Noob Alert! - What's the difference between frame and liner lock?

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knifezoid

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Apr 17, 2009
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I know the difference to an extent. But the thing I was wondering is what
truly separates the two. The reason I'm asking is because the Kershaw Leek
is a Frame lock, but if you threw two slaps of G-10 on either side now does
it become a liner lock? Sounds stupid, I know, but on my Spyderco Tenacious
as well as my other liners, if it didn't have the G-10/Aluminum/etc. on either
side it would look just like a frame lock except the lock is a bit thinner.

Am I making sense? Can someone please clarify? Thanks.
 
knifezoid said:
I know the difference to an extent. But the thing I was wondering is what
truly separates the two. The reason I'm asking is because the Kershaw Leek
is a Frame lock, but if you threw two slaps of G-10 on either side now does
it become a liner lock? Sounds stupid, I know, but on my Spyderco Tenacious
as well as my other liners, if it didn't have the G-10/Aluminum/etc. on either
side it would look just like a frame lock except the lock is a bit thinner.

Am I making sense? Can someone please clarify? Thanks.
Click to expand...

By definition...Yes. If the G-10 covers the frame completelly. The framelock is usually twice the thickness of the linnerlock and you don't have to worry about accidental release (closing on your fingers) because when you grip the handle tighter, the lock engages deeper (respectivelly stronger lockup).

Sorry for the mistakes:-)
 
I had to think about this for a while.
Seems so simple at first, but I wasn't sure how to describe it.
Reminds me of that old chesnut about pornography. Something like 'I don't know what it is, but i know it when I see it.'

This is what i came up with:
If part of the knife handle is the lock then it's a frame lock.
If the lock is something inside the knife handle, it's a liner lock.

It's pretty much the same thing, just a matter of details.
Like trying to describe the difference between a motorcycle and a dirtbike. Either way, you've got two wheels, a motor and a seat. :p
 
Joben said:
I had to think about this for a while.
Seems so simple at first, but I wasn't sure how to describe it.
Reminds me of that old chesnut about pornography. Something like 'I don't know what it is, but i know it when I see it.'

This is what i came up with:
If part of the knife handle is the lock then it's a frame lock.
If the lock is something inside the knife handle, it's a liner lock.

It's pretty much the same thing, just a matter of details.
Like trying to describe the difference between a motorcycle and a dirtbike. Either way, you've got two wheels, a motor and a seat. :p
Click to expand...

What he said :thumbup:
 
yup, functionally they are no different.

remove the scales from the michael walker liner lock and you get the chris reeve integral lock (frame lock). just thicker, and theoretically, stronger. but ive never had either fail on me.

next try wrapping your brain around a compression lock, ball, or axis lock.

even with exploded diagrams, i didn't understand the compression lock until i owned one.
 
This is a good question, and the answers here are very good, but the lines can get blurred between the two. For instance, how would you classify A Chris Reeve Mnandi? Liner or Frame lock? It would be hard to say that Chris Reeve would make a liner lock! Even he says it is his Integral lock. But the handle slab covers the lock.
 
Here's how I make the practical distinction: If gripping the handle in a normal position causes your hand to apply lateral pressure to the locking bar, it's a frame lock. If there is something (scale, clip) blocking your hand from directly squeezing the locking bar then it's a liner lock.

This is why I always maintained that the Blade-Tech Rijbak was a liner lock even though they called it a frame lock. No matter how tightly you squeezed that thing you didn't increase locking force one little bit.
 
The main difference is that I prefer frame locks in general:thumbup:. I figured I didn't need to really answer the question since it's already been answered.
 
knifezoid said:
I know the difference to an extent. But the thing I was wondering is what
truly separates the two. The reason I'm asking is because the Kershaw Leek
is a Frame lock, but if you threw two slaps of G-10 on either side now does
it become a liner lock? Sounds stupid, I know, but on my Spyderco Tenacious
as well as my other liners, if it didn't have the G-10/Aluminum/etc. on either
side it would look just like a frame lock except the lock is a bit thinner.

Am I making sense? Can someone please clarify? Thanks.
Click to expand...

My Kershaw Leek has a liner lock not a frame lock.
 
DavidZ said:
This is a good question, and the answers here are very good, but the lines can get blurred between the two. For instance, how would you classify A Chris Reeve Mnandi? Liner or Frame lock? It would be hard to say that Chris Reeve would make a liner lock! Even he says it is his Integral lock. But the handle slab covers the lock.
Click to expand...

he says its his integral lock because he is making it, probably.

might be splitting hairs here, but maybe since more of the slabs are visible we can consider it a frame lock. or maybe because the slabs aren't really lining the inside of the outer scale, but the wood is more of an overlay.
 
I always thought it was a liner lock if the liner acted to stop the blade and a frame lock if the frame stopped the blade.

Why isn't a lockback called a spine lock?
 
A lot of confusion is due to the sloppy way we use knife terms - eg a knife's handle can refer to the entire handle or just a part of the handle. Another cause of confusion is due to the fact that framelocks and linerlocks operate on a similar locking principle - namely a side-bar that engages across the rear of the blade to prevent it from closing. What makes them different is where and how that lockbar is attached

Here's the difference

On a framelock, the locking side-bar is integral to that part of the handle/frame that the blade pivots on and which is responsible for the handle's strength and rigidity. Any scales that are attached are basically for improved grip and/or decoration. Therefore CRK's Sebenza & Mnandi = framelock/integral lock.

With a linerlock, the 'handle' (the part that gives the knife handle its rigidity and which the blade attaches to) has a separate internal liner that forms the side-bar lock. This liner may be on one side only, need not extend the whole length of the blade, nor does it have to extend forward to the blade pivot and it does not necessarily contribute to the handle's rigidity or strength. CRKT M16's can have Zytel, Al or Ti handles but because they have a separate steel liner to provide the locking side-bar = linerlock.

In answer to Chew1 "Why isn't a lockback called a spine lock?" - valid point. It's one of those terminologies that people have settled on over time and again it's due to where the lock is attached[/B. A knife's 'spine' usually refers only to that part of the blade's back that extends from the tang/handle/hilt and finishes where the pointy end starts to taper down. It's OK but not common to call the back of the handle a spine. The reason for this isn't so obvious on a full tang fixed blade but it makes more sense when you apply it to a folding knife or a hidden tang knife. Because the lockbar of a lockback is attached to and forms part of the handle's back and engages a notch in the tang of the blade (rather than it's spine) it's called a lockback- but I'm sure most people would know what you mean if you prefer to call it a spine lock - after all, English is supposed to be an evolving language

Hope that helps
 
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