What's the deal with Kershaw and lock failure?

oregonknifenerd said:
Reminds me of that Fancy Nuts guy. Always complains when knives fail when he batons them, then when he has a sturdy knife like a ZT 0350 he complains it is too heavy.
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Thats because he doesnt know what he is doing, he just likes to talk, reminds me of a little girl who just learned the word "tactical."
 
mqqn said:
Hi Bear -

I have not found the Kershaw/ZT brand to have any problems with lock failure, nothing endemic anyway.

I would say that, having seen the factory and the folks assembling knives, they do perform a spine-whack test on the knives once they are assembled to make sure the lock does not disengage.

For clarity - the assembler does a simple smack or two on the edge of the bench, they don't stand up and give it all they have, it is more of a tapping, but they do indeed DO it.

AS some others have stated, I don't spine-whack my folders, fearing that I will put a hammering force on an area that could be harmed by such.

Instead, I grasp the blade and work it to see if I can get the lockbar to disengage. I don't remember ever having lock problems with any of the many Kai products I have handled.

best

mqqn
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When they test the knives do they do it dry or lubricated?

If they are testing dry, it possible that some of those knives might slip when lubricated. The coefficient of friction is lower when lubricated. This means a smaller locking angle is required for the blade to lock. In our line of work we tend to stay under 7 degrees. I am not sure what angle ZT is using.
 
BearMGCHafter said:
new Leek he bought at Wal-Mart and I did a few spine whacks
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I didn't think it was possible to spine "whack" a leek. My S30v leek barely has a "spine". It's a few fractions of an inch wide. Maybe you could say you did a few spine whisps. Or a spine tink tink. Either way, why would one want to, or care to hit anything with the back of a leek blade?
I guess for me when I am Whacking, I am just used to handling something much more substantial than a leek. :)
 
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Again, I'm not hitting the spine with excessive force, just a tap. I'm also not bitching about Kershaw. I was simply asking if others were experiencing issues. I totally understand things slipping through QC, but if the problem was more wide spread, that might suggest there is an employee that's causing the problems. I know spine whacks are part of the hafting process, I spent nearly five years in a hafting department. The process we used was the same one used by Case and Gerber, because that's where the original owners came from.

To the ones that have damaged their knives doing this, you are using way too much force. All it takes to test the lock is a brisk tap on a solid object. If you are leaving marks on the blade or peening the lock, you are hitting it too hard. I'm not simply looking for a reason to complain. I actually really like Kershaw's products and will continue to buy them. One of my resolutions this year is to finally buy a ZT.
 
yep case does spine whacks and i bet they pass with flying colors , I'd put a case up against a cold steel triad lock anyday, they have very strong locks.:rolleyes:Also make sure you grip the knife tightly with your hand in the way of the blade, and proceed to spinewhack the knife as hard as you can , and report back to us then please, especially on a case knife.
 
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BearMGCHafter said:
Again, I'm not hitting the spine with excessive force, just a tap. I'm also not bitching about Kershaw. I was simply asking if others were experiencing issues. I totally understand things slipping through QC, but if the problem was more wide spread, that might suggest there is an employee that's causing the problems. I know spine whacks are part of the hafting process, I spent nearly five years in a hafting department. The process we used was the same one used by Case and Gerber, because that's where the original owners came from.

To the ones that have damaged their knives doing this, you are using way too much force. All it takes to test the lock is a brisk tap on a solid object. If you are leaving marks on the blade or peening the lock, you are hitting it too hard. I'm not simply looking for a reason to complain. I actually really like Kershaw's products and will continue to buy them. One of my resolutions this year is to finally buy a ZT.
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Are you seriously giving advice how to perform spine whack?!

You are doing it wrong or your locks wouldn't fail.

As far as damaging the blade, I suggest using a non-marring hammer, such as a dead blow or lead hammer.

You can whack to your hearts content and not leave a mark on it.
 
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One of my Blurs did have lock failures, this with moderate taps on the spine, on the side of my hand, nothing hard. Upon inspection, I cold see the liner lock was not engaging the tang of the blade very well. I sent it to Kershaw and they repaired it under warranty. My 3 other Blurs are fine with good lock up. A knife may not be made to withstand spine blows, but overall safety can be an issue with a knife that doesn't lock up properly, imo. The thought of a razor sharp blade like the Blur has folding up under pressure is not very appealing. I now check lock up on all my new knives.
 
Slipjoints with stiff springs won't close from a light tap. That said, knives are for cutting, not twisting or prying. A small fixed blade is better in situations where a lock could disengage.
 
BRab said:
Just remember that folding knives should be used for slicing and not much else; SAKs and many traditional folding knives have been used for decades with out any locking mechanism. It may serve you well to go with a fixed blade for edc, then you can spine whack all you want without a lock failure.
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pure genius!! thanks for the laugh brother.
 
BearMGCHafter said:
Again, I'm not hitting the spine with excessive force, just a tap.

To the ones that have damaged their knives doing this, you are using way too much force. All it takes to test the lock is a brisk tap on a solid object. If you are leaving marks on the blade or peening the lock, you are hitting it too hard. I'm not simply looking for a reason to complain. I actually really like Kershaw's products and will continue to buy them. One of my resolutions this year is to finally buy a ZT.
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I hear you, man. There is a difference between making sure your lock is set with a few light taps and actually whacking the spine with excessive force. You have to really slam the spine on things to cause damage, and that is abuse, but simply tapping the spine on a table is not abuse and is a perfectly reasonable way to check if your knife has a secure lock up.

You won't find too many people willing to trust you or be open minded, though. Everybody is in little brand cliques on the forums, these days. They would rather just assume you are some caveman banging his knives like a lunatic, destroying what was certainly a perfectly fine lock up, before you got your hands on it. That's much easier than actually having a constructive conversation regarding a criticism of their favorite knife company.
 
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