.... and for a clumsy guy like me, keeping fingers out of the blade path is never a bad thing.
Did you ever try this with a backlock?
It is certainly a bit harder to do than with comp.lock or CBBL, but weirdly I personally almost never use the "fingers out of the blade path" method with the two latter, but for some reason quite often with my backlocks...
Oh for sure man, I am very pro backlock as well. Probably my 3rd favorite lock lol. Chaparral, Dragonfly, and Native are all part of my carry rotation.
I have started to like the compression lock a lot since I realized I can close it like my backlocks, by pressing the lock over with my thumb and letting the blade (choil area) swing down onto my finger. This way I have a full grip on the knife. It also works to push the lock with my thumb and rotate the blade with my index finger, like I do a backlock. This makes the compression lock more enjoyable for me than it is with a pinch-to-close method.
Wow this had never dawned on me to close my compression locks this way. Gets around the issue if you are wearing gloves! I would caution against doing this with the Ikuchi (no choil) as you may end up having to post in the knife safety 101 thread. I didn't quite draw blood
Not entirely. There is still the "issue" of the small and "hidden" locktab (harder to operate with gloves and cold fingers), and as said: The "backlock methods" are not as safe with a comp.lock as with a backlock, since with the former the blade swings more freely and is thus harder to control and the chances to harm the fingers is a bit bigger.
Still I too pretty much always close comp.locks like a backlock, and pretty much never with the common "pinch grip" method.
(To be clear: This is not a "comp.lock bashing", just my honest and of course very subjective contribution to an in depth locktype discussion. The comp.lock on the flipside has other advantages over the backlock!)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
My favorite lock is the compression lock.
My favorite blade type would be the wharncliffe.
However, my favorite everyday knife by far is the Brouwer which utilizes neither of the above.
The lock is only one feature of many which make up a knife.
I really should pick up a Manix 2 to try the CBBL. I'd probably really like the CBBL, but it's usually attached to a bigger knife than I think I need.
Recently I ordered a new Native 5 and the backlock was so tough I could not readily spydie-flick it open with a middle finger. Yeah you can always slow-roll-thumb it open but it was a lot tougher than a recent Delica I got for my brother in law at Christmas. Beast springs. Not sure why, makes it kind of a hassle to handle.
Love my compression locks #1 and the CBBL on the Manix-2 #2 (once broken in).
Liner lock then frame lock, then Benchmade's axis lock. The ball lock on the Manix 2 is fine once you get used to it, but the first time I tried it I was getting arthiritic-like pain because the tension is so high on it. I'm fairly sure they don't break much if at all, but your hand just builds up strength to get used to it.
I have a least-favorite, the framelock . Titanium meeting steel on the lock-face invites vertical blade-play as the titanium deforms and lockup hits 100%.
The titanium can be carburized or even have a steel insert attached, but at a cost that seems to make such treatments rare in Spyderco’s offerings.
None of my framelock Spydies has this reinforcement. I’m now out of the framelock market because this shortcoming outweighs the lock’s otherwise great features.
I don’t have a favorite lock among the rest of Spyderco’s offerings that I have (liner, midlock, powerlock, bolt-action, BBL, CBBL, compression, phantom) because the great features of all far outweigh their particular shortcomings.
Last edited by wrdwrght on Fri Feb 11, 2022 3:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Marc (pocketing a JD Smith sprint today)
“When science changes its opinion, it didn’t lie to you. It learned more.”
Recently I ordered a new Native 5 and the backlock was so tough I could not readily spydie-flick it open with a middle finger. Yeah you can always slow-roll-thumb it open but it was a lot tougher than a recent Delica I got for my brother in law at Christmas. Beast springs. Not sure why, makes it kind of a hassle to handle.
Love my compression locks #1 and the CBBL on the Manix-2 #2 (once broken in).
I just received the Native 5 LW from the jolly old man at Christmas. Side note: he has never failed me. Out of the box, the Native 5 LW compared to the Seki backlocks is a lot stiffer. I think this has a lot to do with their designs. I even recall in a recent thread Mike J. saying something about Seki intentionally designing their backlocks to move the way they do. Of course, with this there are tradeoffs. For example, you occasionally get a Seki model with a slight rock lock where as on the Native 5, I have never heard of that being an issue. Also, the Delica for example has washers where the Native 5 does not.
Now, I have used my Native 5 a lot since I received it (thanks Nick). It can be deployed in any method including the flick. It will loosen up. A little oil in the pivot area while breaking it in seemed to make mine a little more enjoyable to break in.
- Jeff May your feet be warm and dry and your throat warm with whiskey. A knife in hand or in the sock band.
MNOSD Member #0005
My favorite is the midlock because it's hand neutral and has a strong bias to closing. While I use folding knives with my left hand most of the time, I like a knife that allows me to open and close it with equal ease using either hand. I also have a strong preferences for a knife that wants to close completely and, once closed, stay closed until I decide to open it.
back lock by a large margin. The Millie keeps me liking liner locks and the PM 2 comp lock is tied second. The Millie is the only liner lock I still use, carry and trust .
I like different locks for different reasons. A well made mid backlock is my favourite in use but it is actually the most prone to failure because of the small size of the flat spring. I may just be unlucky but I have had springs break on 3 different backlocks, one of them my G10 Native 5. I had previously regarded that knife as bulletproof so it was a great irony that I had to sub in a Benchmade with an axis lock mid field trip. Spyderco sorted it without question but that doesn't help you in the short term. If you are absolutely relying on a backlock, it is wise to carry a spare knife. In contrast, the spring on a compression lock or liner lock knife is much bigger than in a backlock and I have never heard of one breaking.
That said, the strong self closing bias of a lockback is important to me because my main transport is a motorcycle and I have visions of a compression lock coming open in an accident and filleting me! I do always carry a spare though. Something in my pocket and a Pac Salt in my jacket.
I do like all Spyderco locks but I choose different ones for different circumstances.
Backlock - self closing bias, easiest and most natural opening and closing due to familiarity. Hate it when they have noticeable rock lock though.
Compression lock or liner lock for rock solid lockup and reliability. They can be a bit fiddly though like the Ikuchi and Kapara. I don't always love the handle cutouts either.
CBBL - rock solid, good self closing bias and great ergos but maybe more prone to failure due to the small spring. I wish there were more models with this lock.
Framelock - not really my thing but I like my Brouwer.
Sorry for the long rambling post but if you ask this question of a bunch of enthusiasts...
I have started to like the compression lock a lot since I realized I can close it like my backlocks, by pressing the lock over with my thumb and letting the blade (choil area) swing down onto my finger. This way I have a full grip on the knife. It also works to push the lock with my thumb and rotate the blade with my index finger, like I do a backlock. This makes the compression lock more enjoyable for me than it is with a pinch-to-close method.
Wow this had never dawned on me to close my compression locks this way. Gets around the issue if you are wearing gloves! I would caution against doing this with the Ikuchi (no choil) as you may end up having to post in the knife safety 101 thread. I didn't quite draw blood
Man, I hope I didn’t cause you too much pain. Sorry I should specify I was referring to the PM2 and PM3. The large choil makes it pretty safe for that method.
When I close my compression locks, holding the knife edge upwards, I use my middle finger to push the lock bar, then use my index finger to push the spine of the blade closed, without putting any of my fingers in the blade path. If the blade doesn’t close all the way, I use my thumb on the blade spine or in the Spydiehole to close it the rest of the way. It sounds complicated in writing, but it can be done as quickly as someone can swing it closed, but with the knife held more securely in the hand. IMO, using this method, there is less chance of accidentally fumbling and dropping the knife.
" A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it "
( Rabindranath Tagore ) Proud member of the old school spyderedge nation
Another thing to keep in mind is that from a design standpoint, the backlock can scale up and down in terms of size and cover all size ranges and still be functional.
You can make something as small as a ladybug or as large as a machete (cold steel), and it still works.
"Rome's greatest contribution to mathematics was the killing of Archimedes."
After having a few pm2’s, kapara and a yojimbo open in my pocket I almost always go for a back lock (Millie and Manix is the only exception). After a few hand cuts, the last time was when it was half open cut through my pocket and into the the driver seat of my car. Sold almost all my compression locks. I appreciate the fidgety factor but I can scratch that same itch with a back lock. Plus I don’t need the band aids or budget for new pants. Carried pocket knives since I was 12 yo and never had issues with any other lock as much as a compression lock.
's in 10 different steels
MNOSD Member #0037