How strong is the Liner lock for Spyderco Military?

newcollector10 · Aug 28, 2010

I'm thinking about buying the Spyderco Military, but had a few concerns and questions. First of all when is the newer Military 2 coming out, if soon I'll wait. Is it worth the wait? Secondly, How strong is the liner lock on the Military? Thirdly, Is the liner locking mechanism the same as other liner locks or is it better and if so, how? Thanks in advance for any help. Mike

Jason B. · Aug 28, 2010

IMO its the gold standard of liner locks, its a refined design and leaves no doubt that its going to hold up. Just get one now AFAIK there is no ETA for the millie two.

If theres one thing besides cutting that the military is known for it is its lock.

termiteslayer · Aug 28, 2010

The lock is quite stout on my millie.

jonnymac44 · Aug 28, 2010

It's fine, you don't need to worry.

Josh K · Aug 28, 2010

Never have and never will [worry about it], it is the best liner lock I've ever handled.

jakeyjake4528 · Aug 28, 2010

newcollector10 said:
I'm thinking about buying the Spyderco Military, but had a few concerns and questions. First of all when is the newer Military 2 coming out, if soon I'll wait. Is it worth the wait? Secondly, How strong is the liner lock on the Military? Thirdly, Is the liner locking mechanism the same as other liner locks or is it better and if so, how? Thanks in advance for any help. Mike

if youre worried about the liner lock, which you dont have to be at all, how about the ti military?

newcollector10 · Aug 28, 2010

Good idea for the Ti, but it's out of my budget. Thanks for all the help:thumbup:

yerscattergun · Aug 28, 2010

I'd be more worried about the tip, on a knife called a "Military" it should be
much stronger. IMHO.

Josh K · Aug 28, 2010

yerscattergun said:
I'd be more worried about the tip, on a knife called a "Military" it should be
much stronger. IMHO.

Most people who complain about tip strength haven't actually handled one.

If it was an issue there would be people complaining about it, right? Yet there aren't.

arjung · Aug 28, 2010

Don't own one right now, but of all the liner locks I have handled, it's probably one of the best.

Folderguy · Aug 28, 2010

Josh K said:
Most people who complain about tip strength haven't actually handled one.

If it was an issue there would be people complaining about it, right? Yet there aren't.

Ankerson had the tip break on two of them. He recommended the knife to me, but cautioned about not doing any prying with it.

Josh K · Aug 28, 2010

Folderguy said:
Ankerson had the tip break on two of them. He recommended the knife to me, but cautioned about not doing any prying with it.

And you are fully aware that the first time he broke it was battoning through a bolt (the metal kind) and the second time he was trying to split a log?

yerscattergun · Aug 28, 2010

Josh K said:
Most people who complain about tip strength haven't actually handled one.

If it was an issue there would be people complaining about it, right? Yet there aren't.

I had one, didn't break the tip but treated it very gently. Realized I was always
being very careful with it and finally said to myself, "this is supposed to be a tough folder, why do I have to be walking on eggshells? I sold it and got a Cold Steel Recon and recently upgraded to a 710....

So-Lo · Aug 28, 2010

yerscattergun said:
I'd be more worried about the tip, on a knife called a "Military" it should be
much stronger. IMHO.

Here's a pic of it next to the uber tough Umnumzaan

To the OP, I wouldn't of tried this demo if I didn't believe in the Military's tip or liner lock

Spyderco S30V SE Military

[YouTube]po0g8g8awzo[/YouTube]

Spyderco S90V PE Military

[YouTube]uNezULSRyM0[/YouTube]

cziv · Aug 28, 2010

Anyone with 1/2 a brain can see that the Military is not (among folders) a candidate for batoning except under the most dire circumstance and even then very, very carefully - not getting greedy on the size of pieces being split!!

yerscattergun said:
I had one, didn't break the tip but treated it very gently. Realized I was always
being very careful with it and finally said to myself, "this is supposed to be a tough folder, why do I have to be walking on eggshells? I sold it and got a Cold Steel Recon and recently upgraded to a 710....

For toughness I'd consider that a downgrade, but not for versatility and EDC.

JNewell · Aug 28, 2010

AFAIK there is no timetable for a Military 2. There is a plan to make a rolling change in the Ti Military starting this fall, by incorporating a steel insert in the face of the lockbar.

The linerlock on the Military is very strong. Because it uses a steel lockbar that is reinforced with the G10 scale, it may actually be stronger than the Ti framelock version.

Tip strength is an almost perfectly linear tradeoff. Better slicing vs. stronger (pry-resistant) tip.

Folderguy · Aug 28, 2010

Josh K said:
And you are fully aware that the first time he broke it was battoning through a bolt (the metal kind) and the second time he was trying to split a log?

Not entirely aware. How big was the bolt, was it a regular bolt or a hardened one, and how thick was the "log"?

Sal Glesser · Aug 28, 2010

Hi New Collector,

The Military with the current Linerlock breaks at about 550 inch/lbs per inch of blade lenrth. With a 4" blade length, this puts it into our heavy duty lock rating of over 100 inch/lbs per inch. This is quite good for a Linerlock. But in reality, reliability of the lock is more critical than overall strength.

At this time, the Military 2 is still a ways off. We one very overworked engineer, and many models in queue.

Hi Scattergun,

The Miliary is a highly efficient cutting tool for our troops. Prying, digging, hammering activity (which usually dulls the edge) is what your "issued duty weapon" is for. The Military was designed to be a large folder, that was strong, reliable, light to carry (lord knows our troops carry enough gear), dependable and a high perrformance cutter that will add to your safety in a dangerous situation.

We've been refining the knife for over 10 years and we have many stories of their service. Even our "experimental" models are made with exceptional steel to ensure their performance.

sal

Josh K · Aug 28, 2010

Folderguy said:
Not entirely aware. How big was the bolt, was it a regular bolt or a hardened one, and how thick was the "log"?

I believe it was a mild steel bolt (1/2" maybe?), and IIRC 3-4" (diameter) log.

I'll see if I can dig up the post.

5.56 · Aug 28, 2010

yerscattergun said:
I'd be more worried about the tip, on a knife called a "Military" it should be
much stronger. IMHO.

Josh K said:
Most people who complain about tip strength haven't actually handled one.

One could also say that if they are complaining about tip strength, they are not using the knife for it's intended purpose and that they probably shouldn't be using a knife at all.