Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

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MichaelScott
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Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#1

Post by MichaelScott »

In the topic about back locks it has been claimed that an issue with compression locks (and I suppose BBL and liner or frame locks) is that when the blade detent weakens with use (how much use over what period is undefined) that the knife blade can open in a pocket. I want to know how much of an issue this may be and if it is an issue at all please post here if this has happened to you.

Thanks.
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curlyhairedboy
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#2

Post by curlyhairedboy »

Not been an issue for me!
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#3

Post by Daveho »

i Imagine it has a lot more to do with how u carry it. If the blade is flush against the pocket I can’t see how it could open..
actually the back lock on my benchmade pika 2 is a bit crap and you could prick yourself with that given a series of poor choices
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#4

Post by SG89 »

happened to me once with a PM2. opened inside my pocket enough to poke me a little bit. oem clip RFP tip up and against the seam. was clearing out a flowerbed and was wearing 5.11 pants. it was about 110 degrees and humidity was very high. I blamed it on the pants pocket clinging to the knife due to sweat causing it to open slightly. I do not believe it would've happened if I was wearing jeans.
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#5

Post by Daveho »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:58 pm
happened to me once with a PM2. opened inside my pocket enough to poke me a little bit. oem clip RFP tip up and against the seam. was clearing out a flowerbed and was wearing 5.11 pants. it was about 110 degrees and humidity was very high. I blamed it on the pants pocket clinging to the knife due to sweat causing it to open slightly. I do not believe it would've happened if I was wearing jeans.
That’s really interesting, how is that knife?
Any play in it at lock up or anything of note?
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#6

Post by koenigsegg »

I have had it open in my pocket but I can't say for sure that it was closed all the way in the first place. Maybe was left a little bit open. It's a PM2 and it was pretty new at the time. Detent is ok I think but cut up the inside of my jeans when I went to pull it out
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#7

Post by vivi »

Yes. Para 2 did this a few times, even after tightening the pivot as much as I could by hand and loc-titing it. I sold it and almost exclusively purchase backlocks now.
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#8

Post by elena86 »

Never. Comp lock is a fully reliable lock in my book. I think some people over react and have the tendency to transform isolated accidents into a potential rule.It’s the same story with liner locks.
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#9

Post by SG89 »

Daveho wrote:
Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:05 pm
Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:58 pm
happened to me once with a PM2. opened inside my pocket enough to poke me a little bit. oem clip RFP tip up and against the seam. was clearing out a flowerbed and was wearing 5.11 pants. it was about 110 degrees and humidity was very high. I blamed it on the pants pocket clinging to the knife due to sweat causing it to open slightly. I do not believe it would've happened if I was wearing jeans.
That’s really interesting, how is that knife?
Any play in it at lock up or anything of note?
I sold that knife a long time ago. it was the Elmax exclusive. great knife no issues. sold all my PM2s and millies bc they were simply too big for my hand/pocket and therefore didn't carry them much. it was 100 percent the fabric of those 5.11 pants sticking/clinging to the spydie hole pulling it open... kind of like a vacuum seal effect
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#10

Post by Username827 »

The only time it has happened to me was when the knife was dropped. And even then, the knife had to hit the floor just right for the knife to open. Real eye opener though when not walking around barefoot.
I blame this entirely on my own clumsy issues lol
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#11

Post by MichaelScott »

Vivi wrote:
Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:16 pm
Yes. Para 2 did this a few times, even after tightening the pivot as much as I could by hand and loc-titing it. I sold it and almost exclusively purchase backlocks now.
Could you elaborate with more details about what happened?
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#12

Post by Sharp Guy »

I've never had a problem with my PM2s, Para 3s, or Sage 5 but my Sliverax has opened on me twice now. I'm pretty sure each time was due to the flipper tab getting pressed. The first time I was carrying IWB at work and it opened a little and cut through the waistband of my jeans. The second time was today. I temporarily put it in my left pocket and I got my finger poked when I reached in to remove it. The detent's not the strongest but it doesn't seem crazy light either. I have to shake it pretty hard to shake the blade out. But it's light enough to open with light pressure on the flipper tab so I may have to see if I can make the detent stronger.
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#13

Post by ZrowsN1s »

If the lock is in proper order this shouldn't be an issue. However, a worn out detent, some other issue... it's absolutely possible it could happen. I've heard people on the forum mention it happening to them on a few different occasions, and it is true that this is likely to never happen with a backlock....
I'd honestly be more concerned about liner locks failing and closing (which has happened to me), and back locks with their bias towards closing, accidentally closing on my fingers than compression locks opening when I don't want them to. Then again if I had my PM2 poke a hole in my pocket I might feel different ;)
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#14

Post by npad69 »

my resilience (liner lock) opened partially while being carried clipped inside my bag's pen holder since i find it too big to carry inside my pocket. i guess the weight of the blade and the smooth opening was enough to break the detent. this is why i put a small rubber band on it when i bring it along inside my bag. other than this incident, i never experienced any of my other spydies with linerlocks and compression locks open accidentally while in my pocket.
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#15

Post by dreadpirate »

Nope
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#16

Post by Bloke »

Not once! :cool:

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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#17

Post by SG89 »

nice one bloke! lol
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#19

Post by xceptnl »

I have had a compression lock as well as a CBBL lock open on me while in pocket. Both times in my right rear pocket where the spine was NOT pressed against the seam. Both times cutting through the fabric of my pants. I have never had this happen to me with a back lock. Additionally, the liner lock of the Military plus the Comp & CBBL locks have opened on me when dropped onto a hard surface. This too has never been an issue when i have dropped a back lock.

The dropping could be a fluke as i haven't conducted a scientific study about each type, just sharing my observations from the last 8 or so years.
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MichaelScott
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Re: Has your compression lock knife opened accidentally?

#20

Post by MichaelScott »

Those were a few, like two or three, posters discussing weak detents on PM2s five years ago. So far I don’t consider this a trend or relevant to 2018 especially with the number of non-back locks being made and sold these days.

I am trying to determine if this accidental opening in a pocket is a problem today that should be considered by the knife buyer. It would seem reasonable for a buyer to test this before choosing a knife. If that happened to me via a mail order purchase I’d send it to Spyderco right away. I haven’t read enough posts about this to deter me from buying a non-back lock knife. Perhaps it is a solution looking for a problem?
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