Late vs early lockup?

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Jul 11, 2013
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204
It's no secret that the majority of the knife community prefers early lockup on Ti-framelocks... But why? Wouldnt a late lockup add strength and integrity to the locking system? Wouldnt more surface area on the tang of a blade equal more strength? Is my logic totally unsupported, or am i completely missing something here? Thanks for all input!
 
Gimme late lockup. I'd rather not have the lockface get sheared off under an impact. Then again, it is unlikely that I would ever use my folders hard enough to worry about such things.
 
Lockup will naturally progress later and later as the knife is used, so I prefer to start with early lockup.

Also, this is a place where collectors talk about their safe queens which will not likely ever have a chance to fail during hard use. There will also be some who chime in about the safety of the lock being most important because they DO use their knives hard and/or frequently. It's a matter of preference.
 
It's no secret that the majority of the knife community prefers early lockup on Ti-framelocks... But why? Wouldnt a late lockup add strength and integrity to the locking system? Wouldnt more surface area on the tang of a blade equal more strength? Is my logic totally unsupported, or am i completely missing something here? Thanks for all input!


I think later lockup will do all that you have said, but I still prefer an early lockup. Right now my collection consists of 3 titanium frame locks, 1 Axis Lock, 1 liner lock, and 1 slipjoint.

The frame locks I have are; a Lionsteel SR-1D, a ZT0600, and a ZT0801. The Lionsteel has between 20%-25% lockup and that is how it came and it hasn't moved since I got it. The ZT0600 has ~30% lockup, and it has also stayed in the same spot that it came as. The ZT0801 is the one with the latest lockup at 40% to 50%. But all three have very still lockbars and on both ZT's I have actually increased the stiffness by adding a little bend to the lockbars, so even at the 20% to 30% coverage the lockbar has on the blade tang, the extra stiffness leaves me comfortable. Now I need to mention that it was only the ZT's I did this on, as I have no idea how to do this on the monoframe Lionsteel. I am amazed at how stiff these come out of the box! I've had a couple with the slepiner steel, a violet and a bronze, and both had very stiff lockbars that I am very, very happy with, plus a quarter turn of the lock stabilizer locks the blade open making it a virtual fixed blade.

The liner lock is a CS TiLite VI, and lockup on it is around 70%, but it hasn't moved from that spot, plus the lock face is actually an upside down L shape that locks from top to bottom and right to left! It is composed of hardened steel, and very stiff w/o me having to do anything.

The Axis Lock Adamas, and slipjoint SAK I have do not really count for this question.

With all that said, I fall within the "I favor early lockup" group. Since I rarely do anything but carry the above knives, with the exception of the SAK which does 99% of what I need a knife to do, I don't guess it really matters. But like many others I agree with the idea that the lock will eventually wear in and at some point will stop moving altogether, as long as it is a quality made knife which I believe the ones I have to be.

I don't believe you are missing anything, and that you understand the mechanics of the frame
lock lockup.:thumbup::)

Btw, good thread you posted Stoney!:thumbup::thumbup:
 
I prefer late lockup but I have a couple that catch early and that really does not bother me.
I am pretty rough with my knives and have never had a failure.
 
I prefer my lock-ups on time, not early or late. Seriously, though, knife people always need some detail to obsess over and lock-up is one of them.

Before the internet, people bought knives that looked nice and cut well. Now they make all sorts of rules for themselves: "I won't own late lock-up, I won''t own tip down carry, I won't own steels unless they are S90V and better, I won't spend more than $50 on a knife", and so on. Jeez, people lock themselves in a prison cell of arbitrary rules.
 
^^ I concur. That's why I have a broad spectrum of knives, from cold steel to Brian tighe custom.
 
I think later lockup will do all that you have said, but I still prefer an early lockup. Right now my collection consists of 3 titanium frame locks, 1 Axis Lock, 1 liner lock, and 1 slipjoint.

The frame locks I have are; a Lionsteel SR-1D, a ZT0600, and a ZT0801. The Lionsteel has between 20%-25% lockup and that is how it came and it hasn't moved since I got it. The ZT0600 has ~30% lockup, and it has also stayed in the same spot that it came as. The ZT0801 is the one with the latest lockup at 40% to 50%. But all three have very still lockbars and on both ZT's I have actually increased the stiffness by adding a little bend to the lockbars, so even at the 20% to 30% coverage the lockbar has on the blade tang, the extra stiffness leaves me comfortable. Now I need to mention that it was only the ZT's I did this on, as I have no idea how to do this on the monoframe Lionsteel. I am amazed at how stiff these come out of the box! I've had a couple with the slepiner steel, a violet and a bronze, and both had very stiff lockbars that I am very, very happy with, plus a quarter turn of the lock stabilizer locks the blade open making it a virtual fixed blade.

The liner lock is a CS TiLite VI, and lockup on it is around 70%, but it hasn't moved from that spot, plus the lock face is actually an upside down L shape that locks from top to bottom and right to left! It is composed of hardened steel, and very stiff w/o me having to do anything.

The Axis Lock Adamas, and slipjoint SAK I have do not really count for this question.

With all that said, I fall within the "I favor early lockup" group. Since I rarely do anything but carry the above knives, with the exception of the SAK which does 99% of what I need a knife to do, I don't guess it really matters. But like many others I agree with the idea that the lock will eventually wear in and at some point will stop moving altogether, as long as it is a quality made knife which I believe the ones I have to be.

I don't believe you are missing anything, and that you understand the mechanics of the frame
lock lockup.:thumbup::)

Btw, good thread you posted Stoney!:thumbup::thumbup:

Thank you sir! Just trying to get some good dialogue going between the two lockup "camps" :)
 
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