Realistic Lock Strength

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Balls Deep

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Jan 2, 2014
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So my purchase range is generally between about $10 and $70 with me buying most knives between $30 and $40. I like the idea of having a very strong lock on a folding knife because I don't want it to break (pretty straightforward). I prefer more modern designs because I like 1 handed opening and closing of a knife. My Main EDC is a mini recon1 spear point. The TriAds are certainly strong and it opens and closes one handed very well. It's roughly a $60 knife when you factor in shipping. Most knives in the $30 - $40 range that are more modern in design have either liner or frame locks. Here comes the questions:

How likely is a liner or frame like actually going to be to fail? Has anyone had liner or frame locks fail under what they would consider normal use?

To provide more info I don't baton with folders, chop with folders, but I might do light prying.
 
If a lock on a production knife were to fail there would be a lot of chatter and pictures of bloody fingers is threads around here. The fact that we don't see a lot of those threads speaks for the relative security of lock systems, whatever they may be.
Not to say they won't fail but most of the complaints I've seen are from the operator not paying close enough attention to hand position or some other mishap that caused the lock to disengage while in use.
If a knife and its lock don't suit the user then maybe it's time to reevaluate and swap for something that fits better. There's a knife out there for everyone.
 
I'm a sucker for the triad system, but honestly I really don't think normal use should cause lock failure. The only time a knife failed on me was when I broke a tip prying something, and that was my own fault. Hand position and good cutting habits should equal confidence in most lock systems out there.
 
I have carried liner locks, frame locks, back locks and Axis locks. I've never had any knife fail while using it. Honestly, I don't see how you can get a lock to fail unless you are doing something bordering abuse. The TriAd lock may be the strongest lock out there, but in my experience, the steel that Cold Steel uses leaves a lot to be desired. If you're going to abuse a folder, buy a Benchmade with an Axis lock. The blade will break before the lock will fail.
 
Use the right tool for the right job- I carry a small fixed blade for when the folder isn't suited.
 
I do have an older Endura that's worn pretty good, and I can make its lock "fail" just by carefully grabbing the blade and the handle and exerting a little pressure. So it is possible for a lock to "fail" in the sense that the locking mechanism may slip off the mating surface. That's probably the most likely scenario for a lock failure, though I guess you could break something if you were prying up a manhole cover or whatever.
 
powernoodle said:
I do have an older Endura that's worn pretty good, and I can make its lock "fail" just by carefully grabbing the blade and the handle and exerting a little pressure. So it is possible for a lock to "fail" in the sense that the locking mechanism may slip off the mating surface. That's probably the most likely scenario for a lock failure, though I guess you could break something if you were prying up a manhole cover or whatever.
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See and this is in part why I'm asking because that kind of play would drive me crazy. I imagine spyderco might warranty that so that could be a plus.

Part of the reason I posted this is a just bought a buck vantage select. Fantastic value at $30 IMO (I'm sort of biased towards liking buck though). The only down side is the liner lock on it just feels thin. However, "Feels Thin" and "Will Fail" are two different things.
 
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Keep your blade sharp and cut in the right direction and you will be fine with any lock- or none. A knife, like any tool, can and will bite you if you abuse it!
 
My main issue with liner and frame locks is that so many, many, many of them are questionably constructed and it seems almost impossible to tell which ones will fail in what manner until they are subjected to stress. On the bright side, I rarely, if ever, have call to exert much stress on the locks of my folders so they are generally "good enough" even if I don't have must trust for them.
 
Balls Deep said:
See and this is in part why I'm asking because that kind of play would drive me crazy.
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Well, this Endura has just been really used. And I have probably 10 of them, so its really just a drawer queen. But I guess I should send it back eventually, even if its not a warranty thing. I don't really consider "worn out" to be a warranty issue, but who knows.
 
Prices aside, a locked knife is pure physics. There are so many factors that go into "how long will it last" such as carbidizing, blade steel, titanium quality, lockface grind, etc. that it is impossible to set a "standard lock bar strength standard".

With that said, do what everyone else says, use it as a cutting tool and there shouldn't be any major problems.

Don't forget, many people have used slipjoints for many years without problems.
 
I used to be paranoid about locks, I had an extreme aversion to liner locks, but then I bought a Spyderco Military. That's not to say that I trust it a whole lot more than any other well built liner lock, in fact I consider the liner lock, and its sibling the framelock, to be inherently unstable. What the Spyderco Military did was show me that there's a lot of stuff more important than the lock.
Off the top of my head one thing I can think of that will probably get most locks to fail is pulling a blade that's covered in tape residue out of thick, hard cardboard. You're just cutting cardboard so It certainly seems like an intended use for a knife, but it applies heavy forces in a lot of odd directions.

Bottom line: If reliability is critical, there is no substitute for a fixed blade.


(I'm still a big fan of the TriAd lock though)
 
Joshua J. said:
I used to be paranoid about locks, I had an extreme aversion to liner locks, but then I bought a Spyderco Military. That's not to say that I trust it a whole lot more than any other well built liner lock, in fact I consider the liner lock, and its sibling the framelock, to be inherently unstable. What the Spyderco Military did was show me that there's a lot of stuff more important than the lock.
Off the top of my head one thing I can think of that will probably get most locks to fail is pulling a blade that's covered in tape residue out of thick, hard cardboard. You're just cutting cardboard so It certainly seems like an intended use for a knife, but it applies heavy forces in a lot of odd directions.

Bottom line: If reliability is critical, there is no substitute for a fixed blade.


(I'm still a big fan of the TriAd lock though)
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better.
 
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