liner locks

[Michael Cook]

It almost seems like striking with the spine is a taboo to some of you,

maybe you can or will never understand that a self-defense situation
can be very unpredictable, and many times the unlikely or unexpected
can occur, perhaps intensity has a way of doing such things,

as a self-defense explorer, I'm just trying to see various possibilities.

:spyder: Spine whacking is a bit different than back-cutting, people, even skulls are much softer than work benches. The chinook is designed for the backcut. If that technique plays a large part of your style of knife play then that's the knife for you. I'm the last person who'd want to argue with MAAJAK, I respect the guy too much. :spyder:

[spydutch]

I just love the Spyderco liner lock above all other locks because of easy opening and solid, play free lock up

Furthermore I don't use my knife in a way that may make the linerlock fail :)

Besides the Tenacious I really would like a Delica sized Spyderco linerlock :cool:

[Monocrom]

.... I'm asking because I was informed recently that a well made liner lock
is stronger than a back lock, key word, well made :)

That's very true, Bro.

I personally think it is a shame that Benchmade no longer makes as many liner-lock models as it once did. As much as I like and enjoy all of my Spyderco's, I must admit that Benchmade is the Master of Liner-locks. All of my BM liner-locks.... Rock solid beyond belief!

[Monocrom]

.... It almost seems like striking with the spine is a taboo to some of you,

maybe you can or will never understand that a self-defense situation
can be very unpredictable, and many times the unlikely or unexpected
can occur, perhaps intensity has a way of doing such things,

as a self-defense explorer, I'm just trying to see various possibilities.

I've had only 1 knife that ever failed the old spine-whack test.

A Buck model 112.

Give you one guess where that knife ended up that very day, Bro.

[dete]

I build liner locks and frame locks. In either case a person has to push the spring aside to close the knife. This operation being with in human function has limits. A liner lock is about 2.2 inches long about .25 inches wide and from.040-.070 inches thick. Usually there is some arc or bend in this spring. This spring fails by bending or collapsing. Lockbacks fail by breakage of steel rather than by bending. Heavy frame locks have a milled or week spot so the owner can close the blade. These knives fail at the weakened milled area by bending or collapsing. Apples for apples frame and liner locks are very similar.

Spine whacks generate a harmonic on a liner lock and can vibrate and dislodge the lock. Spine whacking on your hand is fair; spine whacking the bench is not.

The Military is a highly evolved design taking into consideration the lock they are using and make it as strong as possible using several techniques not necessarily employed in many other liner locks. This knife design squeezes everything it can out out the mechanism.

Steel bends before it breaks when speaking of the materials used for lock materials and the given hardness. Many companies are building blades out of the same material the Spyderco uses for their liners. That being said; Spyderco breaks many knives and many lock mechanisms and has a very good understanding of lock strength. Spyderco lockbacks are about twice as strong as the linerlocks and frame locks. Compression locks and the ball lock are stronger yet.

A well make linerlock can be stronger than a poorly made lock back, but it is highly unlikely that a well made linerlock is stronger than a well made lockback. I doubt if the source of the original statement made lockbacks.

I hope I have given you and understanding of lock strengths...Take Care...Ed

thank you for your point of view,
though I heard different, I find it imperative to see both views.

[dete]

I've had only 1 knife that ever failed the old spine-whack test.

A Buck model 112.

Give you one guess where that knife ended up that very day, Bro.

thanx for your comments Monocrom, and I know you go through tons of various knives :)

[dete]

once again thank you all,

lots of good info here on this thread, wish they'd make it a sticky :)

I have been rereading it from time to time, lots of things to think about
new point of views to keep in my mental arsenal so to speak!

[kimjune01]

There once was a big discussion about lock strengths. Sal has a list of locks somewhere with numbers related to torque, iirc. imo, the lock's probability to disengage has something more to it than its strength. Anyhow, all(most) spyderco's locks are as strong as the biggest force a human hand could exert so no worries.

[cjgrad23]

Just an fyi - I had a cqc7 that would act like it was going to fail if I put hand pressure on the spine. bummed me out beacoup. But, I took a dry qtip and cleaned the part of the blade that meets the liner, and lockup is super tight now. 2 months of nearly daily use, with one cleaning per week and no problems.

[Monocrom]

thanx for your comments Monocrom, and I know you go through tons of various knives :)

Happy to help, Bro! :)
Sometimes I try not to think about how much I've spent, in total.

[dialex]

...I was informed recently that a well made liner lock
is stronger than a back lock, key word, well made ...

Indeed, a well made linerlock may be stronger than a lockback.
But I'd say that a well made linerlock isn't stronger than a well made lockback...