PM2 Compresssion Lock vs the Cold Steel Holdout 2 Triad Lock

[Krissig12]

Oh FFS, more lock strength videos?:thumbdn:

 

[Goosey]

It's not just the lock on the CS knives, the attention to the engagement area and pivot is substantial. Take a look at a similar thread from some years back, I have lock backs from both brands, but if you were an impartial buyer, based on the pic in this thread, what would you pick?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/895770-Triad-lock-vs/page3

Well worth a closer look:

(those are phosphor-bronze and teflon bushings on the CS btw. One of each on each side)

Haha, I took the same picture as well.

Here's the difference between Recon 1 and Endura lockup and internals....

 

[singularity35]

Sometimes I say too much. Call it a character flaw .

But great point. My only guess is perhaps its because they don't make videos of other companies knives?

Although if you ready my wall of text, you'll know that the strength of the axis lock wouldn't be a reason that I'd buy a benchmade .

I'm sure it makes your decision to get a BM harder because it has a strong lock.

 

[SBaker34]

I'm pretty sure I was the first one to mention tree stabbing, I wasn't intending to suggest stabbing a tree was a common usage of a folding knife, but rather saying that a weak lock can fail when stabbed into something, It wasn't a violent stab just trying to stick the point in. Therefor I see the point of a moderately strong lock as Ive seen one fail when not trying to actually defeat the lock. That being said, I wouldn't even want the triad lock used on a spyderco, ease of use is more important than able to hammer nails.

 

[ocnLogan]

I'm pretty sure I was the first one to mention tree stabbing, I wasn't intending to suggest stabbing a tree was a common usage of a folding knife, but rather saying that a weak lock can fail when stabbed into something, It wasn't a violent stab just trying to stick the point in. Therefor I see the point of a moderately strong lock as Ive seen one fail when not trying to actually defeat the lock. That being said, I wouldn't even want the triad lock used on a spyderco, ease of use is more important than able to hammer nails.

You're right, it was you that I was referring to (in this particular instance). I didn't mean anything by mentioning that specifically, and, it was more as an example of a "genre" of responses that tend to get mentioned in threads like this. No hard feelings .

And I was envisioning a full force stab into a tree .

Anyway, I agree that having a quality lock is just fine. I clearly prefer knives with locks over slipjoints (partially because of clips/sizes, etc), but agree that a lock shouldn't fail when you're not deliberately trying to defeat it. To constantly use a knife like you're trying to defeat the lock is quite dangerous sounding.

oh, and singularity35, you kidding me? I couldn't afford a Benchmade now that they've changed their pricing .

 

[singularity35]

oh, and singularity35, you kidding me? I couldn't afford a Benchmade now that they've changed their pricing .

Hehehe. A cold steel would hit the financial spot then.

 

[Spectre]

So many angry posters. Cold steel claims they have the strongest lock. They tested it and came out on top. They didn't claim it was a better knife, just a better lock. That's how they market their knives. If lock strength doesn't matter to you then cool, quit whining and keep buying your benchmade's and Spyderco's. I will continue to buy knives from all quality manufacturers and won't get stressed out when one calls out another. It's called marketing and it's how the business world works.

It's not neccessarily "a stronger lock", it's strength in a pointless dimension/direction.

 

[wesmanthetiger]

Again, read my post. They are staying true to their marketing, nothing more nothing less. The fact that you think it's a pointless thing to market is irrelevant. I neither agree or disagree, I was just pointing out how the endless arguing over this stuff is useless.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

It's not neccessarily "a stronger lock", it's strength in a pointless dimension/direction.

We can argue all day about if the strength is pointless, but that's the direction/dimension that the strength of every lock is measured by. It's absolutely a stronger lock. It may not matter to you that it's stronger, but claiming it's not is just absurd.

 

[Sky Pilot]

On huge folders, the Tri-Ad lock is great (although the PowerLock did pretty good too ).

On knives with blades around 4 inches, I have never had a lock failure from ANY reputable company, even when doing stupid, really, really stupid things with my knives.

Decide what your uses are, then pick the knife which suits them.
The lock will be part of that for some uses.

I'm glad the XL Espada has the Tri-Ad lock, but if I had any desire for a Recon (which I don't), the Tri-Ad lock wouldn't be a selling point for me.

You say that as if people buy CS just because it has a stronger lock.

Facts are, with the TriAd lock and the CTS-XHP steel along with pricing, CS is arguably the best knife for your dollar in terms of build quality.
Take a look at the Black Talon II and the Spyderco Civilian, along with the price.
The BT II is far better and cost less, but it isn't a Spyderco, so the fan boys will avoid it.

 

[ursamajor]

It is amazing how many people on bladeforums know more about what makes great hard use folding knives than Andrew Demko.

 

[ursamajor]

 

[ursamajor]

Exactly, like many people not being able to close the Triad lock with one hand. I value being able to open and close a knife with one hand, every time.

However, I am not a knife fanboy. I love spyderco more then most brands, only because of their knife designs and steel options. I could like any other knife just as much or more if it had aspects I liked. I don't care who made it, if its good, its good.

I don't own any cold steel knives, but I have been interested in the Triad lock. I think they have some cheap stuff, but their higher end knives are getting more and more appealing to me. Design wise, meh. Not a huge fan of how most of their knives look. I am however putting a triad lock cold steel on my wish list now. I've definitely wanted to get something from them for a while, and I hopefully I will soon.

Every triad I own, I can open and close with 1 hand. Hell, every triad I own, I can open and close with 1 hand in less than 2 seconds.

The bs being floated out there about how hard and slow these locks are to actuate crack me up. I am waiting for someone, who has never been in a room with a triad lock, let alone use one, to tell us all about how the triad will drink the milk up when everyone is asleep at night, so the kids won't have any for their cereal in the morning. Or how it will sneak into your room at night, and shave your eyebrows off, and then go and steal your identity, and ruin your credit, buying knicknacks on the home shopping network.

 

[KingMC]

I've owned 2 CS knives with Tri-Ad locks, I've since sold off both of them and currently own 1 BM with an AXIS and 2 Spydercos with back-locks. The Tri-Ad was a turn-off on the Recon I was gifted years ago, it was slow and hard to operate and failed to take the pocket time away from my SOG Flashes and Tridents, because I valued one-handed closing and quickness of deployment and the SOGs had the Recon beat on both counts. I also got to play with a friends' CS lone star hunter which had the same stiff lock that took two hands to close due to the extreme pressure necessary to disengage the lock.

Now that I've owned many knives from the major companies like Spyderco, BM, and ZT and handled all kinds of locks, I got a lightly used Code 4 off the forums to compare to the other knives and locks I've had since, and sadly it was the same as with the Recon years back: so hard to close that it takes two hands to unlock it, and also not terribly easy to open either.

Now, this wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have the opposite experiences with the other 'strong' locks out there: the compression and AXIS locks. My brother has a PM2, I got to play with it a lot, and I will say that it is a nice lock to have (as a left-hander it's really not my kind of lock due to the inability to easily operate it with my left hand) and certainly not hard to operate. The AXIS has become my favorite overall lock due to its ambidextrousness and quick-draw ability both deploying and disengaging, butter smooth both ways. Even the back locks on my Native and Stretch are easy to disengage one-handed and have plenty of strength for what I use knives for, thus why I still have and use them.

If the Tri-Ad lock was easy to use, I might own a CS or two, but it's so hard to deal with on a daily basis compared to the other locks out there that its stayed out of my rotation even after giving it multiple chances. I see comments arguing that we're all BS-ing about it being hard to open, but 3-for-3 is hard to argue with for me, and I'm not the only one here with issues opening the knives. We can't all be doing it wrong.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

^ Agreed. I dig the Triad lock, but in terms of ease of operation it's just nowhere near as easy and fun as an Axis lock or Compression lock. If I had any arthritis issues or a predilection for trigger finger I'd keep away from the Triad entirely. Maybe that will change if the Triad variant coming on the Tiger Claw turns out to be everything I hope it is, but until then the Triad is a great lock, but it could still be better in at least one major area.

 

[Moondrop]

Every triad I own, I can open and close with 1 hand. Hell, every triad I own, I can open and close with 1 hand in less than 2 seconds.

The bs being floated out there about how hard and slow these locks are to actuate crack me up. I am waiting for someone, who has never been in a room with a triad lock, let alone use one, to tell us all about how the triad will drink the milk up when everyone is asleep at night, so the kids won't have any for their cereal in the morning. Or how it will sneak into your room at night, and shave your eyebrows off, and then go and steal your identity, and ruin your credit, buying knicknacks on the home shopping network.

I don't know which knives you own, but my only Tri-ad lock knife so far is the Hold Out III and while it's plenty easy to open, I can't close it like a conventional lockback (back lock?) knife. I *can* close it one-handed, but I turn it around and depress the lock bar with my index finger to release the blade. For some reason, I can't press it hard enough with my thumb to disengage the lock consistently. I still love the knife, though. The lock hasn't changed that and, in fact, I bought a second one not long after the first.

I have read--maybe in reviews or comments on youtube--from people that own the III and the II or I and/or other Tri-ad lock knives that the larger ones are easier to operate than the smaller ones.

 

[craytab]

This thread is still going?

I would take the compression lock. Most people talk lock strength. Well, the only reason you need the strongest lock is if you are doing stupid stuff you shouldn't do with a folding knife. For me, the best locks are not only strong but easy to manipulate.

The Triad lock is not near as easy to manipulate for me as the compression lock, not even close really. Can I do both one handed? Sure. But the compression lock is vastly superior in ease of use IMO.

 

[whp]

Something about knives that are that strong, with that high level of fit and finish and that high quality blade steel with a high hardness heat treat, for that reasonable a price are irresistible to me. OK I m crazy.

 

[ursamajor]

So it has a stronger lock who cares? Now let's see a test between the two for what a knife is used for cutting and see who wins!

So when that XHP in the Holdout, smokes that s30v in the PM2 in edge retention, and ease of sharpenability, at a fraction of the price (anyone familiar with the steel types, know that this is a forgone conclusion) what will be the retort then?

 

[Insipid Moniker]

So when that XHP in the Holdout, smokes that s30v in the PM2 in edge retention, and ease of sharpenability, at a fraction of the price (anyone familiar with the steel types, know that this is a forgone conclusion) what will be the retort then?

That's pretty far from a foregone conclusion. If Cold Steel was running every XHP blade at 62-64 it would be, but not nearly at 60-61. Honestly, given the similarities between the two blades I would guess thickness behind the edge would be the determining factor in any given contest.