Lock failures (and your experience with)

E

epigram79

Joined
Sep 29, 1999
Messages
547
Ok, this is starting to get to me. I keep reading about lock failures on the forum. Especially liners. To start with, I own a Benchmade Panther. Needless to say it is a liner lock. I have never had one problem with the lock failing. I used it a lot this summer when I worked down in N.C. installing carpet. This is the most inexpensive knife, I know of, that Benchmade produces and I have no problems with the lock up. For what it's worth, there is zero blade play as well. The only lock failure I've ever had was with my Camillus marlin spike. That saw a lot of use this summer as well and the lock did fail a couple of times. By the way, if for some reason someone is looking to buy a marlin spike for shipboard use, I STRONGLY DO NOT recommend a Camillus.

What I'm getting at here is: I'd like to know how much pressure on the blade it takes to cause your folders(high or low quality) to fail and what you guys were doing with your knives when it happened.
Thanks for the info.

I haven't seen a post about this exclusive topic, so I hope I'm not rehashing an old thread.

Steve
 
I should think that any Walker or liner lock
will fail if it isn't kept properly adjusted or if it gets too worn. I've had some that don't want to close but the better liner lockers are pretty reliable. The one that has failed on me for no good reason is my Gerber Fairburn-Applegate folder. Other members that responded to previous posts have not had that problem with that knife. I have, which is indicative of poor quality control, not misuse or abuse on my part. I first noticed the problem when cutting some rope in my kayak. Mine has a sharpened top edge and I applied moderate pressure. Thereafter I did some slashing drills on targets and yup, that lock failed consistently where my Elishewitzs, Lightfoots, BM's and Emerson liners don't. I don't suggest stressing any locker on a regular basis, but it must be able to deliver a slash or take a goodly thump in a fight or an emergency. The tactical needs are obvious, If you're using the knife on whitewater, for example, you may not have the luxury of babying your lock if you need to cut yourself loose in a hurry. That's my sorry story, for now.
 
I've had excellent luck with Benchmade liner locks. Most of the problems I've had have been with handmade folders. The bottom line in my mind is that it is an iffy solution for hard use folders. I don't carry them unless I've thoroughly checked them out and keep them clean.
 
I have had liner lock failures with several custom knives, gerber AF combat folder, BM AFCK and Stryker. I have had lock back failures from a gerber gator and BM ascent. All of these failures came from fairly light smacks on the blade spine. I have never had a lockback failure from coldsteel and no failures of any kind from spyderco. This has pretty much dictated the types of knives I buy and carry now. I prefer handmade fixed blades and spydie. lockback folders.
 
i had a liner lock failure several times with the Camillus Cuda. I also dont recommend Camillus. No problems with BM, CS, Speyderco,or anyothers.
 
Surprising, but the most expensive factory liner lock failed. It was a Spyderco Starmate. And failed easily. Light spine wack
and it failed every time. Sent it back and in about 6 weeks got another. It's OK. Hasn't failed but that liner really moves over with any pressue on the back of the blade.

Bucks, Kershaw, and BM liners locks have been fine.
 
The thing about lock failures -- and this is definitely true of liner lock failures -- is that you can't tell which knives will fail or not by looking at price, liner thickness, or supposed quality. My inexpensive Benchmade Panther is rock solid. The Melvin Nishiuchi liner lock with the weak-looking whisper-thin liner is rock solid. On the other hand, we've heard of failures in the Military, the AFCK, many failures on the SOCOM, and failures on all different kinds of high-$$$ custom folders. Even the companies who are doing a good job on their liner locks, like Benchmade and Spyderco, don't get every one perfectly right every time -- this lock format is just too difficult to do right every time.

The failure that got me curious about liner locks was a "white-knuckle" failure on a high-$ custom folder

Joe
 
A comment on the BM Panther. It was my first BM and still IMO one of their best, quality-control-wise. It's too bad it was discontinued, because for such a simple, inexpensive knife, it was (is) excellent.

So far, the only lock failure I had was an old, Taiwan-made POS that had a brass handle and was a ripoff of the Buck 110. The blade never cut anything well, and once I simple pressed it closed like I would a slipjoint and it just closed. I sure am glad companies like CRKT and Outdoor Edge have since come along and helped to raise the Taiwan cutlery makers to a quality standard.
Jim
 
One real use failure by a co-worker of a Junglee Certified POS linerlock resulting in lost time injury.

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA


 
I bought a CRKT Apache and M16-13 off the net and both locks failed. I sent them back to CRKT and they replaced them and so far so good.
Jim Smith
 
In 1982 I was trying to get into a friends van (he was occupied in the bar, etc...) to get my things, in that little wing window.

Had an Al Mar falcon lockback, was prying *up* on the wing window lock when..BLAM..my hand flew up in the air, free of the window.

Looking at the still locked blade thought nothing had happened...upon turning the hand over saw that the blade had indeed released, bounced off the bone of the first TWO fingers, and relocked open.

Boy, what a bonehead move (before I knew better; too much testosterone!), and from what I remember took an awfully long time to heal.

Moral: Never test a lockback with all your strength outside a bar @ 2am.

-Michael

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Chefget's Knife Page
 
I appreciate all of your input. Thanks a lot. My main reason for this original post is that I'm probably going to buy another folder shortly. What works, what doesn't and why. What I have in mind is an AFCK. That's why I brought up liners. I want to know what the chances are that I'm going to butcher my fingers while using it. I'm always interested in any other info on other aspects as well as different locks. Suggestions or what to lookout for. Again, thanks.

Steve
 
I havn't had a lock FAILURE, but I think I may have a liner-lock PROBLEM on my Spyderco Tim Wegner. I'm not real sure if it is a problem. I don't know much about knives and I've never owned a linerlock before. I'm currently living in Taiwan and I can't find another knife to compare mine with.

If you want to view the thread on the Spyderco forum, please click on the link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/001535.html

Oops! That doesn't look like a link as I write, so if it isn't, you can find the thread on the Spyderco forum, 03 November, called "Wegner lock".

 
My EDI Gen-I has developed a lock failure. I believe the 'butt' of the blade where it engages the lock has developed a small burr or something of the like which prevents the lock from engaging properly. Haven't taken it apart or sent it back for service yet because I carry it to cut and slice not to poke or defend. Pinching the blade and handle with two hands and the handle and back of blade on the webs (thumb/forefinger) of my hands I can defeat the lock using direct pressure in the folding direction by simply twisting my wrists with >5 lbs. pressure.

JE
 
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