I enjoy when people get their knickers in a twist about cold steel, either cos they have a chip on their shoulder about Lynn or the way they market their products. It doesnt really matter how "overbuilt" you think a ZT or medford or any other brand is because of their thick blade stock, or how thick the liners are, or how much it weighs, once you put a frame lock on it - you add the element of possible failure under stress or accidental mis-use. Frame locks are great and so are other locks, i love my CRK's, spydies etc. But if a knife was to be used in the bush (or any other fantasy scenario you want to think of) the fact is that Cold Steel knives don't endanger your fingers nor do they take damage as easy as other mechanisms. All blades and pivots will snap laterally with enough force, but at least the Tri-ad lock eliminates one major area of failure present on every single other knife brand - the lock. So there's really no debate in my opinion when it comes to a worry free, high value tough folder, Cold Steel pretty much owns that department, and their blades actually cut. You can always argue you'll never use a knife in this way or that, but you can also argue that CRK tolerances mean jack in the real word, my benchmades with side to side play will still last forever even tho they don't have the solid fitment of my CRK's.
