Review : Buck/Strider folder

I'm with Cliff. I've use Buck, Spyderco, and Schrade lockbacks (but most of all Bucks), and never had a problem with any of the things that you mention, or Cliff supplements. And I have use the Bucks in some pretty GRIMY conditions! Buck folders are the only knives that I've ever used to really dress out any game, and NEVER had any problem.

The only lockback that I have been able to get to slip was the Spyderco Native, but those times were only while specifically trying to unlock them. It required shifting my grip to a position that I would never experience while actually using the knife. But, since I WAS able to do it, I can understand that there have to be other ways it can happen.

Anyway, nevermind I guess. It is obvious that you have seen these problems, and me saying anything more will (or already does) sound like I'm trying to say you're wrong. That is not what I'm trying to do, just to make that clear. I believe you, I just haven't had the problems myself, so I felt I should weigh in.

Just for the record, so far I've not had any problems with inadvertent unlocking of either of my two linerlocks, but I'm watching out for that.

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The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. - Ambrose Bierce
Most dog owners are at length able to teach themselves to obey their dog. - Robert Morley

iktomi
 
In regards to condradicting statements about lock stability, there is a huge variance in the shape and makeup of peoples hands. A short thickly muscled grip will not effect a knife the same way a long slender grip will. Different people giving thier experience with locks will promote a clearer overall picture of their function. I would not look at it in terms of "you are wrong - this is how it behaves" but simply adding to the complete picture which is how they behave for everyone.

-Cliff
 
I'll take a well-done lockback over any liner lock, any day. Hell, I won't buy liner locks at all anymore. But, lockbacks do have their problems. The biggest problem is that sometimes, a user's hand and the peculiarities of a particular lockback will combine so that the user's palm unlocks the lock when the user squeezes the knife hard enough. I know some people seem to always have trouble with backlocks (like the traditional Buck 110), other people always seem to have trouble with midlocks (like Spydercos). Me, I haven't ever had trouble with any lockback doing this on me.

One problem I have had is that a couple times, I'd pull a lockback knife out of my pocket, and a little piece of lint will have gotten into the exposed locking notch on the blade. Both times, it prevented the knife from locking up. That's one reason that when I'm carrying for defensive purposes and absolutely have to get lockup, I don't carry in my front pocket, but instead clip it somewhere, or carry in a jacket pocket.

Joe
 
How do some of the newer locks like the Axis, Rolling, Arc-Lock etc., handle dirt/debris on the locking faces?

-Cliff
 
Cliff,

The only one I have enough experience to speak about is the axis lock. So far, carried in all kinds of linty places -- bottom of my pocket, bottom of my duffel bag, etc. -- I've never seen anything close to a failure due to lint. I guess when the pin slides forward, it simply pushes any lint out of the way. Note that with a lockback, there's no pushing -- the tooth simply falls straight down into the notch, and if there's lint there, the lint just gets trapped and compressed, preventing lockup.
 
My 730, which gets carried a lot, picks up a fair amount of lint. I blow it out about once every couple of days. One time, I happened to have it out using it, and started to blow it out after finishing the job and folding it. I noticed a wad of lint between the camming hilt of the knife and the stop pin/bar. I puffed, and it didn't move. I opened the knife partly, and puffed again, and it finally came out. I hadn't noticed any tendency to not lock up prior to that incident.

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The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. - Ambrose Bierce
Most dog owners are at length able to teach themselves to obey their dog. - Robert Morley

iktomi
 
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