GB lock failed!~!

I don't Twist any (right handed) liner locks counterclockwise for fear of accidentally compressing and disengaging the liner. Could that be what happened here?
 
marthinus said:
I have a question:

When you used the knife how did you hold it?

The reason I ask is I have had a nasty cut due to a liner lock disengaging on me when I accidentally twisted and it failed. After some time I took my liner locks and investigated. What I found was that when I grip a liner locking knife my fat on my fingers would squeeze between the lock and front scale, with a slight twist this would cause the liner lock to disengage.

Now the way I understand the choil area on Spyderco liner locks that when held with index in the choil area even if the knife would disengage your finger will still be fine. This can be seen on many of the slipits. The knives that I have with a liner lock do not have a choil and that is why I was cut. If they did have a choil even if it would close the edge wont hit your finger first.

Ps. Hope you heel soon!
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I was starting to twist with the lock angle. Which means that if it were a frame lock, I'd apply more force on the lock bar, which would make the lock-up more secure.
Also, the choil on the GB is rather small. And though it is a plus when doing heavy cutting, it could definitely be a disadvantage when the lock fails, and your fingers are in the blade's way. ;)


Medic1210, you're a funny one.
I am not changing my story. I just did not get into details in my first post.
When I said that i started twisting, you assume one thing, while you don't know what was going on. I dug the tip just a tiny bit into the plastic and started pushing, when pushing the edge of the tip (since the tip is kind of dug into plastic now), the lock failed. I could see it up and very close since I get very close to the action :D The force was applied on the spine of the tip of the blade, then it snapped shut. As I said, I'm not going crazy with my knives, I always try to do my tasks in a very controlled manner. sigh...
And if you read my post about the Opinel and the elevator, you would understand that it was a kind of an emergency. I absolutely did not want to call the fire dept. or anything funky like that. I also have always some other knives on me, I don't remember what I had at the time, but you can bet it was a "heavier duty" folder than the Opinel :p But as I said, I don't usually pry with my knives.
So mr. medic, probably like psycho-medic. Thanks for the free, quick treatment. I now know that I constantly contradict myself, and should get this problem seriously checked! Thank you very much! :thumbup:

-Brennanscott

"Just keep drilling with liner locking folders and all will be well. I can see that you are right anyway. "

:thumbup::thumbup:

-Goodeyesniper

"However, because of the fact that it closed on his fingers, I can almost certainly say that under MY definitions he was using his tool in the wrong way.

Drilling a hole in a plastic bumper with a folder isn't inherently wrong, however there are certain things you have to keep in mind. Rule number one is that you need to keep the angle of force moving how the knife was intended, keep it on the edge side, not the spine side. I've drilled with slipjoints in hard wood before with no problem. They have NO lock. And I've always been fine, why? Because I keep the force on the edge of the knife, even while using the tip, if you can picture what I'm saying.

Would I think a "hard use" folder should be able to drill a hole in a plastic bumper? Of course. Would I RELY on any folding knife to not close on my fingers if I am introducing lateral, twisting stress, as well as pressure on the spine? HELL NO. Same reason I USE a safety on my pistols, but do not RELY on them. AKA I don't go around squeezing the trigger of my loaded pistol with the safety on.

There's drilling, and then there's drilling, and then there's drilling.... Just like there's common sense, and then theres.... common sense.

I'd like to believe the OP, and I do think he should send it in just to be checked out. But him changing up his story isn't exactly helping his cause. People make mistakes, I've done stupid shit with my knives, but I've never tried to change up the story afterwards to try and make it sound like it wasn't my fault even slightly."

You have some definite definitions there. Obviously I don't know how to use a knife, you know that, you've known me for years! :thumbup:
I'm not you, and you're not me. Whatever you consider that is right to do is all fine, but as you see, many think otherwise.
If I used a SAK, it would not have closed on my fingers. I gave trust in the GB. That is something I used to do with all my high quality folders. :p
And I am NOT changing my mind. Funny one, see reply to Medic1210.

PS. I'm left handed. LOL
 
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Yeah, but at the same time we have a poster who has admittedly broken other high end knives in the past and apparently has cut himself so many times that he now ignores the common sense of getting stitches.

Im not on either side of this argument although this thread has given me more than a few snow day chuckles.

I suspect that reality is buried down in here somewhere. Maybe a combination of failure / abuse / misuse. Who knows.
 
jeff_c said:
Yeah, but at the same time we have a poster who has admittedly broken other high end knives in the past and apparently has cut himself so many times that he now ignores the common sense of getting stitches.

Im not on either side of this argument although this thread has given me more than a few snow day chuckles.

I suspect that reality is buried down in here somewhere. Maybe a combination of failure / abuse / misuse. Who knows.
Click to expand...

I've only broken a BK-9, and the only lock or other knife that failed me was the GB. I've owned hundreds of high end knives throughout the years. Cut myself many times, was careless when I was young, REALLY young. You learn from mistakes. The avoidance of stitches is stupid at times, I agree, but that's another topic, nothing to do with what I tried to convey. So if all THAT is an issue- :thumbup::thumbup:
 
hardheart said:
Then most folding knives ever produced are cheaply made and poorly designed. The body weight of the average adult male in the US (190 lbs) applied to the end of the handle is enough to overcome most locking knives sold today - no muscular effort needed, just lean on it. Half that is actually still overkill for most. Spyderco's "Very Heavy Duty" rated knives withstand 200 plus pounds per inch of blade, and the handle of a folding knife is longer than the blade (usually). Most locks on the market do not meet that criteria, nor are expected to. Not to mention slipjoints and friction folders.
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Ever seen a Cold Steel video? They use recon1s as monkey bars. Most folders ARE cheaply made and poorly designed, and then poorly marketed as "heavy duty". And I'm not mentioning slip joints and friction folders because I don't see them as heavy duty at all.
 
How and why is it a "lock failure" when you aren't/weren't using the knife as it was intended to be used?

-Tye
 
TyMathews said:
How and why is it a "lock failure" when you aren't/weren't using the knife as it was intended to be used?

-Tye
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Sigh... A lock is meant to prevent the blade closing. You mostly use the knife in th e OTHER way. Means that you don't usually NEED or USE the lock of the knife anyway. But I bet that you are aware of the fact that all of these reputable, especially Spyderco, constatly try to improve on their locking mechanisms, making the stronger and more reliable every time. Especially on their folders. Though again, you don't need a strong lock for the "normal" or "intended" use of the knife.
 
Razorsharp1986 said:
Sigh... A lock is meant to prevent the blade closing. You mostly use the knife in th e OTHER way. Means that you don't usually NEED or USE the lock of the knife anyway. But I bet that you are aware of the fact that all of these reputable, especially Spyderco, constatly try to improve on their locking mechanisms, making the stronger and more reliable every time. Especially on their folders. Though again, you don't need a strong lock for the "normal" or "intended" use of the knife.
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Oh. That explains it. Excuse me, I'm going to go reroof my house and use my cellphone with the Zagg invisibleshield on the face to drive the roofing nails into the sheathing. Have a nice night.

-Tye
 
TyMathews said:
Oh. That explains it. Excuse me, I'm going to go reroof my house and use my cellphone with the Zagg invisibleshield on the face to drive the roofing nails into the sheathing. Have a nice night.

-Tye
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I like your common sense! Go ahead and give your roofing idea a go! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
nobody hates you razorsharp. If you used a drill for the bumper job you would not have ripped your finger open.Probably would have made a neater hole too.This seems to be a topic of great interest . i reckon every one who replied has at some stage done the same type of thing.
I know I have.
cheers
 
Razorsharp1986 said:
Medic1210, you're a funny one.
I am not changing my story. I just did not get into details in my first post.
When I said that i started twisting, you assume one thing, while you don't know what was going on.
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I wasn't assuming anything. I was just copying exactly what you said. Your first sentence said "While I was twisting, the lock failed." That sounds pretty cut and dry, leaving little to be assumed. Then later, you said, "I didn't even start twisting when it failed." Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's two completely different stories. That is what I was commenting on.


I always try to do my tasks in a very controlled manner. sigh...
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Obviously. This whole thread proves it.

So mr. medic, probably like psycho-medic. Thanks for the free, quick treatment.
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Ahh, when all else fails, just resort to sarcasm and name calling to try and distract folks from the real issue. For the record, I never said or indicated I didn't believe you cut yourself. I was just pointing out your discrepancies to help you understand why some folks aren't so quick to jump on the lock failure bandwagon. When you specifically say you were twisting the knife when the lock fails, and then argue with folks who say the twisting action is what caused it to close by saying you weren't even twisting when it failed, someone's gonna wonder if you're being completely honest with your details.
 
Guys, drop the friggin debate already! Now you're arguing semantics and word-usage timelines. Give him a break, his knife closed on his finger, how the hell would you feel?!

Ever heard the line "Arguing over the Internet is like the special olympics..."?
 
Come on now people. If a knife were only used for exactly what it was meant for, cutting, by applying downward force to cut through an object, then no lock of any kind would be needed. Slipjoints prove this. But there are locks on folding knives and for good reason. Because we don't always use a folding knife exactly for what it was meant to do. Sometimes they get used as "drills" and other make shift tools. Give the guy a break. We've probably all used our knives at one time or another for things they were not designed to do. I know I certainly have.
 
sherlockbonez said:
Yes, I did. I've spent a few years on this forum and I can assure you I've seen all kinds dumbass things being done with little pocket knifes.
Click to expand...

I cut sheet metal with my folders, and the only thing it does is dull the blade a little faster than normal. There's no shock load and it doesn't even need as much force as other more common jobs.

TyMathews said:
How and why is it a "lock failure" when you aren't/weren't using the knife as it was intended to be used?

-Tye
Click to expand...

Is cutting cardboard not something a knife is intended to be used for?
When your glue covered blade binds in an inch of cardboard, it can take a lot of force to get it unstuck. This is way harder on the lock than carving plastic, and one of the more common ways to induce lock failure. I doubt anyone would call it abusive either.
 
Razorsharp1986 said:
I was starting to twist with the lock angle. Which means that if it were a frame lock, I'd apply more force on the lock bar, which would make the lock-up more secure.
Also, the choil on the GB is rather small. And though it is a plus when doing heavy cutting, it could definitely be a disadvantage when the lock fails, and your fingers are in the blade's way. ;)
Click to expand...

I am a bit confused. How is a choil a disadvantage when the lock fail? If the knife is held properly with index in the choil the choil will prevent the knife closing on your fingers.

Pictures on how the knife is held with index in choil
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=750803

On Spderco's website in the discription of the Slipits

"Positioning the index finger in the choil additionally keeps the blade from closing while cutting."

This concept can also be seen in the video posted earlier.

Is the choil on the GB to small to function as this?
 
I had an "accident" with a knife a while back. It was not a Spyderco but a knife of similar quality.
I was hacking away trying to remove the old wood frame in order to replace a window. I was barefoot and dropped the knife and ended up with five stitches on the top of my big toe.
I learned that using a knife for other than cutting requires extra caution and SHOES!!!!

Glad your finger stayed attached, hope it heals quickly.
 
at poking holes, I cut in circular motion, (spin the blade around the point, in the edge direction, not twist, but cut in circles :D) , and hold the knife by the blade , something like this
IMG_5913.jpg

IMG_5912.jpg

IMG_5911.jpg
 
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