Question About Lock Up After Waving

[scullkrusher]

I'm a noob when it comes to Emersons. I recently got a new Commander. Carry it, use it, love it. I notice that when waving the knife open the liner lock travels about 5%-10% further than with a regular flick. Still solid and no blade play. When I do a regular thumb flick the lock goes back to a very early but solid lock up.

I guess my question is does waving wear the lock out faster?

Also is waving putting more pressure against the lock or the stop pin? Maybe both?

Lastly what is the average life span of the lock with just normal use? A year, 10 years, 6 months...?

I *hear* that the Emerson liner lock wears out in just a matter of months but I often hear a lot of things that aren't true. Of course excessive abuse will wear the lock out faster than normally.

 

[Officer's Match]

Logic would suggest waving will put more force against the stop pin and the blade tang. How much is anybody's guess. It's also possible to "softly wave" with some practice.

 

[benchwarmer380]

Yep waving it and straight wrist flicking it will make it wear faster. How long it will take will vary depending on the knife and the person.

I've had my Mini Commander for about two and a half years now and the lock has worn in almost to the other side of the blade. While I can force a very slight bit of up and down play, the lock still holds up strong and has never disengaged.

My brother has had his CQC 15 for few months less than me and it is worn in as well. I can't remember if the blade play is equal or more significant than mine. If more it is just a touch. However the lock is still more towards the center but it will disengage if you push on the blade with a decent amount of force.

I only hear good things about Emerson's warranty so I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot. I'm sure you would get a new lock side if you sent it in.

Here's a pic up the skirt of my Mini Commander.

 

[Seilu]

Ya, my friend waved his a lot, and had to send it back to emerson after a couple months of owning it due to lock flex

 

[cncpro11]

2006 Commander is my dedicated work edc. I find no need to wrist flick or wave it hard to deploy it.
The lock has not moved.

 

[benchwarmer380]

2006 Commander is my dedicated work edc. I find no need to wrist flick or wave it hard to deploy it.
The lock has not moved.

That's a proper knife sir.:thumbup:

There is no need but it can be fun. It was my first Emerson and my first quality knife and I like to think that it taught me a lot about what I knife can and cannot do. As well as how to care for a knife. My next waved Emerson will surely have a much longer lock life.

 

[scullkrusher]

Well I waved my knife for three reasons
1. Practice. This is my second waved knife but this has a different design than my waved Spyderco Endura 4.
2. Get rid of the sticky lock. Now it's smooth.
3. Wear the lock in enough to get a full engagement. When I first got it just applying pressure on the thumb ramp caused lock slip.

So I take it that if one were concerned about lock wear one would open their Emerson like a normal knife and reserve waving for emergency situations. I know Emerson's warranty service is highly rated but I was just concerned about my brand new knife needing to be shipped for repairs in a short amount of time. I'm not concerned now. I'm almost willing to bet those who complain about the lock on Emersons wearing out quickly waved their knife 100 times a day like they got a new toy instead of treating it as a weapon and tool.

 

[scullkrusher]

No offense if you wave it to be cool. That was more about people who wave it and cry about wear damage afterwards

 

[cncpro11]

Emerson isn't the only brand that happens with.
I have seen so many threads talking about how disappointed folks are because of a worn out lock or blade play or what have you, and usually a quick search will reveal that they are flicking the darned things several hundred times a day. That's over 10,000 cycles in 3 months, and that's just not what a knife is meant to be used for.

I agree that is so much fun to flick and wave a knife, but as long as you realize how much more stress you are putting on the functional parts and how much faster they will wear out, then I say flick away to your heart's content, just don't bash the knife when it fails.

 

[benchwarmer380]

^^^^^ Words to wave by.