Have you ever wore out a Military?

[lambertiana]

After skimming through them the approximate number of reported locks failed in these threads are…

Compression lock - 0
Axis lock - 8
Back lock - 4
Frame lock - 6
Liner lock - 36
And one liner lock that wouldn’t engage to begin with.
(Several slip joints also folded under pressure.)

Don’t you think that’s just a little bit lop sided?

I read warnings from other people about liner locks. Warnings that say you should be extra careful with them. I am passing those warnings down to you.
You have been warned.

It is a mistake to equate this as a definitive relative reliability value for any one specific model. For example, liner locks have a lot of failures noted (at least by your count). But there are far more liner locks on the market than frame locks. And all liner locks are not created equal. I see so many cheap knives with liner locks that are not well made. And that includes some from reputable companies. The real question here is how many Spyderco Military linerlocks have had reported failures, compared to how many have been sold. Then compare that number to another reference, perhaps a BM 710 axis lock. I have seen at least one report of a failure of that lock in that model.

For statistics to be used properly, you have to make sure you are looking at data that is actually relevant to the question at hand. Liner lock reliability in a CRKT knife has nothing to do with liner lock reliability in a Military. As the saying goes, there are lies, and there are damned lies, and then there are statistics.

 

[jimbo@stn23]

I read warnings from other people about liner locks. Warnings that say you should be extra careful with them. I am passing those warnings down to you.
You have been warned.

Well, thanks, I guess, for the warning. I've made a living using knives for long enough, and I'm sure many other forumites can claim similar, that I can figure it out for myself without the lecture or internet research. I'm kinda flyin' by seat of the pants based on real world experience. Great effort trying to save me from myself but spend your time on something else.

Regarding the Military lifespan, I think based on about 4 or 5 years use so far, and cycling through EDC duties without abuse, it should provide an easy 10 to 15 years more use. Good, well built knife that will provide good service.

 

[Torm]

I read warnings from other people about liner locks. Warnings that say you should be extra careful with them. I am passing those warnings down to you.
You have been warned.

You found some opinions of internet people out there and have based your own opinions on them. I've been using liner lock knives daily for 8 years now and have yet to see a failure or even hear of one amongst anyone I know in real life. Mind you those folders have been used for cutting, which is what they're designed for, rather than hammering on the spine like its a large fixed blade but then again folders aren't designed with that type of abuse in mind.

 

[Joshua J.]

If common knowledge isn't enough then so be it.

At least we can agree that liner locks have a shorter life span than other locks (given similar quality), right?


Kgriggs8, don’t give up on the Compression lock just yet. I have yet to hear complaints about the Compression lock on the ATR. The difference between the ATR and others is that it has an integral Compression lock, not one that uses a liner.
In theory (here I go with unsubstantiated claims again) the thicker lock bar wears much slower. So far we have only seen one model with the integral Compression lock. Once more models are released with those then we’ll have a better idea what should be expected.
I would love to see the Para-Military with a nice thick SS or Ti lock side scale, as that should fix the problem for the most part.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I have owned quite a few Military models over the years, and have had lock issues. One example had enough vertical play that the liner did not touch the tang. On several knives, the liner would slide back and forth as light pressure was applied to the spine of the knife.

Whenever I grip a Military in a firm standard or hammer grip, my fingers disengage the lock. I have fairly large hands, but I have heard this complaint before.

I feel that the finger choil on the right scale allows too much of the liner to go unprotected. This bit of exposed liner lock ends up getting hit by the user's hand and disengages the lock.

The Military is an excellent cutter and very ergonomic. However, I think a knife of this quality deserves a better lock than a liner lock. I used to recommend the Military highly to others, but no longer do so because of the lock issues.