Most cuts are the result of user error and not the fault of the knife, the maker or manufacturer. However, there are legit accidents that occur when using a folder even when using one for something that most would agree the knife in question should be able to do reliably and well such as cutting down a card board box.
Then again there are other accidents that involve falling for hype. For example if a folder is sold as a defensive weapon for hard use and you use it for such because you just believe the add since the guy promoting them says its capable of it. Thats a dangerous "faith based" situation IMO. A gentleman that once posted here did something with his liner lock folder he thought it should be able to handle when he hard stabbed it into the head of an alligator trying to get into his boat while fishing. He expected that the knife should perform as advertised when he saw it hard stabbed in a phone book at a show but the truth is he not only lost the knife but got a nasty cut and a trip to the ER for sutures when the lock defeated.
If you expect to use the knife to do normal tasks and the knife fails in normal tasks its one thing but just a small amount of time researching each lock type and learning a bit to increase your level of intelligence about how they are built added with some common sense can aid you greatly in the area of safety. Just skipping over some adds in any current magazine on the market you can see that a lot of hype is used in marketing and many times the hype shows the knives being used for things that would instantly void the warranty if you were to do it with the one you buy. This should throw up red flags to potential customers right there if you ask me but instead it goes unnoticed for the most part by end line users that it would constitute abuse under the warranty, so learning to discern the hype from reality can help with safety also regardless of the knife or lock type you select.
If you ask me what knives are the safest.
Fixed blades first of course but since you are speaking of folders I'm going to discuss my favorites.
I find I trust a well done frame lock as much as anything anymore but a lot of lockbacks are very reliable and I feel confident in many of them also but honestly I have never liked having to base my finger safety on faith and since you can't see the actual lock up to know how well or how 'not so well' the lock up is on a lock back folder this alone demands caution when using one. This is why I personally prefer to buy lock backs that can be taken apart to examine. Models like the Manix, Mini Manix, and Cold Steel's Ultimate Hunter have all impressed me. I feel pretty good about my Cold Steel Mini Lawman too now that I am mentioning Cold Steel. This lock is probably among the strongest looking lockbacks I've seen to examine even above one of the Fulcrum II knives by Extreme Ratio which was about as tank built as you could ask for.
I like the Axial lock by Paul Poehlmann next for strength and reliable function in use. This is a marvelous lock really and quite ingenious. It locks both closed and opened making it double secure. I've found these to be rather small folders for the most part but they have at Lone Wolf knives in recent years started offering some models in a bigger size for this lock type. The draw back is they are not the most convenient one hand openers and closers on the market. Otherwise they are quite good though.
I've had some old Boker and Hubertus lever locks that were quite impressive for reliable strong functioning locks. To me these instilled a great deal of confidence in me particularly when I had the opportunity to see the actual diameter of some of the pins that were responsible for locking the blade opened on certain models. It would take a great deal of force to shear a pin that big around so as long as the spring locked the blade open and the pivot tension was good to prevent a lot of blade play I saw no reason why even in some of the lesser quality models sporting this type of lock should ever defeat in use. On some of these lever locking knives I've seen the insides of, the pivot pin was smaller in diameter than the lock pin was so it would seem the pivot would be the first to give under a great deal of stress. The draw back on these type locks is that most are automatics and you may or may not be able to carry one legally in your area.
The Spyderco Ball lock seems quite nice to me also and it is less likely to be bumped closed in use compared to other similar type locking mechanisms. In fact many of the earlier models are hard to close without concerted effort and I rather like that personally about my Dodo model in this lock and my wife's Poliwog which she uses religiously and quite hard at times. The coil spring is much better for long term life in this type lock also compared to the Omega springs of the Axis lock too. I'd trust these locks mentioned above more than any I mention after this personally.
Axis locks: I like these a lot and they work well but in some uses it is questionable if the lock button could be moved to release the blade accidentally in the worst possible times. Some of the testers for defensive knives seem to agree with this finding by me as I've played with my own. Much as I like my Mini Hardtail BenchMade I still keep that in mind whenever I use it. I'd like this lock better if the button locked in the open position personally. This would be a great improvement to me at least on the ones sold as "tactical" users like the HK14205 which is another one I really like a lot by BenchMade. If the button locked in position when the blade was opened I'd give it a higher rating than the Axial lock by Paul sold first by Gerber and now being sold by Lone Wolf Knives.
The SOG Arc lock does move to release very easily even from a bump. I've had some of those, one just recently that although apparently a good lock and a quality made folder, it only seemed to be trustworthy so long as you stay away from the button when using it. Since the button protruded some this did scare me for how little movement was required to let the blade close so don't bump that button in use or it will free the blade.
Button locks scare me also and for the same reasons as the Arc locks. Lever locks are very reliable in contrast to these though as I mentioned above.
Liner locks are another lock type that quite frankly scares me. They can exhibit great strength when they work. However, they have such a track record for defeats among users and are so often made cheaply by so many manufactures mass producing what appear to be nice knives that are accidents waiting to happen that anyone buying one should be cautioned to use always alert to the possibility that one can defeat without warning. Due the rate of change seen in this lock type because of the nature of the design where the lock constantly self corrects for wear there is really no guarantee that the lock will perform the same way each time its opened since it can in fact minutely change over time as it wears and moves in further and further to keep the lock up solid.
As a result of this and more I rate this one dead last in my own personal ratings for lock reliability. Lock backs typically are not as strong as liner locks but they do make up for it in reliability where they beat the liner type hands down. The only thing I do like about the liner lock is the convenience of use and the fact that you can see at a glance if the lock is connected to the blade or if obstructions are in the way of it compared to some of the other types. In my mind if I'm going to carry a lock of this type I'll just take the open build frame lock in thicker materials. This way I have all the same convenience, features and so on but in a more reliable better wearing platform.
If and when I do carry a liner lock for anything more than casual carry gentleman uses its a Para Military with a compression lock which is more reliable and stronger. I don't care for how some of the models pinched me when manipulating the lock though. The Yojimbo did this to me terribly. It actually hurt. Anyway thats my thoughts off the top of my head. As I said though I find that a well done frame lock meets all my criteria for getting into one for a reasonable amount, being readily available, legal to carry, reliable and strong enough to provide adequate confidence for most uses.
STR
