liner vs lock back

Joined
Aug 16, 2001
Messages
115
goodday
whats the difference btw these two locks? is there any situation where one is better than the other? or is it just preference?
 
Yes the lock back is recomended by most for every day carry but the liner lock has been know to fail on many ocasions. because i have found most liner locks and owned a few that that the lock did not fit flushly. i would stick with a lock back. But that is just me.The frame liner lock is a different story though. chris reevs and bm make a hell of a frame liner lock
 
sorry... jusst to add i have also come across frame locks, axis locks and button locks? who does these five partivcular locks compare with each other. would u pple recommend autmatics?
 
Many people do stand by the lockbacks and midlocks for their edc's, and just as many have quickly grown to the axis lock by Benchmade. However linerlocks have come a long way in a short period of time. My primary edc is a liner lock, and to be honest I trust it more than any other knife I've owned.

There are lost of comparisons between lock type on the forums, using the search feature will give you a wealth of knowledge and opinions from every angle.

Basic rule, if the blade opens and closes, it will always have the potential to close when unexpected.

Just incase someone hasn't welcomed you already, welcome to the forums :)
 
Yes, Welcome. I personally prefer the lockback. I distrust liner locks to the point that I sold ALL of
mine. One point .....I consider any locking mechanism that locks the blade along the axis of the blade
spine to be a lockback no matter what the name. With the old fashioned rocker bar lock (buck 110)
there is one thing that must be noted. If the locking notch on the blade fills with dirt or pocket debris
the rocker bar lock can't set so the knife won't lock. Not much of a problem normally but could wreck
havoc in the wood's.
 
Liner locks are normally much smoother to open, and give the user the possibility to close the knife with only one hand.

It depends on what you expect to do with the knife. Normal cutting etc, should not be a problem, but once you start stabbing or use great force, lockbacks are more trustworthy. Then again, there are some liner locks which have a secondary locking device, which secures the liner, preventing it from disengaging. See for instance CRKT Kasper Fighting Folder, CRKT Point Guard and Gerber Covert, to name a few.
 
Personally, I would never trust any locking knife for "stabbing" unless I had to. A fixed blade is always the best choice for the hardest of tasks.

For daily carry, I either carry a Kershaw KO Random Task, or the BM 735 (Ares), which has their "Axis lock."

I have had good luck with my liner locks, but I do not use them for any purposes that would cause the lock to fail. I view the liner lock as a means of keeping the blade in position, rather than a safety, similar to the steel spine on a regular pocket knife.

I believe that the BM's Axis Lock is probably one of the best locks on the market today. It is easy to operate one-handed, and there is little possibility of the lock disengaging during use.

Lockbacks, of course, have proven themselves over time. You can't go wrong by buying a high-quality lockback.

In short, it depends what you want out of your knife, and what you plan to use it for.

Cheers...
 
Originally posted by Razoredj
I'm really trying to cut down on my stabbing, personally.

I hear you. My stabbing arm has become abnormally huge, due to muscular growth from all the stabbing I've been doing.

Spyderco's compression lock doesn't get much press around here, partially because it's fairly new, but I'm impressed with the one sample I have (a Spyderco Vesuvius).

Joe
 
The frame lock, esp. as done by Chris Reeve, is a very excellent locking system, not really a liner lock, though it uses the same principle.

The Axis has proven to have great reliability. One of my EDC's is an Axis model (550 is my fave at the moment).

I also often carry lockback(s) on me. I'm very used to them, so long as they are kept clean in the locking notch. I often simply reach for one of my Spyderco lockbacks when I have a decent cutting chore to do.

I also carry/love slipjoint pocketknives. In fact, I've never had one close on me because I know I'm not over- relying on a lock to keep it open. I've cut myself with slipjoints, but it had nothing to do with their lack of a blade lock, but due to my own carelessness.
Jim
 
back lock stroonger.. but more difficut to close back
but my firned... if u like liner.. then go for it... so wat if back lock is strong...
i mean how strong u wan it to be.... for example the mod trident can hold 100POund of back force.. and the buck-strider can hold 800 pound... all are liner.. hey my frined .... at least 100 pound leh... i mean its much to strong.. so dont worry... if u like liner go for it
 
Lots of information, and valid opinions. I actually like both lockbacks and liner locks as I'm sure many do. The only thing I would add, is that if you are going to carry a low quality EDC piece, stick with a lockback. There just aren't any "cheap" liner locks I'd depend on much.


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seeker hunt what they [NEED]"
 
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