What is the strongest lock style?

Frankthetank

Frankthetank

Joined
Sep 1, 2007
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98
What is the overall strongest style for a folding knife lock?

I have heard of people having problems with the Ultralock and liner locks, but lockback knives seem to hold up best from what I have seen.

Of course it depends on who is making the knife, but what has your experience been?
 
This is a subject that has been beaten to death. Therefore, I am going to suggest that you go to search, than go to advanced search, and then search for that topic. There are a gazillion threads on this very subject.
 
frame lock is good, but i think that lockback accommodates more handles styles.
 
Never had a problem with a Buck lock back or Schrade or Cold Steel but have had liners fail and framelocks snap! I still love liners due to easy one hand operation and still use them one of my favorites is a browning double blade with titanium liner locks.
 
From what I have read and understand, well made lockbacks, plunge or button locks, and Axis style locks tend to be the strongest as far as weight holding goes.
 
I think that the lockback, Axis and compression lock, in no particular order, are the strongest locks you can have.
 
I don't know if by "strongest" you meant "most enduring" or "can handle the most stress/abuse". That being said, I believe there are lockbacks out there that are 20-30 years old and still going strong. A testament to the design's proven simplicity and reliability.
 
To quote Sal:"Security first, strength second"
There is a difference between the most reliable lock and the strongest lock.

To quote Sal again:"You can make any lock as strong as you like, you break one, examine what broke and reinforce that part and break it again....."

That said, the STRONGEST (not necessarily the most reliable) locks on the market are currently probably backlock, axis, and compression in no particular order.
 
Frankthetank said:
What is the overall strongest style for a folding knife lock?

I have heard of people having problems with the Ultralock and liner locks, but lockback knives seem to hold up best from what I have seen.
Click to expand...

I think the problems you heard are more about the reliability of the lock than the strength of the lock. In my limited experiencie, the reliability is more important than the strength, and it depends more on the quality of the manufacturer than the thickness of the materials.

The Arc-lock for example, was tested to withstand more than 1000 pounds of pressure. That's absurd! When putting that amount of force in a knife there's a lot of things that can go wrong: with the handle, with the material you're cutting, with your own hand! There's no need to get a lock able to support that amount of force, is more important to have a knife that locks securely EVERY TIME you open it.

Look for quality brands, and you will likely get a reliable and strong folder. Buy cheap, and you will get a unreliable lock, no matter the mechanism. Use your folder as a folder, look for quality brands and you will not have any problems.

HoB beat me for seconds! I was just about to quote Sal too. Look for his posts about locks, strength and reliability, they are VERY informative, Sal really knows his stuff.

Wow, that was long! I'm leaving!


BETO
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Sorry for my english :o
 
Axis lock or ultra lock.Then back lock and frame lock depending on what the alloy they use.Is a titanium slab lock stronger then a stainless steel back lock could vary well be??
 
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