Why is lock failure even a topic?

[CarpentryHero]

It seems to me that some members here don't really much understand what happens under extreme stress and the effects of adrenaline .

This can occur due to some actual emergency or simply from any great emotional strain , etc.

Using a knife or trying to do any fine motor function is very difficult . Gross muscular strength is enhanced but fine control is sacrificed .

Relaxed , critical thinking is replaced by instinctive immediate action . There is no possibility of "being careful" .

If you've never been there , try not to assume you know how it can be .

Which is understandable in some jobs and highly unlikely in others. For the handful of things that can become an emergency or a danger in my line of work, isn’t helped by a knife. The day to day stuff that I don’t need a lot of tools for, is when I sometimes use a folding knife

 

[NWPilgrim]

Totally agree on last few posts. If you are engaged in activity requiring a lot of stress on the knife then a fixed blade of appropriate size is 100 times better than a folder. And more convenient since there is no opening and closing action required. Or other application specific design.

Locks are a nice safety margin for folders but folders should not be relied on for heavy stress applications.

 

[James Y]

IMHO, all folders should be considered "light-use". For real work, you should be using a dedicated knife. That is not to say that the folding knife is anything but a very useful tool. Folders are configured for convenience; it is there to help you break down a box when needed; but, if you need to deal with a warehouse load of boxes, you would be far better off with a dedicated box cutter. The hype over tactical folders has left many with a dangerous impression of these tools. They are not there to meet every need, they are designed to help you to get it done when the right tool is otherwise unavailable.

n2s

Very true. But I probably should have worded my statement as, those Vapors would have only been useful for a job suitable for a friction folder.

My late dad used to use his pocketknives hard until they were used up, and all his life most of those were slipjoints. The one locking knife he had was his last one, a Buck 110, and I believe he got that mainly because his manual dexterity had deteriorated due to his extra-thick fingers (from a lifetime of hard outdoor work) and the progression of his Parkinson’s. He could easily pinch the blade open without worrying about a nail nick. In fact, IIRC, his 110 (which was an early version) might not have even had a nail nick.

For me, a knife lock is an added safety, and not meant to replace proper handling and common sense. I don’t spine whack my knives, or put them in a vice and hang weights off of them; if others do, that’s fine. I will do the hand pressure test at first, but that’s it.

That said, if a knife has a lock on it, I expect that lock to work as it’s supposed to, just like anything I buy. Like anybody else, I dislike things having defects. Lock safety/reliability is important to me on a knife that locks. I’ve used slipjoints all my life, and have never had one close on me. But with many locking folders, the lock is the only thing keeping it open (liner locks, frame locks, etc. With the exception of backlocks, there is no backspring tension holding them open, so without a properly functioning lock, they would be dangerous to use even for light chores.

I would say that many locking folders cross over past light use into suitable for moderate use. But IMO, the lock is still a backup to sensible awareness.

Jim