490 Amicus

[Bowmanblades]

 

[Silent H]

You can't directly upload pics without a paid membership. Instead upload your pics to Imgur.com, then use the "Forums and BBcode" link to post them to here.

 

[Wood5045]

@Bowmanblades, how did you remove the nut off of the axis lock? I've wanted to take mine apart but the proprietary nut had me a little perplexed.

 

[DrHarmony]

The 490 fails with its hardware. T6 throughout.... even the pivot!
The action of the assisted opening loosens screws, and for the first time in many years of knife ownership, I have stripped the pivot screw on my 490 when tightening.
(already replaced stop pin screws with T8 that were lost with normal use of opening and closing)
I have turned the pivot screw into a flat head to be able to use it for now but unless Benchmade fixes the incredibly crappy screws, this knife is not worth the money.
If I lived in the US instead of Canada, I may not be so irritated as service is good for the US.

 

[MadeOnABench]

The 490 fails with its hardware. T6 throughout.... even the pivot!
The action of the assisted opening loosens screws, and for the first time in many years of knife ownership, I have stripped the pivot screw on my 490 when tightening.
(already replaced stop pin screws with T8 that were lost with normal use of opening and closing)
I have turned the pivot screw into a flat head to be able to use it for now but unless Benchmade fixes the incredibly crappy screws, this knife is not worth the money.
If I lived in the US instead of Canada, I may not be so irritated as service is good for the US.

Wow, it sounds like you've had a lot of trouble with this knife! I don't own the 490, but I do own other adjusted Benchmades and I can attest to their spring strength - very snappy and as strong as an auto!

T6 screws are a longstanding Benchmade standard for handles and clips. Fortunately, the majority of their knives seem to use T10 for the pivot.

Since you've had to retighten and replace multiple screws that have come loose, I have to ask if you ever used any kind of thread locker like blue or purple Loctite? Also, what Torx bits and driver are you using? I find using a good, high quality bit and driver name a huge difference in avoiding stripped screws!

You also seem to have some resentment toward Benchmade's international service. Can you elaborate on any issues you've personally experienced? Have you tried sending your knife in for service or requesting replacement parts?

 

[DrHarmony]

You also seem to have some resentment toward Benchmade's international service

My first request for service was not answered and further investigations lured me to believe that Canadians take their chances if reseller will act as in-between with BM service.
Anyhow, I requested parts once again, the day you replied and just received my pivot screw today. I am pretty stoked to be able to fix the knife now. Surprised it arrived seeing how they do not format postal codes properly or spell my city correctly
My complaint still stands though.
T6 pivot screw would have swayed my original purchase if I had known. Also, the pivot is a two pc threaded barrel to house the spring and from day one was not seated correctly.
I know this now because I finally took it apart to see why the blade play could never be eliminated.
The design seems brilliant, but the lack of threadlocker installed and the terror of never being able to reassemble if taken apart, left me with a useless pc of chit.
Now that I know I can get this thing together without an engineering degree, it will not be an issue in the future but a system with double threading is bound to fail and the hardware supplied is inadequate for multiple repairs.

Now that this is put together properly and screws secure, the blade wobble is gone and the addition of permanent thread locker on the spring housing, I can appreciate this beautiful blade that attracted me to the knife in the first place.

 

[MadeOnABench]

DrHarmony glad it all worked out for you!