How do you feel about aluminum framelocks?

Wolverine666

Wolverine666

Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
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I’ve been checking out an aluminum framelock lately (Lion Steel SR1). I’ve never tried aluminum in a framelock. Just curious if any of you have experience/opinions/thoughts on the matter.
 
I’ve had many titanium framelocks but aluminum is a new one for me. It’s the stronger aluminum (7075). I haven’t seen many SR1’s around so it would be nice to get something a little different.
 
I had an SR1 and it was plenty strong. Stainless lockbar insert. I only sold it because I did not like Sleipner in my climate.

Hope this helps.
 
I have an SR-11 with red aluminum. Lionsteel uses a nice steel lock insert, and I really dig the knife!
The fit, finish, and action are awesome, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
 
Wolverine666 said:
This does help. Thanks for the info. The one I’m looking at has D2 so it should be plenty corrosion resistant. I’ve had no issues with D2 in the past.
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If I remember correctly, the SR1 can be bought in titanium scales. Is an upgrade to ti scales doable for you? Would be more robust than aluminum.
 
I don't like the way aluminum feels. I prefer warmer handle materials like wood, Micarta, or G-10 and a good liner lock is fine by me. If it has to be metal, titanium is hard to beat. It feels better (and wears better over time) than aluminum.

As far as aluminum for moving parts, I don't love the idea. Whether or not people actually have failures or significant degradation in function over time, I don't know. Given the prevalence of steel liner locks and the way titanium has both become more available and gotten more affordable; why even bother with aluminum?
 
Heck, they still make airplanes out of aluminum. If the stuff can withstand the stress of flying, I would imagine it can survive the stress of being used in a frame lock folding knife (assuming it's quality aluminum and properly heat-treated).

Reminds me of the old debate over aluminum 1911 frames versus steel frames. I remember when I was against aluminum frames, then I discovered a guy who worked at the gun store I frequented carried an aluminum frame 4" 1911. He knew a lot about guns, and he could have carried any pistol he wanted. He told me that he had put thousands of rounds through his pistol without issues. Since it was the gun he chose to defend his life at work I was inclined to believe him. Of course he only ran ball ammo through it. But .45 ball ammo is still plenty lethal.

A quality knife is a quality knife, whatever it's made of. The only way to know how an aluminum frame lock knife performs is to use it and find out.

.
 
killgar said:
Heck, they still make airplanes out of aluminum. If the stuff can withstand the stress of flying, I would imagine it can survive the stress of being used in a frame lock folding knife (assuming it's quality aluminum and properly heat-treated).

Reminds me of the old debate over aluminum 1911 frames versus steel frames. I remember when I was against aluminum frames, then I discovered a guy who worked at the gun store I frequented carried an aluminum frame 4" 1911. He knew a lot about guns, and he could have carried any pistol he wanted. He told me that he had put thousands of rounds through his pistol without issues. Since it was the gun he chose to defend his life at work I was inclined to believe him. Of course he only ran ball ammo through it. But .45 ball ammo is still plenty lethal.

A quality knife is a quality knife, whatever it's made of. The only way to know how an aluminum frame lock knife performs is to use it and find out.
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Like I said, I don't know if this ends up being an issue in real life or not. I only entertain the theoretical concern because aluminum is not as good as steel or titanium on the desired mechanical properties. That might be like weighing the corrosion resistance of M390, S110V, or LC200N in an environment where corrosion is scarcely an issue, but the market is rich and we are blessed.

That said, there is a difference between aluminum as a body material and aluminum as a moving part. In this case, we are talking about a moving part that flexes and maintains tension as its job. In the very least, aluminum is not the ideal candidate.

For the record, I don't totally hate aluminum. It has been a consistent part of my EDC and not just because I spent several years with a Leek in my pocket. I trust its structural integrity in EDC firearm frames and flashlights. The "feel" is less of an issue with those items than it is on a knife handle. However, I've had enough experience with how it looks with wear and tear to know it's not ideal there either. (I'm actually exploring titanium flashlights now.) The increasing availability and decreasing cost of titanium weighs on all of these comparisons.
 
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