No more liner / frame locks for me !

Right tool for the job. I wouldn't use a folder to do the job of a fixed blade but that's just me.
 
R.G said:
After my spyderco tuff frame lock fail on me as I pulled it out from a wood log when I was out in the woods with my kid I finished with the frame locks / liner locks folders.
back locks , triad locks , axis locks , compression lock ???
I need good recommendation for a tuff folder with tuff steel , heavy duty lock and good wear resistance ( not aus8 )
It doesn't have to be stainless but I don't want it to rust just by looking at it for 5 min ( like o1 steel )
The adamas for example had side to side play after 2 months of use ( bike trips , 4x4 ...), but after my injury I look back for it and I think I can live with side play and no lock failure
thanks for your opinions / recommendations
Ron
Click to expand...

Ouch. Hey, accidents happen. Looks like a nasty cut... hope you heal up well and swift!

-Brett
 
Treat all folders like a fixed blade with a hairline fracture starting at the choil and going all the way up to the spine.;)
 
Isn't the old phrase, "A folder is just a pre-broken knife"

Anyway I think it's kind of lame to just start blaming the user. I don't really disagree some more discretion could have been used, but a lot of people in this thread are acting lke they'd never make a mistake like this and never have.

Here's the reality: If by some weird odd chance that you screw up with this folder, here's +1 in the liklihood arena that it will cut you. Simply saying "Well, this knife shouldn't have been used by that," doesn't change anything. Plus it just makes people look like they're trying to be all "holier than thou".

You know how I learned not to carve toward myself? It wasn't someone telling me... You know, someone, somewhere made the same mistake, or else it wouldn't be such a common rule would it?
 
McCann Industries fold aire is the strongest lock you will ever see
Period. Good luck finding one now. Richard Mcann once demonstrated lifting a Honda
quad hung on chains from the knife in the locked position! Actually bouncing
it up and down. Amazing strength in a folder. The lock is a solid billet wedge pushed into place
by a nitrogen piston. I have one and have carried it daily for seven years. Best design folder I have ever
had the pleasure of owning. My only regrets were selling the other two I had a awhile back on that famous auction sight.
http://www.mccannindustries.com/foldair.htm
 
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I always think it's interesting that whenever a liner lock fails, the poster is automatically jumped on for abusing the knife and not understanding the weaknesses of the liner lock. Manufacturers continually tell us how strong, sturdy, and safe their liner locks are and yet when people actually use them hard and they fail it's knife abuse, user error, liner locks are weak, etc.. I get that you should understand the weakness of your tool, and a liner lock if stuck in something and twisted to pull it out is asking for the lock to slip, but perhaps that should be motivation enough to build a BETTER lock and improve the tool.
 
After all this nonsense I'm still not quite sure how the OP managed to cut himself pulling a knife out of wood. :what: Hopefully I'm not the only one...
 
Ouch, I bet that one hurt.
I can understand feeling like it's a weak lock and wanting to move on to newer "stronger" locks, but the truth is, the Liner/Frame lock is truly plenty strong. That's why it's been used for years and continues to be used. A slip joint is plenty strong, and was once pretty much what everyone carried, and even though I'm sure people got cut, it was plenty strong. This was before all of the fancy locks, so can you imagine what some people used a slip joint for with fine results?

My point is, I wouldn't blame the locking system all together. There could have been other factors at play. Another thing is.. I'm sure grandpa didn't use his Stockman to baton wood, he probably used an axe.

While these knives are made for hard use, they are also made to be used as intended. Cutting hard materials, abrasive materials, holding up under long extended hard use.
They are not an axe and were not made to chop/baton wood.

Some fixed blades weren't made for that type of use.

If you're looking for something to do a certain task with, take something that was made to stand up to that kind of use. Any knife with a lock can fail. A heavy duty fixed blade or axe that was actually made for this work, won't.

A hard use folder is good for things such as cutting thick rubber and plastic, rope, shaving wood for kindling, and the list goes on, but an axe/heavy duty fixed blade was made for the tasks you shouldn't use said folder for.

So, get a fixed blade to take with you on these trips, use your Tuff for the Hard Use Folder Friendly tasks it was made for. =]
 
The Paul lock should not fail, right or left handed. It was designed by an engineer to lock open and closed for safety. You can only find them on the secondary market.
 
I believe there's a reason Gayle Bradley folder comes without lock disengagement cut out. Almost no way to unlock it accidentally even by twisting in the grip. Left or right hand, the same.

I have had accident before due to cut out, but cannot replicate the issue again. Still, personally it bothers me.
www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1103835-Liner-Lock-Frame-Lock-Release-Cutout

Some of you might say it's operator error, which I don't dispute. Any design implementation will have good/bad depending on the operator using it.
 
I came across this video after I initially had a little bit of interest in this knife a month ago.
Here's a folding knife that is touted to be so "tough and strong" that it's both issued to and used by Israeli Special Forces.
(not made in Israel either)

At about 1:25 into the video... in the upper left box of the screen, the Op gives the knife several strong downward strikes on the top edge of the opened metal car door, if you look closely... you can plainly see the lock completely fail on strikes 3 and 4.
I don't believe that's an "optical illusion".
And they left that in the video.

[video=youtube_share;3NV-jfh7ezI]http://youtu.be/3NV-jfh7ezI[/video]
 
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Took me a few views, but I saw two lock failures. First was stabbing the car door towards the beginning, the last stab had the lock fail. The second was the handle smack on the top of the door, after the second hit the lock was failing and the blade was swinging freely. Sooooo strong...
 
fetzer85 said:
After all this nonsense I'm still not quite sure how the OP managed to cut himself pulling a knife out of wood. :what: Hopefully I'm not the only one...
Click to expand...

I think he unlocked the knife when he twisted it back and forth, while pulling backwards to free it, then the momentum when it came free caused the heavy blade to close on his finger, which was gripping the knife at about the halfway point. The unlocking was made easier because he was using his left hand. Any framelock could have done the exact same thing, probably ones with a steel insert would be more prone to because of less contact on the lock face to move into the unlocked position. A thicker lock would have further to travel and may have remained in contact, but it still could have done the same, with a vigorous twisting action. I always think about how my folders lock up and what could happen in use to cause them to unlock, I always didn't but after having a lock back close on my hand long ago, it got my attention in a very unpleasant way.
 
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Jill,

Thank you for explanation that correspond to the incident.

On the other hand, there was report of Spartan (Triad Lock) failing due to broken tang notch. So nothing is foolproof.

We just need to be careful around sharp things ;)
 
It's the most reasonable exclamation I could come up with, after thinking about it a good deal. At first I was thinking the knife frame it's self could have gave, but with such a solidly constructed knife, that is highly unlikely. This is a particularly valuable thread, because it makes us all stop and think.
 
I think it's a good idea if at all possible to wear some good leather gloves just in case. I don't for outside work but I think Ill pick up a pair next time I'm at HD. Hope you get better soon, keep it clean.
 
Cuts4fun said:
McCann Industries fold aire is the strongest lock you will ever see
Period. Good luck finding one now. Richard Mcann once demonstrated lifting a Honda
quad hung on chains from the knife in the locked position! Actually bouncing
it up and down. Amazing strength in a folder. The lock is a solid billet wedge pushed into place
by a nitrogen piston. I have one and have carried it daily for seven years. Best design folder I have ever
had the pleasure of owning. My only regrets were selling the other two I had a awhile back on that famous auction sight.
http://www.mccannindustries.com/foldair.htm
Click to expand...
Wow !!!! I want one !!!
 
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