the Ti liner...?

V

Voodoosix

Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
127
after getting my first Emerson (mini cqc15), im kind of puzzled by its construction. i understand that they were once made with Ti liners on both sides but later switched to only one (the locking) side. i can see the need to for costs sake and such but now that i have one in hand and can examine it...

wouldnt it have been better if they just used a decent steel in both sides and dropped the Ti altogether? i know some think its a wonder material but the Ti flexes if i put pressure on the backside of the blade where my other knives with steel liners dont even flinch.

im not trying to knock Emerson as i like the knife but when compared to my Extrema Ratio BF2 (and even my BF1) the Emerson just seems weak.

here is a couple pics of each- 1st slack and then under pressure.
hopefully you can see what im talking about as it was tough to get these shots no handed.

emersonslack.jpg

emersonpressure.jpg


erslack.jpg

erpressure.jpg



as i stated earlier im not trying to slam Emerson, just maybe help improve the product unless im just mistaken in my observation. would the knife be a better product with steel liners vs titanium? seems like it would last longer and be stronger to boot. i dont see the weight savings of 1 ti liner being that significant.

as a former soldier, if i were deploying i would honestly have to pass on my Emerson and take something else from my collection into a combat environment, it just doesnt inspire confidence.

or am i just completely mistaken in my observation?
 
Hammer27 said:
http://emersonknives.com/ekKnifeAnatomy.php

Interesting thing about the liner lock.

The Ti is used because it "sticks" to the steel, it won't slip off. Ti is flexing into the lock, making it lock tighter while a steel may flex out, releasing the blade.
Click to expand...

ive had my emerson about 2 weeks now.
my liner sometimes stick, and sometimes with very little pressure will slide to the unlock position. and sometimes shows up and down blade play because the liner lock is sliding around.

i called up emerson, and they told me to send it in. i ask what would be the procedure for this, and they said they will probably take it apart, and reasemble it.
i figure i could do this. and did. i got my mini A-100 to lock up pretty good. and feel a little better using it.

but because of the inherit nature of the liner lock. im not very confident in it.

EDIT: i adjusted my liner and locking bar again because of a little up and down play. now its locking up solid, without any movement.
 
Last edited:
Hammer27 said:
http://emersonknives.com/ekKnifeAnatomy.php

Interesting thing about the liner lock.

The Ti is used because it "sticks" to the steel, it won't slip off. Ti is flexing into the lock, making it lock tighter while a steel may flex out, releasing the blade.
Click to expand...

At some point, Ti stops galling against steel when enough wear of the surface has occurred. From what I've seen, lock stickiness is not really a desired trait - people often suggest applying pencil graphite to the tang to treat it.
 
Strider and some ZT models also use titanium on the lock side, of course these are framelocks. Do these models also stick?
I have a 99 Commander that no longer sticks, so eventually the stickyness ceases. Is this an apples and oranges comparison?
 
I was wondering about the TI liner as well. TI isn't a very strong/hard steel, but it is the strongest and hardest in terms of ultra light steel. In Striders say, that have a really thick frame lock TI is the only way to go, unless you want a 2 lb knife, but in Emersons it's just one fairly thin liner that's TI and in most of Emerson's knives weight is the last thing of concern, so why the TI? It doesn't make it lighter, and it makes a weaker lock.
 
xiuxiu1313 said:
I was wondering about the TI liner as well. TI isn't a very strong/hard steel, but it is the strongest and hardest in terms of ultra light steel. In Striders say, that have a really thick frame lock TI is the only way to go, unless you want a 2 lb knife, but in Emersons it's just one fairly thin liner that's TI and in most of Emerson's knives weight is the last thing of concern, so why the TI? It doesn't make it lighter, and it makes a weaker lock.
Click to expand...
AFAIK the titanium will stick to the blade tang and slipage will be less likely (or at least in theory)
 
Galling is really not a desirable trait. When I got my NIB CQC-11, the lock was so sticky that I couldn't disengage it with my index finger, had to flip it over and hold it with with one hand and use my free thumb to disengage it. Afterwards I applied pencil lead to the tang, which worked temporarily.

It's no substitute for proper lock contact/design either.
 
xiuxiu1313 said:
I was wondering about the TI liner as well. TI isn't a very strong/hard steel, but it is the strongest and hardest in terms of ultra light steel. In Striders say, that have a really thick frame lock TI is the only way to go, unless you want a 2 lb knife, but in Emersons it's just one fairly thin liner that's TI and in most of Emerson's knives weight is the last thing of concern, so why the TI? It doesn't make it lighter, and it makes a weaker lock.
Click to expand...

Why are you calling Ti "steel?"

Do you know what a "steel" is? It's an alloy of iron and carbon. Titanium is in no way a steel.
 
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