Lock back is stronger than liner lock correct?

As others have said, it depends. I remember seeing an interview with Michael Walker, the inventor of the liner lock, where he talked about making his lock to be stronger than the existing backlocks on the market. His first liner locks, however, were so thick and had so much tension that a detent ball wasn't needed to hold the blade in the closed position. Also, lockbacks have been around for a long time and have changed significantly; the ones he was comparing to were on more traditional knives and didn't have the strength or reduced blade play of the modern ones.

Generally speaking, though, modern lockbacks tend to be stronger. Part of that may be due to the fact that it's very easy to make a crappy liner lock.
 
Deino said:
Short answer is yes.

To consider:
What do you plan to use your knife for? Both of your knives are for cutting. If you cut something hard enough for the lock to fail, which doesn't make sense, then I think you used wrong tool for the job.
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Thanks for that…. I needed a good chuckle before work today
 
I am a simple man and use knives as needed. I do not stab car hoods for videos, nor do I hammer them into wood or clamp them so that I can stand on them. That said, I would not hesitate to stab almost anything with any of my Spyderco knives of differing lock styles. The lock on my Cold Steel 4 Max Scout is simply impressive and I can’t imagine ever abusing one enough for it to fail.

For pure thrusting/stabbing, I think with any decent knife out there now, that your grip will fail before most locks. Just my .02

As has been mentioned previously your hand can engage a liner lock (more on some models), so twisting and prying could cause a lock to disengage.
 
tony281sc2 said:
Thanks for that…. I needed a good chuckle before work today
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Excuse me for my ignorance, did I write something wrong? According to my usage, when you cut something, you apply the force opposite to the closure. So how can you cut something to the point that the lock fail? Other than battoning or breaking the knife itself.

Tsujigiri said:
As others have said, it depends. I remember seeing an interview with Michael Walker, the inventor of the liner lock, where he talked about making his lock to be stronger than the existing backlocks on the market. His first liner locks, however, were so thick and had so much tension that a detent ball wasn't needed to hold the blade in the closed position. Also, lockbacks have been around for a long time and have changed significantly; the ones he was comparing to were on more traditional knives and didn't have the strength or reduced blade play of the modern ones.

Generally speaking, though, modern lockbacks tend to be stronger. Part of that may be due to the fact that it's very easy to make a crappy liner lock.
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Old back lock, like on the Mercator, a 1860s design, still being made, is indeed weaker than most liner locks despite its similarity design to the modern back.
 
elevator man said:
In my opinion it's not the structural strength of liner locks that make them dangerous. It's the fact that it is right where your fingers go and all it takes is a slight side pressure and you disengage the lock while using the knife.
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"slight side pressure and you disengage the lock while using the knife". Really? What kind of knives are you buying? I wonder if anyone here has ever had that happen to them with a knife engaged in normal use.
 
Slight is relative. Most locks don't actually take alot of force to move. I just prefer locks that my fingers don't touch while I'm using it
 
Deino said:
Excuse me for my ignorance, did I write something wrong? According to my usage, when you cut something, you apply the force opposite to the closure. So how can you cut something to the point that the lock fail? Other than battoning or breaking the knife itself.
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That’s your useage. Some people use there knives harder because they were made to handle it, usually.
If you’re cutting into dense material there is definitely some force put on the lock if you have to rock the knife back and forth to get it unstuck, or change direction in the middle of the cut.
Maybe not enough to break anything, but if it was defective and had noticeable lock rock it could be dangerous in that type of situation. Especially if you’re not expecting it.
I’m not a fan of the spine wack test, because it’s not really accurate to how pressure will be applied in a real life situation. But I still expect it to hold a reasonable amount of pressure without failing.
 
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elevator man said:
I had a Kershaw do it.
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I don’t understand. When gripping a knife in your hand you are pushing in on the liner lock. This tighter you grip, the more you are locking the blade. What could you possibly be using a knife for so that you are pushing out and accidently unlocking the blade? How does that happen?
 
Sibyrnes said:
I don’t understand. When gripping a knife in your hand you are pushing in on the liner lock. This tighter you grip, the more you are locking the blade. What could you possibly be using a knife for so that you are pushing out and accidently unlocking the blade? How does that happen?
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If you are pushing and the blade gets stuck in the material, like stiff plastic, there is a tendency to want to get it free and twisting it does happen, and it is possible to disengage a liner lock. applying sideways force.
 
DavidABQ said:
If I remember my engineering materials class from college, steel is stronger in tension than it is in compression. That is the reason steel strength is typically reported in tensile strength...
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I thought the rule of thumb was that tensile strength is the same as compressive strength, and shear strength is about 75% of tensile...and my impression is that they spec steel in tensile strength because it's easier to measure when steel yields in tension (in which case it stretches and gets thinner permanently) than in compression (in which case "yielding" means permanently upsetting and getting thicker). Plus you can measure ultimate tensile strength by stretching it until it breaks, but you can compress it all day long and not break it...

Not an engineer but I stayed in Holiday Inn once!
 
M.vashon said:
Lock back knife is stronger than liner lock right?..I have liner lock rat 2, and cresent tool D2 liner lock knives but i don't fully trust them thrusting
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Thrusting in what way? What are you doing with your knife?

The answer that "it depends on the knife" is correct. I have seen lock backs fail but only when doing stupid things or being poorly constructed in the first place. I have seen liner locks fail when the lock-up is very slight in the first place, but that is a defect. I have seen play develop in both types of lock, often from improper use. Using a quality knife responsibly, either should be fine.

For me, any activity that would cause you to question the strength of your lock is NOT an appropriate activity for a folding knife. Sure, there are emergency situations in life but always take care.
 
Where do "compression" locks -- like in the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 -- fall in the hierarchy? Anyone have an opinion or results? I never really tested or thought about it...
 
Cementite said:
Where do "compression" locks -- like in the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 -- fall in the hierarchy? Anyone have an opinion or results? I never really tested or thought about it...
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The compression lock does to the liner lock what the triad lock does to the lockback; it wedges an extra pin in the middle of the lock works to add structural support (and in this case, it also reduces the chance of the liner buckling).
 
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