Product Warranty

SPYDERCO LOCK AND
JOINT MECHANISMS
BLADE GRINDS
CLIPS
BACK LOCK
A locking system positioned on the back of the handle that
uses a rocker arm that pivots in the center. A lug on one
end of the arm engages a notch in the blade’s tang
to lock the blade open.
BALL BEARING LOCK™
A patented compressive lock that wedges a ball bearing
between a fixed anvil and the blade tang. The mechanism
also serves as a detent to hold the blade in the closed
position.
BALL JOINT NON-LOCKING SYSTEM
Designed by knifemaker Bob Terzuola, this is a slip-joint
mechanism that prevents a knife blade from closing
through pressure from ball bearings set into spring arms in
the handle liners. The Ball Joint also serves as a half-stop
for the blade for additional safety.
BOLT ACTION LOCK
A locking mechanism designed by Blackie Collins that
consists of a spring-loaded bolt that engages on a ramp on
the tang of the blade to lock the blade open.
CHRIS REEVE INTEGRAL LOCK (R.I.L.)
Developed by custom knifemaker Chris Reeve, the R.I.L. is
similar to the Walker LinerLock
®
, but uses a lock bar that is
integral to one of the handle scales.
COMPRESSION LOCK™
A lock mechanism that uses a leaf-like spring from a split
liner in the handle to wedge laterally between a ramp on the
blade tang and the stop pin (or anvil pin). Developed and
patented by Spyderco, it provides extreme lock strength
and ease of use.
NOTCH JOINT
A non-locking joint in which the blade is held open by
spring pressure against a notch in the tang.
SLIPIT™
A Spyderco non-locking folding knife that opens via one-
handed operation and features a pocket clip. SLIPIT™
blades are held open by spring pressure against a notch in
the blade’s tang.
SLIPJOINT
A non-locking mechanism in which the blade is held open
by spring pressure on a flat section on the back of the
blade’s tang.
WALKER LINERLOCK
®
A locking system developed by custom knifemaker Michael
Walker that uses a a leaf-like spring split from the liner to
wedge laterally against a ramped surface on the tang of the
blade.
POWERLOCK™
A locking system positioned on the back of the handle
using two interacting rocker arms. One of which engages a
notch in the blade’s tang to lock the blade open.
CENTERLINE GRIND
A blade grind resembling that of a double-
edged knife in which the top and bottom
bevels meet in the center of the blade’s width.
Only the bottom edge is sharpened and the
spine of the knife is left unsharpened to
create a swedge.
FALSE EDGE
Originally a term that referred to the upper
edge of a sword that faced back toward
the user and was used in reverse or “back”
cutting tactics. When applied to knives, it
refers to a section of sharpened edge on the
back of the knife near the tip. It is sometimes
used interchangeably with “swedge” to
describe an unsharpened bevel on the back
of the blade.
FLAT SABER GRIND
A blade ground with flat bevels that extend
from the centerline of the blade to the
cutting edge. This grind maintains full
thickness through a larger portion of the
blade for increased strength.
FULL FLAT GRIND
A blade ground with flat bevels that extend
from the spine all the way to the cutting
edge. This grind reduces drag during
cutting and decreases overall weight.
HAMAGURI (APPLESEED)
Japanese for “clam” or “clamshell,” it describes
a blade ground with convex radiused bevels. Also
called an Appleseed or Moran grind, it is often
produced by grinding on a slack grinding belt.
HOLLOW GRIND
A blade with bevels that are ground with a
concave radius. The bevels may extend the full
width of the blade (full hollow grind) or only a
portion of its width.
SINGLE-BEVEL GRIND
Also called a chisel grind, this describes a blade
that is beveled on only one side. It may be flat or
hollow ground.
SWEDGE
A beveled area on the back of a blade near the
point that is purposely unsharpened.
ZERO GRIND
A grind similar to a full-flat grind but without the
secondary bevel at the cutting edge. The plane of
the bevel continues to create the cutting edge.
ZERO GROUND SABER
(Scandinavian or “Scandi” grind) Similar to
a flat-ground saber, but without a secondary
bevel at the cutting edge. The plane of the bevel
continues to create the cutting edge.
CENTERLINE GRIND
FALSE EDGE
FLAT SABER GRIND
FULL FLAT GRIND
HAMAGURI (APPLESEED)
HOLLOW GRIND
SINGLE-BEVEL GRIND
SWEDGE
ZERO GRIND
ZERO GROUND SABER
DEEP-POCKET CLIP
A knife clip designed to mount close to the
end of the handle so very little of the knife
remains exposed when it is clipped in the
pocket.
INTEGRAL POCKET CLIP
A pocket clip molded as an integral part
of the handle rather than a separate
component attached with screws. This style
of clip was used on early Spyderco models.
METAL CLIP
The most commonly used clip on
Spyderco knives, metal clips can be made
of stainless steel or titanium. They vary
in shape, size, and finish to complement
specific knife designs. They may be
attached to the handle with screws or
barrel bolts and often may be adjusted to
provide multiple carry options.
WIRE CLIP
A clip made from formed heat-treated wire
that is attached with a screw or barrel bolt.
Some wire clips are designed for deep-
pocket carry, while others position the knife
higher and closer to the pocket’s edge.
EDGE-U-CATION
69