Has anyone had an AFCK linerlock fail?

shootist16

shootist16

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Has anyone had an AFCK linerlock fail? I am considering one. I really like the design, even though it is a linerlock. I understand the AFCK is supposed to be one of the better production linerlocks. What is your experience?
 
I carried an AFCK for three years, and put it through the wringer. I'm also a habitual flicker-dozens of times a day. Lock never failed, regardless of use. A coworker has it now. Still locks up as solid as the day it was bought. Liner is now dead center in the middle of the tang.

I owned a mini-AFCK (they have steel liners unlike the full-size, btw) for about five years, and carried it for two before getting the AFCK. Lock finally failed early this year (or late last-can't remember). Sent it back to BM, and they sent me a brand new mini-AFCK.

Great knives.
 
Neither my previous 800HS or my current 812HS have ever failed to lock up in any way.

I take it as a given that you are aware of the AFCK series flaws? In case you are not:

1. Scale flex
2. Blade coming away from center
3. Blade scraping liners upon opening
4. Slight but noticable blade play

(all these flaws are interelated and are in effect cause and effect)

Every BM AFCK I have seen and owned has shown this problem. They are minor bugs and the design and utility of this knife makes it still very much worth getting IMHO but I just wanted to give you the heads up. It is a real shame more effort was not made to rectify these annoying if minor problems! Just look at a knife like the LCC or any Spyderco, they are much better for QC! Bring on the Axis model...:p
 
Dennis,


I have a real old early production AFCK that I carried daily on construction jobs for several years. Mine is still dead center, and does not rub, never has. This is the smoothest opening knife I have ever seen.

Liner lock hits the tang dead center every time. Knife continues to pass moderate spine whack test with flying colors.

All of my old work pants have holes in the left hip pocket that are shaped just like the bottom of the AFCK handle. The G-10 on the bottom of the clip side is pretty badly worn from sticking out of the hole.

I am sitting here playing with mine as I write; I haven't really carried it in a long time (somebody turned me on the Wegner).

I should start carrying this thing again. I have really been pleased with mine, it has taken far more abuse than I had any right to expect, and it is still in pretty good shape, considering.
 
I've had my AFCK for 3 years now and have not experienced any of the problems that have been reported. Mine has always locked up rock solid and never even hinted at a liner failure. It is one of 4 knives in my EDC rotation and the one I go to when I want a big strong knife with me.

My only complaint was the way the edge was profiled on my example - I had to do some serious sharpening to thin out the edge 'shoulders' about 1/2" to 1" from the tip so that I could get a razor edge on it. I've never heard of anyone else experiencing this, so I'm assuming that the factory grinding or sharpening guy was just having a bad day. The best advice would probably be to buy one at a store that has a few in stock - that way you could examine them all and pick the best one (assuming that some of them exhibit the problems that have bee reported).

I don't think you will ever regret getting this knife.
 
I have had one for over a year now. Mine passes the spine whack test, and it does not exhibit any of the mentioned faults above except for the handle flex. Cure would be a longer spacer. Smoothest opening knife of any that I have ever handled. The only complaint with the AFCK that I have is that I wish the handle, opposite blade end, would be shortened a .25 inch or so. I would recommend that you buy one without hesitation. The knife is light and swift into action, and I rate it as a must have folder. Big D1
 
I have three. They are THE classic "tactical" type one-hand folder as far as I'm concerned. I got my first one back in the mid-90's ('93 or '94, I can't remember).
Several years ago on Labor Day, I nearly severed the index finger on my right hand. I had no real tac type folder for left hand carry, so I went out and bought a LH AFCK. I tell ya, I felt a lot more comfortable walking around with that in my LH pocket than anything else available at that time.
Finally, I got an AFCK in M-2 when I found out they were available about a year and a half ago. It is still in the active rotation.

When they finally come out with the "must have" Axis AFCK, I may not look at folders again when I go to the knife shop.:D
Unless, of course, Spyderco comes out with a Frame Lock Wegner.;)
 
I have had many AFCKs (800), with my favorite being the early run with the silver BM emblem and the new 804. I've seen several problems creep into the manufacture of the AFCK over recent years, but I have never had one or heard of an AFCK lock failing.

I know you'll be happy with one, maybe two.:D

TheGeneral - I have seen the problems you described in all of the recent manufacture 800's. I have found that the 804 AFCKII has solved these problems. I have two 804's and they rival the early model 800. I would like to find an early 800 and compare it with the 804.
 
I thought i had read somewhere that BM was going to make the AFCK with the Axis lock. That would settle the issue of lock reliability.
 
I've been carrying mine now for over seven years and I still love it. Mine also suffers from those minor flaws mentioned above. I fixed the handle flex by replacing the plastic crap BM calls a back spacer with two aluminum spacers I ground from 3/16" plate. Now the handle is nearly rock solid. I haven't been able to get the blade to center up when closed.

This design is definately one of the classics and the only way it will be made better is for BM to stop screwing around and give it an Axis lock!
 
AFCK as a crow bar? I cannot detect handle flex.
Mine is a later ver 1.1, round hole, 154cm blade.
Blade does not scrape liners.
No blade play when locked.
No reason not to get one.:)
 
ExMB it doesnt flex nearly as much when open, because the linner forms a "triangular" shape and gives it more "rigidity"

when closed they flex all over the place
 
Back in the day when I carried an AFCK, it never failed me once. Now it did stab my bad in the leg, but I suppose that was my fault :)
 
i not only have never had a AFCK fail a whack test, i have never had a BM fail - i have 3 AFCK's, a 975SBT, a leopard, and a stryker, no probs w/any........and though i LOVE spydie, i'm not sure there QC is any better than BM, or i have just got a couple of spydies w/probs, or have been exceptionally lucky on BM, as i have had to send in some spydies for warranty work(2 out of many i have had over the years.....), never a BM, like i say though, just my personal experience w/the two brands....


sifu
 
Handle flex???????

I had never noticed anything like this on my AFCK - but decided to check. I'm pretty sure mine is a just a std AFCK (ATS-34 uncoated blade, titanium liner, G10 scales, plastic spacer), but I can't get any significant flex regardless how hard I twist and bend the damn thing - open or closed. The most I noticed was a incredibly small amount of movement of the blade tip in the handle when twisting hard in the closed position - probably less than 1/64". IMO pretty insignificant.
 
The handle flex reported is probably due to the design on the older generation AFCKs. The scales and back-spacer were screwed together with two screws and the only threads for the screws were on the back-side G-10 scale :rolleyes: Even the Ti liners were drilled out to let the screws pass through. It didn't take long for the screws to strip out of the G-10 and create that annoying flex.

BM has since corrected this problem by using nuts on the back-side scale now. When I replaced the spacers on mine I also replaced the screws with some 3-32 screws and nuts; worked like a charm :)
 
The question was simple enough...to wit: "Has anyone had an AFCK linerlock fail?"

I have, some 5 or 6 years ago.

It was a first generation mini-AFCK and while I was showing some family members how reliable it was...it closed up on my trigger finger at the first digit.

Being that I consider my ability to shoot one of my few "gifts", that really scared the f*ck outta me...

I recovered with only a small scar left from the stitches, and no permanant damage.

I think the failure may've been self induced. I was unfamiliar with the (at the time) new liner lock system, was holding had the handle in my strong right hand, blade down, and then pushed down on it hard with my left hand...it closed.

I gave it back to the buddy that I'd bought it from, (he had a small knife resell business), and he gave me another...which I later resold.

To this day I hate liner locks...and much prefer lockbacks or frame locks.

An interesting side note...

My friend passed away with no heirs a few years back...and had previously asked if I would be his estate executor...and sole beneficiary, the answer to a friend of course, was yes.

My wife and I later decided to sell the knives that our friend had bought to sell, i.e. his "business", and to use the money to buy the knives that he was collecting...Randall's, as our tribute to our friends memory...and we did...that's how we got into the whole knife "thang"

While working the local "show" circuit, selling some of the knives, especially the Benchmades "enmass" to another reseller...we made a few friends.

Two years went by...and at the last local gunshow, walking through as a pedestrian with my wife, we came across the fellow that we'd sold the Benchmade's to...and he's excited to see us.

It turns out that he'd held onto a few of those knives for a while before selling them...

And one that he did sell, in Tulsa, was the one I'd given back to my pal...he'd sent it off to Benchmade, they'd found nothing wrong with it, Keith had placed that note in the box with the knife...had died leaving us the knife, we resold the knife, which was once resold, and via a round about way, the note finally came home to us, on Benchmade letterhead...

And I quote..."No problems found, operator error..." BMK QA

Just for the record...: That freaking little bastid of a knife folded up on me, damn near cutting off my one good trigger finger...period!

Do what ya gotta do buddy, but I'd look into something a little more secure if it was my trigger finger at risk...if ya know what I mean!

I hope that answers your question... ;)
 
Dennis,

I have a few of them (CQC7 regualr and wave) not the AFCK - but still -they never fail.period.

I am a habitual "back whacker" of liner locks - and the only maker that never give in - is BM.

I still prefer the compression lock as found on the Gunting for a tactical folder though..
 
I've bought, sold and traded several AFCK's and not one of them has had any lock failure. I still use one that's seen 5 years of constant use so far, and it's lock up is still secure.
 
Dennis

I've had both the large and the small for over 3 years and have had no problems at all. I've seen the stories, but it has not been my experience. They have been solid and reliable in all respects.
 
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