Axis lock strength

S

Silver Lions

Joined
May 8, 2017
Messages
7
Hello gentleman.
Was just curious to know if there has been any tests comparing the axis lock to the frame lock of a ZT or similar knife.
I just recently bought the 551 with grey g-10 and liked it so much I got the Doug Ritter from knifeworks with m390.
My work friend is always going on and on about his ZT 561 and how brute of a knife it is. Just curious to know if his lock is stronger than the axis.
 
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Sweet knives, great steels, good choices all. Abusing knives has a following because the tests teach and yield recognizable patterns. I learned to baton with the Adamas unlocked because several folks abused theirs, and the lesson was obvious, IF, you baton with a folder and not an ax.
BladeHQ ran 2 or 3 sets of tests with various locks including frame locks on tube, Benchmade also posts their test to failure, and of course cold steel tests to failure against other knives including frame locks. Vininull tested the zt 550, again on the tubes and gave it an outstanding score on his spreadsheet.
 
You will never, ever get a 100% accurate result on this question when it comes to frame locks. The reason is because no 2 frame locks are created 100% exactly the same. There is always a small variation in lockup, blade tang angle, lock bar tension, lock stick amount...i could go on forever. You are at the mercy of the factory tolerances. One guy will say his frame lock has never slipped, the next guy says it failed a small spine tap. Even Chris Reeve knives have different lockups and degrees of lock stick. The debate can go on forever. Axis locks are pretty strong over-all. Sudden sharp impacts can get frame locks and axis locks to slip, but who uses the spine of the knife as a whacking tool? With normal force put on by torquing or negative pressure, the axis lock is very stable. It's a great balance between strength and ease of use.
 
The axis lock is stong enough for what you would use a pocket knife for. other than that, the springs can break from wear.

i wouldnt worry about it. you shouldnt be using it for heavy tasks, thats what a fixed blade is for.

in any case, Benchmade has a youtube with testing showing that the lock holds up well enough.
 
Thanks for your replies. I did check out some YouTube videos of strength tests. Some pretty cool stuff. I liked blade hq's tests, particularly the second test in which they used all spyderco products.
I just always figured that frame locks were tougher than what the tests had shown.
Agreed I'll never need a folding knife to withstand those kind of forces. That's what my fixed blades are for. Just more reasons to own more knives
 
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