Does anyone do a lockback better?

craytab said:
Mine would do this when cutting near the tip of the blade.

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Thread:

Spyderco Siren Lock Issue

First off this isn't a thread to bash the knife, it's honestly one of my favourite knives in my entire collection including all my customs, I carry it more than anything because it's simply one of the best knives ever made in my opinion. Today while putting up some brackets in my gym room, i...
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You can see they resolved the issue. It is a great design for sure but a little difficult to fit the lock back in I guess. I'm glad they fixed it, though I moved on from the model.
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I like most of the Spyderco lock backs I’ve had, save for a couple with significant vertical play. That being said, the early Sirens were not well done, and Sal Glesser Sal Glesser called me a liar for saying the defective ones were still being sold.

“I don't know where you come off with statements like, "they continue to sell" and "potentially dangerous" -Sal

A fellow member here and I informed him of at least five Spyderco dealers still selling them at that time. Sal came off like a pompous jerk during those interactions, and it didn’t help reinforce my love for his lock backs.

Edit: grammar
 
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Sal Glesser himself responded 😱.

I feel cold steels triad lock is the best in the business currently, so long as you don’t have weak thumb syndrome (many these days do), I have yet to get one with any blade play, they just lock up solidly and work very well.
Certainly overbuilt, wouldn’t hurt a thing making the spring a bit lighter, but as a mechanic, I don’t feel too much with my hands anymore anyway.
 
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Seems many want their cake and eat it to, people want a strong or the strongest lock, then complain because it’s hurts their delicate little digits and they have to ask a big strong man or woman to unlock the overbuilt folder they requested/demanded.

I don’t need overbuilt locks personally, I know how to use a knife without a lock, but I still appreciate the biggest design feature of the triad IMO, it’s relatively self adjusting for wear over time, so you won’t ever get that annoying vertical lash that many whine about. On the flip side, the leaf spring is hefty, and far too many “men” that want a “tactical” “hard use” folder lack the skin thickness, muscle, and pain tolerance to use one 😂.
 
My favorite backlocks are actually from Italian manufacturers. Viper, Lionsteel, Fox and such seem to have concentrated more on crowning the spine of the lock lever and making the action smooth and the lockup seamless. I think Spyderco makes wonderful backlocks for utilitarian, hardworking knives, but the Italian backlocks I own just seem to have more attention to detail. Not things that particularly add to the utility of the lock, but they add to my enjoyment of it.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
My favorite backlocks are actually from Italian manufacturers. Viper, Lionsteel, Fox and such seem to have concentrated more on crowning the spine of the lock lever and making the action smooth and the lockup seamless. I think Spyderco makes wonderful backlocks for utilitarian, hardworking knives, but the Italian backlocks I own just seem to have more attention to detail. Not things that particularly add to the utility of the lock, but they add to my enjoyment of it.
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I have little experience with the Italian knives, but there is something very important about fit, finish, and design that makes a tool more enjoyable to own and use.
 
K.O.D. said:
Who are you calling sensitive? Why do you NEED that WEAPON????!!!!

Ok I'll go back to dying a pink streak in my hair now.
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😂, we are in a prime time for quality of manufacturing and design, consumers ask and companies mostly deliver, sadly the consumer by and large just wants to take pics and post YouTube videos instead of using the tools they had a part in developing.

So many are quick to dismiss common steels when the most they ever do with their S125V wonder is slice a piece of paper once for YouTube.
 
BJE said:
I have little experience with the Italian knives, but there is something very important about fit, finish, and design that makes a tool more enjoyable to own and use.
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Well said. I accepted a long time ago that knives are much more than tools to me and having a lock that feels premium, for lack of a better word, never fails to make me smile.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Well said. I accepted a long time ago that knives are much more than tools to me and having a lock that feels premium, for lack of a better word, never fails to make me smile.
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For those of us that really use our tools, and appreciate quality/design, some things are hard to put a finger on, but you know it when you hold it and use it.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Well said. I accepted a long time ago that knives are much more than tools to me and having a lock that feels premium, for lack of a better word, never fails to make me smile.
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BJE said:
For those of us that really use our tools, and appreciate quality/design, some things are hard to put a finger on, but you know it when you hold it and use it.
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This summarizes why I’m mostly underwhelmed with the Triad lock; it doesn’t offer much joy in use. I guess that’s why I rarely carry a Cold Steel. They tend to be clunky, noisy and have a steep break in curve. If I want a loud “click-clack” when I open a knife, I’ll carry a Navaja!

Spyderco makes a fine lock back but I agree that the Italian made knives generally have a premium feel. Not just Viper and Fox, but Maserin, Castillo and LionSteel do nice lock back knives. It’s ironic but a great example of a “Spyderco” lock back is the Spyopera, made by LionSteel!

As already mentioned, the older Seki and Moki knives are very nice also. I have some old Al Mar knives that have that sweet, premium feel.

I have a CIVIVI Rustic Gent with a very smooth lock back, but it’s not a mid-back lock. It’s not as effortless to use sitting at the butt-end of the knife.
 
jux t said:
I like most of the Spyderco lock backs I’ve had, save for a couple with significant vertical play. That being said, the early Sirens were not well done, and Sal Glesser Sal Glesser called me a liar for saying the defective ones were still being sold.

“I don't know where you come off with statements like, "they continue to sell" and "potentially dangerous" -Sal

A fellow member here and I informed him of at least five Spyderco dealers still selling them at that time. Sal came off like a pompous jerk during those transactions, and it didn’t help reinforce my love for his lock backs.
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Yup, the entire Siren episode in that thread was not a good look, IMO. I get that things happen and people can be defensive of their product/design but the way it was dismissed as not a safety issue and not wide spread left a bad taste because I could see that wasn't true. At the end of they day, the lock disengaged when it was not supposed to, all the time. That's really bad. It took long enough to get a fix that I gave up and moved on.

Oh well, even great companies and great people miss the mark on occasion.
 
Hackenslash said:
This summarizes why I’m mostly underwhelmed with the Triad lock; it doesn’t offer much joy in use. I guess that’s why I rarely carry a Cold Steel. They tend to be clunky, noisy and have a steep break in curve. If I want a loud “click-clack” when I open a knife, I’ll carry a Navaja!

Spyderco makes a fine lock back but I agree that the Italian made knives generally have a premium feel. Not just Viper and Fox, but Maserin, Castillo and LionSteel do nice lock back knives. It’s ironic but a great example of a “Spyderco” lock back is the Spyopera, made by LionSteel!

As already mentioned, the older Seki and Moki knives are very nice also. I have some old Al Mar knives that have that sweet, premium feel.

I have a CIVIVI Rustic Gent with a very smooth lock back, but it’s not a mid-back lock. It’s not as effortless to use sitting at the butt-end of the knife.
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Agree with all of this, though I have to admit that the bombproof craziness of the Triad Lock has a place in my heart and my EDC rotation. 😉

I badly want to get my hands on a Bestech Tonic to see how that backlock stacks up. It seems really intriguing.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Agree with all of this, though I have to admit that the bombproof craziness of the Triad Lock has a place in my heart and my EDC rotation. 😉

I badly want to get my hands on a Bestech Tonic to see how that backlock stacks up. It seems really intriguing.
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I need to find a CS that can be part of my EDC rotation...
 
I own one Spyderco: a Delica. My opinion: While the tri-ad lock is second to none, Spyderco's thumb hole is unsurpassed for comfort, ease of use, and ergonomics. Thumb holes are the best deployment method for me. Great design by Spyderco.
 
BJE said:
Sal Glesser himself responded 😱.

I feel cold steels triad lock is the best in the business currently, so long as you don’t have weak thumb syndrome (many these days do), I have yet to get one with any blade play, they just lock up solidly and work very well.
Certainly overbuilt, wouldn’t hurt a thing making the spring a bit lighter, but as a mechanic, I don’t feel too much with my hands anymore anyway.
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I've learned myself that for very strong tri ad lock folders, I use the side of my thumb instead of its tip to press down, making it easier to disengage the lock.
 
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sharp_edge said:
I've learned myself that for very strong tri ad lock folders, I use the side of my thumb instead of its tip to press down, making it easier to disengage the lock.
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Yes indeed, but that’s how I unlock all midlock style knives anyway.
 
Most Cold Steel lockbacks have thick and heavy blades. Their mass alone would make it harder to open. Lighter Cold Steel knives are easy to open compare to most lockbacks.
 
Deino said:
Most Cold Steel lockbacks have thick and heavy blades. Their mass alone would make it harder to open. Lighter Cold Steel knives are easy to open compare to most lockbacks.
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Not sure I agree with the perceived difficulty of deployment being due to the mass of the blade, perhaps if you were trying to accelerate it from static to dynamic at a high rate of speed lol.
CS tends to overbuild their knives, the thick tough folders have thick and tough locks, while the thinner and lighter models use appropriately thinner and lighter springs, ect.
Do we need them so overbuilt, in my opinion, no we don’t, do the consumers seem to want and value the heavy duty and overbuilt blades/locks, seems that way for many.
Will they continue to produce what sells, in my opinion, yes, if it’s making them money why would they cater to us few that know how to properly use a knife and don’t need a sharp pry bar or the ability to hold double our body weight on the locking mechanism?
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Agree with all of this, though I have to admit that the bombproof craziness of the Triad Lock has a place in my heart and my EDC rotation. 😉

I badly want to get my hands on a Bestech Tonic to see how that backlock stacks up. It seems really intriguing.
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Damn you for making me go check out the Bestech Tonic!

A back lock with bearings and fidget factor?

TAKE MY MONEY!
 
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