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Showing 1 of 34 conversations about:
ckm5
210
Nov 18, 2018
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Grips and blades are one thing, but for me one of the most important criteria is having something other than a frame/liner lock that can be operated one-handed. Frame/liner locks IMHO are a great way to cut yourself.... Back locks (or whatever they are called - basically what Buck knives use) are nice but impossible to close one handed. Push-button or side-slider is the way to go unless you enjoy folding a blade back onto your fingers.... I currently carry a Gerber Obsidian, which has both a push-button lock and a 'hard lock' (basically a switch that locks the button). Both of these are nice, but the knife overall is kinda crappy, so I've been looking for something better and perhaps smaller. Also with a wire clip that won't scratch things..... Right now the only thing I have found that fits the minimum requirements is the Gerber US-Assist, which is a tad expensive for something I beat on and am likely to loose. I'm not exactly sure what a 'Tactical' knife is - I don't think my knife is capable of creating any sort of tactic or strategy. Perhaps if it had Machine Learning or AI added to it's name it might be able to help with that, but that would add a lot of cost. Edit: just noticed @48thRonin2 basically said the same thing, frame/liner locks suck and will injure you....
Nov 18, 2018
48thRonin2
117
Nov 19, 2018
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ckm5Just to clarify, IMHO, frame locks are problematic under stress. All of my current EDC's are liner locks (Artisan Waistline, Bestech Kendo, Cold Steel Ti-Lite, Boker Plus FR). All have two ball bearing detents milled into the blade - one just after you release the liner lock, and the other to help keep the blade closed. I don't find closing any of the above one handed problematic - but I purposely and slowly PRACTICE closing the blade 40 times a day (10 in the morning, 10 in the evening with each hand). While I can imagine several situations where deploying the blade rapidly might be necessary, I cannot think of a situation where CLOSING the knife RAPIDLY would be necessary. Knock on wood, I have yet to slice myself open while closing a liner lock in the over 20+ years I have been carrying some variation of the same. But I slowly and purposely close the blade, giving it full attention until it is back in my pocket. Again, if rapid deployment is the primary consideration, my choice is still a small (4"?) FIXED blade. In the gunfighting arena, I recall a famous quote from Bill Jordan, legendary Border Patrol agent, veteran of many gunfights, and designer of the iconic Smith and Wesson Model 19 "K" frame: "Draw real fast, shoot real slow." There's a time to be fast, and a time to be slow. I try not to confuse the two.
Nov 19, 2018
billc
410
Jan 9, 2019
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ckm5I definitely prefer lockbacks, but they are getting harder to find. A frame or liner lock CAN be as strong as a lockback, or nearly so, but in my opinion that’s a design and construction consideration as liner locks and frame locks seem more design sensitive than lockbacks. I think there are also more usage scenarios whereby non-lockbacks of any type can be accidentally unlocked, never mind outright failures. If you want to stay safe with a folding knife of any type then avoid doing anything that puts non-trivial stress on the lock. Barring that, buy quality from a maker that knows what they are doing and use the knife as intended. (E.g., don’t go prying open car doors with your $20 liner lock knife ...)
Jan 9, 2019
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