By 1980 the folding knife industry had few new sit-up-and-take-notice lock innovations since the traditional lockback. In 1981 Walker invented, developed and eventually trademarked the Michael Walker LinerLock®. Linerlock-style knives, in crude form, had been around since the 1800s mostly as electrician's knives. Walker refined and mainstreamed the lock by adding a leafspring which locked the blade open, making it into a true one hand open folding knife. He also included a detent to hold the blade closed using the spring force from the liner so it didn't open in a pocket.
We're offering a Sprint Run (limited number) of ZDP-189 steel blade Walkers with a buffed carbon fiber handle. Japan's version of the ultra-performance powderized steels dominating our knife industry today is ZDP-189. With 3-percent carbon and an epic 20-percent chromium, the hollow-ground blade becomes part of an elite fraternity of exotic blade steels just beginning to be fully utilized and appreciated by knife users.
It has a weight reducing swedge at the spine, a spine cusp for thumb placement and is PlainEdged. Added to the performance driven blade is a buffed carbon fiber handle, with screw-together construction. Inside a single liner doubles as the LinerLock. Attention to small finishing details sophisticate it further, such as a pipped lanyard hole and tip-up, right hand pocket carry clip.
Spyderco Knives: Spyderco Michael Walker, 2010 Sprint Run, SP-C22CFPE