I'm eyeballing a We knife Tighe Down which is hovering around the ceiling of what I'm willing to spend on a knife. The plunge/button lock is the only thing making me scratch my head. Does anyone have long term experience with plunge locks? How's the longevity on those? Thanks in advance for your insights!
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I need some advice on plunge/button locks
- Thread starter BoCen
- Start date
- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,903
I have a few and while they aren't my favorite locks, a good designed one should be pretty durable for what the knife is meant to handle. I have a few on some lower end ones that work just fine and have held up for years and years of off and on carry.
What I like about them: They are simple. You basically have a spring pushing the lock over to secure the tang from moving. Not much can go wrong with them, and unless the knife is a bear to take apart, replacing that spring should be easy.
What isn't my favorite: They aren't going to be a knife you wail on. I never anticipate going out of my way to abuse a knife, but they are fidget friendly if not iron-clad. I don't think it's much of an issue though. I mean, Protech's use a button lock and a coil spring on their out the side autos, and those knives last for decades without issues after thousands of firings, and that is slinging out a 4" blade with some of the harder firing autos in the genre.
I would say that if you are looking for a good quality EDC that you will be using for cutting and not batonning, there is nothing wrong with a button lock. They are a simple design that is plenty durable for a folding knife. They are fun to open and close too
best of luck!
What I like about them: They are simple. You basically have a spring pushing the lock over to secure the tang from moving. Not much can go wrong with them, and unless the knife is a bear to take apart, replacing that spring should be easy.
What isn't my favorite: They aren't going to be a knife you wail on. I never anticipate going out of my way to abuse a knife, but they are fidget friendly if not iron-clad. I don't think it's much of an issue though. I mean, Protech's use a button lock and a coil spring on their out the side autos, and those knives last for decades without issues after thousands of firings, and that is slinging out a 4" blade with some of the harder firing autos in the genre.
I would say that if you are looking for a good quality EDC that you will be using for cutting and not batonning, there is nothing wrong with a button lock. They are a simple design that is plenty durable for a folding knife. They are fun to open and close too
best of luck!
