Liner locks- why?

bobobama

bobobama

Joined
Jan 15, 2017
Messages
416
OK, as we all know, liner locks are a popular locking mechanism and are used by many knife companies on various models. What I want to know is why are they still being used?

I once had a liner lock fail on me (luckily no injury). It was a Benchmade Mini ACFK which failed under very light usage. To their credit Benchmade replaced it free of charge, however, I no longer trust it. I've seen Vinninul overide an Emerson liner lock 5 times in a row on one of his spine whack tests. He also managed to crack beyond usage the liner lock on an Ontario Rat 1. I know he takes things to the extreme, but I'm sure there are folks on this forum who've experienced similar failures under more normal circumstances.

And in addition to outright failures, I've seen lots of threads about problems with lock stick, and either early or late lock-ups. Some companies use little tricks like carbirized (?) liners or steel inserts, but these just seem to be band aids for an inherently faulty mechanism.

So I ask, why are companies still using them and why are we still buying them? Why, why, why?
 
They are a cheaper option to manufacture and adaquate for lite to moderate use for a limited period of time.
 
Imagine growing up in the days of no knife locks on Case Trappers and Stockmans, etc. Spyderco does an excellent liner lock in their Military model and though the design is almost 30 years old, it's still a formidable cutting tool just the way it sits.

Common sense here folks.
 
bobobama bobobama which lock would you prefer and why?

After that's answered consider, does it rely on tiny springs or other delicate support parts? Is it easily and thoroughly cleanable without dissasembly? If dust/dirt glue gets in it, will it function perfectly?

Many people trade some of this in other mechanisms and it's fine. Some folks still even prefer slip joints, nothing wrong with that either. Just a choice and sometimes a tradeoff.

I've watched a guy fail a liner lock in person and split his hand open pretty well. He was using the knife like a jackass (think ice pick/prybar) and earned the result. While I don't doubt you had one fail in normal use, I'd certainly like to know how it failed to avoid doing it myself if you don't mind sharing.
 
Knives are for cutting stuff. FOLDING knives are for cutting smaller stuff. The idea that your folder has to sustain forces that your fixed blade never would and survive is asinine. If you regularly work a folder to the point of failure, it ain't the knife's fault. YOU just like breaking shit. Get a fixed blade.
 
http://www.knife-expert.com/liners.txt

Quoted by our own Bernard Levine. One of the major advantages of the liner lock is that it fails in the "open" position, preventing the blade from closing on your fingers.

Not to say it can't: if you squeeze hard enough (like trying to push cut with a dull knife), you can move the liner out of position, and force a "fail closed" condition. But, compared to the slipjoints of the day, Michael Walker's new method was a leap forward in safety.
 
Well built liner locks work fine, unfortunately not all are well built, and even good companies can make mistakes. I have no problem with the knives I own.
If you want a lock that is 100% full proof-get a fixed blade. All folder locks can fail, even from no fault of the lock-such as foreign matter.
 
It’s my favorite mechanism. Linerlock/framelocks are easy to work and function with ease. I also love slipjoints. In the end a knife is mostly dangerous due to the user and what they got between the ears.
 
They are not my favorite but they do a great job. If you like speed an axis lock is hard to beat. if you want toughness a good back lock is my preference. I have only one Liner lock so I`m not a reference on that matter, but still the only one I have is tight and reliable.
 
While liner locks seem very simple, making a good liner lock is not so simple. Some designs are very good; my personal favorite is the Spyderco Military. I own 4 of them, and they are all rock-solid in normal knife use, some over many years. No, I don't spine whack them, or stab them into hard wood and twist the blades out. I also wouldn't do that with a compression lock, axis lock, Tri-Ad lock, etc. No folding knife lock is idiot-proof, and folding knives do just that; they fold.

There are some liner locks I have less confidence in than others. I still own some older (late '90s/early 2K) Emerson knives that I don't fully trust the locks on. Much has to do with not only the materials, but with the geometry of the mating surface(s).

I've also used slip-joint pocketknives for over 40 years and have NEVER had one inadvertently close on me. I treat locking knives like slip-joints with an added safety feature, and not as bomb-proof.

Jim
 
I’ve never had a liner lock fail or any kind of problems with them. I’ve never seen anyone else have failures or problems. But I have seen some very idiotic tests that go beyond any reasonable manner to see if they can fail. I’ve also known a few people that can ruin an anvil with a rubber mallet so they are out there.
 
Most liner-locks and frame-locks I've tried to make fail with spine whacks held up just fine. If they get it right nothing at all is wrong with them.
 
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