CRKT M16-14SF lock failure

W

wade

Joined
Sep 22, 2005
Messages
493
Wondering if anyone else has had or heard of the special forces M16 having problems with the liner lock? This is my second time. The first SF I had the lock would engage but would not stop the blade from being closed. I sent it back and they sent me a new one, well in less than two months this lock is failing the same way the other did. I called CRKT and they said send it back. However they would not tell me if this is a common problem with their knives.
Anyone know of this problem with their knives?
Wade
 
I had a Hammond Grey Ghost Mirage that would fail the spine-whack-test everytime.
But I've also had an M16, M18, M21, Pesh Kabz, an S-2, and a zytel handle Mirage, and they all were excellent knives with no lock problems at all.

But I have never owned a Special Forces M16.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
I own a M-16 EDC, a M-21, and a 14K summit. The first two I had to literally redesign the liner locks. They were easily defeated with simple "spine-whack" test. Now, they withstand repeated beatings with NO failure. The 14K Summit came as solid as a tank. All descriptions are WITHOUT Lawks enguaged. I love these knives before and after mods.
 
I can see it being a problem. That's why they've installed the LAWKS system in all of their liner lock folders. I'm not knocking liner locks, I'm knocking CRKT's knives.
 
I talked to someone at Cold Steel not too long ago and they said it wasn't uncommon for CRKT knives with LAWKS to fail at 40 pounds or less. CS is criticized for their "tests;" however, there's got to be some middle ground. I'd rather see a knife over-tested rather than not tested at all.

Still, I'm fairly confident with my CRKT M16-14T. But it's certainly not the equivilant to a fixed blade, regardless of what their literature claims. I'm just not fond of liner locks. IMO, they just don't make for great tactical knives.
 
Wunderbar said:
I can see it being a problem. That's why they've installed the LAWKS system in all of their liner lock folders. I'm not knocking liner locks, I'm knocking CRKT's knives.
Click to expand...
My opinion exactly. If a knife requires a secondary lock, it's a blatent admission that the primary lock isn't secure. Why people think this is OK and continue to purchase these knives is beyond me. I'm biased though, as my first CRKT knife (without a LAWKS) is responsible for the nerve damage in my right index finger.
 
a guy i know got 15 stitches as a result of a failed crkt lock[not sure which model].although i own a few crkt knives i expect lock failure as these knives are cheaply mnf'ed[in taiwan]
 
Planterz said:
My opinion exactly. If a knife requires a secondary lock, it's a blatent admission that the primary lock isn't secure.
Click to expand...

Lots of sheaths have secondary retention systems, in fact it is mandatory on some military specifications. This however doesn't imply a fault with the primary retention method. The LAWKS is intended to supplement the liner lock in extreme conditions preventing impact/torque failure which can happen to liners/integrals in general, not just CRKT.

-Cliff
 
It's too bad to hear about your knife....I've had superb performance from my CRKTs...thanks for reporting it. I'm always trying to guage the real world performance of liner locks.

This might sound crazy, but it seems like most of the other M16 related liner lock failures are on the SFs...I can only recall one other guy having an M16 failure and it was definitely an SF.
 
I've got a Smith & Wesson with Zytel grips and a sharp blade. Small, nicely done. I was cutting a large package not long ago with the blade got lodged in with some tape and cardboard. I began working it out and suddenly the lock failed and almost sliced into my thumb. This was not a liner lock, but was similar in looks and operation to a small Voyager. After I took out my Cold Steel Super Edge and sliced the package asunder with those wicked little teeth, I cleaned up the blade of the Smith and tried the lock. Sure enough it failed with just a little pressure. It was one of their little scrimshaw editions and it should have locked.

Using a Cold Steel, I don't have to worry about the lock failing on me. Like the safety on a gun, you could probably argue that if you're handling a gun properly you don't need one; however, you still want it to work. It may not be a great analogy, but a locking knife should offer strength that a non-locking folder doesn't have. Especially one of that size.
 
I own an M-16 13m and i love it, i've never had any lock failure. I have had it just over a year. it's my work knife. it cuts every thing wire,carpet, any kind of cord and or rope. I like CRKT so much i just bought a hammond desert cruser, got it today. We'll see how it holds up.
 
I think I may have the opposite problem, my M16SRT if I open it too quickly locks in place and I have to use something to lever the liner lock back down so I can close the blade. Good if you need to make sure the blade doesn't close (which seems to be the problem in question) but if you need to close it quickly it's not very fun and could get me into trouble. My blade it the SRT without the secondary lock, I like the blade design and carry it as my back up to my other blades (carry a Benchmade-Pat Crawford, Leatherman-Wave Tool). If anyone knows a solution to my problem I would appreciate any solution to my problem. Hope you all find solution to yours.
 
I have been carrying a CRKT Lightfoot M1 for over 2 years now and have had no problems at all, none. The thing is a tank. Great for a $50.00 knife. The only complaint I have is the word "TAIWAN" on the blade.
 
I received two CRKT knives as holiday gifts...a M16 and a M21. After reading this thread I decided to test them out of cuiosity. With a moderate rap to the back of each knife's spine the locks failed. I tried the experiment several times. Each time I was able to defeat their locks with a single wack of moderate force to the spine. For what its worth.....

-Regards
 
Gramps said:
I received two CRKT knives as holiday gifts...a M16 and a M21. After reading this thread I decided to test them out of cuiosity. With a moderate rap to the back of each knife's spine the locks failed. I tried the experiment several times. Each time I was able to defeat their locks with a single wack of moderate force to the spine. For what its worth.....

-Regards
Click to expand...

Gramps, if you can, take the blades out and "shave" down the tang (where the lock bar hits) approx. 1 or 2 degrees. That's all it takes to cure the problem. ***be careful, I don;t want anyone getting cut cause of me***
 
l have had the same problem with variuos CRKT knives that gets used hard. lf you look at the size of thickness of the liner lock compared to the thickness of the blade you should be able to see why it fails.Also after a year or so the liner lock seems to go deeper and deeper into the area of the blade it is supposed to hold back untill it passes to the inside and then it does not work at all anymore. The best knives l have used for hard work has been the Cold steel voyeger series, they come with the more traditional locking system that does not ever give in.
 
The only problems that I have encountered with CRKT is when the teflon liners wear down too much the LAWKS system & liner lock will be pushed out of place and the blade can close. But that was fixed with a call to the company- recieved a bag of spare parts for folders within a week- And I live in Canada!! Great service. I'm surprised as all of my CRKT folders (22) have very trustworthy locks- even when used in bush survival training.

Call the company and I'm sure that they will rectify all the problems that you guys have encountered.
 
I am very surprised to hear of all these problems. Like I said, my CRKT is a rock. I'm well aquainted with the local law enforcement and one of the guys on the force was selling these knives for a while, a bunch of the officers took the bait, around half. He sold a bunch of diffrent models, M-16, M-21, M-1. I have heard no complaints at all and I'm kinda the go-to guy with knives, so I'd be the first to hear about it, " Hey, this thing wont lock up for me can you fix it..." that sort of thing.

I guess I need to do some research on this before I recommend these blades to anyone else.
 
I own a couple dozen CRKT liner lock folders, and have sold, traded away or lost a half dozen more. Of all those (total sample size of ~30 knives), I've had exactly two with lock problems.

One was an M16-14 that was my beater camping knife; when brand new, it had a bad habit of slipping the lock, but after a few hundred hard snaps open to break-in the lock, it served a couple years without a problem. (I eventually lost it somewhere in the woods of Sussex County NJ.)

The other I still have: my first CRKT, an old pre-LAWKS, pre-Carson Flipper M16-03. This one has been beat on even more than that -14, and has the opposite problem: it doesn't like to unlock! It's worn to the point where the lock sets almost lal the way across the blade tang, and tend to stick there if I flick it open hard or use it hard. And I *do* use it hard; it's my "garage knife", used for cutting up boxes, opening packages, cutting tape and rope and hose and wiring and strapping and anything else I don't want to cut with a better blade.

The rest of the my CRKT liner locks have functioned perfectly, although few have seen as much use and abuse as the two above. I have, however, done spine-whack testing on just abotu all of them, since I learned of the issue, and they've all passed.

So, statistically speaking, the problem does exist, especially on brand-new knives, but for every CRKT liner lock that fails the test, there are plenty more that work just fine.

My suggestion is to test any new liner lock knife, CRKT or other brand, when you get it; if it fails, return it or exchange it for one that doesn't have a lock issue. Life it too short to put up with a faulty knife!
 
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