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BM Axis Lock vs. SOG Arc Loc vs. CS Ultra Lock - same thing?
- Thread starter AmadeusM
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2001
- Messages
- 32,359
AmadeusM said:
I don't know about the CS Ultra Lock, but between the other 2 I like the Axis lock over the Arc Lock because the Arc Lock seems to have more steel removed near the pivot than the Axis Lock.
I like more meat on my lock than the SOG provides.
I'm not saying one is better than another because other than seeing one up close I've never handled an Arc Lock so I don't know the rate of failure, I do know that in 4 years my Axis Lock has never failed me. FWIW
boobar
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2002
- Messages
- 3,568
I had a SOG Night Vision and the ARC lock wasn't near as smooth as the BM 943 that I am currently carrying. Likewise with the Cold Steel Recon 1 that I owned, the ultra lock mechanism seemed clunky and unrefined. Out of the three locks my favorite would be the AXIS lock, very smooth, rock solid lockup, and it's a Benchmade. What more can I say. 
having at least one of each this is my unbiased opinion:
the axis lock is of course smooth and strong but there are 2 'gripes' that i have with it. maybe it's just the ones i have but when you close the blade there comes a point right before you close the blade that it gets difficult to close and then it becomes smooth again. if you look at the axis bar, it has to readjust to the shape of the blade tang causing this disturbance in smoothness. it's only apparent when closing the knife. now if i hold down the axis bar while closing, there's no problem, but to give the omega springs as little wear as possible i usually don't hold down the bar all the way while closing the blade. i just disengage the lock then let the bar go. maybe it's my technique or lack thereof.
secondly, the bar is "free floating" on the axis lock. it isn't connected to anything except it is kept in line by the springs and washers. still, you can twist it so that one end of the bar is lower than the other, making it some sort of an exercise in coordinating the right amount of force needed on each side to pull the bar down straight.
now the arc lock IMO is a better design in that it's hella smooth as well, but the "floating bar" is replaced by a pivoting bar. by being connected to the handle, the arc lock takes the guess work out of coordinating how much pressure to apply to each side of the lock bar. as somebody said earlier though, SOG designed the tang frighteningly thin IMO. also instead of pulling down on the bar, you have to "swing" the bar around it's pivot in order to disengage the lock. pulling down is by far much easier and more natural for me though you get used to "arcing" it open.
as for the ultra lock it's the best design of them all but the worst execution. it's hella rough with the same hitch in smoothness right before the blade closes just like the axis lock. this is again due to the tang shape. it also has the same floating bar effect where you need to pull down both ends of the bar with the same force to get smooth operation. the ultra lock is the most robust because the bar is IN the tang not on the outside of it. if it was made a bit better it could definitely be better than the axis lock.
IMO best design: ultra, arc, axis
IMO best execution: axis, arc, ultra
these are just my own ramblings based on my own techniques, or lack thereof, for opening and closing the blades. YMMV
the axis lock is of course smooth and strong but there are 2 'gripes' that i have with it. maybe it's just the ones i have but when you close the blade there comes a point right before you close the blade that it gets difficult to close and then it becomes smooth again. if you look at the axis bar, it has to readjust to the shape of the blade tang causing this disturbance in smoothness. it's only apparent when closing the knife. now if i hold down the axis bar while closing, there's no problem, but to give the omega springs as little wear as possible i usually don't hold down the bar all the way while closing the blade. i just disengage the lock then let the bar go. maybe it's my technique or lack thereof.
secondly, the bar is "free floating" on the axis lock. it isn't connected to anything except it is kept in line by the springs and washers. still, you can twist it so that one end of the bar is lower than the other, making it some sort of an exercise in coordinating the right amount of force needed on each side to pull the bar down straight.
now the arc lock IMO is a better design in that it's hella smooth as well, but the "floating bar" is replaced by a pivoting bar. by being connected to the handle, the arc lock takes the guess work out of coordinating how much pressure to apply to each side of the lock bar. as somebody said earlier though, SOG designed the tang frighteningly thin IMO. also instead of pulling down on the bar, you have to "swing" the bar around it's pivot in order to disengage the lock. pulling down is by far much easier and more natural for me though you get used to "arcing" it open.
as for the ultra lock it's the best design of them all but the worst execution. it's hella rough with the same hitch in smoothness right before the blade closes just like the axis lock. this is again due to the tang shape. it also has the same floating bar effect where you need to pull down both ends of the bar with the same force to get smooth operation. the ultra lock is the most robust because the bar is IN the tang not on the outside of it. if it was made a bit better it could definitely be better than the axis lock.
IMO best design: ultra, arc, axis
IMO best execution: axis, arc, ultra
these are just my own ramblings based on my own techniques, or lack thereof, for opening and closing the blades. YMMV