Blade Locking Systems???

[SpyGuy]

Hello. I'm new to modern knife designs and would like to get some detailed information on the different types of blade locking systems currently available. I am seeking the following answers for each type of design:

How does it work? (Links to photos or illustrations are a plus!)
What are its strengths & weaknesses?
Does it require two hands or can it be effectively operated with just one?
How strong is the lock?
What is the likelihood of accidentally cutting oneself while closing?

I realize that some of these points are based on the quality of manufacture, as well as the inherent design. Feel free to discuss the pros and cons in light of the various makes and models available.

Thanks!

 

[Gollnick]

How does it work?

Two handles counter-rotate around the tang. A latch on one handle locks the knife either open or closed.


(Links to photos or illustrations are a plus!)

Check my signature line.



What are its strengths & weaknesses?

Its key strength is its strength. Since the blade is secured by not one but three solid pins, it is about as close to a full-tang fixed-blade as you'll get in a folding knife.

It's weakness is that they are illegal to even think about in some areas.




Does it require two hands or can it be effectively operated with just one?

You can open or close it with one hand or two, behind your back, aerial, the possibilities are endless.




How strong is the lock?

It is the strongest folding lock available.




What is the likelihood of accidentally cutting oneself while closing?

Nothing in the world is certain, but on a high-quality balisong, the likelihood of a lock failure approaches zero. No other lock design is as reliable.

 

[stjames]

How does it work?
The lock is created by cutting a slot in the handle slab. Pre bending at the end of the slot causes the spring to move to the base of the blade, thereby locking the blade open.

What are its strengths & weaknesses?
The lock is simple, reliable, strong, durable, robust and able to be operated with one hand. When made properly it is as strong as the materials used. The lock design limits the use of handle scales and embellishments because one slab is dedicated to the lock, a disadvantage to some.

Does it require two hands or can it be effectively operated with just one?
Just one, but the lock is designed right or left hand operation specific, and is not easy to operate with the off hand.

How strong is the lock?
I don’t have definitive data, I know that several members here as well as the Spyderco company have done extensive testing and that the strength exceeds what can be applied without mechanical aid. Strong enough, as it were.

What is the likelihood of accidentally cutting oneself while closing?
The knife requires a certain degree of dexterity to operate, as you put your thumb in the blade path to push the spring out of the way to close the knife. Reason enough for some to not like the lock design.

 

[SpyGuy]

The frame lock sounds a lot like the liner lock (unless I'm mistaken about how the liner lock works). What are the differences and advantages/disadvantages between the two?

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Originally posted by SpyGuy
The frame lock sounds a lot like the liner lock (unless I'm mistaken about how the liner lock works). What are the differences and advantages/disadvantages between the two?

The principles are very similar, but there are substantive differences in the final product. With a liner lock, the knife is a standard liner/scale design, and the liner functions as the locking leaf. With a frame lock, the entire handle forms the locking leaf. Proponents of the frame lock sometimes point to the much greater thickness of the frame lock than the liner lock as an advantage in strength and reliability over the liner lock, and to a point they're right. However, IMO the real reason frame locks have greater reliability is that with the frame lock, your entire hand is wrapped around the lock, reinforcing the lockup. With the liner lock, the scales allow limited or no hand contact between the hand and the locking leaf. That means that in the best case, your hand does not reinforce the lockup at all; in the worst case, the flesh of your hand can sink between the scales and actually compromise the lockup.

In the end, the difference in the reliability is huge, with the frame lock having the advantage.

The disadvantage of the framelock is that the requirement of a thick all-metal frame induces serious constraints on the aesthetics, whereas the liner lock provides the maker many more options for artistic flair. Frame locks are often, but not always, heavier than liner locks of the same size, since all metal frame lock will be heavier than thin metal liners covered by lightweight scales.

Joe