lionsteel sr1 aluminum?

DONT have either one. Would if i could afford one. Love the blade shape. Just posted to make sure y'all had enough Mikes on this thread.
 
We have tested daily for more than one year samples made with alluminum frame... no one problem.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Get an aluminum can and cut yourself a strip from it. Hold one end and bend the other end back and forth about a half inch. Enough to flex it but not put a permanent bend in it. Start counting then come back and let us know when it breaks in half. Don't hold your breath. If the metal doesn't take plastic deformation, a permanent bend, it will flex for many tens of thousands of cycles without breaking. Now if you put a permanent bend in it and do that a couple times it will break, but so will steel and titanium. In this manner aluminum will break faster than other materials but they will all break in fairly short order. Non permanent flexing is why leaf springs last for many hundreds of thousands of miles and still work long after a car wears out and no longer runs. Aluminum is not a very glamorous knife handle material, but it should hold up fine. There have also been prototypes around for over a year and I'm sure Lionsteel would not make a knife that would end in problems, even though they would stand behind every one.

And my name isn't Mike. Hope I'm still allowed to post.
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I am completely agree with you.
 
elkins45 said:
My concern isn't with strength exactly, it's with the repeated flexing of the lock bar. Aluminum isn't exactly known for being a metal that likes to be repeatedly bent. I worry that the lock bar cutout would eventually develop a stress fracture at the point of maximum flex.

Of course, aircraft wings are made of aluminum and they seem awfully bendy when I'm looking out the window at them, so what do I know?
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This is my exact concern too. I was thought that Aluminum will not hold up under Cyclical Fatigue. If a designer anticipates deflection, then a different material should be selected. Aircraft are under constant and routine maintenance, the aluminum panels do crack and are frequently replaced. A replacement aluminum frame lock for the SR-1 may be a hassle for Lionsteel because they would have to replace the whole handle.

This are just engineering rule of thumb. supposedly the knife tests fine and there are a lot of happy owners. but, like you, i have my concerns.
 
Yeh, so the question begs, will they replace one if the lockbar breaks at the cutout from metal fatigue?
 
I'll put this out there for the very little that's it's worth (and no, my name isn't Mike):
I don't own an aluminum one, but I do own three titanium SR-1s. The remarkable thing about them, to me, is how freakishly close they are to each other in terms of their tolerances. They open with the same amount of pressure. If you wrist-snap them, their blades all stop at about exactly the same "2/3 of the way" position. Their locks engage to exactly the same point on the tang (or as exact as my calipers can measure) and the edge shoulder thickness is so close on them that again I can't tell a difference. I own knives from almost all of the major manufacturers and quite a few customs too, and the consistency of the build on these is just exceptional.

Why is that relevant? Because it's my guess that a company whose manufacturing standards are that high isn't going to release a "crappy" version of their flagship knife. The one thing I've always been afraid of on aluminum or titanium liner/frame locks is material wear next to the steel tang. As these have a hardened steel insert which negates that, I don't think there are any realistic concerns here. With the thickness of the frames and and size of the pivots, these knives are tanks. If they made it out of brass I might be worried, but aluminum should last your lifetime. My ER police folder has an aluminum handle and I couldn't be more confident in its ruggedness (and it has received a great deal more use than my SR-1s have).
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Get an aluminum can and cut yourself a strip from it. Hold one end and bend the other end back and forth about a half inch. Enough to flex it but not put a permanent bend in it. Start counting then come back and let us know when it breaks in half. Don't hold your breath. If the metal doesn't take plastic deformation, a permanent bend, it will flex for many tens of thousands of cycles without breaking. Now if you put a permanent bend in it and do that a couple times it will break, but so will steel and titanium. In this manner aluminum will break faster than other materials but they will all break in fairly short order. Non permanent flexing is why leaf springs last for many hundreds of thousands of miles and still work long after a car wears out and no longer runs. Aluminum is not a very glamorous knife handle material, but it should hold up fine. There have also been prototypes around for over a year and I'm sure Lionsteel would not make a knife that would end in problems, even though they would stand behind every one.

And my name isn't Mike. Hope I'm still allowed to post.
Click to expand...

Well, those aircraft parts which fail aren't bent all over the place...they flex often enough and then they fail.
I'm sticking with the no aluminum frame-lock stance, regardless of the knife standing up to one year of use.
 
stabman said:
I'm sticking with the no aluminum frame-lock stance...
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The amount of bending taking place vs. the thickness of the lock-arm results in such a small ratio... regardless, I'm sure they have a Ti with your name on it :)



From the thickest...


...to thinnest point of lock-arm




(click-the-pics for hi-rez goodness)
 
Just received a green handeled with black bladeSR-1, I really like the attention to detail and the Rotolock. The handle has plenty of size for a solid full grip. I will be carrying the knife at work but I think it may be too slick in the hand.

I will also pick up a LionSpy when they become available and believe that the G-10 will be more work friendly concerning the grippier handle slab.
 
I have a few modern Bökers with an aluminum alloy handle. I have nothing against the material in itself, but if you buy one that's anodised in a nice colour, then please don't carry it together with your car keys: you will quickly make very visible scratches.
 
Aluminum is definitely not the right material if you want your knife to avoid showing wear. There aren't a lot of knives intended to be collectable that are made with aluminum scales...it's a material for working knives.
 
You can call me Mike as long as it's to come to dinner. I have a Ti SR-1. I would save for the Ti version, it's worth every penny.
 
Very interesting/informative thread -- I'd been wondering about this exact thing myself. Thanks to all for the helpful discussion.

P.S. And no, my name isn't Mike.
 
Then get outta here! Mikes only!! Lmao jk jk!! Yes thanks guys for all the opinions.
 
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