Well, I will focus on the good ones. One thing I've learned in my old age is that when you say anything negative about a company or person, especially publically its a good way to get black balled, spoken of badly by others you don't even know both privately and publically and basically put yourself in a bad way if not get yourself sued for defimation of character or something.
Without getting into specifics I would test out any liner lock thouroughly before trusting it. Kershaw in my opinion makes the finest production liner locks available by the way. Frame locks typically are much more reliable, usually stronger, and also just better all around with the lock side exposed to get your hand and fingers in there behind it to support it. One of the best things about frame and liner locking knives is that you can readily see how the lock is performing or not performing.
Good lock backs? You know I like lockbacks best of all. Seeing the insides of many Spyderco and Cold Steel knives I know that a very very high % of these are going to be very good reliable, strong well designed locks. Having seen the insides of many other brands over the years I do have feelings about some that are less than high praise that I personally would not own because an unusual % seem less than trustworthy to me but I'm not going there publically for all the reasons above and more.
Anytime you purchase a lockback folder that comes apart its a good idea to take it apart and see just how much lock you are trusting your fingers to. When you can't take it apart you are really trusting that the company or the maker is doing a good job on their end keeping up with quality control, quality designs and that the end line user is getting a product that will not fail them, perhaps causing serious injury if it does.
I don't own or trust cheap lockbacks. EDIT: I try to not own too many cheaply made crap of any lock style. There are exceptions like the Byrd line, some of the lesser expensive BenchMades, some of the new frame locking Mantis knives made in China, among a few others I think are worthy of some trust.
Axis locks, ball locks, the compression lock like seen in the Para Military are not full proof but as close to perfection as humans have come to date I think. All of these and the take off designs of them are very strong, very reliable trustworthy locks. I have seen many Para Military knives with vertical movement to them after hard use but you know what? The locks still hold up and do their job securing your hand reliably and strong as it should be.
In my experience once an axis lock or ball lock fails it will continue to do so until adjustment is made to correct it. It happens so infrequently though that its basically a non issue.
One other thing that is easily missed when looking at folders is the entire system as a whole. I was just talking about this on another forum.
Many focus on the lock wanting the heaviest duty lock they can find and never look at the rest of the folder system when shopping. Then they get the knife and find out the stop pin is a 3/32 size, and that the cut out of the lock relief where it bends to spring it is so thin its about like a sheet of paper, or that the pivot may appear large and heavy duty like the bull pivots seen in Emerson or Strider knives which are the real deal, but that the one you thought was also a real deal is actually a #2 size with a big head on it to fool you and nothing to back that up on the inside. You have to look at the whole of the system to judge the knife as good or bad not just one component of it. If the knife has a super duty lock and 1/16" brass pin construction everywhere else guess what? It ain't super duty folks!
STR
