Folder Lock Strength?

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GuyWithTheThings

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Hey everyone

What do you guys think about lock strength? Is there a point? I don't think so at all. They're just there to keep your fingers from getting lobbed off. I see some people on here complaining about how bad a knife is because they spine whacked it against a tree and it failed. I just laugh. Some people don't get it. Found this video online too. I agree 100%. What do you guys think?

http://youtu.be/Wip5MAz_i-I
 
GuyWithTheThings said:
Hey everyone Is there a point? I don't think so at all.
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Nope, no point really.
This topic has been beat to a pulp repeatedly over the last couple years. A brief search for the topic would yield you a bunch of results. The link to the video you provide is a bit love/hate, seems to draw lots of attention for some reason despite the source, and is very old news at this point. Sorry to burst any bubble, but realistically it;s best to search out an existing topic instead of rehashing/resurrecting this beast from the grave.
 
RevDevil said:
This topic has been beat to a pulp repeatedly over the last couple years. A brief search for the topic would yield you a bunch of results. The link to the video you provide is a bit love/hate, seems to draw lots of attention for some reason despite the source, and is very old news at this point. Sorry to burst any bubble, but realistically it;s best to search out an existing topic instead of rehashing/resurrecting this beast from the grave.
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Yeah I know it's an old topic. I've just been taking a break from knives for a while and figured people were still talking about this kind of thing. Just wanted to get some people's opinions. If you think it's better to close the thread by all means go ahead; doesn't bother me at all. I was just curious about what people think nowadays.
 
There are actually some good discussions about the topic, minus the drama aspect those videos always bring to the table. The conversations usually flow much better without drama. ;)
 
GuyWithTheThings said:
Hey everyone

What do you guys think about lock strength? Is there a point? I don't think so at all. They're just there to keep your fingers from getting lobbed off. I see some people on here complaining about how bad a knife is because they spine whacked it against a tree and it failed.
Click to expand...
Take Charlie's advice and use the search function. :thumbup:

2001-a-space-odyssey-ape.jpg.728x520_q85.jpg


DC...:D
 
Actually, people have been trying to design a lock for a folder that is safer to use and has the strength of a fixed blade knife. That is the holy grail as folders are easier to carry (normally) than a fixed blade but are not as safe or durable. The Triad Lock as gone far in that direction, as well as some of the newer locks. Still, they are not consistently as strong. When people test locks they do so pointing out flaws and weaknesses that help designers to come up with stronger solutions.
 
I think the key is the fact that folding knives have an inherent point of weakness. There are two schools of thought about said weakness, one seems to be to simply accept the weakness and work around it, the other is to mitigate the weakness as much as is mechanically possible. I fall more into the second school of thought, so I do pay attention to lock strength, but both sides have solid points.
 
It's strange to me to think that improving the strength and consistency of a knife isn't considered a design improvement. Doing so doesn't necessarily mean one approves of irrational behavior in the same way that creating more effective birth control isn't an implicit approval of risky sexual behavior.
 
Well, I do think that a mechanism that keeps yours fingers from getting lobbed off is pretty important, but that doesn't take an extremely strong lock. I think lock strength is mostly just fun and interesting to see the ingenuity involved and appreciating the amount of thought that goes into creating stronger locks. The are really like sports cars; you never really push them to their full limit unless you are looking for trouble, but they are still fun nonetheless. To me, more important in a lock is longevity. I never push my folders in the least, but I do want my lock to continue to function without wearing too quickly and steel inserts in framelocks, the Triad lock, the compression lock, and many others do a great job of that.
 
I completely agree, I saw that video a while ago I couldn't agree more. jdavis is is pretty wise when it comes to knife related things.
 
marcinek said:
Folders will always fold, Chris.
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But none of the good ones fold when I don't want them to. ;)
The best kind of lock? A quality one.

Match the lock to the type and size of knife, the intended use, and don't be an idiot.

That's about it. :)

(I support further lock design innovation and improvement as well...strength, ease of use, and coolness :thumbup:)
 
I agree. I thought this was going to be "what's the strongest lock" thread.
If worried about lock strength get a fixed blade.
 
Common sense goes a very long way when it comes to folder use.

Use some of that and it's doubtful one would have any problems.
 
It seems the whole spine whacking fad is now just being carried on by the mall ninjas. Most of the folks here have figured out what is needed to have a quality lock.
 
Of course lock strength is important. And of course most of us buy pocket knives that have locks. What I want is a well-designed lock that is easy to open and close and very difficult to close accidentally when I'm using the knife somewhere in the realm of its designed use.

I watched the first three minutes of the video and it was a complete waste of my time -- just some guy babbling on and on, mostly about himself.

I once purchased an older AFCK with M2 steel. It was a liner lock and the lock was well worn. It would close unexpectedly. It could not pass a mild spine whack. The lock bar would wiggle back and forth during normal cutting activities. Benchmade fixed it for free.

It doesn't matter to me whether the lock can hold hundreds of pounds hung from the handle. It does matter that the knife can be used safely when being used properly, with a fair safety margin built in. Most well-made locking folders are fine. Lots of cheap knives and a few poorly designed or assembled knives are not.


I often EDC a Rukus, which is a big knife. The axis lock is amazing. I can flip that big blade open and closed with hardly an effort. It never fails. It is rock solid. No blade play. It's fun to use. It is very effective as a cutting instrument. Maybe the OP doesn't care about how much utility a well-designed lock can add to a knife, but I do.
 
The video rant is aimed a specific group of people in the knife community: those who claim or think that if a knife can't stand up to unreasonable use, then it's worthless. And he's right. Those are stupid things to be concerned about. But there's also good reasons to like well designed locks:

-Variation is fun.
-As long as the knife doesn't suffer from the improvement of the lock, there's no downside.
-Increasing the strength/ consistency of the lock, all things being equal, is a good thing.
 
There was a lock strength testing video that showed how a traditional lockback held its own to more modern high-load rated locks (I will try to post the link if I find it).

I have come to the conclusion that they are all reasonably strong for my purposes and I value having no blade play given this (OCD comments aside). I recently bought a compression lock folder and had to disassemble and retighten the pivot to remove very slight vertical blade play that bugged me. It's tight now, but also does not open as easily, but I never had that problem with the triad lock and good liner locks.

So I would rate the triad lock up there and liner locks for my personal preference, the compression lock is not bad (recognizing its lock strength is superlative). One can have high lock strength as seen in traditional lockbacks, but at the same time it could have some slop (blade play) and you need to decide if you are OK with it. I'm sure it's a non issue for most who just want to get the job done.

EDITED TO ADD LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KmHfbG7z7g
The lockbacks were statistically the strongest compared to linerlocks and framelocks.
 
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stabman said:
But none of the good ones fold when I don't want them to. ;)
The best kind of lock? A quality one.
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Same with the folders I EDC! And they are slipjoints. Never had one close on my fingers. (And I'm an idiot! :D)

But I always remember they, by design, fold.
 
marcinek said:
Same with the folders I EDC! And they are slipjoints. Never had one close on my fingers. (And I'm an idiot! :D)

But I always remember they, by design, fold.
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With certain locking folders, however, many people wouldn't think that it's "abuse" to stab into a piece of wood, for instance. But one generally wouldn't do that with slipjoints. So there is still a set of actions that one can do with a locking folder that one wouldn't do with a slipjoint, but is still within reason of the locking folder's design. I've read that some people suggest only using any folder like it were a slipjoint. Given the state of folder designs today, that seems unnecessary.

There was a time when the design structure of buildings weren't suitable for possessing the height that skyscrapers have today. And while one could stick to a general rule of "treating every building design like it can only support one story, and never make buildings taller", there's no good reason to be that cautious.
 
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