Results of a light prying test with a few folders

[medusaoblongata]

Note that none of this is scientific, objective, or quantifiable, though it should be repeatable. I held each knife (one at a time) in my right hand with the tips of my fingers in the space between the liners where the blade goes when it’s closed, and my thumb near the pivot. It would be safer to hold the knife with my fingers out of the blade path just in case it closed, but I wanted to be able to feel if the liners started to pull apart, and fingertips in that location will notice even a slight change in the distance between the liners. I stuck each blade as far as it would go into the space above the top of my desk drawer (about 3/8”). Then I lifted up on the handle. I lifted up instead of pushing down to reduce the likelihood of seriously damaging the knives. If I open the drawer and put my fingers inside, I can lift the desk up using two fingers, but not one. I pulled up with each knife until I got worried it might break. I did this with the flat of the blade parallel to the ground.

The knives tested were:

Buck 112
BM 940
BM 710hs
REKAT Carnivour Cub
Microtech LCC DA (4th Gen)
SOG Night Vision
Leatherman Supertool 200

I excluded most of my liner/frame locks because of their susceptibility to torque and the unreliability of their locks under lateral pressure. The only reason I included the LCC was that it feels unusually solid for a liner lock (or any folder, for that matter).

The results:

Buck 112: Blade started to bend. Liners did not separate. No noticeable damage afterwards.

BM 940: Blade started to bend, but took much more force than the Buck 112. Liners did not separate. No noticeable damage afterwards.

BM 710hs: Blade did not bend. Liners started to separate. Some lateral blade play afterwards, tightening the pivot fixed it.

REKAT Carnivour Cub: Blade started to bend and liners started to separate. Slight blade play afterwards, fixed by tightening pivot.

Microtech LCC: Blade did not bend (better not – that thing’s way too thick!). Liners started to separate. Some lateral blade play afterwards, not fixed by tightening the pivot.

SOG Night Vision: Blade did not bend. Liners did not separate. No blade play afterwards. I stopped pulling just because I was afraid I’d break it, but it gave no signs of giving out.

Leatherman Supertool 200, short wide flathead: Felt like it was going to break the desk, no damage or bending of the tool.

(It should be noted that the test that Cliff Stamp did with a SOG Vision was on the Xray Vision, which is the discount model, with Zytel scales and abbreviated liners. My Night Vision has full double liners and G-10 scales.)

Before doing this test I already knew that whenever possible I’d rather abuse the Leatherman than one of my precious knives, but I still wanted to see how they compared. I didn’t test the Sifu because its construction, as far as I can tell, is identical to that of the Carnivour Cub, so its length would make it a worse prybar than the Cub.

So it seems that the SOG Night Vision is the best folding prybar of my knives.

I know, I know, a knife is the most expensive and least effective.... but sometimes, depending on what you have on you, a folding knife is what's gonna get used as a prybar.

 

[allenC]

Jason, thanks for risking your knives.
Don't let anyone else see you doing something like that test because they will never let you borrow one of their knives again! (just kidding).

Thanks again,
Allen.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

G10 is mush stronger than Zytel, but the main problem with the X-Ray I had was that the liners were not hardened, you could bend them so the ends would touch each other, the metal also tore rather than fractured, not a good choice for a liner.

Nice post, it does show a rather large weakness in folders which is that while many claim very high break points for straight up and down forces (1000 in.lbs), it takes a lot less to pop the liners apart, as unfortunately people don't have vice-like grips and can't clamp the handle together.

The leatherman can make a decent prybar, I bent up one of the small flats easily on my older supertool, but then used the one on my micra to finish the task without harm. A poor hardening I would suspect.

-Cliff

 

[medusaoblongata]

The X-ray also has thinner liners than the Night Vision. If I try to squeeze the liners together, I get a little bit of movement, the same amount I get with an 806, which is significantly less than with a Ti-lined AFCK, but still more than the 710, due to the 710 having a full backspacer with the others being mostly open-backed. The full backspacer will help reduce compression, but not expansion, of the liners.