To Stompy:
I'm not much for hype, but I do stand behind my statement that the Magna is the strongest aluminum handle liner lock on the market. I currently don't have raw data to back this however we are submitting the Magna to Buck Knives for the failure test they are performing on several name brand knives. Upon completion of this test the results will be made public.
If you compare the construction of the Magna to that of a vehicle, you can say it is built like a tank with cold-forged, heat treated 6061 aluminum scales, double stainless steel liners and 4" long 4mm thick blade. The Magna is not a light-weight knife but a solid workhorse to handle any cutting task. Before you make any judgement on the Magna I ask you to pick one up and handle it first.
Also Stompy you are being critical on the Magna's strength based solely on the thickness of the liner. Liner thickness is important but much less important than how precise the lock is crafted.
When judging the overall strength of a knife you need to consider three main force directions; lateral side forces, forces up on the blade into the stop pin and forces down on the blade into the liner. Of the three force directions, force down on the blade into the liner is the least encountered force direction when using a knife but most critical factor in liner lock failures. The only time the liner encounters great compression forces is when the knife blade is wedged in something and you pull upward to release it. Another instance may be when you are fighting a guy with a stick and he whacks the top of your blade. We can all agree this does not happen too often. IMO if you are putting a lot of force down on the blade into the liner you are cutting in the wrong direction. I'm not saying the liner's lockup does not need to be strong. I just think there has been a lot of attention placed on liner lock failures because the market has been flooded with poorly constructed liner locks. In reference to the Magna, the liner lockup is a strong precise fit.
Again before you judge the Magna, pick one up and see for yourself. Thank you for your attention.
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Sincerely,
Outdoor Edge Cutlery Corp.
David Bloch,
President
Visit our new web site at
http://www.outdooredge.com
[This message has been edited by David Bloch (edited 02 September 1999).]