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lock failure

I have never had one fail. As close as I have come is when the pivot screw loosened and the lock didn't seat properly. This was immediately recognized and fixed.

I don't tend to put excessive force on a knife blade. I find a saw or axe much better for wood chopping chores and use the knives mostly for cutting.

I also sharpen my knives so don't need excessive force when cutting. A dull knife takes much more force to cut than a sharp one. That's why sharp knives are the safest knives.
 
I remember opening one of my lockbacks and then when I went to use it I noticed it hadn't completely locked. Here it was from a small piece of lint. Blew it out and it locked up fine. Since that I normally avoid lock backs and go with a frame lock or AXIS lock. I have never had an issue with an AXIS or frame lock.
 
I do have a Custom Lock back that sort of locks. I discovered this when I was splitting some sticks for a fire and accidentally hit the back of the blade and it closed (some blood, but not a huge amount). at that point it became a safe queen (should have sent it back to maker!). I looked at it a couple of weeks ago and I can get the blade to unlock with moderate pressure on the spine, actually some slip joints take more force, but that's another issue. it looks great, but does not get pocket time anymore. Steven
 
Never. And I've been using locking knives for several years.

But still, I don't count on the locks not to fail.

I always use a locking folder within its limits.
 
I had an Opinel twist lock come open as I was opening cardboard boxes. Luck would have it that I didn't cut my hand off. I sat back & thought it out as to what the heck happened. Then it dawned on me.. I am a righty & I had the twist lock in the wrong direction & my thumb opened the lock! If your right handed holding the knife in your hand twist the lockring to the right & your thumb during cutting work will actually tighten the lock. The opposite is true for lefties.. turn the lockring to the left.:thumbup:
 
I'm very intrigued by lock failures and would like to see a page dedicated to photos of failures. As Cliff noted, some people don't like to use their knives before testing them; however, sometimes testing them causes them to weaken. I suspect it's possible to test one's knife -- give it several solid spine whacks and stab-and-twists -- and then, once it's passed, have it fail the next time it's put under stress.

When I was still fairly new to knives, it surprised me to hear people on this board talk about their CRKTs (LAWKS) failing. The knives, after all, appeared solid and the rotating safety seemed like it should do the trick...but there was no guarantee. It might hold just fine, but then, it might give without warning. If that weren't bad enough, I see reports of fixed knives failing. One doesn't expect to see (as one poster recently showed) a Cold Steel tanto Recon shattered just above the handle.

The bottom line is that I guess there's no guarantee against failure. I remember taking a .44 Magnum Virginian Dragoon out for an afternoon of shooting. I'd never fired it before, though I had dry snapped it some. On about my fourth shot, the stainless steel hammer shattered like glass. I picked it up from the grass and got it replaced under warranty; however, you can't tell faulty steel by looking at it. If you test it, you can weaken it, and if you don't test it, it can fail miserably when you need it.

It raises a lot of questions. Guns can and should be tested. Knives oftentimes can't be tested. Batoning a knife or spine whacking it can break the bloody thing, then the knife company says you shouldn't have done it and offers to send you their latest DVD!

--Confed
 
Thankfully, I've only had a lock failure with one of the many knives I've owned over the years. I bought a Buck model 112 (3"-bladed version of the model 110, Folding Hunter) in anticipation of a warehouse job that never came through. When I got it home, I felt uneasy about the lock's strength. Gave it a couple of spin-whacks, and the lock failed; miserably.

I didn't pay a lot for it, but it's not as if I was making a lot of $$$ at the time. I ended up blunting the tip, destroying the edge, covering the knife in several thick layers of duct-tape, tossing it in a paperbag, and then throwing it in the garbage....... I've owned a couple of cheap lock-backs that didn't fail that test.
 
The standard white knuckle, spine whack and torques can all be set to the same level you see in use. Generally you want to go a little more to be safe, and if the knife got damaged then it would have in use anyway when you were not expecting it. Just consider what you want the knife to do and evaluate it accordingly. It is no different than anything else in that regard.

-Cliff
 
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