Framelock VS Linerlock

[Psycoman]

Like all things in life...you get what you pay for...
...usually.

 

[JNewell]

That is awesome, is the lock up still at 95%, was anything said of it or is that still a good lock up? Anyhow, with the years you guys are getting out of it that sounds great to me.

No, they tuned it up, rehardened the lockbar and it now is around 50% which is deep by many other companies' standards but is right on for CRK.

 

[nevermind35]

I've got a 17 year old Sebenza and it still locks up like a vault at a solid 80%!

 

[nevermind35]

That's the reason i favor frame locks over liner locks-- the hand squeezing on the lock bar helps prevent it from being laterally displaced under force. The harder you squeeze the harder the lock bar bears on the blade.

About lock face wear: I can't speak for Reeve but my faithful Benchmade 750 Pinnacle from the mid to late 90's has finally worn down enough that it's starting to exhibit some blade play. I think most of the wear has come from abrasive particles in the inevitable pocket dirt that has gotten into the mechanism.

I betcha that if you bent the lockbar in a tad so as to make it have a little more inward pressure it would take that blade play away. It seems like a daunting task but its really not too bad. I did it a while back to a Burke production Rockstar with great results!

Edit: Pm me if you want me to explain the process.

 

[Chocula]

One reason I like a liner lock is because there is a built in stabilizer (the handle) so that it is not over extended. This allows a more flexible lock that can be disengaged with little pressure and without risk of over extension.

The frame lock knives I have/have had were either so stiff that it was difficult to disengage or so flexible that I was wary of bending it too far open. I dont think the increased "strength" of a framelock is worth the awkward amount of force required to disengage it. I do like frame locks for their simplicity and ease of cleaning though.

I am looking forward to getting a speedform to try out the bias cut frame lock. It seems like a very clever solution to my issue, assuming the lock will not be too stiff.

 

[link2derek]

One reason. . . The frame lock knives I have/have had were either so stiff that it was difficult to disengage or so flexible that I was wary of bending it too far open. I dont think the increased "strength" of a framelock is worth the awkward amount of force required to disengage it. . . .

Get a small Sebenza -- it'll completely change your thinking on this point.

 

[marthinus]

One reason I like a liner lock is because there is a built in stabilizer (the handle) so that it is not over extended. This allows a more flexible lock that can be disengaged with little pressure and without risk of over extension.

The frame lock knives I have/have had were either so stiff that it was difficult to disengage or so flexible that I was wary of bending it too far open. I dont think the increased "strength" of a framelock is worth the awkward amount of force required to disengage it. I do like frame locks for their simplicity and ease of cleaning though.

I am looking forward to getting a speedform to try out the bias cut frame lock. It seems like a very clever solution to my issue, assuming the lock will not be too stiff.

There are a few other knife makers that also address this issue, one is of course Hinderer, others are Yuna and there are a few others. A simple extra to a pivot pin like Yuna resolves the problem, others that I have talked to are trying to do a pocket clip that doubles as a anti-over-extender, or if you want to remove the clip a simple replacement.

As to the original question, I just love framelocks for their ease of maintenance and as elkins45 explained. Been great workers on the farm and have not had the same wear issues as with liners. Liners have their place for me as well, but those are for general EDC chores. Thats my 2 cents.

 

[cziv]

Linerlocks always make me feel uneasy except for the Spyderco Military which due to testimony and appearance, inspires confidence.

My son's XM-18 locks up like a fixed blade at about 20 - 25% travel - makes me nervous just catching the corner but Rick & Rob and other members said that's a good thing so we'll go with the pros on that one.

My XM-24 locks at about 40%. We have both cycled these things about a 1000 times and no wear. Now that the newness and the allure of the flippers has cooled off, we look forward to a long life on these two Hinderers.

ZT 0300 series/Striders & maybe more who use Rick's stop bar don't have to worry about over extending the bar too far. Nifty invention.

I batoned the crap out of some small branches with my Ontario RAT-1 folder, just because. So I noticed that the linerlock was engaging at about 95% which really bothered me since it started at 50% engagement. Last might I took of the pocket clip, spine screws, and pivot screw and removed the linerlock side's scale. Put the pivot pin back in. I got my needle-nose pliers out and put a gorilla grip on the base of the lock (by the cutaway) and bent outward and tested engagement. Repeat process about 10 times until I have it reassembled again with a solid 50% lock-up, no blade play and no stress. "Small moves!"

My Ti JYD 2 kept sticking like h*ll and was locking almost 100%. Disassembled that puppy also and bent the lock bar outward - many small bends so as to avoid stressing the Ti and got it working fine. Oddly enough the JYD 2 was more a pain in the *ss to assemble, repair & reassemble than the RAT-1 linerlock.

Long post - I'll shut my pie hole, but my advice, if you adjust on your own is to grab the lockbars on either type low/deep (not on the tip) and make lots of small adjustments and test - not grab it with pliers and bend it too far & too fast.

 

[Chocula]

Get a small Sebenza -- it'll completely change your thinking on this point.

I had a large sebenza a few years ago and felt the lock was quite stiff. Eventually I sold it for other reasons though (mainly the blocky handles were not to my liking) and figured the small sebenza is identical in function so never bothered to try one. Is it really any different?

There are a few other knife makers...Hinderer, Yuna and there are a few others.

Yea I know about the Hinderer stabilizer but I have never tried it. It does seem to take away from the simplicity of a pure frame lock design.

 

[cziv]

I had a large sebenza a few years ago and felt the lock was quite stiff.

My Sebenza lg 21 is soft as butter to unlock?

Yea I know about the Hinderer stabilizer but I have never tried it. It does seem to take away from the simplicity of a pure frame lock design

It save you from the simplicity of a friend who upon looking at your knife shoves the bar about a 1/2 inch off the frame! A great feature on knives that carry it.

 

[JNewell]

Only in the same general way that a folder takes away from the simplicity of a fixed blade or a locking folder takes away from a slippie?

Yea I know about the Hinderer stabilizer but I have never tried it. It does seem to take away from the simplicity of a pure frame lock design.

 

[link2derek]

I had a large sebenza a few years ago and felt the lock was quite stiff. Eventually I sold it for other reasons though (mainly the blocky handles were not to my liking) and figured the small sebenza is identical in function so never bothered to try one. Is it really any different?

I can open both my large and small Sebbies with ease (and even easier after they have been disassembled, cleaned, and lubed with CRK's fluorinated grease). However, it may depend on your hand size. I have medium sized hands, so I fit right in between the large and small -- perfect!

 

[Chocula]

I had the Sebenza more than three years ago so maybe my memory is fuzzy.

It save you from the simplicity of a friend who upon looking at your knife shoves the bar about a 1/2 inch off the frame! A great feature on knives that carry it.

I do get annoyed when my family members try to "figure out" how a liner/frame lock works and they push it in the wrong direction, locking it up super tight

Only in the same general way that a folder takes away from the simplicity of a fixed blade or a locking folder takes away from a slippie?

I was thinking aesthetic simplicity rather than mechanical. After all, it is a big circle interrupting the cut of the lock bar, and it is usually a different color from the handle material.

Funny thing about the stabilizer--if you think of that screw as a tiny handle scale, it almost turns a frame lock into a liner lock.

 

[Incahiker]

I love the way the small sebenza locks into my hand. They both feel great in the hand. On outdoor adventures, I will take the large. But around the city and at work, it is the small all the way. It feels great.

 

[forcedestrike]

Brand>Lock.

I would take a Spyderco Walker lock over a cheap framelock, specially when talking about knives like the Gayle Bradley which has a ridiculously overbuilt walker lock!

 

[LaBella]

framelock for me please :thumbup:

 

[Tony8179]

Brand>Lock.

I would take a Spyderco Walker lock over a cheap framelock, specially when talking about knives like the Gayle Bradley which has a ridiculously overbuilt walker lock!

Cheap frame lock? Can you delve into that a bit deeper?

By cheap I am only assuming that you mean not built well

 

[Siggyhk]

Personally, I'd trust a CRKT Drifter's lock (frame-lock version) over just about any liner-lock out there.

 

[ibute21]

In all honesty, when I'm interested in a knife with a frame lock or liner lock, I have to hold it in my hands and inspect it. If its well manufactured, I'll purchase it. If its shoddy, I won't buy it. That being said, I prefer frame locks but I will consider a liner lock.

 

[THG]

Same thing to me. A frame lock might be a little bit better because of the added surface area/thickness that comes in contact with the blade tang.

But I think the whole thing about "your hand helps close the lock when you grip it" is nothing but a myth. If you really think the squishy skin is going to oppose any force that would potentially collapse the lock... Well I wouldn't count on it.