General knife question

[TheC0met]

New to knife collecting and just interest in general. Wondering if there is a specific knife locking type that produces the best action. I think cross bar locks have a bit more friction so may not be best for action, I got myself a bestechman ronan ,great knife but requires a bit more wrist to flick it. Recently really interested in frame locks and I like button locks in general but I seen them fail semi often on youtube channels. I'm still mainly buying budget friendly knives being that it's all new to me, been looking at new kizer cryptid and a few others.

[David Bowen]

I'm a sucker for a good framelock, but my favorites are Shark Lock, Crossbar Lock and Trek Lock (which is a variation of a button lock).

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[TheC0met]

Yeaa I'm also very interested in the civivi vision. That's a shark lock type right? Iv never had a frame lock yet either and some reason I think they just look the best with their lines.

[MadPlumbarian]

It all really depends on what knife your looking into, I think some manufactures are better then others with one type of lock then another, kinda like power tools, say a cordless drill, dewalts are like the top vs a sawzall yet it’s totally reverse when it comes to a saw,,
JR

[IMR4198]

    There's nothing like hands-on.  Just go to a few knife shops and pick up some and play with them.  See what you like.  Best wishes.  Gary
 

[David Bowen]

Yeaa I'm also very interested in the civivi vision. That's a shark lock type right? Iv never had a frame lock yet either and some reason I think they just look the best with their lines.

The Shark Lock is a Demko thing, but the Snecx is very similar.... Almost too similar

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[TheC0met]

I would love to go to a knife store,,sadly where I live in ny doesn't have much to offer, my dream is to go to smokey mountain knife works down south one day lol. All I do is watch all the big knife youtubers and take their word on how the knife feels. I rly want to get a spyderco in my hands n see what they feel like with the big hole, and compression lock or ball bearing lock. Yea the demko shark lock looks rly cool too, another I'm interested in..so many choices and a lot to consider as a new knife nerd.

[nate j]

Wondering if there is a specific knife locking type that produces the best action.

By best action, do you mean flicks open easily and smoothly with no or minimal wrist movement required?

I’m also assuming you want manual action, not assisted or auto?

If so, when I think about the knives I own that meet this criteria, they are all frame locks.  This may or may not be a coincidence.

They also all use bearings instead of washers/bushings.  I do not believe this is a coincidence.

[charlie fox]

I would love to go to a knife store,,sadly where I live in ny doesn't have much to offer, my dream is to go to smokey mountain knife works down south one day lol. All I do is watch all the big knife youtubers and take their word on how the knife feels. I rly want to get a spyderco in my hands n see what they feel like with the big hole, and compression lock or ball bearing lock. Yea the demko shark lock looks rly cool too, another I'm interested in..so many choices and a lot to consider as a new knife nerd.

SMKW is definitely a destination location! We spent almost three hours and I still didn't feel like I saw it all.

I'm a big fan of frame locks, but many people don't like them; they feel they will disengage if the knife twists in your hand. I've been using them for almost 20 years and never had that happen. Next on my list would be liner locks - as long as they're stout! I've seen many knives with thin. flimsy liner locks that I certainly wouldn't trust - stick with a name brand and you'll be OK. Lastly, I have a Spyderco Yojimbo with a compression lock. While the lock is solid and I don't worry about it disengaging at an inopportune time, it pinches me about 6 times out of every 10! Definitely try before yo buy!

[IMR4198]

   It is hard to give any specific advice to someone on the internet.  For one thing, you never know who you are talking to.  Might be someone 47 years old with a wife and two kids.  Might be someone still in high school.  What I used to do is find some of my pals who like the same sort of things.  I have swapped knives with friends for years.  Get something I didn't care for too much.  Trade it off.  Pick up something else.  Flea markets are great places to talk to other knife fans.  Inevitably someone will show you something they own.  Even if they aren't selling stuff.  Something you see or watch on the internet might be useful.  Might be a load of bull. 
    My least favorite way of obtaining something was reading about it or seeing something about it and ordering one.  I like hands-on.  Lots of knives out there for sale.  Pawn shops.  Swap meets.  Relatives.  Hardware stores.  Get out.  Scout around.  Best wishes.  Gary

[dks]

Most decent folding knives should not fold (close/fail) under normal use. Even slipjoints.  I have no idea which knives are shown to fail on youtube, but any knife can break if you try hard enough.

Choose a knife fit for the purpose you will use it.

The most solid locks seem to still be the Demko designed ones.

If you want a knife for the fidget factor then an OTF automatic (plenty of decent ones around from $50 onward, maybe even cheaper).

Button locks also look fun, for that purpose and so do crossbar lock knives.

[TheC0met]

Thanks for info,, and I Def understand. Anyways I'm 37 (as of yesterday lol) and do tree work but I also enjoy figit factor lol,, and man I wish I could get a otf knife but I live in the crap state of NY not far outside the city so you could imagine the regulations I have to deal with, and people. I'll do more research on possible places I can look at knives,,pawn shops not a bad idea actually ty. I have a dicks sporting goods but I went there n they just had a bunch of packaged kershaw,,some I like but can't hold.

[Aloha]

Enjoy the knife journey. 

Fast buttery opening 

Here is what I have.  Left to Right.   

Spyderco Native.  There are many ways to open a Spyderco each is pretty darn "fast".  I am not sure what the blade rides on ( type of washers ) it has a mid back lock.  Its fast and smooth. 

Kershaw Cryo.  Kershaw does a speedsafe assisted opening and its fast.  I dont know what the blade rides on.  Its a frame lock with adjustment.  This is a fast knife due to the speed assist.  Its got a flipper but thumstud opening is also very fast.

Catherines cute purple knife.  Viper Storm.  This is a flipper but no assist.  It rides on bearings and is silky smooth.  Its a frame lock tho looks like a liner. 

Kershaw Dimension.  Another speedsafe opener but with a button lock.  Again, I'm not sure what the blade is riding on.  Its a flipper but opens equally fast because of speedsafe mechanism.  Very smooth. 

Bradly Alias.  Thumstud opener no assist.  Frame lock and again not sure what its riding on.  Super smooth and fast. 

Benchmade Mini Griptillion.  Axis lock "spydie hole" opener no assit.  Its super fast and very smooth.  You can pull back the axis lock bars and whip the blade open and close it too. 

Spyderco Delica 4 "waved".  Mid back lock.  Spydie opener with a Wave feature.  It was modified by previous owner, the blade, spring, pocket clip are etched or sandblasted.  This is very fast because as you extract the knife from your pocket the Wave feature catches the corner and deploys the blade.  You can also open it many different ways Spyderco fans do.  Its very fast and very smooth. 

So, fast and smooth are possibly with most any knife.  I think for me it comes to execution of that particular knife.  Yes Speedsafe is gonna be very fast because there is a bar that is under tension wanting to open the knife.  You just have to bypass the detent. 

The lock type as I've shown on my knives didn't matter.  The washers also didn't really matter on my knives.  I will say, the bearings on the Viper Storm are incredibly smooth and I can tell a difference from other pivot options. My Griptillion however is silky smooth. 

Good luck on your journey.  Have a lot of fun.  Quality knives can be had at $100US and under.               

[TheC0met]

Ooo very nice, great info. Iv actually been interested in the normal delica for a while and it's Def on my list, price isn't bad and the variety of colors is cool too.

[Aloha]

Lots of great colors and steels. 

Kershaw is not bad at all.  Like many early knife buyers I started with them.  My Cryo and Dimension are good knives tho heavy.  I showed a couple knives not avail for one reason of another but the "bay" usually has them.  I do have to mention, there are some knife guys on the tube that are simply sales people for companies.  This is not a bad thing but its worth mentioning. 

Take the Benchmade Griptillian, its a great knife and has been for a long time.  I have 2 mini Griptillians and both are amazing.  I also have a few Spydercos and all are terrific knives.  I've had issues with things on my Kershaw but an email to customer service and they sent the parts. 

I'm not current with all thats out there but I do know there are a lot of very good knives at fair prices. 

[David Bowen]

Per a suggestion, I have made a video that shows folder locking mechanisms. I don't have a ton of types and there's more out there than what I own. I'll upload the video to my channel when it's late and internet is quicker, I live in the woods

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Aloha]

 

[TheC0met]

I think My eventual wish/ goal knife may be a protech malibu reverse tanto  but I just can't see myself bringing such a nice/expensive thing to work with me lol, I'm sorta stuck between wanting to be a small time collector but also using it at work in tree business and edc. But I rly like the look of reverse tanto blades, why I'm very interested in the kizer cryptid and a few others I'd have to look up again.

[Murphy Slaw]

Back when I cut trees, everybody carried a Buck 110, or a Schrade LB7.

That's how old I am.....

[Aloha]

Early on I hesitated to carry what I considered my nicer items.  I don't have a lot of money to splurge on things so the fear of loosing or breaking that item was real.  After a while I began to carry and use carefully and man the feeling was wonderful.  Now I wont hesitate to use any item I have as its intended.  I am careful but I am enjoying using what I have.  To be fair, I also have items that I cannot replace so those I enjoy by owning and handling. 

 

[David Bowen]

https://youtu.be/J0gDl9hMiC0

I got some of the terminology wrong, what I get for going off the cuff

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[nate j]

Now I wont hesitate to use any item I have as its intended.

This is where I’ve ended up as well.

I realized that, even if it is some rare expensive limited edition, I’ll get more joy from carrying and using it than keeping it in its box and only taking it out to fondle occasionally.

And if I save them in mint condition, what am I saving them for?  It’s possible one or more of my kids might take an interest in the hobby, but it’s also possible they end up on ebay or in a garage sale after I’m gone.

[TheC0met]

Yea it would be a dream to be able to truly splurge on a good knife but I'll be either waiting for a big sale at the big knife websites and/or I'll be hunting on reddit knife swap like every day all day lol..iv got some rly nice deals there for super cheap. I Def find it wayyy easier to rly use my knife if it's rly good price but that's obvious statement lol, just where I'm at 75$ and below range,  man I missed a civivi vision for 70 the other day, gotta be fast lol

[Aloha]

If you're in the hobby for any length of time you might be in the place where $75 spent on 4-5 knifes is $300-$375 anyways.

There is a saying "Buy once, cry once".  I am frugal and poor so spending has to be saving and working extra to earn the money.  Taking your time and being patient will pay off.  I've come upon some great stuff over time. 

I have a few things I never thought I'd have.  Right place right time.  Also, spoiler alert, there is a point in all this where the amount spent on an item doesn't really bring about more enjoyment of that item. 

Enjoy the journey.  Its super fun and there is a lot to learn.  Tastes change and new focuses come to be.       

[David Bowen]

@TheC0met I have learned, having owned hundreds of knives over the last two decades that there's joy in any price range. I own Chris Reeve knives but carry knives in the $50-70 range most of the time. I love the Civivi, Vosteed, QSP, and the like. So many good knives in that sweet spot. @Aloha is right about the buy once cry once. It boils down to do you want 4 or 5 good knives or 1 really nice knife. I love the high end stuff but my wallet does not, I'm more the 4-5 good knives category.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Aloha]

I've seen over the years really good knives are in the price range of 40-100 with very compelling knives. 

In that range one could get a "beater" plus a nice knife along with an everyday knife and feel very satisfied till the next itch needs scratching.

Thats the thing about this hobby, there is always an itch to scratch.   

[Sea Monster]

You do you, but some things to keep in mind might be.

A. Any mad smurf can have a youtube channel, their opinions don't necessarily mean much.

B. Unless it is jammy/gritty/rubbish - you won't realise any practical benefit from a poofteenth of a seconds faster opening. There a bunch of other factors that will make a knife more or less usable in much greater ways - hotspots in the hand, blade shape, heft/balance, clip placement etc. Being Quick Draw McGraw isn't actually a big deal.

C. In any sensible use-case, any decent quality lock of any design is fine - liner lock, back lock, button lock.... It really won't fail unless you're being a muppet.
and if you're going to be a muppet, either get a fixed blade, or use a machete/screwdriver/axe/shovel/chisel whatever tool you should actually be using.

[TheC0met]

Lol no muppeting here sir, it's nice to have a knife when doing tree work cus all the rope work can be dangerous with lowering massive sections off tree etc being able to cut yourself out is big. Yea I love civivi,,sencut too, iv seen some rly rly nice sencut knives,well they look nice. I'll Def be staying on inexpensive end for now, I think I like flat grinds over hollow but truth is iv never had a hollow grind knife lol so idk for sure. Civivi qubit looks rly neat too.slicey. iv bought like 3 knives so far and won two knives from giveaways, ud be surprised how possible giveaways are lol but I feel like my knives right now are a little bit to bulky for my work pants/edc so I'm Def looking for light weight n skinnyish

[HarleyXJGuy]

I would love to go to a knife store,,sadly where I live in ny doesn't have much to offer, my dream is to go to smokey mountain knife works down south one day lol. All I do is watch all the big knife youtubers and take their word on how the knife feels. I rly want to get a spyderco in my hands n see what they feel like with the big hole, and compression lock or ball bearing lock. Yea the demko shark lock looks rly cool too, another I'm interested in..so many choices and a lot to consider as a new knife nerd.

Feel like you are on the right track with this.

Spyderco compression lock is so smooth.

Reminds me I need to get the new Military.

[Sea Monster]

Lol no muppeting here sir, it's nice to have a knife when doing tree work cus all the rope work can be dangerous with lowering massive sections off tree etc being able to cut yourself out is big. Yea I love civivi,,sencut too, iv seen some rly rly nice sencut knives,well they look nice. I'll Def be staying on inexpensive end for now, I think I like flat grinds over hollow but truth is iv never had a hollow grind knife lol so idk for sure. Civivi qubit looks rly neat too.slicey. iv bought like 3 knives so far and won two knives from giveaways, ud be surprised how possible giveaways are lol but I feel like my knives right now are a little bit to bulky for my work pants/edc so I'm Def looking for light weight n skinnyish

I really wouldn't be surprised by how possible giveaways are.

My most expensive knife was won in a giveaway here at MT.O from Demel (Who it appears doesn't post much anymore, but profile indicates that some lurking takes place)

Its value is more than a day's pay, in my local dinero.

It has been on four continents, I've had it for eight years now (yeah, been at MT.O a while....) and still use it

As much as I won it from a random number generator, and not because of my natural good looks, incredible charisma, or superlative trivia skills, I am still filled with appreciation for this community every time I pick it up.

(Spyderco Native 5 Serrated, in case you're wondering - Cuts cordage like a mothersmurfer)