Folding knife lock failure

I had my Benchmade HK Axis Lock fail on me last week, the Omega spring just snapped when I deploy the blade... Hopefully benchmade will get it fixed and resolve my vertical blade play issues

-Kevin
 
Nothing high level for me... just a Rolson linerlock (the liner was thinner than a chocolate bar tinfoil) and a Victorinox Rucksack slidelock (not sure how this happened, it was broken when I got it on a TSA sale).
 
jpm2 said:
Probably serious. My employer buys my tools, and replaces them if they break. If I continue breaking them, they get better ones until they quit breaking.
I feel the same way about knives.
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i feel bad for y'alls employers and customers and for y'all in general. as they replace tools y'all destroy.... there goes profits for the owner, cheaper prices for the customer, and bonuses and pay raises for y'all etc, etc, etc....

so be it. thanks for clarifying.
 
I had a CRKT where the lock would slip if too much thumb pressure was put on it. Only knife I've had that would do that.
 
jbmonkey said:
i feel bad for y'alls employers and customers and for y'all in general. as they replace tools y'all destroy.... there goes profits for the owner, cheaper prices for the customer, and bonuses and pay raises for y'all etc, etc, etc....

so be it. thanks for clarifying.
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Actually it keeps fresh tools in circulation therefore boosting productivity. No sense to try and use lousy old worn out tools.
 
Sosa said:
Actually it keeps fresh tools in circulation therefore boosting productivity. No sense to try and use lousy old worn out tools.
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Or much sense in using something in a manner it's not designed for with the intention of breaking it.
 
trevitrace said:
Or much sense in using something in a manner it's not designed for with the intention of breaking it.
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In many cases it's more of a disconnect between how it was designed and how it is marketed.

I had three lock failures in succession on three knives of the same model. I used them in the same way I used a knife which was designed over 50 years ago and which never failed. The knife in question is advertised as "This heavy-duty piece of equipment is the folding knife's answer to the traditional fixed blade. Sturdy construction and pure heft ensure this knife will withstand any test you dare put it through".
 
jpm2 said:
Probably serious. My employer buys my tools, and replaces them if they break. If I continue breaking them, they get better ones until they quit breaking.
I feel the same way about knives.
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"If you go through a lot of hammers each month, I don't think it necessarily means you're a hard worker. It may just mean that you have a lot to learn about proper hammer maintenance." Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
 
stabman said:
"If you go through a lot of hammers each month, I don't think it necessarily means you're a hard worker. It may just mean that you have a lot to learn about proper hammer maintenance." Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
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Not to mention that good hammers basically don't break, they simply require handle replacement.
Anyways, why would you want your tools constantly replaced with new ones when eventually every tool may be disposable.
If a guy who has worked the same job for 40yrs had been doing this, he'd really wish he was still using the ones he started out with.
 
We're not talking hammers here. Think metabos, porta bands, rattle guns, drill motors, roto hammers and a whole lot of other expensive crap. Once it's past its prime you smoke it, cut the cord and throw it away.
 
Sosa said:
We're not talking hammers here. Think matabos, porta bands, rattle guns, drill motors, roto hammers and a whole lot of other expensive crap. Once it's past its prime you smoke it, cut the cord and throw it away.
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Many places I worked had drills still going that were decades old.
If I had busted them, I wouldn't have been rewarded.

At one machine shop, the fly-cutter had missing inserts, as in those spots wouldn't hold the carbide inserts.
I had to slow down the feed a bunch to minimize insert breakage.
They complained that it was taking too long...increase the feed, and increase depth of cut.
I said "The inserts will break a whole bunch."
The guy that had been there 22 years comes over, increases depth of cut, and feed rate...and all the inserts broke.
"Well, figure it out" was his reply as he walked away.

I was not too upset when I got laid off a month later...and the fly-cutter never did get replaced.
We also had bent angle plates, so the blocks could never be squared properly.
Good times. ;)
 
Yup that's the kind of stuff that pisses me off. And to the guys preaching proper use of this and that: if every tool was used exactly as it were designed and every rule and regulation were followed nothing would ever get done. It would be impossible to complete a project. You'd get run off the job.
 
I had an Emerson that would close with only light pressure on the spine. That was after several years of use. Sent it in, they fixed it, I sold it.
 
Sosa said:
Yup that's the kind of stuff that pisses me off. And to the guys preaching proper use of this and that: if every tool was used exactly as it were designed and every rule and regulation were followed nothing would ever get done. It would be impossible to complete a project. You'd get run off the job.
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Agreed.

Most people that make comments like that simply do not work with tools in a construction environment.

However, that doesn't discount that failure of a tool when used not as it is meant to be is on the user. (This is not as obvious as you would think)

I personally find that the best made tools can handle the job they where designed to do as well as the other things we all know they will sometimes have to do....
 
JR88FAN said:
Agreed.

Most people that make comments like that simply do not work with tools in a construction environment.

However, that doesn't discount that failure of a tool when used not as it is meant to be is on the user. (This is not as obvious as you would think)

I personally find that the best made tools can handle the job they where designed to do as well as the other things we all know they will sometimes have to do....
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So if your cordless drill fails at hanging drywall while scuba diving, it's the drills fault?

A knife is meant to cut. If it fails as a screwdriver, then you fail at screwdriving.
 
If the battery pack gets busted while pistol whipping unitstrut in place it's a POS.
 
I've had dozens of screwdrivers. Broke a bunch, wore out a bunch.
I remember the craftsmans of 30 years ago with the new style handles would break tips on tight screws.
We started getting kliens and the screwdrivers quit breaking. And yes, you could even use them as chisels and prybars without breakage.
Just one of many examples.
 
I had been a truck mechanic years ago. I am a strong believer in using tools only as they're designed until I can't. Since I had to buy my own tools, I had my good stuff for normal conditions. I also kept a fair amount of 'Harbor Freight' tools like the cheap wrenches. If I was in a situation that a regular 1 1/2 " was too long I'd get a cheap one and get out the cutting torch and cut it down to size. Sometimes the head was too thick and I'd grind it down too fit. When modifying the wrench head like that it was only good for one or two uses. I also found the cheap screwdrivers made great scrapers.
So using tools for other than intended isn't unusual, but knives. Having a lock fail only means the user is doing something wrong, and when handling a tool that could cut your fingers off, I take care to use it proper. I think everyone should have a slip joint for a first knife just for the experience of being forced to use a knife proper. Just as I don't trust an 'unloaded' firearm, I don't trust locking blades of any kind. I do own a couple of lock backs, but I never challenge the lock.
 
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