Folding knives do I really need a lock?

More often than not I have a stockman in my pocket. Most of what I've carried the last few years have been slipjoints. I rarely feel underknifed. Okay, once or twice I felt underknifed with a little Boker pen knife. But never that I can recall with a full sized or even 3 & 1/4" stockman. I have a lock back in my pocket today (Case Cheetah Cub) but I'm not counting on the lock to save me from being stupid. And as soon as I clean the Hen & Rooster it will probably bump the Cub.

Frank
 
I rarely carry a locking knife, and when I do, I always assume the lock is going to fail on my and handle it the same way I would a slip-joint. Personally, I think that they're not needed for the day-to-day chores I use my knives for, but that's just me. When I do need to be a little rougher on a knife (prying, twisting, and all the abuse that makes us knife-knuts cringe ;)), I tend to use a fixed blade like others have mentioned, but those situations are rare.

To each their own.

I will say, opening and closing a one-handed liner lock knife is more fun than a slippie! :D
 
Knives do not need a lock. I use a SAK everyday, and it hasn't ever failed me. I just like knives that lock in case something were to go wrong that may cause a knife to fold. (Hasn't happened, yet.. but I am sure it could happen easily enough)
 
To me, a fixed blade is like a wrench, and a locking blade is like a ratchet. Except 100% of the time I am applying torque on a ratchet it is against the mechanism, while I am almost never apply force against the lock of my knife. I still use ratchets, as do most people, even though the parts and contact surfaces of the ratcheting mechanism are smaller than most of the knife locking mechanism I've used.

I've also been underneath tons of metal supported by hydraulic seals, friction brakes, gear teeth, screw assemblies, etc. It isn't that often my safety is guaranteed by a single uninterrupted piece of metal. I have to rely on moving parts locking in place to deter people from breaking into my house and vehicle, and not just the safety, but the basic function of my firearms relies on moving parts and springs.

Knives don't need a lock, but I would probably never leave the house if I expected everything that functions on locking/unlocking components to fail every time.
 
Just like the seatbelt in your car a lock is not gonna guarantee your safety, but it most certainly makes your experience safer. If you use your knife carefully it's very unlikely that you need the lock, just like you're very unlikely to need the seatbelt if you drive carefully.
 
Locks on folding knives developed hand in hand with faster and more convenient opening methods. Knives with thumbstuds and flippers need locks just to remain open. Yes a SAK can be just as safe as a blade with a lock but not if it opens as loose as an axis lock knife because it will never stay open.
 
Sep said:
Just like the seatbelt in your car a lock is not gonna guarantee your safety, but it most certainly makes your experience safer. If you use your knife carefully it's very unlikely that you need the lock, just like you're very unlikely to need the seatbelt if you drive carefully.
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+1 to that. A lock is often not necessary, and if you're developing irresponsible habits because you have a lock, that's your fault, not the knife design. A lock is like a seatbelt or an airbag. Yes, in many cases you won't need it. But that doesn't mean that it's not a good safety feature to have. And if you drive stupidly because you have a safer car, that's your own fault. It doesn't make it inherently less safe to have airbags, just like having a lock on your knife doesn't mean you will necessarily develop poor handling habits.

There are lots of ways in which a non-locking knife will create problems, and I think it's unfair to say that you should carry a fixed blade all the time to handle certain types of cutting tasks (cutting materials where the blade could bind was a good example). A folding knife fits in your pocket comfortably and easily, and there's often less risk of it falling out a sheath and cutting you.

Additionally, I've found that cuts are much more even on material that binds even a little if you have a locking knife, because the blade stays rock steady where I want it. That's not necessarily true of a non-locking knife.

Yes, a lock can fail. So can an airbag or seatbelt. That doesn't mean that locking knives are the devil, or that, by and large, you shouldn't count on your locking mechanism working. You'll find that instances of locks NOT failing, even despite poor handling, are FAR more common than the very rare occurrence of having one fail. And it only takes a non-locking knife closing on your knuckles once to learn your lesson. Why carry two knives, when most EDC tasks can be handled with just one?

Short version: A lock is a safety feature. It makes the knife safer, and more efficient. It is still up to YOU to use your knife responsibly and safely. If you're going to use a knife unsafely because it's got a lock, chances are you would also be unsafe with any other knife.
 
Locks are nice, but there are risks with using any type of knife. I carry a locking folder and a SAK on me every day and use both for different things.

I try to have a fixed blade with me when I think I might need to muscle thru something, or plan a maneuver that is risky even with a locking folder.
 
About the seat belt & airbag analogy, if you had to send your knife in for repair or get a new knife, ever time the lock were in action, more people would use slip joints.
 
Honestly I never use my knives in a way that they could fold, I just get nervous and stop if I ever do. Brings up a really bad feeling. I've gotten deeps cuts and it sucks, knowing how much worse it would be if I put enough force to break the lock and have the blade close on my fingers scares me.Makes me think I'd probably lose a finger or 2
 
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