question for Spyderco Engineer, or anyone else who can answer

shootist16

shootist16

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The "compression" lock is said to have been tested at over 900 pounds. I obviously dont want to know how it works. I understand the need for secrecy. Can you tell me how the 900 pounds compares to other knives? How much stronger is that than the next strongest lock you have tested? It sounds impressive, but I would like a reference point.

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"Those who trade essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
 
I remember REKAT saying their rolling lock held over 1000 lbs right next to the pivot. Its supposedly the strongest lock on the market so the new compression lock should be a good contender.
Not sure but I think you average lockbacks all rate at less than 500lbs, maybe alot less,not sure.I think linerlocks would probably be even lower than than the lockbacks.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing a compression lock. It may even persuade me to buy another production knife even though I keep telling myself I'm just going to make them from now on
smile.gif


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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Its not enough to say how much it will hold. You also need to state at what distance the weight is from the pivot. When you multiply load times distance you get the torque and that is the figure you are after.

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Roger Blake
 
I've gotta ask...I like good engineering as much as the next person BUT:
How relevant are these superstrong locks in realworld situations? Is it a holy grail worth pursuing? Should we reach for the crowbar instead?
confused.gif

 
Ahh, my dear ferret...but this holy grail is a FOLDING crowbar. We must have it.

I carried friction folders most of my life. What was I thinking?
wink.gif


regards
p
 
I think that somewhere they actually did say that the compression lock held 900 in-lbs (which is a measure of torque). Something to think about...lots of people use the spine whack test, this is a test of impulse (force applied quickly) as opposed to a gradual increase in load.

I'm also curious if they test both with load on the spine side and the blade side. I don't think I ever put too much pressure on the spine, but I have been under the impression that the put the load on the spine during these tests. Can't wait to hear more!

~Mitch
 
It would be interesting to learn how these tests are performed.

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Dennis Bible
 
If you think a few hundred in.lbs is a lot of torque then it is worth your while to do some prying and measure how much effort this actually is. When Sal first brought this up I had a few kids from high school do this and all could press down with about 50 lbs of force very easily. Most could get over 100 lbs without a strain.

Depending on where your grip is on the handle this can generate well over a couple of hundred in.lbs of torque. A healthy full grown man will not even notice this level of exertion. Have you ever slipped and stopped your self with one hand? That would generate well over 400 in.lbs of torque.

Now what advantage is this in a folder? Well that depends. I would not trade excess strength for security but I would like to have it if I could. It simply allows your tool to have a greater range of work. Of course this stress test needs to be accompanied by angled vectored forces as well. It does no good if the lock is really strong up and down but the blade pops apart as soon at the lock experiences a lateral force.

-Cliff
 
Why do you need this stregnth? It is nice to have but do you really need it? A lock that can hold 900 lbs vertically is great but when would you actually need that? On the other hand, a folder that could withstand a lot of force laterally would be desireable.

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Johnny
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Hi all.
Not to get into the new lock but it did test at 975 inch lbs.
How we do our test is fixing the blade in a fixture and apply pressure at a specified distence on the scale from the pivot pin with a hydraulic ram. This is measured by a load cell conected to a computer and thus at 2.500 inches it took 390lbs of direct force.
Most of "our" locks we test range from 80-175lbs direct force.
Hope this helps.
Have a great day.
Vince.
 
Thank you Vince. That is exactly what I wanted to know. I am looking forward to it and hope to see it on several current Spyderco models as well as new ones. The trinity (Wegner, Military, and Starmate) would be even better with it.

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Dennis Bible
 
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