Liner lock question

[asdf12345]

Does the wear on the lock bar face come mostly from actuation or from pressure/friction between the surfaces during actual use? My lock bar doesn't have that far to go before it touches the opposite handle scale and I was wondering whether opening the knife slowly, while keeping pressure on the lock bar so it doesn't spring into position, would delay its abrasion.

 

[nopyo]

Unless you are constantly putting force on the spine of the blade when it's open, the opening "click" probably causes more wear than the pressure.

 

[benchwarmer380]

In my experience it is from actuation as that is when the most friction occurs. A good liner lock (or any lock for that matter) won't move at all during use. Waving or a strong wrist flip to open a knife will expedite the wear. Taking it easy will always let it last longer, holding the lock bar shouldn't be necessary.

What's the knife in question?

 

[asdf12345]

Benchmade 640S. If it were a modern in-production knife I wouldn't worry so much, but I am not sure if Benchmade can replace parts on this knife as it hasn't been made in almost 2 decades.

 

[longun]

I'm sure that the friction of the lock surfaces sliding on each other would cause more wear then the compression factor. During actuation these surface move on each other, but during regular use movement should be minimal. Keeping the locking surfaces clean should also reduce wear.