Every day lock testing

[jackknifeh]

We've seed the tests that make a folding lock fail. The only failures I've seen are during tests that a folder would never be put through during every day use. Why would you ever hit your folder handle on a board many times in a row during normal use? Maybe if you trying to chop and just missing.

My question is has anyone ever had a decent folding knife lock fail in what would be call "normal" use, even questionable "normal" use? I guess I mean using it and not trying to break it in a performance test. If it did break, why do you think it did.

I had a liner lock knife that I used and when I tried to close it I found the liner had slid past the blade and the blade wouldn't close. I had to really try and force the liner spring back to unlock the blade. I lost the knife so I don't know if it happened again. It was a reputable brand knife in the $50 range. That's my only experience with lock failure.


Jack

[The Deacon]

Was at a knife show, looking at a custom liner lock with the idea of asking the maker if he'd be interested in building a LH version of it. After asking for and receiving permission I picked it up and thumbed it open it with what I consider reasonable force. That's to say neither so slow as to make lock engagement questionable nor so hard as to be abusive. The lock appeared to be engaged far enough, but when I put my thumb on the spine with moderate pressure it slipped and the blade started to close. No "whacking" involved, just positioning my hand the way I would if I wanted to cut something. Maker laughed it off, said it just needed adjustment. I'm sure that was true, but the potential sale had already been queered. I said "nice knife", closed it, put it back on his table, and moved on.

[.357 mag]

No. I've never had or seen ( other than YouTube) a lock fail ever. I've never had a non locking knife close on me. People that have this problem need to know how to control there equipment.

[yablanowitz]

I've never had even a cheap, obviously poorly-made, ill-fitting lock fail in use. I have folded non-lockers on my fingers a couple of times, leading me to re-evaluate my techniques and leaving me with a lasting dislike of spear-point blades once I figured out the mechanism for the accidents. Treat every folding knife like a non-locking folder and you'll never have a lock failure.

[npueppke]

I've never had a lock fail during use either.

[Evil D]

The only time i've ever had a lock come unlocked was my own fault...and i've been weary of lock backs ever since (or, respectful may be the right word).

I was very young...maybe 10 or so, i had this little tiny single blade folder, and i had got upset over something and was being stupid and stabbing it into the dirt. I squeezed too hard on the handle and on the next stab the blade closed on my pinky and cut me to the bone. Lesson learned.

[c.joe]

Spine whacks has a way different force output compared to constant pressure with the hand. I had a few cheapo knives with framelocks that I spine whacked and it survived all of them. But when I took it and applied constant pressure with my hands, it immediately started to shift over and disengage on its own.

I grew up on cheap knives. Oddly enough, I haven't had one lock fail on me yet.

[Evil D]

I grew up on cheap knives. Oddly enough, I haven't had one lock fail on me yet.

Same here, and i've never in my life even heard of a spine whack until i joined this forum. It makes about as much sense to me as trying to cut a sandwich in half with a hammer.

[ASmitty]

I had an axis lock knife fail on me due to one of the "omega springs" being broken inside the handle. Benchmade fixed it right up when I sent it in to the factory.

[Jackson]

Never had a knife fail on me... I try to be careful though, just because it hasn't failed in the past doesn't mean I want to try something stupid.

[2cha]

Had a lock fail on BM Nakamura Shoki when I wiped it clean against my pants leg. Sent it in for repair. After some research, seems lots of people had problems with the first run of the knife. Returned it, they stated blade replaced, but now there is very, very slight forward and backward? (at any rate, not lateral) play.

Had a back-lock spring snap on me many years ago, I think it was a cheap knock-off of a Buck 100

[yablanowitz]

Same here, and i've never in my life even heard of a spine whack until i joined this forum. It makes about as much sense to me as trying to cut a sandwich in half with a hammer.

To me it makes exactly as much sense as crashing your car into a brick wall periodically to make sure the airbags work.

The first time I ever read the words "spine whack", my first thought was "This is a joke, right? There can't be anyone that stupid." I have to admit, I was wrong. There are people that stupid, and some of them own knives.

[2cha]

Spine whack test doesn't seem to have too much practical application, but it did demonstrate a place where the caged ball lock could be improved, so, since it wasn't my knife, it was worth it I guess.

I think that the lock-failure tests by Elishewitz (available on youtube) while he was designing the Hogue knives are a better test of practical lock failure.

[SolidState]

I've had a few lock springs fail in normal use, but never the grasping mechanism.

[SQSAR]

Just wait, eventually someone will post that they've had a lock fail on them. However, in the responses so far, and in my experience, it seems very obvious that under 'normal' (read, not being stupid) use, a well designed lock isn't going to fail.

I love the analogy of crashing one's car to test the air-bags. That pretty much sums up what I feel when I see some of these "tests" posted on Youtube. However, after reading some other threads today, I'm wondering how long it will be until someone asks if an irradiated blade/lock would fail more quickly than a non-radiated blade? Or, would an irradiated blade be better for MBC, ,etc, etc. Just kidding, sorry if I'm going tangential.

[Jordan]

I've had a lock fail on me... all it took was violently hurling it into a wooden fence several thousand times. Piece of junk, tell you what :p . Violent hurling... that counts as normal use, right? :p :p

[marcdurant]

I have a titanium Lum where the lock is a hair too long and barely engages the back of the blade. So, it's possible that it would fail in normal use - if I:
1) Actually used it to cut something
2) Somehow put pressure on the spine instead of the edge

Been meaning to take a little file and shorten up the lock, but just haven't gotten around to it.

[Koen Z]

I worked for a Dutch knife importer for a while, running their repair centre, and I indeed saw some locks who didn't look like they where misused, but where not safe.

Most of them where Leatherman knives or tools, because it is a LM repair centre, but I also handled a few Buck Alpha hunters with failing locks, and indeed the Benchmade knife with the ''Nak lock''.

By far the most knives who where send in showed signs of serious abuse.

[Koen Z]

I worked for a Dutch knife importer for a while, running their repair centre, and I indeed saw some locks who didn't look like they where misused, but where not safe.

Most of them where Leatherman knives or tools, because it is a LM repair centre, but I also handled a few Buck Alpha hunters with failing locks, and indeed the Benchmade knife with the ''Nak lock''.

I also handled a Al Mar Falcon (backlock), it was possible to close it the way the Deacon told. I am not shure if this one did show signs of a beating.

By far the most knives who where send in showed signs of serious abuse.

[2cha]

and indeed the Benchmade knife with the ''Nak lock''.

That's the one that broke on me.