Sebenza's are weak.....

[Tuff]

Heh, I knew that would draw attention. Seriously though, is the Sebenza integral lock better than the axis lock? I haven't had the honor of using a Sebenza, so can't be sure.

 

[lspann]

Be careful Tuff, all those Sebenza owners will get you! lol
Lonnie

[This message has been edited by lspann (edited 07 September 1999).]

 

[bodeen]

Tuff,

I would'nt say either is stronger or weaker. Because both seem to be an excellent design, and failure would probably mean broken steel or Ti,and extreme stress on lock.
However,the potential for mechanism failure would lean to the axis lock IMO.
The locking bar is dependant on two small
springs the size of a small paperclip.I doubt the probability of both springs failing at the same time.I am curious as to how the lock would react to having one spring removed(broken).
Just my humble observation.

 

[savanah]

You're a BAD,BAD man!

 

[Mercury]

I took my 710sbt Axis-Lock apart to finish the liners, and as a lark I replaced it with only one spring. It worked exactly the same, and I say this having used the knife over a four hour period. I cycled it, did the whack test like half a dozen times, and did all kinds of things to see if the lack of one of the springs would make the knife work any differently. The only thing I can see different is that when the knife is closed, the actual Axis-Lock bar wobbles like a few millimeters on the side with no spring.

I would say the Sebenza has the greater chance of failing; If you take an Axis-Lock apart, it becomes clear that those springs are going NOWHERE. They are quite secure, and lets not forget that NOTHING on the Axis-Lock is titanium. The chance of wear on the Sebenza is slim, but it's not NONE. Sooner or later (okay, later) the lock on the Sebenza will throw from wear. I know, I know, it mill throw so that the knife locks OPEN, but after a while that titanium will wear down enough so that the knife can't be locked at all... Right?

------------------
Robert Joseph Ansbro

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www.Cinematopia.com

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[James Mattis]

As a "liner lock" with a very thick "liner" and no outer scales, the Sebenza is very fool-resistant (nothing is fool-proof), and easier to clean than the Axis Lock if it gets gunky. The Axis Lock is probably a bit stronger, but that may be academic, if any stress that would defeat the lock would defeat your hand first. The experiment of making an Axis Lock to the standards of the Sebenza has not been tried in production, though there may be some high-end McHenry & Williams customs out there by now.



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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001

 

[stjames]

The beauty of the integral lock is in its simplicity. Only time will tell if the Axis lock will be as reliable, and the question of Benchmades Q.C. is a major factor as well.

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James

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Both lock types seem very reliable and strong. I wouldn't worry too much with either. Note that any liner/tang type lock -- integral lock included -- could potentially be defeated by torquing. Snickersnee (I think it was) claimed to defeat a Sebenza by just torquing it in his hands. Something I'd like to see if other people can duplicate. Torquing is pretty common in hard use, but it's something most testers don't do, because it's not easy to test.

Joe

 

[stjames]

jeffa, spot on the money there. I work with moving lights, where you have gears, springs and pulleys spinning around in a hot environment for hours at a time. The simpler the design, the better. I just don't trust little springs, period.

And what happens when the springs do fail? From my understanding, they are what keeps the blade in place on the Axis lock, pushing the lock bar against the tang. If you remove that pressure, what is the result?

The Axis has been in the field for about a year now, not nearly long enough to give it a proper analysis, yet Benchmade has already implemented it in several other designs because of the positive public response, and people seem to be clamoring for more. I myself am waiting for the 720 to come out to give the design a spin in the field.


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James

 

[Jim March]

What impresses me about the Sebenza lock is that your own grip strength reinforces it. IF you hold it right, it would seem impossible to unlock accidently.

If you do manage to twist it in such a way that it's gonna give, you should be able to FEEL the oversize liner start to slide, and back the heck off?

Jim March

 

[Tuff]

Some good arguments, hope to hear some more about these two.
How exactly does one go about tourqing a blade, like the Sebenza? Joe mentioned this, but I'm not sure what it is really. Not really knowing what tourqing means is probably why too...

 

[Tom]

I think both style locks will be stronger than pretty anything you'll be using it for.
BM QC has bee spotty of late while the CR has always been top notch (better be for that price).

 

[Samurai6]

If I had to pick between the two for shear strength and reliability, I would take the Sebenza. Those are not the only two considerations when I choose a knife though. I have two 710s and no Sebenzas.

Harv