al mar mini SERE lock up

T

tenaciousj

Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Messages
6
i just recieved a mini SERE and it appears to be a great knife, however there seems to be a very small amount of wiggle. when the knife is locked open the blade can be wiggled ever so slightly forward (applying pressure against the back of the blade) is this normal? this is my first liner lock so i am unfamiliar. this knife is brand new (less than 24hrs old) so maybe the liner lock just needs to be broken in against the bottom of the tang?

thanks
 
"when the knife is locked open the blade can be wiggled ever so slightly forward (applying pressure against the back of the blade) is this normal?"

No

"this knife is brand new (less than 24hrs old) so maybe the liner lock just needs to be broken in against the bottom of the tang?"

I doubt it
 
I have a full sized SERE and it is tight as a drum. I'd suspect the mini should be the same.
 
I too just received a Mini SERE and have the same problem. Mine is used and few years old but I purchased a new full sized SERE and had no problems with wiggle whatsoever.

Just yesterday I called Al Mar knives and explained the problem to them. I asked if it would be covered under their lifetime warranty and the woman told me I would have to send it in for them to determine if it would be covered. I'm kind of upset about this because I hate to spend the dough to ship and insure it without knowing if it will be fixed or not. So many other knife companies offer 'no questions asked' warranties you'd think something like this wouldnt be an issue.

Either way, I suppose I'll be sending it in this week. If you like, I can let you know how the process works and what the outcome is. That way you can decide whether or not you want to send yours in. The woman on the phone said turnaround time is about two weeks.
 
I bought one of the first Mini SEREs and it came with vertical blade play,

I sent it in to Al Mar and they replaced the blade. The knife that came back had a solid lock up.
 
I don't buy liner locks anymore because I find the lock-up is hit or miss and there are more reliable locks available like the axis lock, compression lock and good old lockback. I was tempted by the Al Mar Sere and BM Dejavoo but I held back.
 
wow, not very impressed with what im hearing. guess ill think twice about al mar, or liner locks in the future. anyway, i contacted SONOMA CUTLERY and they said they would contact me with return instructions and to recieve a replacement. after hearing other customers complaints about this knife im thinking id rather have a benchmade but according to the guy at sonoma, they only do exchanges. not sure if that is the internet industry standard but i think that is GARBAGE. if im not happy with recieveing a defective knife, i should have the option to return, purchase a more highly regarded knife with store credit right? oh well, dont think ill do business with SONOMA CUTLERY again.

thanks for the responses guys
 
If you have the tools, disassemble it and give the liner lock a tad more bend. That will give you a tighter fit to the tang and also increase the liner tension so that it stays over against the tang. A lot of times when this type problem occurs, this is what the company does if the knife is sent back. Just a suggestion. Btw, agree with you on the option to return for cash back or exchange. I know I will not do business with Sonoma if this is the policy!:thumbdn:
 
I'm glad to hear that at least one of us has had the problem fixed by Al Mar. I hope that is the case with mine. I'll be sure to mention our discussion when I send it back. Unless they refuse to correct the problem I won't write them off entirely. The full size SERE that I had had solid lock up and I think that overall they seem to be well made knives. Customer service is just as important (if not more so) as quality in my book. I'll let you all know what happens with mine. I got mine second hand so unfortunately I dont have a dealer to replace/exchange it.
 
AF said:
I don't buy liner locks anymore because I find the lock-up is hit or miss and there are more reliable locks available...
Click to expand...

That sums up my liner lock experience. I have owned liner locks made by reputable companies like Spyderco, Benchmade and Al Mar, but have moved them all on.
I will never buy another liner lock knife.
 
tenaciousj said:
wow, not very impressed with what im hearing. guess ill think twice about al mar, or liner locks in the future. anyway, i contacted SONOMA CUTLERY and they said they would contact me with return instructions and to recieve a replacement. after hearing other customers complaints about this knife im thinking id rather have a benchmade but according to the guy at sonoma, they only do exchanges. not sure if that is the internet industry standard but i think that is GARBAGE. if im not happy with recieveing a defective knife, i should have the option to return, purchase a more highly regarded knife with store credit right? oh well, dont think ill do business with SONOMA CUTLERY again.

thanks for the responses guys
Click to expand...

Oh no, that is not right. The lock on an Al Mar should be tight as a drum. I have a Mini Sere. Call Al Mar Knives, they will fix this problem. The people there are top notch. they will correct this problem, I am very sure. Their knives are excellent, but sometimes in production, thing can go amiss. By letting them know about the trouble you are having, they can relay the info to the japanese manufacturer they use, who can take corrective action.
 
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