Milwaukee has come out with a new Lockback pocket knife, 48-22-1940, to meet the needs of users who prefer traditional manual folders.
They previously came out with FastBack folding knives, and more premium Hardline folding knives.
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The Hardlines are decent EDC knives, and the FastBack folding knives decent “who cares if I destroy it” beater knives.
The new lockback knife features a 3″ stainless steel blade, glass-filled nylon body, a formed wire pocket clip (which looks to be reversible), and a lanyard hole.
A liner lock knife can take some getting used to. I’ve given or showed some of my knives to friends or family members who have handed them back open, saying something like “I don’t know how to close it.” And it can also be hard to get a good grip on a liner to release the blade.
I find lockback knives to be inherently simpler to use.
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Deployment is done via nail nick, which means two-handed opening. (You should always be aware of your local knife laws and regulations.)
I wonder if the absence of a thumb stud is to cut down on unneeded added costs, or to purposefully make this a slower-opening knife.
Does that mean it can be sold in NY and other areas? Home Depot says that they cannot ship the FastBack knife to AK,GU,HI,NY,PR,VI, presumably because of the button release and one-handed wrist-flick opening. They don’t the same about the Hardline.
Price: $15
ETA: March 2017
Buy Now(via Home Depot) – Check back for purchasing availability.
First Thoughts
I don’t like cheap knives. Well, most cheap knives. Some brands have been able to put together usable knives at lower prices. Others put together knives that look good, cost little, but perform terribly. And it’s not just the performance, but the user friendliness. A lot of cheap knives simply suck.
Milwaukee’s similarly priced FastBack folding knife, which you can buy for just $10 via HD? It’s okay. It’s usable, inoffensive, and not bad at all, meeting or even exceeding my expectations for what a $10 to $15 knife should be like. I expect the same from the new lockback knife, but maybe it’s even better, as Milwaukee product engineers had years of feedback to draw design inspiration from.
Thoughts? Are you in for one, or does the nail nick and lockback design not appeal to you?
In case you’re not too familiar with lockback knives, scroll back up and look at the photo. Do you see that grey part that’s exposed in the handle cutout at the spine? Push that to release the lock, and then pivot the blade back towards the handle to close the knife.
Man_With_Plan
I’m buying one!
Cr8ondt
I’ve carried a Fastback for over a year now, use it daily and never sharpened. Put simply it’s a fantastic EDC knife. Not that I want or need a new one, this still might end up in my pocket.
Noah
How soon till they release a knife in Trapper, Peanut or Stockman pattern? 😉
But this is a smart product for people in places where one hand opening can get you in a lot of trouble. I’m sure the 3″ blade length was on purpose as that’s often the max length allowed.
Koko the Talking Ape
I’m with you, I prefer lockback knives. Liner locks put a finger right in the path of the closing blade. Lockbacks are probably slightly stronger too.
But the lack of a thumb stud or some other method to open the knife one-handed is an issue. I don’t need it to open quickly, but sometimes I do need to open the knife one-handed.
Byrd (Spyderco’s bargain line) has a good line of knives for $20-30 or so. So they cost more, but they are lockbacks and have big thumbholes for easy opening. Also, they are flat ground, which in my experience binds less in things like cutting sheet goods.
Koko the Talking Ape
Or come to that, Milwaukee’s old Fastback is probably fine. It is a liner lock knife, but you can open it by pressing a button and letting the blade swing out, so it is a one-handed knife (at least for opening. Closing apparently requires two hands, but that’s also true of lock backs. But that still puts a finger in the path of the closing blade.)
The yeti
Ganzo 704 . Has a good blade copies the axis lock of benchmade fame . No need to get a finger caught closing it . Easy for one handed open and close . Legal even here in liberal canada
firefly
Thanks yeti. Look like a pretty awesome budget made knife.
The yeti
You will be pleased . For the money the ganzo 704 is the best I have found . If they were north American made I would order a dozen
pete
NOPE! I HATE nail opening knives and lockback knives. If i can’t pull out a knife, deploy the blade, make a cut, then fold the knife back, re-clip the knife in my pocket with one hand i don’t want it. That is like carrying condition 3…. NOPE not gonna happen.
Alick
Amen to that 🙂
Glenn
Another unneeded product from Milwaukee. They should change their motto from “Nothing but heavy duty” to “We are the knife, light and radio company”.
Please Milwaukee, release some POWER tools that we want, not more rehashes of the above.
Anyhow, for my work needs, this is the best knife I have ever used. Had the same one for @19 years. It is simple to use, the blade locks properly and safely., as well as being extremely durable Also they are only @ $10 AUS.
http://www.diplomatblades.com.au/images/hi/SL-1%20w-s.jpg
Michael
Not seeing the problem with liner lock. The blade doesn’t spring closed when you disengage the lock. Press the lock bar, back of blade against leg, close blade just enough to clear the lock bar, get fingers clear, finish closings. It becomes second nature after a while.
ca
I’ve cut myself a few times using a liner lock. I was gripping the knife rather tightly while using it and accidentally depressed the lock. Then the blade closed on my hand.
Operator error; I still much prefer liner locks to lock back knives.
James C
I like nail nicks on traditional knives and “gentleman’s folders,” of which this ain’t. It’s gotta be a strategy to get into the states with strict knife regulations; however the 3″ blade length might be an issue in some of those places. Not a super practical utilitarian knife with the two-handed opening and closing, yet obviously not a stylistically elegant EDC. Pretty odd knife.
Noah
It’s pretty much a red brand Buck 110.
Nathan
last nail nick knife I used and only one I own is my old swiss army. And no I will not buy another.
put a stud in there or a large hole like say the leatherman skeletool and I might be interested. Lockback vs liner lock – meh don’t care too much but honestly I mostly use liner locks and don’t have issues with them nor have I had one fail.
and IMO neither tool company should be making knives but they do seem to make a decent cheap product – and I can mostly get behind that. Though I might not buy one.
Corey Moore
Klein pocket knife 44201. Look it up. I can’t speak to the usefulness of the three wire stripping blades on the back, but dammit if it’s not to absolute best$20 knife I’ve ever picked up. I keep Klein as a tier 2 or 3 for varients of most tools, but they have those gems like the snips, 11in1, older keystone tweakers, and definitely this knife I bought on a whim with some clamps and whip bits on a new corporate Amex lol
firefly
I am not a fan of the nail nick style either. I wasn’t aware of so many style of folding knife lock out there. I have never had a problem with a liner lock. I can see it being remotely dangerous if somebody accidentally bump into me while I was closing the blade or I I was trying to close it one handed. Other than that I don’t see how I could cut myself closing a liner lock. It does take two hand to close so that’s definitely a major annoyance for anyone who use their knife often.
Popgun42
I have one of the mash a button and flip it open knives and I love it. One hand operation. Its my work carry knife. I like it…