Your opinions on the compression lock.

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dip_n_ride

Joined
Apr 23, 2008
Messages
154
Unfortunately, being merely a registered user, I do not have the ability to search through the forums, so I'm not sure at what length this has been discussed. I have seen a couple threads here and there in the Spyderco forum, but I really wanted to bring it into General Discussion to see if I can get some opinions from a wider audience.

That said, the next knife on my list is a Spyderco Paramilitary. I have always liked Spydercos (I own a couple Enduras and Delicas), but I have to admit, I'm growing tired of the lockback design. The lockback lends itself to a slimmer handle profile, which I'm not crazy about. And like everybody else here, I don't like bladeplay in my folders. And unfortunately, every lockback I've ever owned has some amount of vertical play in it. With other choices for locking mechanisms out there with better ergonomics and without play (Axis, liner, frame), I just can't justify buying another lockback.

So, along comes the Paramilitary. Everybody that has one seems to love the knife, but I've heard mixed reviews on the compression lock. I'm looking for general information, including but not limited to ease of use, bladeplay, strength/durability, etc. Just thought I'd open the forum so some of you can share your experiences/opinions on the compression lock, and hopefully, assist me in spending 100 some-odd dollars on another knife when I should probably be taking my girlfriend out to eat, or something.
 
I honestly think it's the best lock on the market. It's very light construction, ambidextrous, vastly superior to the more common liner lock in regards to strength and reliability, and I find it very easy to manipulate. It's one of the things that motivated me to buy a Paramilitary. I really wish Spyderco released a compression lock Sage first in fact :D

[youtube]eoXBCXQcFQ0[/youtube]

I have heard of some people having slight vertical play in their compression locks, but so far all the compression lock knives I've owned have been solid (Lil Temp, two Yojimbos, Para). My only complaint regarding the lock is Spyderco should use it about 800% more than they currently do. :)
 
Brutus013 said:
You can do custom google searches, you could try those for searching.
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Ah, yes, a method I've utilized before, but everything I came up with ended up in some kind of Spyderco forum (whether it was on this site, or Spyderco's own forums).

While the opinions expressed in those forums are very valuable, I feel like they are inherently biased, and I really wanted some opinions from people outside the realm of die hard Spyderco supporters. I guess I was just trying to get a more objective view of the compression lock.
 
Vivi said:
I honestly think it's the best lock on the market. It's very light construction, ambidextrous, vastly superior to the more common liner lock in regards to strength and reliability, and I find it very easy to manipulate. It's one of the things that motivated me to buy a Paramilitary. I really wish Spyderco released a compression lock Sage first in fact :D

I have heard of some people having slight vertical play in their compression locks, but so far all the compression lock knives I've owned have been solid (Lil Temp, two Yojimbos, Para). My only complaint regarding the lock is Spyderco should use it about 800% more than they currently do. :)
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I was actually looking at the Sage earlier, and it is a very, very pretty knife. From what I've experienced, I like Spyderco liner locks (I recently procured a Tenacious, and it is excellent), so that's still a possibility.

Shame to hear about the vertical play. I would really like to get my hands on one to see for myself, but being in the middle of DC, it's hard to find a good knife store.
 
I'm pretty sure Spyderco will accept warranty requests on compression locks with vertical play. I think lockbacks are the only lock they produce where they consider ti acceptable. Might be worth asking on their forum.

I've had great experiences with their liner locks. This includes a Tenacious, 4 Military models and a Captain. No play and 100% secure. I just find the compression lock easier to manipulate.
 
Although I've only had my Para for a short time I am very impressed with the compression lock. At first using it seemed somewhat awkward. After 5 minutes it became second nature. Lock up is very strong with no play. I did have it changed to tip up / deep carry by STR.
Paratipup.jpg
 
I love the compression lock. I am by no means a spyderco fanboy, infact I stay away from them because of how much they use backlocks, I still cant wait for my mini-manix though, I probably said that in at least 5 posts by now. That said, I love my paramilitary chiefly because of the compression lock. It is super strong from what I can tell, very easy to manipulate once you get the hang of it, solid with abolutely no play what so ever, and best of all it is unique, only spyderco uses it, and they only use it on a select few of their knives.
 
I have several compression lock knives, and I have mixed feelings about the lock. It is undeniably strong and reliable, but I find it somewhat awkward to use. I have an easier time operating it left-handed, even though I am right-handed. They generally flick open very easily, but doing so on a regular basis will peen the stop pin, blade lockface and apparently the locking tab as well. Either that or something else that was done to a used Yojimbo I bought resulted in the damage I saw on the lockbar, creating a considerable amount of vertical play. Once I worked it over, the play was gone and has stayed away through some pretty hard use (which did not include inertial openings or spine whacking). I have had a comp lock Salsa open in my pocket three times, once while clipped and twice when carried loose. I have had a comp lock ATR inadvertantly wave itself open on the draw and eat the shirt I was wearing. I don't trust the comp lock for tip-up carry as a result of those incidents. I've never had a problem with either of my Paras, though.
 
yablanowitz said:
I have several compression lock knives, and I have mixed feelings about the lock. It is undeniably strong and reliable, but I find it somewhat awkward to use. I have an easier time operating it left-handed, even though I am right-handed. They generally flick open very easily, but doing so on a regular basis will peen the stop pin, blade lockface and apparently the locking tab as well. Either that or something else that was done to a used Yojimbo I bought resulted in the damage I saw on the lockbar, creating a considerable amount of vertical play. Once I worked it over, the play was gone and has stayed away through some pretty hard use (which did not include inertial openings or spine whacking). I have had a comp lock Salsa open in my pocket three times, once while clipped and twice when carried loose. I have had a comp lock ATR inadvertantly wave itself open on the draw and eat the shirt I was wearing. I don't trust the comp lock for tip-up carry as a result of those incidents. I've never had a problem with either of my Paras, though.
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Very interesting. When you say "flick open," do you mean just using your thumb the way you would with every other folder, or do you mean flicking it open like you would a griptilian? I've often wondered if forcefully flicking a griptilian (compressing the axis lock then flipping the blade open quickly) would eventually wear the stop pin, creating vertical blade play. For that reason I tend to open my griptilians with a "gentle" thumb flick, as opposed to a rapid, forceful wrist flick.

Also, I'm sorry to hear about your compression locks opening in your pocket. I usually carry all my knives tip up, so that would be an (albeit minor) inconvenience.

Does anybody have any concrete evidence that play in Spyderco's lockbacks is covered by their warranty? Or does it actually say somewhere that they actually expect a small amount of vertical play in the locked position?
 
I had a Spyderco Para Miliatry with the compression lock, and I just didn't care for it. I didn't like the aestherticas of it; I just didn't like THAT lock at all. The lock itself IS fine. Know what I mean. I just do not like the position of it. I hope that isn't clear as mud.
 
T.K.C. said:
I had a Spyderco Para Miliatry with the compression lock, and I just didn't care for it. I didn't like the aestherticas of it; I just didn't like THAT lock at all. The lock itself IS fine. Know what I mean. I just do not like the position of it. I hope that isn't clear as mud.
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No, I think I understand what you're saying. The lock was functional, you just didn't happen to like how it functioned. That makes sense. Did you just not like how it felt in your hand when you gripped it? I know that on certain liner locks, you can disengage the lock when gripping the handle in the right (wrong) way. Is that the case with the compression lock as well?
 
I find it a little awkward to use. I personally think liner locks are way more easy to manipulate. They are no where near the ease of use and practicality of say an axis lock. I think the shoki nak lock looks even easier to use and it is essentially a compression lock that uses a button on the side. (correct me if i'm wrong)

If you are looking for strenth and practicality, look into getting a knife with an axis lock. In my opinion, you can't get any better than that for EDC. If you want to buy spyderco then I say go ahead and get the compression lock. It's simple and strong but not the best choice for EDC in my opinion. One of the most important aspects of EDC is ease of use.
 
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dip_n_ride said:
While the opinions expressed in those forums are very valuable, I feel like they are inherently biased, and I really wanted some opinions from people outside the realm of die hard Spyderco supporters. I guess I was just trying to get a more objective view of the compression lock.
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Not sure how you would qualify that. How will you know that anyone else on any other forum will be more or less objective?

I'm a diehard Spyderco fan, but I can't stand liner locks. I don't care who makes them or how well made. I don't like them, and therefor I don't like knives with liner locks even from my favorite knife company.

That said, I like the compression lock and feel that it is the most secure lock that Spyderco has produced and certainly one of the strongest locks in the world.

For what it's worth.
 
Have owned 5 ATR's and three Lil'T's - to be honest have a month or two of EDU time on one ATR and about the same on one Lil'T. The worst of the lot had absolutely no blade play -vertical or s2s. They all are amazingly smooth opening knives.My only complaint with the paramilitary is that (by my standards of abuse) - the tips are petite.Anybody can get a particular knife that isn't machined properly or assembled properly - and it's not going to work right.Beat the hell out of it and it's not going to work right.Power of the internet to amplify a single bad or abused unit- immense.
I agree - my only complaint with compression locks is that Spyderco doesn't offer enough models with this lock ( oh -and stout tips).
 
The compression lock is one of Spyderco's best, and probably even the industry's best in terms of design. Extremely simple, highly effective, and very strong. I find it extremely easy to open and close the comp lock Paramilitary and IMHO it is about as strong as any folder can get.
 
dip_n_ride said:
Very interesting. When you say "flick open," do you mean just using your thumb the way you would with every other folder, or do you mean flicking it open like you would a griptilian? I've often wondered if forcefully flicking a griptilian (compressing the axis lock then flipping the blade open quickly) would eventually wear the stop pin, creating vertical blade play. For that reason I tend to open my griptilians with a "gentle" thumb flick, as opposed to a rapid, forceful wrist flick.

Also, I'm sorry to hear about your compression locks opening in your pocket. I usually carry all my knives tip up, so that would be an (albeit minor) inconvenience.

Does anybody have any concrete evidence that play in Spyderco's lockbacks is covered by their warranty? Or does it actually say somewhere that they actually expect a small amount of vertical play in the locked position?
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Inertial openings, i.e. snapping your wrist to flip the blade out rather than thumbing it open with the hole or stud is what I was talking about. The method you describe for your Grip would also qualify. You are essentially pounding on an anvil (the stop pin) with a hammer (the blade) every time you do that. Eventually, it will peen the surfaces down. The Axis has quite a bit of travel to take up the slack being created, but it will eventually run out of travel, leaving you with vertical play. It may not happen in your lifetime, but it is certainly possible.

As far as lockbacks go, the spring pushes the lockbar toward the pivot pin of the blade, taking all the clearance out of the pivot when at rest. When pressure is applied to the edge of the blade, such as when cutting, the blade is pushed in the opposite direction against the spring, and the clearance between the blade and pivot pin is moved to the opposite side. The smaller the clearance between blade and pivot, the less vertical movement will be felt. When the clearance between the pin and the blade is reduced to zero, so is the movement, including the rotation of the blade around the pin. At that point it's called friction fit. There may only be one one hundred-thousandth of an inch of clearance on a high end, hand-fitted custom, but there has to be some for the knife to fold. On a production knife, I would guess around five ten-thousandths of an inch to be about the minimum practical clearance. The length of the blade multiplies that greatly, so a relatively small clearance at the pivot can be felt at the blade tip.
 
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