Titanium frame locks and longevity?

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So i have been putting off titanium frame lock purchases despite having a few that i like because i worry about their longevity.
I hear so much about them developing lock rock quite quickly and the lock bars wearing out and being sent back in for work and that thought scares me. I like blades that will be good for home maintenance and not need to be sent away for lock bar replacement or larger stop pins.


Leads me to another question is titanium even a good lock bar material? Does it have any positives besides being lighter then steel?
Is it just a passing fad or am i missing something? Would a stainless liner lock suit someone like me better maybe? Lock rock would totally ruin the cool factor and just irritate the knife nut in me.
 
A well built framelock will last much longer than your lifetime. Go look how many CRKs and Hinderers have worn out their locks. I'll give you a hint...it's right around 0.
 
A well built framelock will last much longer than your lifetime. Go look how many CRKs and Hinderers have worn out their locks. I'll give you a hint...it's right around 0.

what about the lower priced frame locks like lets say lion steel or fox produced?

And guys please excuse my annoying thread starting the last few days this will be the last thread i start after this i will be helping others out and not asking my own questions. i actually plan on doing some stuff soon that wont be allowing me to make a knife purchase or much of anything else for the next year or 2 and ive been selling off all my collection to get that shiny engagement ring for a special someone but just need one good knife.
 
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Not sure about fox, but I believe that lionsteel uses a hardened steel lock face attached to the lock bar.
 
If you are worried about it get something like a ZT 0566 or one of the others that are all stainless
 
Which is why we all buy Sebenzas. The don't develop lock rock at all, and a Ti framelock is just about the strongest type of lock made. (A Benchmade Axis lock is probably slightly stronger.)

Actually, not everyone buys Sebenzas or knives with Integral Locks. Some folks are averse to having their fingers cross the path of the blade when it is closing. As far as strongest locks go, the RIL is not as strong as an Axis, or a Triad, or a Compression lock no slightly about it.you are "slightly" misinformed I'm afraid.

As for the longevity aspect, a well made frame lock will last decades is coupled with some common sense. I see a lot of threads where people feel the need to "cycle" their knives 100s and 1,000s of times, and for reasons that make no sense to me.
 
If you are that worried, get a knife with a hardened interface. The Umnumzaan and Sebenza 25 use ceramic balls as the interface. I've used mine quite a bit (even as an improptu hammer with the spine) and it hasn't moved since I've got it. The Mnandi and other Sebenza models use a hardened titanium face--mine hasn't moved noticeably since I got it either.

My experience with unhardened titanium frame locks (Sage 2) has shown me that they can be ok, but they definitely do move over time. Spyderco does make a titanium Military with a steel frame lock interface.

In my eye, liner locks and frame locks are of comparable strength, as the strength of a frame lock is dependent on the size of the cutout--which is often just as thick as a liner lock.
 
A quality framelock can last a life time if you take care of it and it has good geometry to start with. And there are ways to adjust the lock bar in the future. My pops has an S2 CRKT from a decade ago and the lock is at 60% with no play after all these years of EDC use and no play. So any good one will last. Not to mention ZT carbidizes the 0561 and other models as well as CRK hardening theirs. I have no doubt that when you take care of it. It will last a life time. If you feel the need to chop , baton and pry all day, forget about it.
 
A quality framelock can last a life time if you take care of it and it has good geometry to start with. And there are ways to adjust the lock bar in the future. My pops has an S2 CRKT from a decade ago and the lock is at 60% with no play after all these years of EDC use and no play. So any good one will last. Not to mention ZT carbidizes the 0561 and other models as well as CRK hardening theirs. I have no doubt that when you take care of it. It will last a life time. If you feel the need to chop , baton and pry all day, forget about it.

I still have one of those old CRKT S2s it was my first titanium frame lock and it has held up well even though its a cheapy and almost ten years old.
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If a cheap CRKT can last a decade I have no doubts that a Spyderco or ZT lockbar could probably outlast the user.
 
I used to obsess about folding knife durability, but then I started to think a bit about things like kjives I inhereted frim my grandfathers and still work fine, and the fact that I rotate my knives so often that it will take me a couple of centurues to put a decade of continuous use on any of them.

The pessimist in me keeps thinking that the springs on my autos and AXIS locks will break, and stuff like that. But in a few decades of knife use very few have failed me, and if I take cheap ones and stupid moments out of the equation, the number goes down to an impressive 1 or 2.

If this worries you too much, do as I did and move to fixed blades for a while.
 
A lot of these companies have great warranties also so put your worries to rest. ZT for example has a framelock heavy lineup and they will make it right if it ever does wear out or fail.
 
A well built framelock will last much longer than your lifetime. Go look how many CRKs and Hinderers have worn out their locks. I'll give you a hint...it's right around 0.

That's not right. If you go through the CRK forum, you'll see posts of people who used their knife regularly for about 10 years then had to send it in to fix the lockup. 10 years is not a lifetime. Of course the lifespan will vary by how much you use it.

The truth is titanium frame and liner locks are on the lower end of the spectrum for lifespan. Lockbacks, axis, etc., will last many more openings and closings. (I am not saying their lifespan is short, only shorter than others.)
 
I used to obsess about folding knife durability, but then I started to think a bit about things like kjives I inhereted frim my grandfathers and still work fine, and the fact that I rotate my knives so often that it will take me a couple of centurues to put a decade of continuous use on any of them.

The pessimist in me keeps thinking that the springs on my autos and AXIS locks will break, and stuff like that. But in a few decades of knife use very few have failed me, and if I take cheap ones and stupid moments out of the equation, the number goes down to an impressive 1 or 2.

If this worries you too much, do as I did and move to fixed blades for a while.

I actually had a benchmade griptilian omega springs fail on me twice in a year so I honestly dot trust their springs it don't buy anything that depends on a flimsy little spring like that anymore.

That's not right. If you go through the CRK forum, you'll see posts of people who used their knife regularly for about 10 years then had to send it in to fix the lockup. 10 years is not a lifetime. Of course the lifespan will vary by how much you use it.

The truth is titanium frame and liner locks are on the lower end of the spectrum for lifespan. Lockbacks, axis, etc., will last many more openings and closings. (I am not saying their lifespan is short, only shorter than others.)

Axis lock in my environment and use has the life span of a house fly.
 
Actually, not everyone* buys Sebenzas or knives with Integral Locks. Some folks are averse to having their fingers cross the path of the blade when it is closing. As far as strongest locks go, the RIL is not as strong as an Axis, or a Triad, or a Compression lock no slightly about it.you are "slightly" misinformed I'm afraid.

Ok, people couldn't take it, so I removed it.
 
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True. Im a man of one knife. I plan on useing my knife properly and having it last a knife time, I mean a life time. And I plan on never sending it in for warranty as it is perfect.
 
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What do you do to your knives?!?!? If you destroy Axis locks that fast, a fancy Ti framelock is NOT for you!

Aprently getting the axis lock wet and living in high moisture causes the springs to fail. I do dry them off but they stay wet most of the day when I'm at work. Live at the jersey shore
 
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