Ti as it would be much more stronger than stainless steel. I believe it is 17-4 PH SS. Jake claims its hardened stainless steel but i dont feel its is hardened at all.

Strength alone isn't what you need for those locking pieces, though. You need hardness and wear resistance in a material that won't gall. Titanium is stronger than most stainless grades (tensile/compressive strength) but will not stand up as well to the specific loading cases encountered by the locking pieces. Hardened stainless steel would be far superior to 6Al-4V in this instance; the problem seems to be that the steel simply is not heat treated correctly or at all.

 

[Kmikaz3]

Strength alone isn't what you need for those locking pieces, though. You need hardness and wear resistance in a material that won't gall. Titanium is stronger than most stainless grades (tensile/compressive strength) but will not stand up as well to the specific loading cases encountered by the locking pieces. Hardened stainless steel would be far superior to 6Al-4V in this instance; the problem seems to be that the steel simply is not heat treated correctly or at all.

Yes you’re probably right. In my mind, i was thinking about those titanium frame locks which has always been okay around. Though, they all are carburized to protect them from galling. If i would want this button to be Ti, it needs to be carburized as well but i dont think the button would work that well as the carburized surface is way to rough for it to slide through the hole. Also, my guess is this button is unhardened as well.

 

[Edgeoflife]

Is there any blade play?

I own several button locks (Mostly autos) and IIRC maybe only one has some lock galling/wear, albeit on an older much less expensive Kershaw Launch purchased on the secondary.

Anyhow Im sure Hoback will take care of it.

 

[Kmikaz3]

Is there any blade play?

I own several button locks (Mostly autos) and IIRC maybe only one has some lock galling/wear, albeit on an older much less expensive Kershaw Launch purchased on the secondary.

Anyhow Im sure Hoback will take care of it.

No so far it is still rock solid. But it hinders the action a tiny bit due to some burrs unless i press the button deeply so button wouldn't contacts the tang.

 

[cali]

Is there any blade play?

I own several button locks (Mostly autos) and IIRC maybe only one has some lock galling/wear, albeit on an older much less expensive Kershaw Launch purchased on the secondary.

Anyhow Im sure Hoback will take care of it.

I had such issue with my Kershaw Launch. Similar marks were all over the button, the lock wasn't working properly, I could unlock the blade by hitting my knee with the spine, at least in some positions of the button.
The button was replaced by customer service. Since then I havn't had any problems, there was some issue with the material or the heat treat, probably.

 

[killgar]

I wouldn't call those marks "wear" (metal rubbing against metal), I'd call them impact or strike marks (metal hitting metal).

It looks to me like the blade is hitting the lock and causing indentations. My guess would be that the lock isn't properly hardened.

 

[cali]

I still have a video of that Kershaw!

https://imgur.com/a/34U7tc5

 

[Edgeoflife]

I still have a video of that Kershaw!

https://imgur.com/a/34U7tc5

wow looks like a launch 2. Surprisingly of the launches i own (1,2,5) that’s the only one that doesn’t have any issues LOL but it’s definitely luck of the draw. My 1 has lock rock (pivot hole In tang too big) and the 5 has blade bounce so I have to hold the button down a little longer to make sure that one locks up every time. If can get a solid example they're still great knives for the money though imo.