Folders: What's the "Strongest" Lock?

H

HJK

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The topic has arisen once again elsewhere, so I thought it might be a good idea to focus attention on it here:

Many people are nervous about the liner/Walker lock. The annual "spine whack test" bug is upon us, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Once engaged, which locks are strongest and why? Framelock/integral lock, liner/Walker lock, lock back? And what about other locks out there, like Axis lock, bolster lock and various safeties.

And how likely are these locks to be accidently disengeged? Liner locks have a sensitive geometry to begin with. How do these various locks wear?

Les Robertson makes the astute point that you don't really need a lock at all: we did fine without them for years. Or did we? Is the lock an improvement or is it dangerous by giving people a false sense of security? And what about those backyard ninjas who train with their tacticals to do backslashes etc with their folders. Are we seriously deluded? :) I mean, on account of thinking any folder should be able to withstand such a shock to the spine :).

There are more experts gathered here than anywhere, I believe. Whaddya think?
 
Basically, any well executed lock is fine by me. The problem is, though, that the liner lock seems to be a difficult thing to get right. There are a lot of liner locks out there that aren't up to snuff. For that reason, my favorite locks (and hence the locks I feel are the strongest) are the CRK framelock, the Axis lock and the lockback.
 
Where would you guys put the compression lock? I recently got a Spyderco ATR with integral compression lock. I can't say how strong it is, but it does inspire confidence.
 
For ME, I find the back lock to be the "strongest", such as those found on the Spyderco Chinook and SOG Tomcat, and as a "lefty", they work the best for me.
 
HJK :

Les Robertson makes the astute point that you don't really need a lock at all: we did fine without them for years.
Click to expand...

Les argues strongly for Brend for survival knives, promoting their use as prybars which along side his Brend caused the snapping of many production knives including various Randalls. Yet he will also argue that there is no benefit to a folder having the ability to take spine loads. It is obvious that such a folder has a wider scope of work than one that doesn't, and this is the exact arguement that he uses to push the Brend.

-Cliff
 
While I've never had any properly designed lock fail on me (I did have a couple linerlocks that would loosen up under a tight grip), nothing feels as secure as the Rolling Lock used in the two REKATs I own. Even Buck's Strider folders felt less secure, one of the reason I sold them (why have a heavy duty folder if it doesn't even feel tight and secure).

For me, the Rolling Lock wins in the high tech lock arena and the plainjain lockback wins in the traditional one.

Chris
 
Spyderco rates thier MBC line at 250lbs/inch, minimum. Something like the chinook maxes at 800 on thier machine though... way above the MBC. Even the Ti Salsa hits 192lbs/inch, 4% below MBC which can be counted as a variation and allowed.

Even the bali is only as strong as your hand. How many of us can hold 1K lbs though to do over the MBC? Get a fixed and don't worry.
 
I believe that the liner or frame lock is the strongest. The reason being, is because the lock "pushes" the blade up. Unlike the lockback and bolt type locks that grab the blade tang and pull to keep it in place. Obviously some liner locks are paper thin and would collapse. Also Benchmades Axis lock is very thick and is far stronger than most liners and some frame locks. As far as reliability I'd go with a lockback (non-plastic handle) In my life I've seen less of them fail than any other lock.:)
 
Originally posted by HJK
Many people are nervous about the liner/Walker lock. The annual "spine whack test" bug is upon us, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Once engaged, which locks are strongest and why?
Click to expand...

Are you really asking about strongest? Or about most reliable? Or both? The spine whack test is about reliability, not strength!
 
From what I've read, nothing comes close to Arlee Niemi's Centerlock-- nothing. It's basically a fixed blade when the lock becomes engaged. His Megaladon is the only knife with the Centerlock I believe.
 
Arlee may be out of the knife biz when the rest of the Megaladons sell out. If so, you'd have a pretty killer knife of which there aren't many others out there. No guarantees, and I'm hoping Arlee changes his mind about leaving the biz, but frankly,the knife is an amazing piece regardless.

Joe
 
I hope he does too. I also hope he changes his mind about making a manual version of his knife, if he hasn't already.
 
My favorite lock is the "frame lock" which was made popular by Chris Reeve in his "Integral Lock" for the Sebenza - basically similar to the liner except a piece of the handle itself engages the tang rather than just a piece of the liner. The negative is that, if the lock isn't well made, it will lose it's ability to lock effectively over time. Some poorly made ones did so in the past. Reeve's integral lock will last a lifetime and so will some others that are well made. I can't think of anything stronger than this lock.
 
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