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Reliable Safe Lock Mechanism
- Thread starter wildjim
- Start date
Well not compare to a strider or manix, but then neither is the knife.
I think the lock is build to suit the knife design in term of strength.
I also love the play in the lock, it WILL without a doubt tell you that you're using the knife in such a way that the lock is holding the knife open.
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"Now if only CS would offer something more conventional in appearance with G10 and nicer steels "
The American Lawman looks nice and fits your criteria. G-10, steel liners, Demko's beast lock and AUS 8a (never had problem with CS's AUS 8a)think they can be had for around $65 online.
The American Lawman looks nice and fits your criteria. G-10, steel liners, Demko's beast lock and AUS 8a (never had problem with CS's AUS 8a)think they can be had for around $65 online.
I like the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter (Pendleton Design) as I have the Pendleton Hunter (Love It) Cold Steel state they use extra heavy springs and their locks are the strongest available. Cold Steel seems focused on reliability with their products. I am happy with all of the Cold Steel products I own which about thirty knives, some are duplicates.
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I only have two of these, but in one example the lock displays no play.
In this application, since the back-spring holds the knife open I don't have any particular issue with a bit of play before the lock holds as the lock is truely a safety mechanism.
Nothing is 100% reliable. Having a 'safety' on a dangerous device does not relieve one of using proper (and safe) practices with that device. Would you put a loaded .45 pistol to your head, and pull the trigger, just because the "safety' was on?
If so, there's no more use in talking.
If not, then you get my point.
Locks and safeties may usually work, but I wouldn't trust my life, nor my fingers, to them.
Of course, one can stab (carefully) into an object to start a cut, but the emphasis here is on "carefully"...so that the pressure of the stab is toward the cutting edge, not the spine. As you rightly said, this can be done safely with slipjoints...as long as you think about what you're doing before you do it.
Use your head, not the lock.
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Nothing is 100% reliable. Having a 'safety' on a dangerous device does not relieve one of using proper (and safe) practices with that device. Would you put a loaded .45 pistol to your head, and pull the trigger, just because the "safety' was on?
If so, there's no more use in talking.
If not, then you get my point.
Locks and safeties may usually work, but I wouldn't trust my life, nor my fingers, to them.
Of course, one can stab (carefully) into an object to start a cut, but the emphasis here is on "carefully"...so that the pressure of the stab is toward the cutting edge, not the spine. As you rightly said, this can be done safely with slipjoints...as long as you think about what you're doing before you do it.
Use your head, not the lock.
If one uses every knife as if it were a slipjoint then lock strength is irrelevant. It's only when you goof up that the lock becomes an issue.
I love to debate lock strength as much as anyone, but the simple fact is that if you're doing a task that might stress the lock enough to fail then you should probably be doing it with a fixed blade. The only exception to this I can imagine are things like self-defense, survival or farming where it's not practical to carry a fixed blade or go get one before continuing.
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I, as well as most people, don't carry a fixed blade due to legal issues as well as comfort issues. Why would one carry a single knife with limited uses; any EDC should be of some use for self defense, survival, etc.
Further, you appear to confuse lock reliability with lock strength.
Lock reliability is important, since many locking knives, if not most, have no other means to bias the knifeblade in the open position other than the lock.
Knife locks should not fail due to small loads.
Light OT but might be handy
Just compare how the Ultra Lock in Recon 1 is behaving...
(movie on the bottom of the page >click<)
http://www.knives.pl/www/artykuly/testy/cold_steel_recon_1_fundusz_testerow_5.html
...and how the axis works in similar conditions.
<whoops, can't paste the movie right now - type "axis test" in YT :foot:>
I was saying this several times -> it's dumb to dig with the knife, but it only shows how marketing might be crushed under reality
Funny thing about the opinel's viroblock.
Few of my friends were opening it when the blade was closed and secured
Result was obvious = loud, metalic "KLING" and the ring was flying away forcing me to search for it for next 10 minutes
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With any folding knife you have to go beyond the lock type and look at the total design and construction. Having a "strong" lock with a weak pivot design kinda defeats the purpose. Look at CRKT's Auto Lawks - models designed for piercing like the Hissatsu have a pivot that's 3x bigger than conventional. Sebenza's gained their bulletproof reputation not just from being a framelock but because of careful design, top quality materials and precision engineering. Used as intended and with regular servicing, (things do eventually wear), most quality folding knives will give years of safe and reliable service, irrespective of the lock type. Mistreatment by the ridiculous "spine whack test" or other forms of abuse can make any knife fail because it is being pushed beyond its designed usage parameters but this does not mean a particular lock design or knife is unsafe when used as intended.