Blade lock reliability

[matt321]

So say there is some emergency circumstance where you have to wrap your tender fingers tightly around the handle of your trusty Buck folding knife and slam the point of the blade down very, very hard into something with wreckless abandon! What would you want that knife to be; lockback, frame lock, or liner lock?

I'm thinking I'd prefer the lockback.

 

[Buckaholic]

So say there is some emergency circumstance where you have to wrap your tender fingers tightly around the handle of your trusty Buck folding knife and slam the point of the blade down very, very hard into something with wreckless abandon! What would you want that knife to be; lockback, frame lock, or liner lock?

I'm thinking I'd prefer the lockback.

Hey Matt321...the Anger Management seminar is down hall to the right...

But since you asked, frame lock.

Goose.

 

[bk400]

Of the three, I'd actually go with the lockback. I've even had some Ti framelocks fail on me under a hard stab. The issue has been that the pivot loosens a bit on a hard stab, which can create play between the tang and the locking leaf. This happened to me once on a Camillus Ti framelock, and I've lost trust ever since. A lockback from a reputable company is my vote.

 

[matt321]

On further contemplation (now that the anger flairup has passed ) it would seem the lockback loads the locking mechanism in shear while the linerlock and framelock load in compression (where buckling of the slender locking leaf is possible). Thus, for instance, it's hard to imagine the 172 taking the same load that a 110 would.

 

[yam]

I guess it also depends on how strong you are and what forces you are able to exert on the knife. It would also depend on if you trust that the knife you are using is a good example of the manufacturing process or one that isn't quite up to snuff and may have a slight flaw in the locking mechanism. That's a whole lot of trust when it comes to fingers I think.

So, really what you need is ... oceans of beautiful music and a fixed blade for when the music stops.

 

[Don Bilbanito]

I think the safest of all locks are the kind found on Spanish Navajas. The only way they can be opened is by lifter a lever or pulling a ring. I have held my 112 so tight I have actually disengaged the lock. I have large hands so that is why prefer the 110, there is a little more to hold on to. I have never liked the liner lock for hard use. I have a ugly scar from a old Schrade Clasp knife that closed on my forefinger once, while doing some work.