Dangerous design with VIDEO!

Mr_Guano · Post by **Mr_Guano** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 10:57 am

Hi folks!

Today I received a package in the mail.
I had ordered a CRKT Rollock for novelty purposes, because I was a little curious about the design...

The first thing that struck me when opening it was that I wouldn't dare put it in my pocket.
The reason is that the "spring" keeping the blade locked was very weak.
The (too) easy opening can be seen in a clip I made.
It's HERE.
You can make up your own mind about it after watching it.
(as always, I apologize for the lousy quality...)

The opening is initiated by pushing down on the back of the blade.
After it's been opened, some force must be applied to bring the blade back and down into locked position again.
It also goes tip down in pocket...

That's all I have time to write at this time.
Please, if you have experience with this knife (or the early Rolox, from where it got the design (I think)), DO respond.

Thanks,
Mr_G

EDITED to add:
Of course the blade is stamped 5202 Taiwan

Pushbutton · Post by **Pushbutton** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 11:20 am

Its like the BenchMark Rolex Vipers & Sidewinders. The real ones are harder to find and can be expensive. This is the first I have seen CRK&T version. Strong locking system in a small package. Looks high on the novelty factor.
PB

Gonzo_Beyondo · Post by **Gonzo_Beyondo** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 12:02 pm

yeah, neat novelty! I dunno if i'd carry the thing in my pocket but i might get one to play with. Thanks for posting the video! I would'nt have seen this knife's action otherwise.

you cool man!

BennytheBlade · Post by **BennytheBlade** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 3:34 am

Interesting design anyhow... whats the blade, 440?

mrbigg · Post by **mrbigg** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 6:43 am

i've often thought about checking one of those out, that's the first time i've seen it in operation, thanks! there's no way to lock the blade closed?

Mr_Guano · Post by **Mr_Guano** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 10:53 am

Hi!

BTB,
The blade is stamped 5202 Taiwan, but here's what the ad says:
"What you get is not a toy, but a quality cutting tool, with a mirror polished frame of 420J2 stainless steel and a 2.25” blade of AUS 6M stainless steel."

The frame is fat and solid indeed. The liners are just about the same thickness as the translucent handle slabs.

As for AUS6M being the same as Tai5202, I have no idea.
It sure is sharp, though!

Mr. mrbigg,
The design is some kind of upside down lockback.
The blade is safely locked in place until you push down on the end of the blade.
My problem is that the (lockback) spring that's supposed to keep the blade both locked open and locked closed, is too weak.
This leads to easy opening and closing, but can also lead to accidental opening inside the pocket.
My point is this; as seen in the filmclip I made, the knife (when right-handed like me) clips so that the blade faces into the void of my pocket.
Not towards the side of the pocket.
This would make your hand touching the backside of the blade when reaching into the pocket for something, and possibly (since it opens easily) cause the knife to open.

One-handed closing is virtually impossible, as it's not simply an act of pushing the blade back in.
You gotta have a firm hold of both blade and frame to be able to pull it back into lock.
AND if it's opened accidentally, the blade will point in a 30 degree angle out from the frame. It will be in that position until you either push it forward into open lock, or back to closed lock...

LONG explanation, but I hope you understand.

And this has to be said;
It's a nifty design, tight and good. There's no blade play when locked open.
It also feels very solid, and it's fun to play with!
I just wouldn't dare clipping it to my pocket... Much less would I buy one for my kids if I had any... It's easy to hurt yourself with it

(when pushing forward it can be tempting to put your index finger on the frontside of the frame to add grip. That's not very smart, because when the blade is nearly open, the edge will fall and slide down the center of the frame. Be quick and be sliced)

Take care,
Mr_G

Oh, and please don't think I dislike this knife!
I like it very much thank you (as a desktop decoration).

mrbigg · Post by **mrbigg** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:03 pm

thanks for the looooooong explanation mr guano! seems like they didn't think that design all the way through.....thanks for taking one for the team

The-Distinctive-Edge · Mon Aug 25, 2003 7:04 pm

cool video, they have been selling well in the "neato" category!

Paul

Ookpik · Post by **Ookpik** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 3:36 am

The first Rolox knife I saw was in the early 1980's. It was made by BenchMark Knives, USA. I'm not sure what the model was or what type of blade steel was used. It had about a 2.5" blade and a 4" handle. The scales were black micarta or brown wood. The rest of the knife was steel. There was no pocket clip. (not invented yet) To open the knife you would push down on the back top of the blade. The blade would tilt up about 20 degrees. You would slide the blade forward to the end of the handle. The blade would tilt down and lock. The lock looked like a lockback, but on the underside of the handle. To close the blade you would push the lock bar and pull the blade back along the handle. When it reached the end of it's travel it would tilt from the 20 degree position into the handle. I know it's kind of hard to picture from my description. It was slow to open with one hand. It was just about impossible to close unless you used two hands. The lock was strong but I think the internal pins the blade slid on would be the weak points. The scales were held on with screws. You could partially disassemble the knife by removing these screws. This was necessary because it would fill up with dirt and pocket lint. It needed cleaning and greasing quite often. It was a unique and well-made knife. It just wasn't that practical. Check out the link for a picture of a stag handled knife and a little history.

http://www.agrussell.com/benchmark/bmk-dia.html

I originally posted this on another forum a while ago. The spring on the BenchMark knife was strong enough to hold the blade safely closed when the knife was in your pocket. Mr_Guano’s video clip is a lot easier than trying to follow my description. I haven’t handled the CRKT version yet. It looks like a cool toy.