Just Got My American Lawman

Lenny

Lenny

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 15, 1998
Messages
2,269
Man is it nice.
Actually, for the price, it's awesome.
Very slim, super solid lock up, stupid sharp, perfectly centered blade and actually quite comfy in hand.
But I'm definitely gonna have to sand a bit under the clip. :D
Am I correct in assuming that the Triad Lock will loosen up with use so I don't need to
press so hard to disengage it? It's a 2 hand closing knife now.
Thanks all in guiding my search for my first CS.
 
It varies, only a couple have been that way for me, I hear that people with those actuate it time after time while watching TV to help. I sold mine, can't use it with my arthritis enough to loosen it up.
 
My Lawman operates almost as nicely as my AD10 with the drop shut type blade. The 4Max Scout is about the same and the Bush Ranger is a two hander some times. I guess some are just smoother than others. They claim they will loosen up with time. If you like the Lawman you should snag a 4Max Scout its a bigger knife but I don't think you can find a better made folder for the money. Mine operates so smoothly it's hard to imagine until you handle one. I'm going to get another while the price is still good.
 
Dadpool said:
Yep! Every Tri-Ad knife I've owned has broken in nicely.

If this is your first, a tip: disengage the lock with the ball/bone/joint of your thumb, not the tip. Much easier for me. :thumbsup:
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Rule of “thumb” for operating the triad lock, always the “balls” never the “tip”.

im having too much fun :cool:
 
insta9ves said:
The lock won’t loosen up, your thumb will grow stronger.
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I think your exactly right. All of my triads (many many many!) get smoother but I really don't think the spring gets easier to use, I think people mistake this for the spring softening up. this is just my opinion but i would bet $50 (£35 if your in the UK!) on it
 
insta9ves said:
The lock won’t loosen up, your thumb will grow stronger.
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strideruser said:
I think your exactly right. All of my triads (many many many!) get smoother but I really don't think the spring gets easier to use, I think people mistake this for the spring softening up. this is just my opinion but i would bet $50 (£35 if your in the UK!) on it
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Both dead wrong ! :)

The spring WILL relax with use and storing half open may also help .:cool:

If that's not enough , there's ways to bend the spring some , but I've never had to do this . ;)
 
DocJD said:
Both dead wrong ! :)

The spring WILL relax with use and storing half open may also help .:cool:

If that's not enough , there's ways to bend the spring some , but I've never had to do this . ;)
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I would rather train to have a stronger thumb to operate the knives i like than to rely on the spring becoming weaker over time ;):cool::eek::D:p:thumbsup::thumbsup:o_O:rolleyes::oops::D:eek::);):p:cool::cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
insta9ves said:
I would rather train to have a stronger thumb to operate the knives i like than to rely on the spring becoming weaker over time ;):cool::eek::D:p:thumbsup::thumbsup:o_O:rolleyes::oops::D:eek::);):p:cool::cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
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Seems like your whole hand should be well "trained" from your ...blogging ! :rolleyes:

Part or all of the closing difficulty on a brand new Tri-ad is lock stick , which definitely will improve as the lock face surfaces wear-in with use .
 
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I've been buying knives since the 1970s. Today I just received the first Cold Steel I've ever bought. The American Lawman is excellent! Fit, finish, ergos, size, materials...everything is better than I expected. I have 100+ knives of all different sizes, shapes, styles, and brands. This one seems a lot better than many that had a much higher price. Time will tell. My gut tells me I should buy a back-up.
 
Stelth said:
I've been buying knives since the 1970s. Today I just received the first Cold Steel I've ever bought. The American Lawman is excellent! Fit, finish, ergos, size, materials...everything is better than I expected. I have 100+ knives of all different sizes, shapes, styles, and brands. This one seems a lot better than many that had a much higher price. Time will tell. My gut tells me I should buy a back-up.
Click to expand...
I think your gut is right.

The Lawman is one of my favorite edc knives. And a tremendous value for the money.
 
Great knife. Mine is CTS-XHP steel. I have had to remove and tweek the clips on all my CS folders in a vise so they weren't so tight. The Tri-Ad lock will smooth out a bit with use and a little lube (I use BreakFree CLP).
 
My Lawman came very easy to open and close. I've been reading a lot of posts before it arrived so I expected the deployment to be slow and the lock to be difficult to disengage. Neither turned out to be true. I can even open it via inertia. If I wave my arm and then stop it suddenly, the blade opens and locks.
The clip is VERY tight and also quite small for a knife this size but it's not really a problem.
 
I had the same problem with the clip on my CS Voyager. I removed it and gently bent it using needle nose pliers. It does not 'grab' my pant pocket as tight now. Also, I use the joint on my index finger to disengage the tri-ad lock. Please be careful doing that though.
 
Point the thumb, using the nail in a poking motion. The flat, fleshy part is too forgiving on the Tri Ad. (Great choice for a folder!)
 
The lock will get smoother, but no easier to press. It doesn't need to be that tight for strength, it is just that the design demands precise tolerances. Some are easy and some are insane. It's just luck.
 
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