Best mechanism on a folder?

Nothing like a great sounding lockup on a framelock or liner. With a nice detent clicking when it closes. Knife porn! Yet my new Ti-lock CRK is amazing. So underrated and misunderstood. Get one! Give it a chance.
 
The Axis lock is smooth and strong and has developed a great reputation. I have several and like them all. However for most all tasks I find the button lock on William Henry knives to be as good if not better. It is simple, easy to operate, unbelievably smooth and I have never had one come close to failing for how I use my EDC.
 
When it comes to locking I'm very partial to frame locks, especially Ti.

I do really like the Axis lock and have never had any negative issues with any of my knives that use it.

As for opening mechanisms, I LOVE me some IKBS and any knife that uses it opens smooth as silk.
 
I love the simplicity of both a slip joint and the button lock. I have pretty much every type of lock just for variety but I have a slip joint every day while others get rotated in
 
I agree with FordFan. The button lock on the William Henry Knives is as good as the Axis lock and has fewer parts. The button lock is not ambidextrous, so lefties may prefer the Axis lock.
 
Compression looks like a liner lock on top but it actually locks like an axis...very strong lock.
 
Strigamort said:
If use to feel that way... Until I owned several axis knives. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Oh trust me I've owned plenty. I found in the end that while I find most benchmsdes to be good looking, very many of them did not appeal to me as users. YMMV
 
I dislike framelock or liner locks. I don't like them not being ambidextrous and I don't like having mismatched scales. Axis, caged ball, and compression are my favorites of what I've tried. I like comfortable one handed opening and closing along with a lock being ambi.
 
DrOpPoInT1110 said:
I am a big frame/liner lock fan just because of the simplicity of it. The way I use most of my knives, I don't even really NEED a lock on my EDC blades. I have been growing even more fond of the button lock on my Tighe Coon. Brian really knows how to execute a button lock well. Ultra smooth but rock solid lock up. Very easy to disengage as well. Doesn't eat up your thumbs like some frame/liner locks.
Click to expand...

I have had knives since i was 8 or 9 years old, and I am 56 years old right now. Of all the locks out there I have always been satisfied with a properly executed liner/frame lock knife. I usually prefer the liner because the one's I like are the ones with thick liners on both sides, and the same scale material on both sides. For some reason I have never taken to the g-10/micarta/other material on one side and titanium on the other (with my ZT0561 being the exception:D)

In the nearly 50 years I have had knives I have gone from one mechanism to the other and found the liner/frame lockers to suit my needs just fine. With all the advancements in CAD machinery liner locks are being built with amazing tolerances to include the correct liner/tang interface to make them a more viable, and reliable, lock. Plus the bottom line is for my uses I don't really need a lock, but I still appreciate a well built lock for the "just in case";).
 
Like most people, i'd have to go with axis, hands down for me. That being said, i do enjoy a good ole slipjoint quite a bit.
 
Axis best by a large margin for me. Axis lock knives are easily tuned with pivot tension adjustment, lock up solid, allow for symmetrical scales, and can be ambidextrously operated for fast and easy opening and closing with nothing that bleeds having to be under the blade to do it. I have an old 710 that I've flicked open a lot, probably thousands of times, and it still flicks and locks like a champ.

Who cares about locks, though? If done properly, they're all plenty strong. Of the really popular lock types, the frame lock is probably my least favorite overall--and I carry only titanium frame locks these days.
 
My two favorite locks are :

(1) Frame Locks (esp on the ZT 0550)

(2) Compression Lock on the Yojimbo2 and Para2.

Others that I like are back locks (such as the one found on the Native5) and the Axis too.
 
Personally, I like the Hawk Lock (Grant & Gavin Hawk), found on the Kershaw R.A.M. and Zt 0500 Mudd. Someone not too long ago said it made a sound like racking a 1911 slide, I couldn't agree more!. It's really awesome as a flipper. I wish they used it on a few more knives to be honest. Very stout lockup!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top