Triad lock vs...

You mean to tell me that I can be listed as a multiple world record holder with Guinness just by using my good name and telling them I matched or out jumped, out ran, etc. the published numbers.....calling them now :cool:

On a serious note - I think Spyderco folders are strong and well-built.
 
On a side note - I don't think any of the lockbacks Spyderco has produced is as strong overall or per ounce even though it's been stated that they are. If you watch the flex of folding knives having 300+ pounds hanging on them, the relatively small amount of engagement of the Chinook 3, Manix, etc. would seem to for sure let go with a lot less flexing than the Tri-Ad can have before disengagement.

Maybe I'm missing something, but looking at their beefiest lockbacks disassembled points to this.

I think a big, solid 8 ounce folder with extra thick compression lock would hang in.
 
While Cols Steel does make a great lock with excellent strength, it is a moot point as to which is better. A lock being able to hold 600 pounds of negative engery adn another "only" holding 300 is moot. IMO neither is better than the other because you will never do naything to test that strength in a real world application, or if you do that sucks. They will all hold the blade in place for cutting, what knives are supposed to do. While Cold Steel may make the strongest folding knife lock, it doesnt affect the performance of the blade.
 
Cold Steel has videos. Spyderco has no "Proof" that I know of. I know Sal is a respected guy around here and other places, but I'd rather not blindly trust someone who's a salesman in the end.
Whut?:confused:
 
[youtube]wEH2erOh5Zw[/youtube]

I've had a shitty linerlock S&W Homeland Security I've banged up more than that, which lasted a helluva lot better. Wouldn't expect a skimpy soft piece of steel like the liner in the compression lock not to deform though...

[youtube]yJ1moCHqa6E[/youtube]

I could swear I'm spotting a Endura @ 4:02...
 
I don't usually worry about how strong the lock is under optimal testing conditions, but rather, how easily it slips out of it's locked position while in use. How easily can I inadvertently unlock the blade and cause an injury? That's my concern, but then again I use my folders for cutting tasks. I don't baton or pry with them or use them as screwdrivers and whatnot. They are cutting tools to me, so I use them as such and try to keep a "slipjoint"-mindset while using them, just in case. Having said all this, I DID have a lockback which failed on me, when I was testing it's reliability by hand (gloved up), during "safe" conditions; and, the lockback would release with like 3-5Kg of pressure. I got it replaced by the company who made it though, so all is good. But, it does show that even high-end manufacturers will have one stray once in a while, so I never quite trust any folder like a fixed blade. Call me old-fashioned, but to me a folder is a folder and a fixed blade is a fixed blade.
 
I think some knife companies are lucky that lots (maybe even most) of their customers aren't really worried about knife locks, or maybe they just have a false faith in some of those locks.

Sorry you didn't understand me, Planterz.
 
Man I'm so glad I haven't tried hanging weights off the end of my knives while I've got the blade clamped in a vise, or holding it down on a brick wall and beating it with the handle of an axe.....


I'm sure glad i didn't buy a car based on how easy/hard you can destroy it with a bulldozer.
 
Yeah, maybe it's not just out of respect for other manufactures that Spyderco and crew dont make videos or publish data. I recall that caged ball lock didn't fair too well either in a video. They're probably just lemons that slipped through though.

But, like we all know, some aren't worried about how strong a lock is, nor how reliable. Variety is good for us all.

Personally, I love a nice slip-joint, and perticularly SAKs. But when I buy a knife with a lock, I want that lock to work as perfectly as possible no matter what I do to it. -And there are folders out there that seem to always work. If they were made by a different brand, I think people'd give them more of the praise they deserve. But since they're from Cold Steel, they're just overkill for dummies that don't know how to use a knife properly.

Looks like Allen Elishewitz might be trying to sell his designs to dummies too.
 
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Well in my case it wasn't because I was just curious, it was because it had come unlocked on me a couple of times and I was unsure if I had pressed the lockback button or not, so I tested it and found out that my suspicions were true.
 
Yep, I think the possition of the lock release on a lock-back is pretty important. The meat of the thumb/hand can release them sometimes.
And that can be a big problem when there's very little engagment between the lock and tang.
 
Cold Steel has videos. Spyderco has no "Proof" that I know of. I know Sal is a respected guy around here and other places, but I'd rather not blindly trust someone who's a salesman in the end.

And, when Spyderco tests locks, it's important, but when other companies test locks they're just trying to sell knives to ninjas and those who abuse their folders. And we all know knives are made to cut with the edge, so locks don't really matter, right.


Thats fine if you consider coldsteels EDITED videos "proof". Id trust my spydies over coldsteel any day. And yes a knife is meant for cutting and nothing else. I trust sal, hes a good guy. And ill continue to buy his knives, because no proof is needed. The knives speak for themselves. Idk JMO
 
Nice, another spine-whack test. If you know how to use a folding knife properly, you never have to worry about that type of situation. That just breeds more ignorance. There are after all, slipjoints and friction folders out there and if you know how to use them, you wont have to worry about what some stupid spine-whack test is supposed to prove. Let's focus on what's important, how does it cut?
 
That never-ending discussion about what lock is stronger and how strong it is just amazes me. How many times people are prepared to discuss the same staff - with no data and not a piece of new information coming from anywhere. What kind of answer are you looking for and how useful is it going to be? Would not the third and the fourth most strong locks be strong enough for all your needs? Of course that is if you know what knives are made for... And if you do not know - no lock will be strong enough for you anyway. What one man made - can be always destroyed by another.

I guess the knife manufacturers will not publish the test data because that would give the wrong message and attract the kind of a consumer they do not want. Some will have the no question asked guarantees - but that does not mean they enjoy giving away money to people who just do not know how to use knives properly.
 
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wolf5391, if you trust your Spyderco, I'm happy for you. I'm not sure what you mean by you trust it over CS any day, but I assume you don't mean in durability.

gooeytek, how aboout a knife that cuts well, and has a great lock too...?

Poez, there's lock strength, and lock reliability. When you have both in one, you have a good lock. People test these things not to break knives, but to find out which one don't break. -How strong is strong enough? The Triad lock is strong enough for me.

FYI, I don't own a knife with a Triad lock currently, nor any other CS products.
 
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