ROTFL.
Those videos are proof that you can always find something entertainingly foolish on YouTube.
As for the things you do with knives, are you a professional destructive knife tester on YouTube?
Ok, seriously, could you explain the circumstances of use under which you would put large closing forces on a locking folder? Serious question. And with respect to your buddy, can you describe why he would stab a tree with a knife of any kind? I've spent my life in the woods and have done a lot of things with a knife and that's not one of them. Just can't figure that out, in all seriousness.
Let's talk about the videos in more detail. They are both badly misguided in my opinion and this gets to the issue of safety with locking folders of any kind, ancient to modern.
This video shows somebody with a closed and locked Opinel forcing the blade open until the lock ring pops off. It is labeled as a "failure".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qKuZskDzmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
That this video labels this as a failure, pretty much discounts anything else from that YouTuber. The purpose of the lock in this situation is to prevent accidental opening. I can't even dream up a scenario where it would be needed to resist large forces. Utterly silly.
This video shows somebody with an open and locked Opinel applying considerable closing force until, again, the lock ring pops off. +
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIKJxGhZC0U&feature=youtube_gdata_player
This is where we may have very different ideas of knife safety.
I consider there to be 3 broad classes of knives: fixed blades, locking folders, non-locking folders. I use them differently.
I rely on locking folders to stay open under light to moderate closing force and to do so reliably. I don't rely on them to withstand LARGE closing forces because a) any lock can fail and b) I generally don't put those sorts of forces on any knife, including fixed blades.
The closest I get to putting closing force on any knife is when I get it stuck in wood and I rock and twist the handle to free it.
IMO, a locking folder FAILs if it closes under under light to moderate closing forces and worse, if it does so unpredictably. IME, this is prone to happen in 3 primary ways:
a) Repeated hard cutting (opening forces) causes wear and tear damage to the lock assembly (common failure mode of lock backs).
b) Twisting forces on the handle and blade cause the lock assembly to deform (common to both lock backs and frame/liner locks).
c) Sand, dirt or grit foul the lock assembly (common to lock backs and frame/liner locks).
I've found that the Opinel lock ring assembly to pretty much impervious to these failure modes.
Tip 1: keep your thumb on the lock ring to monitor it's position. Unlike other locks, you can visually verify that it's fully engaged or not.
Tip 2: remove the lock ring (see the first video for one of several methods) and file the upper part of the ring so the ring can be turned further around the handle for an even more secure lock up. One of the most common Opie mods.
Tip 3: don't be stupid and think that an Opinel modified in this way will withstand massive closing forces.
Tip 4: if you need top apply massive closing forces to a knife, think the problem through again.
Challenge stands. Grab a free Opinel in the pass around and show us how you use your knives and how the Opinel can't keep up.
