Best Lockup for EDC??

Yeah, I've asked questions like this before.

The basic criteria for evaluating any knife locking mechanism could be summed up this way:

1) Ease of opening
2) Ease of closing
3) Lock strength
A) Against pressure applied to blade spine
B) Against impact on blade spine
C) Against pressure on edge
D) Against impact on edge
E) Against lateral force applied to blade or handle (think: prying)
F) Against lateral shock applied to blade or handle
G) Against twisting force (try reaming a hole out with your knife and you'll be doing this)

The way that I would go about evaluating a lock's ability to hold is to look at the strength of the parts which are actually going to resist applied force.

As an example: a linerlock transfers the force of whatever you do to the blade back through the liner slab. Now, there are some insanely thick liners out there, but many of these have a substantial amount of steel milled away at some place to make a kind of pivot point. It is here that the lock is most likely to fail.

The answer to your question is going to depend on what you are cutting, and what from direction you anticipate the majority of force being applied to the knife. You can then choose a lock mechanism which resists most strongly from that direction. Most locks, obviously tend to favor the sharp part of the blade.

The real answer to your question is: what knife do you like in the price range you are able to pay?
 
Usually it is said for firearms, but applies to all potentially dangerous tools: the best safety is the one between your ears.
 
I'm fond of the Tri Ad lock myself. But for me, if the knife is great is every other way the lock type is of little concern. Lately I've been switching between a Douk Douk (which has no lock) and a K55K (which is a back lock)
 
"Whats a lock?" My grandfather always used to ask me that jokingly when we talked about knives. He carried a slip joint his whole life and never had an issue. Pretty much any lock will do you fine as long as it isn't a cheap four dollar gas station knife.
 
Fanglekai said:
I meant looking on the forum and places like youtube. You can find videos or reports of every type of lock failing. Just because Spyderco or Benchmade made the knife doesn't mean the lock can't fail. Any type of lock is fine for EDC provided the lock on the knife in question isn't defective.
Click to expand...

I only count events that I've personally experienced.
 
I had the back lock on a Spyderco fail once, but there was some user-interface actuation involved :o. For the most part, I just haven't seen an issue with any one type of lock failing or being 'superior'. I really like the Axis locks for ease of use, but the lock may be the last element I consider when purchasing a knife. My last three folders were slip joints.
 
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