The perfect framelock

mschwoeb

mschwoeb

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Jan 31, 2001
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Who do you think makes the perfect framelock?

For me it is Allen Elishewitz. I have a Mars framelock of his, and the craftmanship on it is flawless. The lock does not engage midway on the back of the blade, it fits all the way over, and yet there is zero bladeplay. There is little resistance when I go to disengage the lock, and yet the way it is made I have never come close to an accidental disengagement. This setup ensures that the lock engagement will last a very long time with little wear.



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mschwoeb said:
Who do you think makes the perfect framelock?
For me it is Allen Elishewitz. I have a Mars framelock of his, and the craftmanship on it is flawless. The lock does not engage midway on the back of the blade, it fits all the way over, and yet there is zero bladeplay. There is little resistance when I go to disengage the lock, and yet the way it is made I have never come close to an accidental disengagement. This setup ensures that the lock engagement will last a very long time with little wear.
Click to expand...

Sounds great -
can you please do a direct comparison with a Sebenza?

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
 
J.W. Smith and Mike Obenauf come to mind immediately...........but even as I read the title one name stood out, Rick Hinderer.......maybe because I have a Firetac Extreme from Rick? :D :D The Firetac Extreme is everything I always wanted in an XL Sebenza.

Lockup covers about 1/3 of the blade tang yet is very secure due to the fact that Rick uses .165" bladstock and the same thickness for the titanium slabs. Another thing I like is that you get the same degree of lockup everytime you open the blade. Thick hardened steel standoffs that are inlet into the titanium handlse give the knife all the strength you will need. Rick also incorporates a device in the handle which prevents you from pushing the lockbar too far over, when you unlock the knife, thus keeping you from losing any of the lock spring strength. Handle edges along with the back of the blade are nicely rounded so that you get no bite from them. The exposed titanium is textured with a diamond pattern that I at first thought would look pretty ugly. But it doesn't, and in fact really aids the grip of the knife without causing any mars or scratches on the handle as you would get on other bb titanium handles. A black G-10 insert also gives the knife a unique look. Tip up or tip down carry is your choice as the handle is drilled for both with an insert provided for the one you don't choose.

All in all I'm extremely pleased with the Extreme. May just be that perfect knife I've searched for for so long!!
 
artsig1 said:
J.W. Smith and Mike Obenauf come to mind immediately...........but even as I read the title one name stood out, Rick Hinderer.......maybe because I have a Firetac Extreme from Rick? :D :D The Firetac Extreme is everything I always wanted in an XL Sebenza.

Lockup covers about 1/3 of the blade tang yet is very secure due to the fact that Rick uses .165" bladstock and the same thickness for the titanium slabs. Another thing I like is that you get the same degree of lockup everytime you open the blade. Thick hardened steel standoffs that are inlet into the titanium handlse give the knife all the strength you will need. Rick also incorporates a device in the handle which prevents you from pushing the lockbar too far over, when you unlock the knife, thus keeping you from losing any of the lock spring strength. Handle edges along with the back of the blade are nicely rounded so that you get no bite from them. The exposed titanium is textured with a diamond pattern that I at first thought would look pretty ugly. But it doesn't, and in fact really aids the grip of the knife without causing any mars or scratches on the handle as you would get on other bb titanium handles. A black G-10 insert also gives the knife a unique look. Tip up or tip down carry is your choice as the handle is drilled for both with an insert provided for the one you don't choose.

All in all I'm extremely pleased with the Extreme. May just be that perfect knife I've searched for for so long!!
Click to expand...
honest now.. do you actually use this knife? haha, i'd probably just look at it. for hours at a time.
 
artsig1 said:
Oh it is an edc...............just not an every day user!! :eek: ;) :D
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lol whoa..

do you find yourself re-finishing the blade much with 600 or finer grit? i used to use my duncan aftershock, but the brush finish direction (which i re-did myself with 1200 grit) always caught some cross-grain scratches. i finally said, screw it, this is too pretty to use! so i grabbed my spyderco & haven't put any of my customs to use since. i guess i would need more customs to feel comfortable scratching one up.
 
The satin finish on this one is more of a machine satin. I have found that using "Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish" is a good alternative and puts a good finish on the knife. I rarely use it to cut much more than paper or to sharpen an ocassional pencil or two. I've used it to cut paper tablecloth material and cut cardboard when we were getting ready for our VBS, but that pretty much sums up my cutting chores. If nothing else I like having and carrying the Firetac Extreme due to its precision of build, pride of ownership, and the fact it is everything I've looked for in a folder! Hey I'm NOT going to use a $500.00 folder to do what a $25.00 knife can do!! :D :D :D
 
I have a Ken Onion Storm model that is the finest knife I own. The Scott Cook Lochsa I have is a real marvel of engineering as well as just plain beautiful. My Tom Mayo TNT's are as smooth and comfortable a knife as I've ever owned. The Chris Reeve Sebenza is The Standard.
 
The best framelock I own is the Lochsa. Best I've seen in terms of the execution of the lock itself, and the knife looks great!

I love that Hinderer ... wonder if I can talk him into a different blade shape.
 
I give Art a few more days with the Firetac before it's on the For Sale forums!

heh heh ...

;)
 
OH NO!! I'm keeping the Firetac Extreme............finally an answer to my perfect knife, an XL Sebenza! Joe the spearpoint blade I've got is a very practical shape that lends itself to different situations. I'm not much of a fan of the tanto and actually had an Extreme tanto but sold it. I've now had the spearpoint Extreme for 2 whole months and plan on it being around for a while..........I hope!! ;) :eek: :cool: :D
 
I'm always on the lookout for the perfect framelock and I think I've come across several examples and hope to acquire several more perfect framelocks in the years to come :)

Starting with Mike Obenauf who makes the most perfectly smooth framelock I've handled. Next up is the Peter Atwood Solar Reef framelock. The nice colorful one with perfect fit, finish and one of a kind anodizing. Of course we can't forget about the Lochsa. It locks up with an audible 'twang' and items like its unique one-piece construction, slanted thumbstud and geometric bevels all combine to form the perfect all-around package.

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I'll also have to update my family portrait with this one, courtesy of RJ Martin (by way of Artsig). RJ comes as close as you can get to making the perfectly sharp edge. None of my framelocks come close to the RJ Martin Avenger in terms of sharpness.

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But in the end, IMHO it's the Lochsa that truly deserves the title of 'Perfect Framelock'. It just has it all.

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Hi Boink. I posted a pic somewhere on here....might do a search under Hinderer, or go the Gary Moores site, Moore Cutlery. Website is www.knives.cx
 
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