The lack of duel liners in Spydercos

[Bladeradius*]

I have a few benchmades and they are great knives with duel liners.

I just bought Two Spyderco knives Military and Starmate with both being CPM440V. I noticed that they just have one steel liner in them and not two. Are they as strong with just one? Why just one liner? I don't want the fear of breakage when I use these knives hard like I always have with Benchmades when cutting. Thanks

 

[tique]

I think I am actually a good person to answer this one. I used only BM up to about 6-8 wks ago. I then got a Military, love it. I carry it over my AFCK, and that is a damn fine knife as I imagine you know. The only strength difference I would see between the Military and, say for instance, an AFCK would be in the tip. I think the handle of the Military is actually better than on the AFCK, but it does lack a bit of tip strength, but that appears to be due to the grind. But I carry a knife to cut, and the Military is second to none in that dept. it does not have an equal in the BM lineup.

Keep in mind the usual disclamers, IMHO, YMMV, and all the rest apply here.

What can I say, I am a convert, or should I say I was finally shown the light. Love my Spydies.

 

[cerulean]

The newer handle materials, like G-10 and carbon fiber, are extremely strong. For instance: If you suspend a 3x4 foot sheet of G-10 between two chairs, you can stand on it and not have it break, even if the sheet is only 3/32nds of an inch thick! Carbon fiber is even stronger.

When using one of these materials in a handle, two metal liners are not really necessary. If you take out the liners, the knife is thinner and lighter; making it easier to carry. (Although some people like the feel of a thick and hefty knife.)

Also, if a knife's handle is going to break, the weakest link in the chain will go first. In most cases, the weakest link will be the pins that attach the scales to the liner. No matter how strong the liner might be, it can't reinforce the handle if those pins break. The Military and Starmate have "nested" liners that actually sit inside of the handle. There aren't any pins that can break! It's really a neat engineering idea.

------------------
Cerulean

"We cut things to create things" - J.K.M.

 

[Sal Glesser]

Hi Bladeradius*. Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

The only advantage we have found to twin (non nested) liners in G10;

1. They are easier and cheaper to manufacture.
2. They make the knife thicker.
3. Some folks think it's stronger.

Realistically,

We're using eccentic pivots on our linerlocks so we can adjust for wear (more expensive).

W're using offset arc ramps on our linerlocks for the tang because they are more reliable (more expensive).

We're nesting the liners on linerlocks because with some materials it's stronger and still permits a thinner easy to carry model.

We use twin liners on linerlocks with micarta scales because we learned that micarta shrinks in different humidities.

We use twin liners on Compression locks because the design requires it, but we'll still nest them.

If there was a better way to do it (from the reliable high performance aspect), we'd be doin' it that way. Our long time customers have learned to expect that of us.

sal

 

[MNH]

I worried about the single liner on my Wegner Junior when I first got it. The full size Wegner is the same. I happily own and carry a lot of Benchmades, but I would bet that the single liner Wegner is stronger than any of them.


Mike

 

[tulsamal]

If you think you just have to have dual liners then go get a Chinook. I played around with one for a while this weekend and wow! Talk about thick and heavy. I don't think I would carry that knife with the pocket clip. It is hell for stout. I'm glad my Military isn't that thick or I would rarely carry it. I still want one but I doubt I carry it much unless I have a custom belt sheath put together.

Gregg

 

[Bladeradius*]

Thanks so much for breaking it down for me. you're right, as I really started looking at it, it is as strong as the duel liners sinch it's nested like so.

I really like how if the blade ever gets play you can adjust it by tightening the torx screw on the blade. nice

 

[Nakano 2]

Here is another feature that is worth pointing out. The Military uses wider but thin enough washers at the blade pivot to aid in providing support at the area where the blade, pin and scales meet. The wider washers help to spread the load by providing a larger surface contact area. See the gaps and small diameter washers on the AFCK?

Try this: hold the Military in the locked open position, blade edge facing towards you with the hands as if you are holding a sandwich ready to take a bite. But instead give the scales a real hard squeeze with the fingers. Not much, right? Now take an BM AFCK and do the same. Now look at the scales and dual liners!

L8r,
Nakano

[This message has been edited by Nakano 2 (edited 01-02-2001).]