Military - how dependable/strong is the liner lock

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boris01

Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
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I have a D2 Par Military and like it very much. I would like to get the full size Military but I am hesitant because of the liner lock. I have a Lone Wolf Ranger liner lock that fails the spine whack test 80 to 90% of the time. If I drop it on the lawn the lock will disengage.

Can anyone comment on the strength and dependability of the liner lock on the Military?
 
The Spyderco Military has the best liner lock I have ever seen. It is certainly stronger than I am, i.e. I couldn't defeat the lock without using a cheater bar on the handle. That said, I'm an old slip-joint user so I'm not prone to stressing locks anyway.
 
The Military is one of Spyderco's signature folders. It's been around for a long time and has gone through upgrades along the way. I doubt any liner lock has a longer history of reliability.

(Your Ranger should not be that bad. It really needed sending back, to the dealer or manufacturer, for what sounds like a defective lock.)
 
I've never had my Military close up on me, but then again I've only had one liner-lock knife fail on me and that was a CRKT pre auto-lawks M-16. (And no, I didn't put it on manually and haven't used the knifesince then, as it's really a pain to engage every time.)
 
The Military is probably the best example of the liner lock that you can find (at least on Earth, it's rumored that the martians tune their lock geometry better than Sal does).
I just dropped my Military a few times from about 5' onto the floor (knife laying flat on its side), while the knife bounced pretty well, the lock didn't flinch.
If you want to know specifics, a few of the factors that make the Military's liner lock so good are it's strong tension, the angle of the blade tang (which is curved in this case, keeping the liner in a sort of "dish"), and the lockbar is curved rather than having a cut out and being bent at a single point. These last two aspects keep the top of the lock bar flush with the curved blade tang, maintaining optimal contact.
It'll be easy enough to see once you get yours.:D

Regardless of how well built it is, it's still a liner lock and won't take the heavy loads an overbuilt lock would (such as on the Chinook), but if you're not fighting thugs on a regular basis it's not a big deal anyway.
Though I'm sure the Military will still defeat your lawn easily enough.
 
the military liner lock, is the best ive ever seen in a folder, i trust it more than i do with some of my lockbacks, and i like it because it simple, easy to clean, no springs to break, as good as a liner lock could ever be
get it if you like the millie, you wont be dissapointed
the only problem i have with the millie is the size of the thing , but that again, it is made for work with gloves, and in the winter if i have frozen fingers, i can still open it in a blink:D
 
ive never had any liner lock fail.

the millie liner is as good or better than any other quality liner lock.
 
I don't like liner locks, but if I had to pick a knife with a liner lock, it would be a Spyderco Military.
 
Don't do that to your knife! I am of the closely held belief that spine whacks abuse locks, and could cause them to fail when they would otherwise function just fine.
 
I agree with all the above. If you make the Military lock fail especially on the ones since the switch to 30V you have really done something!
 
Why would you whack the spine in the first place???? :confused:
If you need to "whack" something use a hammer, not the spine of your folder. (Or hire a mafioso :p )
 
I love and carry mine daily. When I swing it open and the lock clacks in place it sounds like a shot gun racking the slide. Such a satisfying sound, I love it. ZERO play in all directions, SOLID as a rock. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
I placed a order for one friday, should be here Wed. I have a Para also, that thing locks up like fort knox. I have been without a millie for far to long.
 
Featherstone45,

I am also very happy with the Para lock. I have alot of folders and the para has become my number one EDC. I really like the blade and thumb hole. The handle is perfect. I want to get the Military because I want some thing a bit bigger then the Para. When you get your Military let me know how you like the lock.
 
boris01 said:
Featherstone45,

I am also very happy with the Para lock. I have alot of folders and the para has become my number one EDC. I really like the blade and thumb hole. The handle is perfect. I want to get the Military because I want some thing a bit bigger then the Para. When you get your Military let me know how you like the lock.
Click to expand...

a military with the compression lock would be just about perfect.
 
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