VOTE - Your Favorite Folder Locking Mechanism

What’s your favorite locking mechanism on folder, and why?

  • Frame Lock

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Liner Lock

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Locking Back

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Axis Lock (or comparable, e.g. SOG)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
TT2Toes

TT2Toes

Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
175
What’s your favorite locking mechanism on a folder, and why: based on aesthetics, ease of use, reliability and strength?
 
I have to agree with James. The frame lock seems to be the stongest and is my favorite form of lock. I have a couple custom liner locks that I have a lot of faith in, but my lock of choice is the framelock. Mostly because it seems the strongest and most reliable.
 
I have one framelock and one Axis lock, and they are real nice knives. But when I look at my collection, every other locking knife that I have is a lockback. They are reliable enough and strong enough for my tasks and are used in the knives that I like to buy. So, my vote was for the lockback.
 
Framelock, because a framelocked knife is the closest thing I have found to a fixed blade. Properly done it is one rock solid lock.
 
I have always assumed that the locking mechanism is only as strong as its weakest area. Consequently, I don't understand how a frame-lock could be stronger than a liner-lock. At least on my two Kershaw frame-lock folders, the strip of frame that engages to lock the blade has a thinned section. Obviously, the thinned section is so the metal can be flexed using a reasonable amount of side pressure, to disengage the lock. If the frame-lock were entirely the same thickness, and not thinned in one area, you wouldn�t be able to close the blade. But the thinned area is the same thickness as most of the liners on my other liner-lock folders.

So, why is the frame-lock inherently better (or stronger) than liner-locks?
 
Framelock is probably the best, but I can't imagine the locking back on my Spyderco Chinook failing either.
 
I have to say that my favorite is the AXIS lock. It is very smooth to open and close and it is a very tight lock, no play.
 
I guess my vote overall would have to be AXIS, I love it's strength and smoothness.

As far as "generic" locks, I'd have to vote for the frame lock, best in convenience(sp?) and strength.
 
Axis lock, smooth as silk, wear resistant, still operable even without the springs, and far and away easiest to use.
I've had frame/liner locks fail when oil gets on them in such a way(explosively fast) that there's no way to avoid being cut.
I like Lockbacks second best.
 
I'll choose liner lock.
It's solid enough if well made and
is cost-effective than the frame locks.
Just my 2 cents.

P.
 
My personal preference, from my experience, is the axis lock. I love how smooth it is to open and close my axis locking Benchmades. Of course, then there's my Benchmade Model 42 balisong - none of my other knives lock up quite as solid as that! I'm not a big fan of lockbacks, and I don't own any framelock knives...
 
Originally posted by TT2Toes
So, why is the frame-lock inherently better (or stronger) than liner-locks?
Click to expand...

I find them to be more reliable. Strength is a different issue, most people don't have the manual strength to defeat a well executed lock of any of the styles listed.
 
I voted that the "frame lock" seems a bit sturdier but I don't consider any of the other lock types to be "weak". I wonder though if the reason frame locks are generally sturdier than other types of locks is not due to some inherent advantage of the frame lock but rather because frame locks are more expensive to implement so the knives they are found on tend to be higher-end and thus more stoutly built :D.
 
1)Framelock
2)Lockback
3)Axis lock

In that order. Liner locks don't even make the list.
 
Lockback, because it's simple and easy to operate with either "hand", and it doesn't have any small parts (springs) that can go haywire.
 
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