Axis Lock - Does This Look Safe?

J

jimmy123

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
132
Hey guys,

I just got in my 1425SBT H&K BM knife and i'm curious on this axis lock. I have read a lot about them and read a post where a previous member showed some pictures of his axis lock and the tang on his knife actually stuck out a tiny bit from the axis lock. As i was looking at my lock, I saw that none was sticking out from the back of the axis lock, is this a defect?


This picture shows the lock. The darker line on the far right shows where the lock pushes the grim out of the way and actually makes contact with the metal. The second, lighter line is a scratched line I made so see how much the axis bar covers the knife. It seems like the axis bar does "Grab" on to much of the tang at all. Is this normal or safe?



This picture you can see NONE of the tang sticks out from the back of the axis bar. This doesn't seems safe at all. Is there suppose to be at least a bit of the kniofe sticking out from the back of the knife this is this picture on this forum? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386732&page=2&highlight=axis+lock
(POST NUMBER 35) see how some of the tang sticks out from the back, now look at mine...is there something wrong here?





I would really appreciate a input here guys, if there is something wrong I'm sending this thing back!

Thanks!
 
Well, I got my never used Ares in front of me and the lock-up is the same as yours. Even though the tang is not visible it would seem that enough surface makes contact with the bar, I think as the tang area wears with use it will move forward more.

Why don't you email Benchmade with the question?
 
Looks fine. Remember that the bottom of the bar is round as well, so it will make contact with the lock face in a single line. As long as that line is well past the edge, and it is from the grime, you're ok.
 
Bottom line is does it hold or not? If so you have no worries.

STR
 
Looks pretty normal to me.

If you continue to have questions about the integrity of Axis locks, I suggest that you return the knife and get yourself a fixed blade. You won't have an axis lock to worry about, no lock or moving parts at all to go wrong.

BTW, the axis lock (Revision: 03 December 8, 1998) is in no way new. I've had my Benchmade 710 for many years and it has yet to fail.
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I see nothing wrong with that lock. I've had many Benchmade's with Axis locks and have never had a problem with them. Not one.:thumbup:
 
Hmm thanks for the input guys, it just seemed that not much tang was used to hold the lock, but I can see that since the bar is round, it should be enough.
 
The nice thing is, the more you use it and the more it gets worn, the lockup should get tighter and more secure.
 
Your lock looks perfectly normal. I don't know if the blade would snap or the bar shear off first, but it is highly unlikely that it will fail with any reasonable use. As stated, it will feel more secure after a little break-in. It will certainly be the smoothest you own.
 
thats what my 806 looks like. Axis lock is new to me as well. Feels kind of werid cause after carrying a Chinook II for a while. Thick lock vs Axis. I've beat the snot out of my 806 and the lock hasn't failed.

what's the most abuse anyone has done to the Axis? Any lock will fail due to abuse but I'm just curious as the axis is new to me.

That and doesn't look like I'll be able to quickly replace the 806 if it dies. Curious as to the limits.
 
Pretty much all axis locks look that way. I agree with you that we should get a few more mm safety space on the tang to make me sleep better at night, but I'm pretty stringent with my knives and I've never had anything even resembling a problem with an axis lock.

Remember that with locks like the bb and axis lock, the "secret" to its strength is that the all the force against the lock is perpendicular to the only way it can travel. Basically, there's no force at all pushing the lock down even if you're spine whacking. So clearance doesn't actually make a difference as long as it's in the appropriate spot, but again, just to feel better, it seems like they could give us a few more mm.

In some old threads, we measured roughly how many mm we could push the axis bar down before the knife could be closed. You might want to try this (carefully!) to see if there's any legitimate danger, but I think we usually measured over mm.
 
"try one then buy one, thats all I have to say about the axis!"

Its true, once you try one, you will know if it is the best lock or just not for you. I love the AXIS but unfortunatly, I am not all that impressed with BMs blade designs. In fact, there are only a handfull of BM knives that I like. Spyderco has all the best blade designs but some of the worst locks (compression). BM has the best lock design but the blades are nothing special. If these two could get together on a couple of colabs, we might be the better off for it. How about an AXIS lock G-10 Police? Heaven!
 
We need WadeF to pipe in here.

He's used a BM 710 for many years and had no problems.

I have a 550 Griptilian that has almost the entire lock bar on the tang when locked. That thing aint going no where.
 
For me it looks a bit short, but i would like to see a pic from the back, if the ramp can be seen from behind or not. On the other hand, the grit is straight, that indicates a well done ramp.

The easiest way to proof is a repeated spine whack. But i would contact BM before that. Without a prooven spinewhack failure, nothing really to worry about.

I would give it a try by real use and see, if the bar travels a bit further.

Funny thing to ask about the axis in general on friday and in special on sunday. :D Is sunday delivery usual in the us? Do you regret your order?

Badest topics came from ppl. who worried about new knives just right after delivery without a second of work with it, but a bunch of pics in a minute.
 
If you're concerned, send it back to BM. If not, then use it. ;) It really is that simple.
 
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