3 5/8" closed model
Pros:
----
Nice blade shape.
sharp from the box.
Nice handle shape - good to hold even in this small size.
NO left/right blade play. Brass washers it looks like.
Not excessive up/down blade play.
Con:
----
BAD spring design. The lock bar is really easy to push a little, making the blade not always snap shut the last 1/8". But it gets super hard to push when you press it down enough to unlock the blade, making it hard to close one-handed and also giving it some stiff spots when it nears the opened position and also when it is about 25 degrees opened. Not easy to open with one hand.
I can see the actual length of spring involved is short. It touches the lock bar BEHIND the area you push to release it, whereas a lockback spring usually connects with the lock bar in front of that point. A spring changes resistance over a long bending motion, and does so much less over a short bending distance. A well made lockback should have a longer spring that is strong enough that it can touch the lock bar closer to the pivot. That means less total bending required for the same lock movement and more consistent pressure.
The Pro list is longer, but the one Con is a real annoyance. In the 80's a Bucklight was just as good as a 110 or 112 but made with low weight handle material. Is the "Bucklite" now cursed to be a $9 POS?
Pros:
----
Nice blade shape.
sharp from the box.
Nice handle shape - good to hold even in this small size.
NO left/right blade play. Brass washers it looks like.
Not excessive up/down blade play.
Con:
----
BAD spring design. The lock bar is really easy to push a little, making the blade not always snap shut the last 1/8". But it gets super hard to push when you press it down enough to unlock the blade, making it hard to close one-handed and also giving it some stiff spots when it nears the opened position and also when it is about 25 degrees opened. Not easy to open with one hand.
I can see the actual length of spring involved is short. It touches the lock bar BEHIND the area you push to release it, whereas a lockback spring usually connects with the lock bar in front of that point. A spring changes resistance over a long bending motion, and does so much less over a short bending distance. A well made lockback should have a longer spring that is strong enough that it can touch the lock bar closer to the pivot. That means less total bending required for the same lock movement and more consistent pressure.
The Pro list is longer, but the one Con is a real annoyance. In the 80's a Bucklight was just as good as a 110 or 112 but made with low weight handle material. Is the "Bucklite" now cursed to be a $9 POS?