Benchmade's Nak-Lok

[tatfiend]

I just got my first Benchmade with this lock mechanism, a 482 Megumi. An interesting lock that is a variation on the frame lock. It is repositioned to the top of the frame adjacent to the spine and the locking arm is placed in tension rather than compression when the blade tries to close with the lock engaged. The lock is disengaged for blade closure by pressing in on a lock operating button near the blade pivot. This means that the unlocking finger never needs to be in the closing blade path, unlike with most frame locks.

Benchmade has used this lock design on relatively few knives, mostly relatively small "Gentlemen's Knives" designed in cooperation with Japanese designers. Not sure if this is due to it not being as strong as some other lock designs or that it is not as ambidexterous as the Axis lock design. Benchmade does have one China made Lone Wolf model, the 40020 Ridge Top, which does use this lock too. IMO an attractive wood scales model with a 3.26" quite wide blade and an excellent price. I like the apearance of wood scales on a knife.

 

[Cynic2701]

The Nak-lok is ok. I had a couple of 10700 Nagara knives (which were pretty good for the ~$40 you could get them when they were discontinued) but I can't comment on how strong the lock is. It's probably just fine for pretty much anything that you would normally use a knife for, but I was always somewhat concerned with how flimsy it seemed.

Personally I'd go for a Spyderco compression lock if that is a style of lock that you like. The compression lock does a much better job of distributing the force exerted on the lock into a big stop pin.

 

[Frotier76]

I've got mixed feelings about Benchmade's Nak-Lok...

I've got the Ridge Top by Lone Wolf Knives and it's a pretty neat lock design. I'd rate it as good as a lockback because the rear liner lock is hook shaped so it snags down on the back of the blade and isn't putting real pressure on the liner. I wouldn't exactly call the liner lock thin,a Buck Sirus/Tempest has a very thin liner lock.It's very comfortable to operate opening and closing so it's a positive design. The Nak-Lok's flaw is blade play:there's a tiny bit of vertical blade play between the liner lock hook and the blade base where it catches with the blade locked.I don't feel it's a safety issue and just part of the physics of the design...probably also explains why few knives by Benchmade use it.If the Nak-Lok was machined any tighter to be completely play free people would probably complain the liner lock was harder to push to the side through blade use(friction of the liner lock dragging across the blade base during unlocking).

 

[Frotier76]

It's a very innovative design by Benchmade but that tiny blade play is rather annoying...

*Shake the knife and you can feel that little tap-tap movement

*Cutting a thick wisteria root or slicing a apple you feel that blade move back a tad to the blade rest bar

The forty dollars wasn't regrettably spent but the Nak-Lok does not feel like the blade is 100% motion free in use like a standard liner lock in typical 'against the cutting edge' use.

 

[RamZar]

I've only seen those Benchmade Nak-Lok locks on my Shoki 480-1, Shori 483 and Megumi 482 which are small, narrow and thin. Perhaps that and the fact that they are light use Gentleman's folders has something to do with it. Personally, I have yet to experience the blade play. I also remember a video of an earlier model with lock failures just by pushing against the blade from the spine (not spine-whacking) and it looked like the lock was not fully engaged but it can happen but not during normal use. Need to keep contact away from the nak-lok but not so easy with such small folders.

NAK-LOK® Built from the framework of the locking-liner with some innovative updates. The lock engages using tensile strength, compared to the compression hold of more traditional locking-liners. With the Nak-Lok™, the possibility of personal injury is greatly reduced with the opening finger never crossing the blades path.