Ball bearing lock?

Just got that knife, haven't used it yet, but it's here on the office desk & I work it every now & then to get used to it.
I like the lock, like the ergonomics.
Denis
 
Artfully Martial said:
Thinking about getting a d`allara drop point and was wondering what people thought of this pseudo axis lock.
Click to expand...

Some things are better than the Axis, and some aren't as good.

It sounds impossible, but the Ball Bearing lock might be smoother than the Axis lock. It's amazingly smooth. My D'Allara Rescue is slicker than my BM 520 by a good margin.

On the other hand, the BB lock doesn't hold the blade closed quite as well as an Axis lock or lockback. It's close, and I think it could be improved in future versions with a tweak in geometry. It's worlds better than liner locks that do nothing once you pass the detent ball. But still, the Axis edges it out here.

So that's one plus and one minus. And here's one that's up to interpretation. The BB lock can be harder to pull back for some people, and it's actually almost impossible to pull it back with one finger because the ball just rotates. I have no problem pulling it back when I want to, and I think it's just fine that a lock doesn't disengage very easily. Better still, I think the two-fingers-only release is a cool feature.

So, there's one perspective from a huge Axis and Spydie fan.
 
I haven't used mine enough to see any, but it seems to work the same way as the Axis lock, where the ball/bar will just ride a little further up the tang years from now.

I did discuss with with a Spyder person and he noted that when they tested the BB lock, they opened and closed it "an ungodly number of times."
 
If anything I'd say the coil spring will out last the long leverage type "Omega" springs in the axis lock. Coil is a much better design for long term durability. The nested compression in my Poliwog is rock solid and the knife has taken some sharp whacks as a test of the durability and security. My Dodo was very solid and well built also. I'm sold. Its a good lock mechanism simpler and with less moving parts than the axis so from that perspective it is probably better all around for overall performance with the exception of being able to hold the lock back with one hand for the flip or for closing with one hand. I've done it don't get me wrong, but it is not as effortless as the axis lock although it really isn't that hard with my Poliwog to flip the blade out while holding the ball back it just doesn't seem to be quite as easy as the axis is....
 
I would say it's smoothness of the action matches the Axis lock, the thing I have noticed is that the hump in the tang that will keep the blade close is not as profound, which results in less effort to open and close the blade(especially when the blade first opens and when the blade is just about to close).

I have heard that the ball is too small for the fat handles of the D`allara, but with the Dodo, it's fine.
 
I also have a D'allara drop point and I love this knife more and more as I use it everyday. I've cut boxes, shrink-wrapped pallets, and hoist ropes so far, and the knife is rock solid! I think the concept of the whole ball-bearing lock is ingenious! The blade shape is a great cutter and I love the deep belly of this drop point. Unique, solid, and smooth, I believe this is my new EDC for the warehouse work that I do.
 
Lumen,I am wondering already for a while if the D'Allara drop point has steel liners under the frn-gripscales.From some photos it looks so.
 
I have both a ball lock Dodo and a couple of Axis lock knives. Having broken an omega spring in less than a year, I have to agree with STR that the coil spring is likely going to outlast an omega.

I find them equally smooth.
 
Yes I think so.But the Dodo for example has as far as I remember just partial steelliners for making the lock work.
 
The Dodo has no liners, just 2 slabs of G-10 and a partial back spacer. I have read reports of problems with the BB lock but mine has been 100% perfect. It is probably the only knife I own that has absolutely zero blade play, none, nada, zip. However trying to sharpen this little curvey S30V blade is another story. :mad:
 
I played with the Dallara, and I like it better than the other ball bearing locks I have. I like the Dodo and Poliwog knives, but the lock arrangement has some minor differences among them. The Dallara I played with looked like it had everything "just right" with a solid lockup and no "sticking" when the blade was locked open. If they had the new drop point version in stock I might have gotten it.
 
I have the D'Allera Drop Point. It Has steel liners.
I agree with others - sturdy, simple, strong lock, great handle.
Not as easy to operate as Axis, but easy enough.
It's a little too big to be my EDC, but it's a keeper.
 
The backspacer extents down and around the ball and forms a rail in which the ball runs.
 
Have the D'Allara Rescue. Will probably pick up a Drop Point. The ergos on the Rescue are great, and I like the ball lock. It is, as someone has already mentioned, both smooth and secure. Give one a whirl. I think the Drop Point would make a great work knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top