Who else makes Axis type locking knives

B

Buford Justice

Joined
Oct 30, 2012
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2
I really like Benchmade's Axis lock, and was wondering what other manufacturer's offer a simiar lock. I know SOG does, and Spyderco has a handfull. Are there any others?
 
I believe the Axis lock is exclusive to Benchmade. The lock bar runs perpendicular to the handle and makes contact with the blade tang.

The bolt action lock (also called piston lock) has several variants by a number of different manufacturers. They look similar to the Axis Lock in the sense that the lock release is on the side of the handle, but instead of the lock bar wedging against the tang to hold it in place, the locking mechanism retracts a length of metal that runs in line with the length of the blade (latches similar to what a back lock would do). Some that use these are Spyderco (Manix, Sage 3), SOG (Arc Lock), Gerber (on many of their FAST assisted models), Victorinox (on some 110mm models).

The Chinese companies (Sanrenmu, Enlan, etc.) make several models that copy Benchmade's Axis Lock. I've handled a few, and although the design is the same, the locks on the Enlans and SRMs (with the exception of the 763) are so stiff that I can only retract the Axis lock by pulling from both sides.
 
flarp said:
I believe the Axis lock is exclusive to Benchmade. The lock bar runs perpendicular to the handle and makes contact with the blade tang.

The bolt action lock (also called piston lock) has several variants by a number of different manufacturers. They look similar to the Axis Lock in the sense that the lock release is on the side of the handle, but instead of the lock bar wedging against the tang to hold it in place, the locking mechanism retracts a length of metal that runs in line with the length of the blade (latches similar to what a back lock would do). Some that use these are Spyderco (Manix, Sage 3), SOG (Arc Lock), Gerber (on many of their FAST assisted models), Victorinox (on some 110mm models).

The Chinese companies (Sanrenmu, Enlan, etc.) make several models that copy Benchmade's Axis Lock. I've handled a few, and although the design is the same, the locks on the Enlans and SRMs (with the exception of the 763) are so stiff that I can only retract the Axis lock by pulling from both sides.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. The Sage 3 uses a bolt action lock, yes, but the Ball bearing lock on the Manix 2 works the same way the Axis lock does (just using a ball bearing instead of a lockbar). The SOG arc lock and old Cold Steel Recon 1 lock both work the same way as the axis lock.

Also, I remembered one more: Lion Steel Daghetta.
 
Spyderco's Ball bearing lock and Lion Steel's lock are both very different from the axis lock.

The lock on the Daghetta is more akin to a lockback than an axis lock.
 
flarp said:
I believe the Axis lock is exclusive to Benchmade. The lock bar runs perpendicular to the handle and makes contact with the blade tang.

The bolt action lock (also called piston lock) has several variants by a number of different manufacturers. They look similar to the Axis Lock in the sense that the lock release is on the side of the handle, but instead of the lock bar wedging against the tang to hold it in place, the locking mechanism retracts a length of metal that runs in line with the length of the blade (latches similar to what a back lock would do). Some that use these are Spyderco (Manix, Sage 3), SOG (Arc Lock), Gerber (on many of their FAST assisted models), Victorinox (on some 110mm models).

The Chinese companies (Sanrenmu, Enlan, etc.) make several models that copy Benchmade's Axis Lock. I've handled a few, and although the design is the same, the locks on the Enlans and SRMs (with the exception of the 763) are so stiff that I can only retract the Axis lock by pulling from both sides.
Click to expand...

I have yet to handle one of the Chinese axis clones.
I have seen them described as hard to open, or very smooth.
On my Benchmades I always open from both sides,
had never considered pushing against one side of the lock.
 
Dorito Monk said:
Incorrect. The Sage 3 uses a bolt action lock, yes, but the Ball bearing lock on the Manix 2 works the same way the Axis lock does (just using a ball bearing instead of a lockbar). The SOG arc lock and old Cold Steel Recon 1 lock both work the same way as the axis lock.
Click to expand...
Incorrect. ;)

The Sage 3 uses a bolt-action lock as stated, the Manix 2 uses a CBBL which functions similarly to the bolt action lock except that it is a ball in a cage instead of a bolt. The ball constitutes a length of metal that runs in line with the tang. Both rely on a back-spacer to prevent the lock bar/ball from leaving the area. Gerber also uses the Blackie Collins bolt-action lock. Neither design relies on a movable transverse lock-bar bolstered by liners. *shrug*

The SOG arc-lock is a closer cousin, even relying on omega-springs to push the lock-bar forward onto the tang, and it indeed consists of a transverse lock-bar that is bolstered by the liners, just like Benchmade's Axis-lock.
The old CS Recon 1 uses another close cousin except that the lock-bar is actually held captive by the tang of the knife and is bolstered by the liners. But this lock-design has been discontinued.

But the Axis-lock is indeed exclusive to Benchmade. All Chinese copies are committing theft of intellectual property, but Chinese manufacturers (and the government) have no regard for such laws.

In practice, I have not found any cousin of the Axis-lock to be a true substitute. And why choose a substitute anyway? If you like that lock, get that lock; if you like another, get the other. In the end, they all do the same thing, i.e. lock the blade in place... precisely how and how well they do this may differ, but *shrug*
 
Thanks for the info. I'm not so worried if the lock is just the same as the Axis. The only knives I have with that type of lock happen to be Benchmades. I like the location and action of pulling back the bar with my thumb better than a lock back or liner lock. I just wanted some ideas of other brands that use a side activated lock near the pivot point. I like the one-handed closing while keeping my fingers out of harm's way.

I had seen the SOGs and Spydercos with similar locks, but I'm not crazy about any of them (the knives, not the locks). I don't buy a new knife very often, so I kind if obsess about it when I do buy one and try to find the perfect one.
 
Buford Justice said:
Thanks for the info. I'm not so worried if the lock is just the same as the Axis. The only knives I have with that type of lock happen to be Benchmades. I like the location and action of pulling back the bar with my thumb better than a lock back or liner lock. I just wanted some ideas of other brands that use a side activated lock near the pivot point. I like the one-handed closing while keeping my fingers out of harm's way.

I had seen the SOGs and Spydercos with similar locks, but I'm not crazy about any of them (the knives, not the locks). I don't buy a new knife very often, so I kind if obsess about it when I do buy one and try to find the perfect one.
Click to expand...

Oh, as far as knives which are functionally identical to Axis lock knives, everything already mentioned in this thread holds true. They all allow you to swing the blade open and closed without ever putting your fingers in harm's way, to my knowledge.

Another great lock that you can activate from the side while keeping your fingers out of the blade's path is the Hawk Lock found on the Kershaw RAM and the ZT MUDD. Very smooth, very nifty lock, although the guts don't have a great deal in common with the Axis lock.

Additionally, the compression lock found on a few Spydercos allows the same kind of speedy opening and closing without putting your fingers near the blade. :thumbup:
 
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Here's my attempt ("attempt" being the operative word) at illustrating the two lock types and how they work. I may be mistaken, but this is what it looks like on the knives of the two types I've taken apart. All the Axis Locks I've seen appear to function the same. There are some variants of the Bolt Lock, mainly in where the springs for the bolt/release are, but they all essentially function the same.

Axis Lock - cylindrical bar (red) runs perpendicular to the blade tang and wedges it in place


Bolt Lock - bolt (red) runs inline with the blade length, and release mechanism (blue) is the thing on the blade handle you pull to retract the bolt
 
flarp said:
Here's my attempt ("attempt" being the operative word) at illustrating the two lock types and how they work. I may be mistaken, but this is what it looks like on the knives of the two types I've taken apart. All the Axis Locks I've seen appear to function the same. There are some variants of the Bolt Lock, mainly in where the springs for the bolt/release are, but they all essentially function the same.

Bolt Lock - bolt (red) runs inline with the blade length, and release mechanism (blue) is the thing on the blade handle you pull to retract the bolt
Click to expand...

If this was for my edification, let me clarify: I wasn't disputing how the bolt action lock works. That part, so far as I can tell, you've got bang on. :thumbup:

The Ball bearing lock, though, pretty much works exactly the same as the axis lock. When you draw the ball bearing back, it serves the same function as the axis lock's lockbar. Using your diagrams, this is what happens:

Axis_Lock.png


As the ball bearing is drawn back, it slips off the tang of the knife and allows the blade to close, in the same fashion as the axis lock's lockbar, in your diagram here:

Axis_Lock.png


The fact that there is a backspacer in place to prevent the ball from slipping out of place, as chiral mentioned, doesn't mean it isn't nearly identical to an axis lock - the backspacer merely provides the same support to the ball bearing that the milled-out portion of the liners provide to the axis lock lockbar. The difference is minute - in an axis lock, the lockbar travels along a channel cut into the liners. In a ball bearing lock, the lock ball travels along a channel cut into the liners, which has had a little roof on top.

lock_ballbearing.jpg


c114wmp.jpg


axis%20lock.jpg


550HG5.JPG


...but that's all semantics. Like I said, they're functionally identical when it comes to the OP's concerns about actuation and safety. :thumbup:
 
Ahhh... I learned something new. I actually don't have any of the Spyderco bolt or ball bearing lock knives. From just looking at the pictures, I guessed they were just variants of the bolt lock. Functionally, the ball bearing lock looks like it operates on the same principle as the Axis lock, just a different implementation. Thanks for the clarification. :)
 
Not quite. The ball-bearing acts on the tang and the back-spacer. That backspacer is fundamental to the function of the lock, just as with the bolt-piston. The liners offer no support other than to prevent the ball from slipping out the sides, as the pictures presented clearly demonstrate. In this way, these two designs share similarities with back-locks. The axis-lock, on the other hand, does not rely on a back spacer but on the holes milled in the liners to keep the lock-bar from leaving the area, again as the above pictures demonstrate (and a note of thanks to Dorito Monk for their inclusion). Please note, I am not commenting on which design is stronger or more durable or more user friendly, just on the construction of each and what each relies upon for support. This is just for clarification of important differences in the CBBL and the Axis designs.


Another side-mechanism lock-design that the OP might be interested in if he just want to keep his hands out of the blade's path is the button lock featured on the Hogue EX-01 and the Gerber Instant.
 
Well we have the Perpetua knife....,I love it. Any other newly made knives now that it’s late 2018?
 
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