550 Hard to open?

Razor

Razor

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 8, 1999
Messages
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My new 550 seems real hard to open. Should I loosen the pivot screw, or will it get easiler to open?
 
Also make sure you're not pressing on the frame with your fingers as that will add to the problem.
 
mine came EXTREMELY stiff from the factory but after about 500 openings it is now much easier and smoother.
 
It will be at first. When I first got mine it was a beast. The day after I got it my thumb was sore and I was thinking about selling it. But I disassembled it, cleaned, oiled and tweaked the lock a hair then let it break in. Opens faster than any assisted or auto I've played with. For me personally, before I tweaked I didn't find any difference between no pressure on the lock and a little pressure on the lock.
 
Is it just the detent that hard, or is the entire opening path tight?

If it is just the detent, make sure your hand is not accidently pressing on the frame lock while trying to open. If that is not the case, try removing the pocket clip (if you are still using it on the Ti side) and see if that is making a difference. Since the pocket clip sits on the lockbar (at least the old one's did, not sure about the new deep carry), it can add some pressure to it and make it harder.
 
i just looked at a 550 on ebay, item #110905975435. The g10 pattern looked smaller than normal, and there was no lanyard hole.
does anyone know about this version of the 550? could it be fake?
 
Its just a generic picture. Why buy on Ebay when you could get better everything from Kershaw Guy
 
michaelsmith said:
i just looked at a 550 on ebay, item #110905975435. The g10 pattern looked smaller than normal, and there was no lanyard hole.
does anyone know about this version of the 550? could it be fake?
Click to expand...

Check this seller's feedback.

Contact kershaw guy for the best service.
 
It is the detent. When you get pass it, it opens smooth. I have to open it like the old slip locks. Is this normal? Man this is some knife. If I can get it to open, it will be the best knife I have ever owned. I have owned a few custom and a CR's but this knife fells solid as a rock.
 
I sent it back to the factory. To dam hard to open. I had my buddy to try it, and he said that they was something wrong with this knife. Hope they will fix it.
 
Also, you have to push the blade out along the arc scribed by the blade stop as the blade opens. Because the blade stop is so close to the pivot pin, this means pushing it *up* more than out. If you try to push it in any direction except along that arc, you're trying to stretch the metal and that just makes it harder than necessary. Took me a while, and a very sore thumb, to figure that out. The strength of the detente doesn't help initially but as others have pointed out, eventually the detente's ball will groove the blade making it easier after a few dozen openings. Since the blade stop is sharp on the edge, it helps to push it with the back of your fingernail instead of the tip of your thumb. Loosening the pivot screw just a hair will also make it smoother as it opens at the expense of tip centering. I've had mine for two weeks now and finally it opens like butter if I do my part.

My Umnumzaan similarly has a combined thumb stud/blade stop and has to be pushed more up than out, although the detente is infinitely smoother to get past out of the box. My Strider SnG has a blade stop which could be used as a thumb stud and would have the same issue except that its primary opening mechanism is a thumb hole further down the blade that can be used to push more directly out from the handle, along a wider arc, so it's very easy to open. If any design screams out for a thumb hole it's the 550.
 
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Just got a 550. First it was extremely smooth and the blade was perfectly centered. Now I notice a few changes.

- it is getting harder to open, not just detent, it is hard and getting stickier the whole way
- lock bar getting sticky at contact surface as well. Before, it would lock around 40-40%. Right now it goes in about 50%

I loosen pivot screw and it didn't help. So, I torque it back and now I can't even move the blade. Loosen the screw enough for it to just seat and not coming loose, it is the only way I can open the blade. The lock is still sticky and tight and the blade is now off centered..

What give? :(
 
I beleive the 550 needs twicked some. Just my 2 cents. The 200's and 300's are not hard to open?
 
My 0550 is just fine, if it wasn't I would fix it my self. Not complain about it.
 
SCAR face said:
Just got a 550. First it was extremely smooth and the blade was perfectly centered. Now I notice a few changes.

- it is getting harder to open, not just detent, it is hard and getting stickier the whole way
- lock bar getting sticky at contact surface as well. Before, it would lock around 40-40%. Right now it goes in about 50%

I loosen pivot screw and it didn't help. So, I torque it back and now I can't even move the blade. Loosen the screw enough for it to just seat and not coming loose, it is the only way I can open the blade. The lock is still sticky and tight and the blade is now off centered..

What give? :(
Click to expand...
Titanium frame locks are interesting beasts. There is a little art involved anytime you jack with the pivot screw. It IS NOT specific to the 550 or any other Ti Frame lcok for that matter. My suggestions is to tweak the screw until your blade is centered and the tension is right for you. Once you figure it out, get some loctite blue, put a couple of drops on the pivot screw and repeat and allow the loctight to dry. I've done this with several Ti frame locks, some auto assisted openers and even some autos. It's what they do at the factory and no reason, you couldn't do it yourself. You'll have to do it if you ever change/pimp the scales anyway.
 
It kind of sucks, that regular affordable production models have absolutely no problems....but the higher end knives have niggling issues
 
redfeenix said:
It kind of sucks, that regular affordable production models have absolutely no problems....but the higher end knives have niggling issues
Click to expand...

I dont think that is the case at all.. IMO cheaper knives have more problems but people tend to B*&^% about the the more expensive ones!
 
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