Axis Lock

S

sevenedges

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Sep 14, 1999
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Yesterday I was at work cutting sod with my 730 Axis Lock.

I was in a hurry and was cutting deep (the full length of the knife blade, PLUS about half of the handle.) So my hand was submerged into the soil up to my knuckles which was very wet and sticky.

After about ten minutes of this type of work the knife was extremely dirty. I was done with my knife and had no water nearby so I wiped it off and tried to close it.

It would not close at all. I banged it against hard objects, blew into it, picked at the lock with sticks. It would not budge due to the build up of mud in the lock.

Finally I poured a little Mountian Dew into the locking mech, and it freed it up enough to close it.

What does this prove? Not much, unless you plan to use your axis in harsh, spec- ops type conditions, it fills up with mud BEFORE you try to open it and it stays closed. This said, I wouldn't trade my Axis locks for a liner lock any day.

--Jeff
 
DANG! I wish I had an AFCK! I'd trade ya in a heart beat! I don't have much occasion to use my knives in special operations or anything like that. Do you?

My fear is generally the knife changing its current state unwanted, not staying in its current state when I want it to change. I hate surprises.
 
Hi Jeff,

Finally I poured a little Mountian Dew into the locking mech, and it freed it up enough to close it.
Click to expand...

I think you've just stumbled upon a new maintenance technique! ;)
 
I've been asking for a one-handed opener / two-handed closer for a long time. Safety first.

I suppose a knife that opens with one hand and closes with two plus soda is close enough.
 
I'm glad you posted this, Jeff. I work in a greenhouse where my blades can get full of gritty peat or muddy potting mix. I've been considering trading in my tried and true Endura for a Griptillian, but I've been concerned about the very thing that you have experienced, how the Axis lock will operate full of crud. Sorry, Rockspyder, but I like my blades to open AND close with predictability. :) And I don't drink Mountain Dew. :) I have a BM 710 and I love it, but there is also something to be said for keeping it simple and a good lockback is definitely a step in that direction. I think I'll save the 50 bucks and hang onto my Spydie for work.

Jack
 
Well, I've been searching for a knife that is easy to disassemble and clean for a while now.
The knife will be more a (hard)work- than a gentlemanknife.
It's quite obvious that knife should have easy locking mechanism -> makes me thinking about frame lock.
Also it should have screws, not rivets.
Handle should be solid, not filled with holes like a piece of cheese, thank you.
Sebenzas excluded, I've been thinking about CRKT S2 of BM 750 - any other suggestions?
Tuhkis
 
Doesn't have anything to do with Salamander problems.

BUT - I received my 730 just recently.

Wow!!! :) :cool:

Sometimes I hear about BM's having dull blade - this one is razor sharp.
Sometimes I hear that Axis needs some "breaking in" before it works perfectly - from the first touch this one works like a dream.

And more: Greg from Skylands cutlery said he'll ship it Friday, 3rd of August. Can USPS be any faster?

Guess who is smiling the rest of the day?:D :cool:
 
A grain of sand in the wrong plac and the wrong time can seriously disrupt an axis from functioning. Rekat's Rolling lock is not vulnerable to dirt or debris, neither are framelocks.

An axis is good for EDC, but for real dirty work, out comes the SIFU. I already had a bad opening flick on the axis, and a little piee of wood prevented a seure lock and it bit my hand. Never had that with my SIFU or my 750.

tuhkis, I'd vote for the 750 (you can have my second if you have something to trade for :D), but I'd not rule out the rolling lock. All it's moving parts are internally, the rest is clean and open, thus very easy to clean. It isn't easy to dissassemble, but you don't have to to clean it all out. I'ts just two flat steel liners with pinns sticking out.
 
Originally posted by Bart student
A grain of sand in the wrong plac and the wrong time can seriously disrupt an axis from functioning. Rekat's Rolling lock is not vulnerable to dirt or debris, neither are framelocks.

An axis is good for EDC, but for real dirty work, out comes the SIFU. I already had a bad opening flick on the axis, and a little piee of wood prevented a seure lock and it bit my hand. Never had that with my SIFU or my 750.
Click to expand...

Before you go getting too excited about the REKAT rolling lock, you might want to read the post by Tonie near the bottom of this page.

Also, all (repeat ALL) locks are vulnerable to failure due to intrusion of foreign matter. I have read of instances of EVERY lock failing for an unknown reason (no foreign matter intrusion identified), including the axis lock. But, I have only heard of it once with the axis, whereas Bladeforums seems to be littered with examples of failures of other types of locks.

And lets just step back and take a look at salamander's complaint here. It is totally valid, I admit; but look at the failure mode, and what it took to get the knife to freeze. Apparently total immersion in wet, sticky mud. Then it locks open. Yeah, conceivably if he took the same knife, or any other axis lock, and dragged the handle through the mud, it would stick closed. Maybe there actually will be reason to do this, especially in special operations. But I maintain this is a failure mode that is much more benign than the blade unexpectedly folding on you while you're using it.

Geez, the more I think about it, the more I wish I could find a nice pocket-knife with good steel that didn't even have a lock. I lived 30 years of my life with that being sufficient; never once had the knife fold on me unexpectedly. Somewhere along the way I just got enamored with knives with better steel in them, and I can't find that pattern with premium steel that I can afford (i.e. have only seen it in customs, or the Case/Bose collaborations). :(
 
For that type of application,I would have used an inexpensive fixed blade, but, that said, I have often had similar concerns about any of the more sophisticated locking systems.

In a truly dirty environment like that, I think the simpler the better.
 
I too trust Benchmade's Axis lock for hard use over any linerlock.
I haven't had a chance to check out Cold Steel's Ultralock, but SOG's Arc-lock is one I trust as well.
 
Speaking of locks.

I have a cut on right index finger now because of my spyderco rescue. It seems that dirt and lint collected in the notch that's on the blade. The lock didn't lock securley because fo the dirt, and boom, the knife blade hit the bottom side of a car while I was under it (cutting rope... dont ask) and then my finger gets cut.\

I think with any folding knife, to have a safe lock you MUST keep it clean at all times, and it needs to be regularly inspecited for good operation.

If your in a dirty situation or anything where a lock might fail due to stimuli of some sort, use a fixed blade. If I had taken the time to get my recon tanto out of my car while cutting the rope on my buddies car, I wouldn't have a cut right now.

I say, treat any folding knife like it can close up on you no matter what.
 
Originally posted by knifenerd
For that type of application,I would have used an inexpensive fixed blade,
Click to expand...

Say no more.

But I'm sure Salamander had (must had) reasons to use 730 to such a job...

tuhkis
 
Yeah, I had a reason or two for not using a fixed blade.

I wasn't planning on cutting turf that day, (first week on the job) so all I had was a couple folders.

Also, I don't want to walk around all day with a fixed blade on my side at work. Certian people might not care for it.

If I had a choice I would have liked a machete to do the work.

I once again found myself cutting turf today with my 710. It works better than a shovel anyday. No problems with it at all, but it has a longer blade and more space in the locking mechanism. So the debris seem to fall out easier than with my 730. Also used my 940 both days with no problems.

-Jeff
 
Please do not post stories like this. I am going to have nightmares tonight about someone using my BM to cut sod.;)

PJC
 
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