The problem is one of leverage. There are folders capable of batonning, where most of the force is directed to the back of the blade. I even did a little batonning with my dejavoo, which is not as tough as my Skirmish. It did just fine with no damage. But lateral strength is the problem. No matter how tough or thick the blade itself is, in lateral force, like prying, the blade acts as a lever to pry apart the handle right at the joint or pin. The longer the knife, the greater the mechanical advantage and force that is applied to the joint. From what I can see in the pictures, ZT has addressed this area of weakness with a massive bolt for a pin and very strong liners. It looks pretty beefy to me.