What type of lock is least likely to fail from lint buildup?

Thanks for all the replies so far. They've been really helpful. PLease keep them coming. I will start shopping for some compressed air and perhaps this will be a good excuse to get a benchmade.
 
The Hindered XM-18 and XM-24 will survive not only pocket lint but the most dangerous type: The belly button lint.
You're safe with Hindered; designed to withstand the most dirty MOFOs
 
I will be careful how I phrase this as my lock didn't actually fail. It did however, fail to perform.

My only problems have been with lock backs. My liner locks move the lint out of the way and lock right up. So do my frame locks. Tolerances are tight enough that the tips of the liner and frame on the respective locking sides are polished from metal on metal friction. No lint stays in this tight friction fit.

However, lint in the back of the blade on my lock backs (my Schrade LB7, Buck 110, Kershaw DVO and a small Puma) in the blade notch has made it difficult to lock. In some cases, I thought it was locked up, and it wasn't.

I am not industrious or concerned enough to blow out any of my knives every single day. But at an idle moment don't mind taking two seconds and using a toothpick or splinter to push collected gunk out of the mechanism. This has cured every lock up problem I have ever had, even with my slip joints.

Robert
 
A slipjoint is my answer to this problem. It's the best type of knife to carry loose in a pocket.

What ever is on the tang will just be pinched by the spring and the knife will stay open.
 
I agree on framelocks, and open construction liner locks are pretty lint-proof, too. I have had the lint-induced failure to lock up happen a time or two with Delicas carried deep in pocket. Compression lock is also good, never fails to lock up properly.

The idea of turning pockets inside out sounds like a good preventative measure, especially in a dryer where the lint will get blown away and collected by the filter screen.
 
My axis lock never fails on my BM. Also all my Kershaws with frame locks never have lint problems either.
 
Two threads from same poster regarding pocket lint and folders ?

I have carried since I was a lad and never once had lint have any effect on my knives or any other pocket goodies.


Perhaps you should clean your pockets out more often ??

:)

Tostig
 
AfterDark said:
Thanks for all the replies so far. They've been really helpful. PLease keep them coming. I will start shopping for some compressed air and perhaps this will be a good excuse to get a benchmade.
Click to expand...

This made me lol :D I just pictured telling my fiance "honey I NEED this new knife , don't you understand !!?? I'm experiencing catastrophic lint buildup !! ".


Seriously bro , clean those pockets out. Lint problem = gone.

Tostig
 
I've lent a Triad lock to a non-knife person and had it returned unable to lock open...

A mix of granola bar particles, gum, and sand was the cause... :confused:

Only happened to me, personally, once, fixed in a couple seconds.
 
I'll second a Frame Lock or Liner Lock.
Just last night, I was fixing up my brothers friends old and extremely used Kershaw Blur.
You would not believe the dirt, lint, and gunk build-up on that knife.
I swear I cleaned out enough gunk to start a large fire lol.
The knife still functioned flawlessly even with the build up.
Of course it was sharper, cleaner, and a bit nicer once cleaned up, but even with all that gunk, it did what it needed to do.
 
Stud-lock from Kershaw.
KershawSpecBump_05.gif
 
Ive had detent balls get gunky lint around them causing closed retention to be less than stellar but I've never had lock problems.

ALL folding knives "lock" by triangulation. One part of the triangle moves in and out of the way with spring tension. ...so all parts of the triangle are what achieves the lockup... Pivot, stop pin, and whatever piece moves.
I DEFINITELY agree with some of the above posters that a well made bali-song really is the best "locking" folding knife.
 
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