Looking for folding pocket knives brand that don't use ball bearings for blade swinging

[alan0354]

I use my knives for everything. Cutting anything that needs to be cut. Butchering birds after a hunt. Opening packages and letters.

I'm also not sure why you think any sharp knife can't cut a seatbelt. It's not made of metal.

Cutting seat belt is one of those, how about prying? I did not say ALL expensive knives cannot do the job. I just said a lot of people here own expensive knives that cannot do the basic survival job from just take the brand name they posted and look it up.

What you said you use the knife can be done with a much cheaper knife also.

 

[alan0354]

Tools are like work boots, you get what you pay for.

It's no point to debate this, you keep your expensive knives and I use my knowledge to find good ones and not having to pay a lot.

I use a lot of tools, That's one thing I find you do NOT go by price. I have a workshop at home, I know tools. I can tell you famous brand like DeWalt is junk. Got a whole set of 18V, it just did not hold up. Their drill bits are junk also. People laugh at Ryobi, I use the same Ryobi 18V drill driver and did 4 earthquake reinforcement on 4 houses driving big bolts and all. I still have that drill!!! Never fail on me yet.

You do NOT go by name and price. You can laugh, let see who is ignorant. But I guess I cannot expect you to understand all these.

 

[scottc3]

Welcome to BF alan0354-

I don't sharpen my self defense knives to very sharp for cutting sandwich, open letters and all that!!! I sure don't carry a knife for those purpose.

You might look at what Massad Ayoob has designed with Spyderco which is serrated, or James Williams with CRKT, etc. I love the Benchmade Fact. Asking your trainers advice would be reasonable. Trainer models and the real thing would be the perfect pair of knives. My hope and prayer is that you practice a lot of situational awareness skills, so you never find yourself facing hostlity, and never need to use your edged weapons training.
One of the rules is always have a knife, the KERSHAW Cryo 2 is resonably priced 8CR assisted flipper framelock that has been a hit with kids and grandkids alike.

 

[alan0354]

Welcome to BF alan0354-

You might look at what Massad Ayoob has designed with Spyderco which is serrated, or James Williams with CRKT, etc. I love the Benchmade Fact. Asking your trainers advice would be reasonable. Trainer models and the real thing would be the perfect pair of knives. My hope and prayer is that you practice a lot of situational awareness skills, so you never find yourself facing hostlity, and never need to use your edged weapons training.
One of the rules is always have a knife, the KERSHAW Cryo 2 is resonably priced 8CR assisted flipper framelock that has been a hit with kids and grandkids alike.

That is the hard part.

 

[scottc3]

That is the hard part.

Hang in there, where you stand is all that matters to those who love you. Try and find a place where peace and communty of shared values is prized and promoted, but no one is a useful imbecile, and if so, is a real cause for re-education.
Micah 6:8 ESV He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 

[AntDog]

And you know more? give some technical comments on what I posted in those analytical posts.

I did not say the expensive knives are inferior, just no better in a lot of cases. Why pay more.

Look, dude - if you keep buying Chinese junk, and that’s all you know, you’ll never understand the joys of owning a nice knife (which will run rings around the stuff you have).

Just buy a Kershaw Dividend, Link, Knockout, or etc. in M390 and live happily ever after. They’re only about $10 more than your upper end price range. Or keep taking junk apart and pointing out what you see as design flaws. For every two or three you do that with you could’ve had one you wouldn’t have to.

 

[alan0354]

Look, dude - if you keep buying Chinese junk, and that’s all you know, you’ll never understand the joys of owning a nice knife (which will run rings around the stuff you have).

Just buy a Kershaw Dividend, Link, Knockout, or etc. in M390 and live happily ever after. They’re only about $10 more than your upper end price range. Or keep taking junk apart and pointing out what you see as design flaws. For every two or three you do that with you could’ve had one you wouldn’t have to.

$90 is not out of my price range, the problem is I don't know whether Speedsafe spring assisted open is legal in Kalifornia. It's very confusing reading the law.

I already have a Kershaw speedsafe that otherwise is very good. Because of the spring assisted, it doesn't need ball bearings which make is stronger.

 

[AntDog]

$90 is not out of my price range, the problem is I don't know whether Speedsafe spring assisted open is legal in Kalifornia. It's very confusing reading the law.

I already have a Kershaw speedsafe that otherwise is very good. Because of the spring assisted, it doesn't need ball bearings which make is stronger.

If you have several $50 knives, $90 is not out of your price range. You just don’t like having to wait and save up. Might be time to learn that life skill. You’ll end up with something you’ll truly enjoy. I believe speedsafe is legal in Cali, but might want to ask a cop or two.

 

[Arathol]

$90 is not out of my price range, the problem is I don't know whether Speedsafe spring assisted open is legal in Kalifornia. It's very confusing reading the law.

California Knife Laws | American Knife and Tool Institute

Dirk knives and daggers are illegal to carry concealed. Switchblades with a blade 2” or longer are illegal to carry. A wide variety of unusual knives are also illegal to carry. Violation of the carry…

www.akti.org

‘Switchblade knife’ does not include a knife that opens with one hand utilizing thumb pressure applied solely to the blade of the knife or a thumb stud attached to the blade, provided that the knife has a detent or other mechanism that provides resistance that must be overcome in opening the blade, or that biases the blade back toward its closed position.

Not very confusing at all really....pretty straight forward definition if you ask me.....

 

[alan0354]

California Knife Laws | American Knife and Tool Institute

Dirk knives and daggers are illegal to carry concealed. Switchblades with a blade 2” or longer are illegal to carry. A wide variety of unusual knives are also illegal to carry. Violation of the carry…

www.akti.org

Not very confusing at all really....pretty straight forward definition if you ask me.....

The Steel Will Warbot will be here tomorrow, let me see how that works out. There is a very high possibility this going to be the one. Let me look at that before I even worry any further.

I bet I would end up having to go to the police station and ask them directly about the spring assist thing to be sure. I do have a Kershaw that I can show them.

 

[MolokaiRider]

I am not a huge fan of any flipping knife that uses a liner/frame lock for stabbing type stuff. Even back locks make me nervous.

The OP would be better served by a fixed blade. California allows open carry if I remember correctly.

Charlie Mike used to carry a inverted fixed on his strong side, and a quality waved or prominent flipper folder in his rear back pocket.

 

[alan0354]

I am not a huge fan of any flipping knife that uses a liner/frame lock for stabbing type stuff. Even back locks make me nervous.

The OP would be better served by a fixed blade. California allows open carry if I remember correctly.

Charlie Mike used to carry a inverted fixed on his strong side, and a quality waved or prominent flipper folder in his rear back pocket.

Open carry draws too much attention and also it's big. There are flippers with extra lock, but again, does that consider fixed blade and has to be open carry?

Cold Steel AD10 comes really close, just for the life of me, I cannot use the thumb flipper tap that good.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Open carry draws too much attention and also it's big. There are flippers with extra lock, but again, does that consider fixed blade and has to be open carry?

As AntDog mentioned, the Kershaw Link is a stout flipper that might be right up your alley. The liner is quite thick, and the blade is profiled well for piercing.

 

[alan0354]

As AntDog mentioned, the Kershaw Link is a stout flipper that might be right up your alley. The liner is quite thick, and the blade is profiled well for piercing.

Like I said, the Steel Will is arriving tomorrow. I am going to look at that before I go any further.

Regarding you don't feel comfortable with the line lock, me too, that's why I modified my knives as shown in post #51 of this thread in page 3 to make sure the liner goes deep under the blade shown. So it take a lot of effort for the blade to "accidentally" released from locking position. Check out post #51. That's very important for safety.

 

[Deino]

This is one of my few liner lock, it was originally 75 US$, but I got it at 40 US$ clearance, so not fancy expensive like you talked about. It is still quite pristine, so not well broken in yet.
In locked-in:

The actual liner's bend (I removed the blade and moved it up to make sure that the thickness is correct and I was not just squishing the liners together). As you can see it goes to the other line. I haven't do any bending or modification to this knife.

The slop at the back of the blade is to accommodate to the wear. If it stays put in place, it will wear into the blade and not sideways, which dramatically reduce its lifespan, and therefore weaker locking strength over time.
Though, is the locking-in in the my first picture enough? For thrusting, hell no. For slicing and cutting, it is more than enough. It is a 3 inches blade anyway
For be personally, I find back flipper to be a hazard.

Your liner not bent enough might be because of the low QC, or you misinterpret the design.
Also, you don't have to bring up the "As an engineer", you are not the only engineer here on this forums, here we also have people from different trades that have a common hobby of playing with knives, some use knives daily for a living (no, not cutting cardboard).

Oh, by the way, I don't pry with knives, not even with fixed blade, but then there is things like the Cold Steel Air Lite, with no metal liner at all.

The knife from the video above with the scale removed.

Recommendation? - Cold Steel Air Lite loose blade

My Air Lite arrived and within few minutes it got the dreaded loose blade. A hard opening fixed it... but the problem still seems to come and go. Lock up is tight, the issue is when closed there is about 1/4" of play where there is no lock bar tension on the blade. Got me the AirLite finally...

www.bladeforums.com

 

[Sibyrnes]

Does calling yourself an engineer imply that you know what you are talking about? Aren't inferior products designed by engineers too?

 

[alan0354]

Does calling yourself an engineer imply that you know what you are talking about? Aren't inferior products designed by engineers too?

Well, I just see it as I call it. I present my diagnostic in detail and reasoning here, anyone actually respond in technical way other than buy more expensive ones!!! I am not sure those knives were designed by engineers!!!

 

[iacchus]

What exactly do you expect to pry on your car using a knife?
Why not just put a 6" or 8" flat prybar in the glovebox or console?
As an engineer, you should recognize that a blade is a very poor substitute for a proper prybar.
Thinner bladestock would benefit self defense uses as well. Although I find a knife to be a terribly poor SD tool.

 

[alan0354]

This is one of my few liner lock, it was originally 75 US$, but I got it at 40 US$ clearance, so not fancy expensive like you talked about. It is still quite pristine, so not well broken in yet.
In locked-in:

The actual liner's bend (I removed the blade and moved it up to make sure that the thickness is correct and I was not just squishing the liners together). As you can see it goes to the other line. I haven't do any bending or modification to this knife.

The slop at the back of the blade is to accommodate to the wear. If it stays put in place, it will wear into the blade and not sideways, which dramatically reduce its lifespan, and therefore weaker locking strength over time.
Though, is the locking-in in the my first picture enough? For thrusting, hell no. For slicing and cutting, it is more than enough. It is a 3 inches blade anyway
For be personally, I find back flipper to be a hazard.

Your liner not bent enough might be because of the low QC, or you misinterpret the design.
Also, you don't have to bring up the "As an engineer", you are not the only engineer here on this forums, here we also have people from different trades that have a common hobby of playing with knives, some use knives daily for a living (no, not cutting cardboard).

Oh, by the way, I don't pry with knives, not even with fixed blade, but then there is things like the Cold Steel Air Lite, with no metal liner at all.

The knife from the video above with the scale removed.

Recommendation? - Cold Steel Air Lite loose blade

My Air Lite arrived and within few minutes it got the dreaded loose blade. A hard opening fixed it... but the problem still seems to come and go. Lock up is tight, the issue is when closed there is about 1/4" of play where there is no lock bar tension on the blade. Got me the AirLite finally...

www.bladeforums.com

My talking about engineering is NOT about how deep the line lock goes, that's QC problem. Did you even read all my posts, PARTICULARLY POST #36 in page# 2 of this thread. that's what I was talking about BAD engineering.

Those are NOT QC production problem. No QC can fix those.

Hell, if the design is robust, I'd be more than happy to do some bending to optimize the line lock.


Also another issue I don't even talk about, 80% of the knives I have, I have to fix the issue of the blade sticking if I tighten the pivot screw. I actually have to thinning the G10 of the handle at the pivot screw to get rid of the sticking. Read post# 28 in page#2 about the S&W knife. That won't even work if I thin out the handle, I had to return it. Is it engineering problem they specified the screw too short or they put in the wrong screw, I don't know.

These issues I fix and not complaining. Issues in post # 36 CANNOT BE FIXED.

 

[Swp321]

What the hell is going on here? Talking to this guy is like talking to a wall. Just lock this and move on it’s pointless.