Lev-R-Lock: junk

C

Carl64

Joined
Apr 3, 2005
Messages
1,830
I bought a Lev-r-lock because it's one of those things I always wanted.

The first one was defective with a small internal metal plate, which covers the opening mechanism, being bent and not fit down right. I sent it back to Camillus, expecting it was also the source of unreliable operation. Even the slightest sideways pressure on the opening lever makes the whole thing stick and not open.

I got the replacement today. The metal plate is on right, but it doesn't work any better. On top of that, when opened the lock bar sticks out about 1/8" at the back end, something the first one didn't do.

It's a shame Camillus has this brilliant innovation and they bury it in a total piece of junk. The first time I saw one was a long time ago, maybe around 1990 or earlier, and I remember it working better. I could be wrong though.
 
That is disappointing to read. The only lev-r-lock I have handled is still at my local gunshop on display. Probably been opened and closed a gazillion times, and works perfectly. Too bad someone there at Camillus didn;t take the time to properly test your knife before sending it to you.

Note to Camillus: Please note how the great Buck Forum is run here at BFC. Not only Buck Rep Joe Houser is on duty, but it seems half the Buck management staff as well. And CJ and Chuck Buck make posts. That company seems to find value in direct interaction with it's customers. STrange how this forum is linked to from the Camillus website, and it is constantly ignored.

Phil
 
The Spyderco forum is covered too. Sal Glesser is on top of everything, and not only has some pretty big fans because of it but also sells a lot of knives that might not have been made without it. The latest Delica and Endura are about 95% exactly what was asked for in the bladeforums and spyderco.com from over 100 posts. It sounds like those things are going to sell like crazy, not just to regular buyers but to people who already have one and want that new one SOOOO bad.

It's not that Camillus is the only company in the world without upper management talking to customers, but like you said they do list the forum on their website.

They never have been so good at giving us current information. The website is always well short of showing their complete line. How are people supposed to buy things if they don't know they exist? I guess Camillus is mainly a contract manufacturer.
 
Lev-R-Lock is junk.In addition to what you posted Carl,how is your blade play,open,mine has the WORST blade play I have ever seen in a knife! :thumbdn:
 
leatherbird said:
Lev-R-Lock is junk.In addition to what you posted Carl,how is your blade play,open,mine has the WORST blade play I have ever seen in a knife! :thumbdn:
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It's pretty darned awful. It wobbles every direction.

The funny thing is, when the lever is pressed down EXACTLY straight and carefully, the gears or whatever parts all work perfectly. It's like the stuff holding them in place is the problem. They did an OK job on the complicated parts, and mounted them in a POS frame.

I can't believe I paid $35 for this thing. Maybe I can get $20 credit if I trade it in at a local shop, but $15 is probably more likely.
 
The lev-r-lock, was a bad design, unfortunately. Ive handled some before when I was at smoky years ago. They just did not seem to be very solid knives. I opted, after handling a few, against buying one.

If I were you I would send it right back again. They need to make it right. I would call customer service first before you send it.
 
rev_jch said:
The lev-r-lock, was a bad design, unfortunately. Ive handled some before when I was at smoky years ago. They just did not seem to be very solid knives. I opted, after handling a few, against buying one.

If I were you I would send it right back again. They need to make it right. I would call customer service first before you send it.
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I sent them an e-mail explaining what happened and they called me and left a message to call back about it. I talked to a nice lady who said she asked one of their engineers about it and she checked a few more units. She says she has one that works good, although the lock bar is still not lined up perfect. I am thinking the operation of the lever might be more of a matter of opinion. As I said, it works fine if I push it exactly right, but it has no desire to work right on its own if I try to open it in a hurry.

She said she couldn't replace it with any other model. That would have been nice, although I'm not sure what similar thing they make that I would want anyway. Plus she said they haven't had complaints about it, so maybe they were thinking I was just not happy with it rather than the knife not being any good.

She was very nice about it and seemed concerned that I didn't get one I liked, but that's only worth so much if they don't have a good knife.
 
Interesting story, you'd think they could have at least refunded your money.
 
DaveH said:
Interesting story, you'd think they could have at least refunded your money.
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I guess I didn't bother to ask for that, but I didn't buy it directly from them and it was well past the return period for the website I got it from.

The knife is really just put together sloppy. Too bad, because I have a nice little Camillus lockback I got at Sears years ago. Not too fancy, but the parts fit together OK.

Anyone have one of the Sierra lockbacks? Any good, or loose and sloppy too?
 
I guess my point would be, if they can't build it decently, why are they even selling it? Is it an import or do they make them?
 
DaveH said:
I guess my point would be, if they can't build it decently, why are they even selling it? Is it an import or do they make them?
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It's US-made. I don't think I have ever seen someone carrying one of these, even though they have been sold for at least 10 years. I wonder how many they sell.
 
I bought one a few months ago. Even though it opened and closed fine (gotta admit opening it was pretty cool :cool: ) I was not impressed with it. Very poorly put together and had a cheap look and feel. I gave it to my nephew. He was impressed with it. But, then again, he gets excited about chinese flea market knives. :rolleyes: I have tried to educate him. :D
 
I have one and I like it alright.
I think that it is a crappy knife (cheap handle, cheap blade-steel, crazy blade-play, etc...) but I still like it as an interesting piece of engineering.
Of course, I like alot of gadgets.

Allen.
 
I pulled out my Lev-R-Lock to compare it's quality. Like most factory knives, it's another example of Good combined with Bad. There is definitely too much blade play; the front pin simply isn't tight enough. But the lock is strong and tight, and there are no issues with the opening mechanism - I can't reproduce any of the problems described.

As to the "cheapness" of the handle, it's a $30 black plastic knife. Don't know what you expected. It feels like the same material used on my Bucklite, Endura, and others.

Quick background question. The first Lev-R-Lock knives were marked "Soque River", a short-lived Japanese company. Was the knife designed by Soque and made by Camillus? Or was it a Camillus invention from the start?

-Bob

It just occured to me that a slightly loose blade may be intentional. If it were very stiff, the gear-driven(?) mechanism might not be strong enough to open the blade.
 
Bob W said:
It just occured to me that a slightly loose blade may be intentional. If it were very stiff, the gear-driven(?) mechanism might not be strong enough to open the blade.
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Only if they aren't competent enough to make the parts fit right. They chose the price. I have cheaper knives that work better. Heck, a $10 Schrade nighthawk, made in the US, was better than this Lev-r-lock. That gives them a lot of room to work with.

Why put a $30 locking mechanism in a $5 knife?
 
I've been contemplating mine and the "purposefully loose" theory doesn't stick. It's simply too loose, a result of careless workmanship while installing the front pin.

I know what you're saying about price too. It seems that Camillus thinks for $30 you're only owed a interesting design, not QC. The thing is, CRKT does both at the same price range.

-Bob
 
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