Too much focus in the "modern" scope of knives is laid in the lock...you know my granddad carried a 4" Sheffield slipjoint and used it hard, from being a Soldier in WWII, a railway linesman to finishing his working life fishing oysters and not once did he get injured from a blade closing on him.
How do I know? he told me when I was 12 and started carrying a buck 110 clone lockback...I guess I tried justifying why I needed a blade lock, and he put me in checkmate with an old beatup slipjoint.
Yeah, but just because I think I'm a good driver and I've never been in a wreck doesn't mean I should go get a car with no seat belts.
Personally I just find using other knives kind of clumsy compared to the AXIS lock now. Opening the blade, making the cut, and then closing it is almost one fluid operation. Slip-joints and even fixed blades are much more clumsy feeling after getting use to that: Using both hands, or fiddling around with a sheath or knife block, etc. Even with a liner-lock, I have to first break the lock, then turn the knife 180 degrees in my hand to fold it closed. With the AXIS, flick with the thumb, make the cut, pull the lock and flick it closed, and the blade is out of the way without me ever to change a grip, get the blade out before I'm ready to cut, put the material down before closing the blade up, etc. That to me is the saftey aspect of the lock more than the strength of it.
It's kind of like the principle behind SpeedSafe except the only extraneous operation between the cut and closing the knife is pulling the lock bar and flipping the wrist--and of course without ever putting your fingers in harms way. I think the only thing that's gonna get any safer is if you have a belt sheath and can put it right back in by feel, but even that sounds like a risky proposition to me in comparison.
There's too much emphasis put on lock-strength, and talking about how much weight it can hold and so on and so forth. I like slip-joints, but they can't open and close one-handed like an AXIS lock can.... It's just a whole different ball-game in terms of function.
On kind of a different subject... The AXIS lock isn't that far from functioning like a slip-joint anyway. If instead of a flat grind on the back of the tang where the lock-bar rides up, it was rounded, it could operate exactly like a slip-joint that could open-close easily with one hand.
However, just saying that, it kind of makes a person ask what the practical advantage of turning the AXIS lock into a slip-joint, even though it could easily be done; I suppose hiding the internal lock-bar would be aesthetically appealing, but that could be done with the lock-bar still accessible externally, which would mean it could function just the same with the lock as without--so no real benefit at all. The fact of the matter is that the design lends itself to adding a lock, so I think unless there's a really good reason to not have it, it just makes more sense to make a knife with a lock if the design lends itself to that. Probably why you see some lock-backs on slip-joint patterns like trappers, but not on stockmans sense that doesn't lend itself to that kind of lock.
Anyway, I think that's debating the overall philosophy of the lock too much. I think it comes down to preference; some people want the lock, some don't, but that just opens up the world of "which lock", and that's when you get people choosing based on lock strength that seemingly have the idea that the lock is supposed to turn the folding knife into a fixed blade, whereas I think it's really more like a car seat belt--it's just there to prevent carnage if you have a mishap.
) Omega spring break last week on my Mini Bone Collector, It was more annoying than anything because of the weakened tension and gritty action of the lock bar, and the weaker blade retention, so no problem - Mini Grip goes into my pocket and a couple days later I get around to packing the BC into a box and send it off to Oregon City. Now is where the story gets funny - On my way back from the Post Office after sending the BC in for new springs, I stop at the Save-A-Lot to pick up some pop and while in the store I whip out my Mini Grip to trim a loose thread. Wouldn't you know it just doesn't feel right, I open and close it a few times trying to diagnose the issue and guess what? - My Mini Grip has broken an Omega spring as well - JOY - 
Oh well its just one, and these knives have two springs so it was definitely still useful. THE NEXT DAY - While playing with the knife trying to figure out the best way to operate it with half the spring tension the lock bar goes limp in my hand :grumpy: both Omega springs went out within a day of each-other and I broke 3 Omega Springs in less than a week 
:thumbdn: