Questions about THAT Cold Steel video test

[WedgeAntilles]

I've watched the video. I've seen some comments in the lock rock thread. I have my own theories, but I'm not mechanically inclined. Those of you that disagreed with the test, I'd like to know why. Those that agreed with it, I'd like to know why. Not starting a battle, these are honest questions from someone who wants to learn.

(Full disclosure, CRK has ruined me for other brands. I've added 7 CRKs from 0 since January. My Spydercos and ZTs sit lonely now. I have 2 21s on my person as I type this.)

 

[johnnytoxin]

I don’t agree or disagree with the test. It is what it is. Cold Steel has the strongest lock in the world. CRK has far better build quality. I enjoy both.

 

[kidcongo]

I think Cold Steel proved a point: that framelock technology is not the absolute ultimate in lock strength, and stronger lock designs do exist.

This was a uncomfortable revelation to some at first who were hoping for a different result. Then we all carried on when we realized it ultimately didn’t matter to anyone, really at all, and CRKs lock strength is just fine for the tasks at hand.

 

[kylemiller]

That was a harder "whack" than I could achieve by pulling a stuck knife out of dense material and striking something above it when getting it free (most likely real world spine whack injury scenario). A kid at my shop was working on something in the engine bay of a warm car (at home) with a cheapo folding knife. Touched something hot and pulled his arm out, striking the spine of the knife on something, lock failed and he cut tendons.

When the great ZT spine whacking scandal was unfolding, I did some grug testing. Most my ZT's failed and the only other failure was a little SRM 710. I'm confident that my CRK (even my 31) would hold up fine to anything I could do accidentally like the scenario I mentioned above.

The only knives I've stopped buying because of fundamental lock issues are ZT and Benchmade Bugout (Ti axis bar flattens out on hard steel).

 

[BMCGear]

The Triad Lock is the best lock that you can buy if you care about lock strength. That thing is solid.

I've never had any issue however with CRK's framelock in terms of lock strength. I grew up carrying slip joints for years though.

 

[marrenmiller]

There's nothing wrong with that video. People who think the videos are faked or are an attack just identify too much with the stuff they like to buy, I think.

Framelocks and linerlocks aren't strong locking mechanisms relative to more modern locks like a well implemented Axis/Triad/CBBL/plunge lock, and the videos in that series demonstrate that. It also doesn't mean you need anything more than a framelock, but from where I'm sitting (professional licensed mechanical engineer), the results are not really surprising, and for a strong lock that is resistant to shock and load, there are tons of better options than frame locks.

Compounding this, CRK lock geometry isn't ideal for resisting loads. Frame locks where the contact point is high up the frame relative to the pivot end up bearing loads more axial to the lock bar rather than radially (ie. more perpendicular rather than along the lock bar). This bends the lockbar up into the frame like a bar rather than compressing it like a column. If the lockbar is allowed to shift, it seems like it can lead to slipping of the contact point off the blade tang.