Naive question

[TD]

Hi
This question may sound silly. Does the stiffness of the lock on production lockback folders indicate the strenght of the the lock? I have a Cold Steel XL Tanto voyager and a SpiderCo Goddard Lightweight. The voyager is damn hard to open, although it gets easier with use; whereas the Goddard is smooth. Does this mean that CS lock is stronger? I am considering buying a 3" voyager clip point as I don't feel comfortable with my tanto. Or should I go for the Native?
TD

 

[Mike Turber]

The stiffness of a lock has nothing at all to do with it's strength.

Personally I would get the Native.

Get the cool blue G-10 version

------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 

[Stompy]

He he, you salesman, you

.

Don't buy the CS!!! Sorry, that just slipped out

.

Get the Native as seen on the horse's hooves.

 

[Stompy]

Get the Native as seen on the horse's hooves

.

------------------
I need a bigger bucket.

 

[Stompy]

Get the Native as seen on the horse's hooves

.

------------------
I need a bigger bucket.

 

[Stompy]

Get the Native as seen on the horse's hooves

.

------------------
I need a bigger bucket.

 

[Stompy]

Get the Native as seen on the horse's hooves

.

------------------
I need a bigger bucket.

 

[Jim March]

Mike has it pegged...the quality of the manufacturing process combined with the lock "type" are the big factors in strength. And smoothness can also be a factor in quality those but NOT at the expense of strength.

It does sometimes happen that way, especially with very high end linerlocks where the maker assumes it won't be "heavily used" if at all BUT he wants a "perfect smooth Mercedes door feeling" to justify the big bux. But that's a special-case situation.

Jim March

 

[winnert]

Cold Steel seems to get passed over by a lot of knife owners. I have had a few of the different Voyager Series lockbacks and find them to be very well made folders. As for the price, they cannot be beat. I carry a 4" Clip Point Voyager on a daily basis, and would put it up against any folder by any manufacturer. I keep it sharp, and have never had a situation where I could not cut what I needed to cut. Plus, what would you rather loose a Voyager or a Sabenza? Basically you have art and tools...and Cold Steel makes tools. As for Lynn Thompson, he is a bit of a blow hard, but I have never found what he has said to be totally untrue.

winnert

 

[C Rushing]

Amen to that. I'm a fan of CS's products (their knives make up the bulk of my "collection"). But remember that I use (and I mean USE) all the knives that I have. The CS 3" voyager (non-serrated) has been my daily companion since I got it about 2 years ago.

 

[drac noroc]

I agree Cold Steel gets a lot of grief on this forum. You get what you pay for. I use CS knives as work knives and for the price they are as good as any or better. I can’t and won’t use a two hundred dollar plus knife as a work knife. CS knives have their place. I have had voyagers for more years than I can count they hold up well and sharpen easy…

Drac Noroc

 

[tek]

TD,
I would definitely go with the Spyderco over the CS. I am not going to knock the CS knives as they are decent knives. The prices for Zytel handled Spyderco and CS knives are virtually the same and the quality of both is good. However, there are several advantages to owning a Spyderco over a CS. First you have a choice of several different steels in a Spyderco blade not just the AUS-8A from CS. Second should you ever wish to have your knife sharpened by the factory you will have to pay $7.00 for a folder or $10.00 for a fixed blade with a CS (and if you have a serrated blade CS will not sharpen it period), whereas Spyderco will resharpen any of their knives for free. If you are proficient at sharpen knives yourself this is moot. Another advantage of a Spyderco is the avialability of Sal Glesser and the rest of the Spyderco staff on the Spyderco Forum. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions about a/your knife you can simply post them there. The Spyderco staff is often very prompt in responding. CS to my knowledge has no forum anywhere. You have to depend on response to a pnone call, e-mail, or snail mail. In my opinion definitely go with Spyderco - the advantages are many more options and unbeatable customer service.

Based on your considerations above here are your options for CS and Spyderco lockback folders with Zytel handles and approximately 2.5" to 3" blades:

CS options - small Voyager tanto point in AUS-8A
small Voyager clip point in AUS-8A

Spyderco options - native in Gin-1/G2
pro-grip in Gin-1/G2
delica in ATS-55
jess horn lightweight in AUS-8
lightweight calypso jr. in VG-10
rescue jr. in ATS-55

Travis