Button Lock - Locking Systems

Button Lock Info

Description

The button lock was originally designed for use in automatic knives and was meant to lock the blade closed as well as open since coil spring automatics have constant spring pressure applied to the blade. In recent years many knife makers like William Henry have also adopted the button lock design for use with manual folders, modifying it so that it only locks open and not closed.

The Automatic and Manual button locks are both essentially the same, with the difference being only the design of the blade tang to facilitate opening the knife without pushing the button.

The button lock works by using a spring-loaded button that is engaged into the tang of the knife when the knife is open, thereby locking it in the open position. An typical button is shown below in the first example picture, and wedges itself between the tang of the blade and the handles when the knife is opened, with the spring placed between the bottom of the button and the inside of the knife handle.

The second picture below shows what the button lock inside of an automatic looks like with one scale removed. The knife in that example is a Dalton Dragon.

Button Lock Examples