Spyderco Forums

I don't have a problem with them and have owned a few. My biggest complaint are the models that have a scale on one side but on the lock side they are just a naked liner with no decoration.

I prefer liner locks but I have nothing against framelocks.Both are intuitive and easy to manipulate one hand and this is most important for me. Never had any safety issues with my liner/frame locks.

I have grown to dislike them, and will avoid buying any in the future.

I have noticed among those I have, that they are stiffer than liner locks (which I like just fine). In addition, with larger knives anyway, it is easy to put pressure on the lock while holding the knife making it very hard to open, i.e. you are fighting yourself with grip pressure holding the lock closed and (in my case) your thumb trying to open the knife. Ultimately a poor design -- a liner lock avoids this entirely.

And I tend to agree with the complaints about metal scales. I would rather be holding G10 with some grip than smooth titanium, which seems to be the choice for these RIL type knives. So, as for framelocks (aka "RIL" knives), I've been there and done that and am not impressed.

murphjd25 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:50 am

I love em.

Me too! But I'm also not picky about lock type. I like 'em all! :)

I'd say it's a matter of preference honestly, but my opinion is a well made frame lock is just as good as any other lock, I've only had liner locks fail on my from battoning, I also disagree with others, I've been able to close frame locks and comp locks left handed no problem at all, tho I don't prefer to do it with frame locks, but being ambidextrous I've always managed, again it's all personal preference.

I'd also like to say I prefer steel lock bar inserts, alot of people have had problems with them, but I still like them, even battoning with them I haven't had them fail

I just got my Ti/CF s90v military and absolutely love the framelock. It feels very solid and has just over 50% lockup with zero blade play in any direction. It takes slightly more pressure to release than the liner locks, which I actually like, since it let's me know that the lock really wants to remain engaged. Never had any knife open by accident (aside from a worn out cheapo), so no complaints whatsoever.

For my part, there are a couple things:

- The lock bar action is usually too heavy for my taste (ex. CRKT Polar)

- The manufactures often use the fact that it is a frame lock to punk out on putting a scale on that side of the knife. (ex. Domino)

I love them just the same as any other lock, as long as they are well made and suit the design of the knife in question. I think a lot more people would like framelocks if they handled a Sebenza, just as a lot more people would like backlocks if they handled a Native 5.

Regarding their strength under hard use, any time I need something stronger than a slipjoint, I'll most likely be using a fixed blade, so I can't comment on that.

I don’t like them solely because I’ve nearly cut off my thumb when someone bumped my shoulder from behind while I was closing one. Fingers in the blade path seems blatantly stupid to me. Like stepping out into the street in front of a moving car.

Mattysc42 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:04 pm

I don’t like them solely because I’ve nearly cut off my thumb when someone bumped my shoulder from behind while I was closing one. Fingers in the blade path seems blatantly stupid to me. Like stepping out into the street in front of a moving car.

This^^^

from a safety standpoint from worst to best
Friction, Slip joint, Liner, Frame, compression, backlock, cbbl.

I don't dislike them, but there is something to be said for having the same design or material on both sides of the knife. I like the symmetry. I prefer when the relief cut of a framelock is on the inside of the frame (like a Sebenza or Sage 2). I really dislike how CRK will sometimes have a framelock with a different finish then the rest of the knife. When you get a fancy wood inlay on a Sebenza, the handle will typically have a satin finish (or something other than their standard bead blast), but just the framelock will have the bead blast finish. I think it has something to do with whatever treatment they do to harden the lock interface (or at least I've heard people say something to that affect on YT).

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:47 am

Still, linerlocks and framelocks do put your fingers in way of the closing blade, so that's one more reason why comp locks are my favorite.

I agree, comp locks are great. As far as liner locks, I prefer liner locks with either a choil or flipper tab as a buffer between my thumb and the blade. The Domino is a pretty good example of this, pretty hard to get cut while closing the blade.

I have nothing against the lock itself, but metal handles are not for me.

Best to know the uses and limits of your tools. Like them just fine but pick other knives for hard use.

Mattysc42 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:04 pm

I don’t like them solely because I’ve nearly cut off my thumb when someone bumped my shoulder from behind while I was closing one. Fingers in the blade path seems blatantly stupid to me. Like stepping out into the street in front of a moving car.

Back locks put your fingers in the path of the blade too. Before Blackie Collins' bolt action lock, was there another lock that allowed the user to keep their fingers out of the path of the blade? Push button lock maybe? The Axis lock, BBL/CBBL, and compression lock are fairly recent designs. How popular are / were manual opening push button lock knives?

They are not my favorite, but I like them just fine as long as they don't have lock stick which has been pretty hit-or-miss in my experience on Spyderco models without the steel insert.

What I really wish would come back is the integral compression lock, though!

timlara wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:01 pm

What I really wish would come back is the integral compression lock, though!

I missed out on all of those. That would combine all of my favorite features / properties into one lock.

jpm2 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:27 pm

I have nothing against the lock itself, but metal handles are not for me.

Same here.