I've heard a couple of common misconceptions about Triad lock from less informed(to put it mildly) people on Bladeforums, Instagram or Youtube. I figured it would be nice to put a thread together to share my thoughts about them and discuss the merit of the Triad lock's design, which IMO is
Cold Steel Knives
greatest asset, along with their Scorpion lock and other intellectual properties(IP).
Please note: The info-dump below is just my personal observations after years of using and comparing Cold Steel with other production knives. While I'm not a knife maker, I'm an engineer by training and I own & operate a large product line within a fortune 100 company. It's my day job to observe and analyze industry trends, take apart competitors, and identify product differentiators & competitive advantages. I'm also blessed to have more than $20K worth of PRODUCTION knives collection, ranging from $30 to $450 so I have the adequate sample size(150+ knives) to back my observations. Not trying plug myself shamelessly, just want to inject some credibilities to the data points below.
#1 - "Triad lock is just a back lock with an additional stop pin. It is basically backlock."
Contrary to popular beliefs, Triad lock isn’t "just" a lock back with additional stop pin. We already know the merit of the additional stop pin, which helps transfer the positive and negative load to the handle. But the stop pin isn't the only thing contributing to Triad exceptional static strength and impact resistance. In fact, it might not even be the primary reason for Triad lock's strength. The other key component is the design of the lockbar and the lock/blade tang geometry.
If you have taken apart a Triad lock before, you'll observe that the lockbar pivot is oval instead of round like a normal backlock, and has additional space for "slack". You'll also observe that the contact point between the Triad lock bar and the blade tang is angled in a way that forms a "hook"(<90 degree for the lockbar and the tang). This is where the true strength comes from.
The "hook" is hard to achieve with a normal backlock the way its lockbar pivoting around the lockbar axis. For normal backlock, the angle for the lockbar and the blade tang has to be at least 90 degree respectively, otherwise the lock will not engage, which means there's no "hook". The only way to achieve the "hook" is to give the lockbar ability to travel forward and back during the engagement and disengagement, in addition to rotating along the lockbar pivot. This is why Triad lockbar pivot is oval to provide space for the entire lockbar to travel forward and back achieving this "hook" geometry.
Describing Triad lock as a lockback with stop pin is over simplification and does not do it justice. The change in the lockbar range of motion via the oval hole and the contact angle is not visible, but has significant impact to the strength of the design. You'll never notice if you have never taken apart a triad lock before.
Here's a couple of pictures to help visualize this:
- The subtle "hook" is illustrated on #2 in the 1st picture. The 2nd picture of the American Lawman comparing to a normal backlock on the old school Manix provides a much better comparison of the negative "hook" angled
- The oval lockbar pivot is illustrated on #4 in the 1st picture that gives the lockbar ability to travel forward and back. Compare that to the lockbar pivot of the Manix's backlock on the 2nd picture.
#2 - "All that strength makes Triad Lock knives heavy & bulky"
Another misconception that's commonly tossed around is that Triad lock knives are heavy and bulky because they are "unnecessarily strong". This argument usually comes from the "right tool for the job brooo!" or "you'll never going to need that strength!" or "you don't need a locking folder, i've used slip joint for 50 years!" or "get a fixed blade!" knife Karens. This argument is usually used when you tell them your CS knives are stronger than their expensive $450 fancy knife, in addition to the usual insult that CS fans are mall ninja, uneducated, Lynn Thompson-cult followers.
Cold Steel folders generally have great strength to weight ratio BECAUSE of the Triad lock. One of the key advantage of what make this lock so efficient is that it does not need metal liners to function unlike many other locks. Because of this, Triad lock knives CAN be made generally thinner and lighter than the competition. Broken Skull, code 4 and Air Lite are some good examples. It's hard to make knives this thin or light with other locks i.e. liner, frame, Axis or Compression and still be strong or functional.
Side note: IMO CS went overboard with the thinness of some models i.e. Code 4, Air Lite & Lawman.
This total lack of dependency to liners or handle materials for the lock to function is IMO one of the most overlooked advantage of Triad lock, and why it's such an efficient design. It can works well with solid piece of common "cheap" handle material i.e. plastic, aluminum or G10.
The design is also very scalable. You can make a 4” or a 13” folder out of this lock, and you can make the whole knife 0.3” thick overall and still have a strong knife. The strength scales very well with both the material choice and the thickness. If you have a thin plastic handle and want to make it stronger, you make it thicker. Or you can switch to g10 if you want to maintain the same thickness. Want even more strength? Add liners(aluminum, titanium or steel) for the level of strength you need. Want more extreme strength? Use solid titanium handle or vibranium and adamantium. Making the blade thicker also help make the lock stronger, because the blade is part of the lock. In contrast, thicker blade doesn't make framelock or compression lock stronger.
However, they key point is, Triad lock doesn't need any of the above enhancement to function and be strong, unlike linerlock, framelock, compression lock, axis lock or deadbolt lock(which tested very well in the recent lock test video). There are very few lock designs that can operate in this range of design parameters. The strength to weight ratio of triad is what enables this.
Now I do think that there's too many big, heavy and bulky CS folders. But it's by maker's choice and designer's preference, not the consequences of the Triad lock strength.
What other misconceptions have you heard about Triad Lock or Cold Steel in general?
Cold Steel Knives
greatest asset, along with their Scorpion lock and other intellectual properties(IP). Please note: The info-dump below is just my personal observations after years of using and comparing Cold Steel with other production knives. While I'm not a knife maker, I'm an engineer by training and I own & operate a large product line within a fortune 100 company. It's my day job to observe and analyze industry trends, take apart competitors, and identify product differentiators & competitive advantages. I'm also blessed to have more than $20K worth of PRODUCTION knives collection, ranging from $30 to $450 so I have the adequate sample size(150+ knives) to back my observations. Not trying plug myself shamelessly, just want to inject some credibilities to the data points below.
#1 - "Triad lock is just a back lock with an additional stop pin. It is basically backlock."
Contrary to popular beliefs, Triad lock isn’t "just" a lock back with additional stop pin. We already know the merit of the additional stop pin, which helps transfer the positive and negative load to the handle. But the stop pin isn't the only thing contributing to Triad exceptional static strength and impact resistance. In fact, it might not even be the primary reason for Triad lock's strength. The other key component is the design of the lockbar and the lock/blade tang geometry.
If you have taken apart a Triad lock before, you'll observe that the lockbar pivot is oval instead of round like a normal backlock, and has additional space for "slack". You'll also observe that the contact point between the Triad lock bar and the blade tang is angled in a way that forms a "hook"(<90 degree for the lockbar and the tang). This is where the true strength comes from.
The "hook" is hard to achieve with a normal backlock the way its lockbar pivoting around the lockbar axis. For normal backlock, the angle for the lockbar and the blade tang has to be at least 90 degree respectively, otherwise the lock will not engage, which means there's no "hook". The only way to achieve the "hook" is to give the lockbar ability to travel forward and back during the engagement and disengagement, in addition to rotating along the lockbar pivot. This is why Triad lockbar pivot is oval to provide space for the entire lockbar to travel forward and back achieving this "hook" geometry.
Describing Triad lock as a lockback with stop pin is over simplification and does not do it justice. The change in the lockbar range of motion via the oval hole and the contact angle is not visible, but has significant impact to the strength of the design. You'll never notice if you have never taken apart a triad lock before.
Here's a couple of pictures to help visualize this:
- The subtle "hook" is illustrated on #2 in the 1st picture. The 2nd picture of the American Lawman comparing to a normal backlock on the old school Manix provides a much better comparison of the negative "hook" angled
- The oval lockbar pivot is illustrated on #4 in the 1st picture that gives the lockbar ability to travel forward and back. Compare that to the lockbar pivot of the Manix's backlock on the 2nd picture.
#2 - "All that strength makes Triad Lock knives heavy & bulky"
Another misconception that's commonly tossed around is that Triad lock knives are heavy and bulky because they are "unnecessarily strong". This argument usually comes from the "right tool for the job brooo!" or "you'll never going to need that strength!" or "you don't need a locking folder, i've used slip joint for 50 years!" or "get a fixed blade!" knife Karens. This argument is usually used when you tell them your CS knives are stronger than their expensive $450 fancy knife, in addition to the usual insult that CS fans are mall ninja, uneducated, Lynn Thompson-cult followers.
Cold Steel folders generally have great strength to weight ratio BECAUSE of the Triad lock. One of the key advantage of what make this lock so efficient is that it does not need metal liners to function unlike many other locks. Because of this, Triad lock knives CAN be made generally thinner and lighter than the competition. Broken Skull, code 4 and Air Lite are some good examples. It's hard to make knives this thin or light with other locks i.e. liner, frame, Axis or Compression and still be strong or functional.
Side note: IMO CS went overboard with the thinness of some models i.e. Code 4, Air Lite & Lawman.
This total lack of dependency to liners or handle materials for the lock to function is IMO one of the most overlooked advantage of Triad lock, and why it's such an efficient design. It can works well with solid piece of common "cheap" handle material i.e. plastic, aluminum or G10.
The design is also very scalable. You can make a 4” or a 13” folder out of this lock, and you can make the whole knife 0.3” thick overall and still have a strong knife. The strength scales very well with both the material choice and the thickness. If you have a thin plastic handle and want to make it stronger, you make it thicker. Or you can switch to g10 if you want to maintain the same thickness. Want even more strength? Add liners(aluminum, titanium or steel) for the level of strength you need. Want more extreme strength? Use solid titanium handle or vibranium and adamantium. Making the blade thicker also help make the lock stronger, because the blade is part of the lock. In contrast, thicker blade doesn't make framelock or compression lock stronger.
However, they key point is, Triad lock doesn't need any of the above enhancement to function and be strong, unlike linerlock, framelock, compression lock, axis lock or deadbolt lock(which tested very well in the recent lock test video). There are very few lock designs that can operate in this range of design parameters. The strength to weight ratio of triad is what enables this.
Now I do think that there's too many big, heavy and bulky CS folders. But it's by maker's choice and designer's preference, not the consequences of the Triad lock strength.
What other misconceptions have you heard about Triad Lock or Cold Steel in general?
