Every had a failure with a Spydie Liner-lock?

No problems with the lock-up of my S30V Military, but my 440V version was another story (short story).

The 440V Military had the adjustable pivot, so I adjusted (took a few tries). Then, I had to "rough" up the contact on the tang. It was pretty well polished new, which resulted in the liner sliding off. I used a Spyderco medium stone in a cross-hatch pattern to rough it up. Locks up tight and reliably now. I trust it.
 
I also have had no problems with my Military.

'Course, I only used it for what its meant for.
 
Nope... never failed .. But you know, I heard a lot of people complaining, but none had the experience. and of all I have heard of, it was with old generations 440C...

Simon
 
I was able to induce lock failure in my 440V military. I did 3 or 4 quick whippy spinewhacks and the blade partially closed.

However, this knife is my kitchen knife and goes through a lot of natural spinewhacks (tapping the spine to get food off the blade); I do this pretty lightly though and have not had any problems.

I guess it's more about knowing the limits of your knife. I don't think the Military was ever designed to hack through brick walls. It is a fast, lightweight, and large knife that can handle most chores while staying unobtrusive to carry.

My Military has passed my coconut test (opening up a young coconut) and I trust the knife.

I love my Military!
 
Thanks for your helpful comments.

Here is a link to Bernard Levine's interview with Michael Walker (liner-lock inventor) that I found interesting. It was printed in Knives Illustrated.

Apparently from what Bob Terzuola says in his book about building Tactical Knives (great book if you are interested in knife mechanics) the liner-lock is not as easy to build properly as most think. Seems the biggest problem he and others had was making the locking spring weak enough so the average knife owner could release it with only the strenght in one hand.

http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/liners.txt
 
I once had a problem with my C-15 Spyderco/Terzuola Clipit, but never on my Terzuola/Spyderco StarMate or on my Lum Chinese.
 
I have some spydies with liner-lock and never a problem (Military, Military Carbon, Spyker, Bob Lum Chinese, Cricket, Viele, Bob Terzuola Starmate).
 
yes there has been a thread about that at the Spyderco forum, the lock might not be engaging enough for a secure lock but no wiggling on my two...
 
I've had 3 Militarys, and 3 lock failures.

One of the knives came from the factory with the liner not not even touching the tang of the blade. You could shake the knife and hear the tang bouncing against the liner. I can't explain what was wrong. I sent it back, and the replacement had other issues.

The other two would easily release while using a standard hammer grip. The liner would also visibly side back against the tang.

I like everything about the Military EXCEPT the lock. The Military used to be my all time favorite folder. The ergonomics are fantastic, and it's an amazing cutter. However, I don't trust the lock, and will not purchase or recommend another.
 
Senate said:
yes there has been a thread about that at the Spyderco forum, the lock might not be engaging enough for a secure lock but no wiggling on my two...
Click to expand...

If you don't open the blade on any folder enough to engage the lock you haven't locked it up. Mine snaps locked with pretty good authority (sort of reminds me of the sound of a bank vault door closing).
 
I never experienced a problem with either of my Militaries.

Unfortunately, I did own a Lum Chinese with a bum lock. It couldn’t be repaired and had to be retired in near-mint condition, which was quite a tragedy. :(

One of my favorite Spyderco liner locks was the large Wegner. When you opened the blade on that knife, the liner would really slam into place.
 
ElectricZombie said:
I've had 3 Militarys, and 3 lock failures.

One of the knives came from the factory with the liner not not even touching the tang of the blade. You could shake the knife and hear the tang bouncing against the liner. I can't explain what was wrong. I sent it back, and the replacement had other issues.

The other two would easily release while using a standard hammer grip. The liner would also visibly side back against the tang.

I like everything about the Military EXCEPT the lock. The Military used to be my all time favorite folder. The ergonomics are fantastic, and it's an amazing cutter. However, I don't trust the lock, and will not purchase or recommend another.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your helpful comments. Sorry about your knives, you have had way more problems with them than anyone deserves.

You lost me by your comment about a "hammer grip". Were you chopping something when the knife unlocked?

It seems to me that the harder you squeeze the handle, and if you can squeeze hard enough to deform the handle inward, that you would be forcing the spring futher into the tang making the lock even more secure. I'm missing something here.

Maybe one of the Spydie company guys can shed some light on this issue. I'd like to know what there experience has been in their warranty/repair department with failed liner-locks. It strike me odd that they would continue to sell them if a problem since the lock-back lock is probably cheaper to make.
 
DGG said:
You lost me by your comment about a "hammer grip". Were you chopping something when the knife unlocked?
Click to expand...
I didn't do any chopping. By hammer grip I mean gripping the knife with all 4 fingers and the thumb on the side.
 
DGG thanks for the link. I learned more about linerlocks in the last fifteen minutes than I have in the last five years. Interesting stuff.
 
My Military has a sloppy lock. It would move the liner a little if you put some pressure on the blade. It never failed on me but I never used it for anything tough because I didn't trust it. That is the only Spyderco liner that had a problem. I have several others that just fine.

I think the liner lock is a great locking design. The frame lock and the liner lock are my two favs. I think the frame lock is better because the harded you grip the knife, the less likely it is that the frame will spread out.

I did have a Delica lock fail on me. If I hadn't been wearing my gloves, it would have cut me badly. I sent it back to Spyderco they took care of everything for free. That is why I love SPyderco so much. Anyone can make a mistake, it is how you deal with it that sets you apart from the competition.

I buy a lot of Spyderco knives because I like them. I am going to see the odd flaw here and there, I understand that. If you bought 50 of anything, you are going to see some flaws slip through. Most of the Spydercos I buy are discontinued so I probably get a few more lemons than average.
 
Has anyone seen and compared the Spyderco Military, and the Byrd crow / raven ?

any failiors on Byrd yet ? i am still waiting for my crow to be delivered which should be here within 48 hours. i would like a good review of the crow to read if anyone knows of one. I saw a review of a raven, but i am buying a Crow..


Thanks guys
 
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