How much does general durability matter to you?

S

SBaker34

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Jun 16, 2010
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Not meaning sharpened prybar by durability. But rather ease of cleaning, resistance to dirt. Possibly corrosion resistance. Pivot and lockup strength and so forth.

For me it matters quite a lot. A major reason I like the military series is that they are light, yet can take a beating and all you need to do is occasionally dunk it in a puddle, not that I do that. But they are easy to clean. On the other hand I find I typically don't like lockbacks much because dirt can play such havoc, and it tends to not handle hard use as well.

But for some people it's not a concern. What's the consensus here?
 
My lock back Endura has been my work knife for about 7 years. No issues with dust compromising the works from wood dust to drywall dust to all other manner of remodeling abuse. AND - I use it for gardening and lunch prep too. I clean the blade regularly and wash the outside of the knife but have only taken it apart twice in those 7 years (today as a matter of fact - everything soaking now). Not much gets in there to gum up the works. It is as fine a work folder as I have ever owned. The blade deploys easily, is rugged with no play and the VG-10 is so easy to keep sharp.

ENDURABILITY (in General) A+. I would not accept any less.
 
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"But rather ease of cleaning, resistance to dirt. Possibly corrosion resistance. Pivot and lockup strength and so forth."

Some blades I have as pretty shiny things, for the blades I plan to use your quote is very high on my list.
 
I used a bunch of different spydercos when i was working concrete. The backlocks i used from Japan (delica, caly3, dragonfly, stretch) never had a problem with dust but all developed blade play. The back locks from Taiwan (Chaparral 1 & 2 and sage 4) were constantly gritty and annoying, but none developed play. I am thinking the tighter tolerances of the Taiwan models made them more susceptible to dust??? For bigger knives, the Para2s and the GB I used were exceptional in all regards. The Paras would develop a tiny bit of horizontal play, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted out.

My ideal knife would be a chaparral with a comp or liner lock. The Chaparral and the Dragonfly are my 2 favourite knives and the backlock is my least favourite lock :o
 
Custom said:
I used a bunch of different spydercos when i was working concrete. The backlocks i used from Japan (delica, caly3, dragonfly, stretch) never had a problem with dust but all developed blade play. The back locks from Taiwan (Chaparral 1 & 2 and sage 4) were constantly gritty and annoying, but none developed play. I am thinking the tighter tolerances of the Taiwan models made them more susceptible to dust??? For bigger knives, the Para2s and the GB I used were exceptional in all regards. The Paras would develop a tiny bit of horizontal play, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted out.

My ideal knife would be a chaparral with a comp or liner lock. The Chaparral and the Dragonfly are my 2 favourite knives and the backlock is my least favourite lock :o
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I've induced pretty noticable play in the lw native forum knife. I honestly don't expect the hap 40 endura to survive unharmed when I test it. I don't think the backlock design is particularly strong when it comes to heavy cuts
 
Up and down play is going to be inevitable in any backlock knife with enough use...it won't compromise the lock strength though since the play is in the opposite direction to the force that would defeat the lock. The reason for this is fairly evident if you look at a cross section of a back lock knife. The lockbar can't pull backwards through the lip of the tang, but there's usually (If not always) some space for it to move forwards. I've been quite lucky in that most of my lockbacks have been absolutely solid, but a few have developed a bit of upwards play...no play in any of them though in the downwards direction though (Against the lock), and the play I've experienced is only noticeable with a lot of force so I haven't yet been concerned. The backlock design has its drawbacks to be sure, but it also has its advantages, blade retention just to name one.
 
It matters a great deal to me. Durability ( as opposed to strength or toughness) to me means a long life with fairly minimal care. That takes good engineering in things such as matching materials and hardness's on bearing surfaces so they break in gradually and not burr and gall and such. Examples are my 92-95 Enduras and delicas. Just keeping grit out of them which causes scoring and scratching has caused the back lock bearing surfaces to break in smooth as glass to the point no lube is required any more. With care they should outlast me and give my son as many years as he wants them too.

The movement people call "lock rock" on these models is a design feature. The lock has a pocket that will collect small amounts of dirt to keep the lock functioning instead of disabling it. I suppose with life and use the lock sometimes becomes more noticeable but I wonder what causes this as mine don't display it. I do have a used old Police from the 90's that has the rock in it but overall it looks like it has a lot more wear and tear than any of mine. I keep mine clean and use them as designed and I pride myself on being one of the "right tool for the job " guys.

Joe
 
Corrosion resistance matter a lot. There was a time I could depend on any Spyderco I purchased to be reasonably "stainless". ZDP-189 changed that for me, and it's been down hill ever since. Tool and carbon steels seem to be in vogue these days and, aside from touting H-1 as impervious to rust, Spyderco does not see the need to provide relative rust resistance data, so I'm leery about trusting anything other than VG-10 and S30V not to be rust magnets.

As for ease of cleaning, I carry Spyderco midlocks almost exclusively, I'll wash one if it gets dirty, and check for lint in the blade tang's lock notch occasionally, but have never felt the need to field strip a knife, so ease of disassembly is low on my list of priorities.
 
Besides backlocks, I also find this is a weak point of the CBBL, its quite reliable even when dirty, but its also pretty hard to clean and susceptible to dirt.
 
Not really a concern for me. Going with a reputable brand is good enough. Spyderco? Check!

But then, I rarely encounter hard use while EDCing a folder. For hard use, I switch to a fixed blade, a Mora or Becker.
 
Durability, efficiency and ease of use are my main criteria in selecting a blade I'm going to carry a great deal, so quite important to me.
 
Durability is the most important thing for me , on par with edge holding , toughness and sharpening ease. I like lockbacks myself . My favourite model is a serrated S30V military model. I like the Harpy model too. Very durable and strong . The never failed me. My H1 Autonomy is the most durable switchblade l ever owned.
 
Durability is important. But knives aren't complicated and they're pretty durable tools with minimum care. Modern single blade folders made of stainless steel and modern synthetic handle materials need very little in the way of maintenance--wash them out when they need it, put a little oil on them if they squeak or get sticky, hone the edges before they get dull. Also, don't expect them to do the job of a hammer, pry bar or even a fixed blade knife.
 
this matters to me, #1 durability, #2 practically,and #3 user friendly,all though these things are kind of hard to find in one knife! i try to fine all three things in knifes i pick,but most important is the durability factor,i don't mind the lockbacks and try to keep them clean,and love using linerlocks,as you can hear that CLICK when the blade engages when opening,one knife i have found that is vary durable is my gayle bradley 1).:thumbup:
 
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