Strength of Spydie FRN handle w/ lockback?

N

Nail_dude

Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Messages
7
How burly is the FRN handle with lockback as done on many of the Spydercos? Also, does anyone have problems with the Spydies that don't have an adjustable pivit pin? I have just begun getting into knives, so here are my limited experiences. I own a BM 710, a Buck Odyssey, and a Spydie Military. The overall construction and lock of the BM seems totally bombproof for a fairly light folder. The Military's construction is lighter weight, and hence, weaker, but I am willing to live with that. The liner locks seem a little sketchy. The Military lock fails with moderate spine whacks. The lock on the Military also loosens up when gripped tightly. I believe this is a trade-off of having an easy-to-release (possible with gloves on) lock. How does the Spyderco FRN/lockback format compare with the knives mentioned, and in general? Thanks in advance. Nail_dude
 
If your Military is disengaging, you should return it to Spyderco...this is a defect.

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Johnathan Mitchell
 
The FRN handles are found on the less expensive Spydies. For the money they are quite adequate. Some guys like the lockback better than liner locks.

Likewise non-adjustable pivots are also found on the less expensive knives. They appear to hold up well. The venerable SS Police is non-adjustable and had been a mainstay for years. Of course if I had my "druthers", I'd rather have an adjustable pivot screw.

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Dick
AKTI Member # A001365
 
I have never had any trouble with my Spyderco knives. The FRN is not as strong as my Schrade LB7 (like a Buck 110) but it does not weight nearly as much either.
I have never had a Spyderco that failed the spine-whack test. Post your question on the Spyderco forum, hopefully you will get plenty of helpful replies there.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
I'm one of the relatively scarce Zytel/FRN fans. My approximately 15 years experience with my old Gerber LST have contributed a lot to that.

The Spyderco Goddard Ltwt is one of the larger FRN handled Spydies w/out a liner. It is lightweight, but surprisingly strong. Other than simply applying sufficient force to break Zytel/FRN, the stuff is nearly indestructiblel.

A year or so in Blade magazine, Msgt. Kim Breed, reviewing the Zytel handled Outdoor Edge Magna -- which I believe has 2 liners -- suspended the ends on two bricks. He then placed his entire 190 pounds on the center of the knife, with no ill effects. It ain't flimsy at all. If too thin, the handles will flex, but they always return to true, IME.

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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
I'm a bg fan of zytel/FRN too. I've never broken one. If you're looking for a tough work knife, it's very hard to go wrong. The Native is my personal favorite.

Paul
 
The Delica runs very thin, but very strong. Take off the clip, you wouldn't even notice it in dress slacks.
 
"The Military's construction is lighter weight, and hence, weaker ..."

I really don't think you can draw this conclusion definitively. I've owned a lot of knives that were heavier than my Endura, but I seriously doubt they were built as tough.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nail_dude:
The Military's construction is lighter weight, and hence, weaker, but I am willing to live with that.</font>
Click to expand...

That logic gets kind of shredded by materials like carbon fiber and Ti. If your Military is failing at all, send it in for adjustment.

 
Hey Nail_Dude. I must agree with the "Zombie". If you have a Military that defeats, it is defective and should be returned to Spyderco so we can fissit. We would not want you using a questionable knife. Our Mil has an excellent reputation for lock reliability. You have a bad one.

800-525-7770 Warrantee & Repair

Regarding our FRN lockbacks, reliability is has proven to quite excellent. Newer versions have the "David Boye indent" in the locking bar, which is another improvement over the years. Lock strength depending on the model will rate from medium duty (50 inch/lbs per inch of blade) to heavy duty (100 inch/lbs of lock strength per inch of blade).

Thanx for your interest.

sal
 
The Spyderco Lightweight models are my favorite production knives. Period.

The first question I ask, when I see a new Spyderco model, is when will it be a lightweight. I am hoping that the Lum Chinese makes it to Lightweight.

They offer light weight, a good price point, reversible clips, and a good grip, including comfort. There is no annoying cut-out to release the liner lock, and the lock is a reliable lock-back.

I have yet to meet any knife that would beat a Delica at what it does best. Production or Custom.

And over the years, I have heard numerous times, that someone's Delica or Endura ended up performing as well or in some surprising cases, better than knives costing many times more.

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Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

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I remember a while back someone did a lock strength test on a FRN Endura. He had the blade clamped in a vice and was doing all sorts of things to the handle to try to get the lock to fail, putting weight on it, twisting it, etc. The steel blade snapped before the lock, pivot, or handle gave out. I don't remember where it was posted or who did it, you might want to check the Reviews archive or Blade Discussion Archive 3 for the details. I'm not the biggest fan of FRN, but that's a matter of style more than anything else, the stuff is definitely tough.

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Jason aka medusaoblongata
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This space for rent.
 
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