Am I to anal about bladeplay?

S

Slowstarter

Joined
Mar 21, 2006
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I can´t stand bladeplay on a knife. If I can feel it wiggle, just so little, I have to fix it. Most of my Benchmades have teflon tape on the pivot screw (don´t like glue) to be able to control the play. But... what harm does a little play really do to the knife? Will it lose strenght or will it be less secure? Can I trust a knife with some bladeplay? How much bladeplay is acceptable?
 
In a liner lock or frame lock 0 blade play is acceptable. In certain lock backs it seems to be accepted. Personally I am anal about blade play in any folder I own. I tolerate none and expect none. keepem sharp
 
On a quality knife with a screwed pivot, there's really no excuse for any noticeable play. For me, if I do notice some additional wobble, I'm usually worried that the pivot screw is loosening a bit, so I check it for tightness. On a knife with a pinned pivot, there's not a lot you can do to permanently fix it, short of rebuilding it.

A loose blade obviously doesn't have quite the lateral support as a snugly fitted one. As long as you don't 'abuse' it, that's generally not a big deal. But, if you use the blade to pry on anything, a loose blade will only get looser over time. It's the same as if the lug nuts on your tires were loose. Eventually, with sufficient stress, bad things are likely to happen.
 
I personally dont like bladeplay but a tiny bit is ok on some of my folders. I dont think I have had any problem with any production folders I have bought in the last couple years.
 
Folding knives are going to have a little bit of play if you want your knife easy to open. With multiple pieces a little play is to be expected unless you crank the pivot down to lock things in place. A little bit of play is fine with me as long as I can not feel it in use. I like a blade that opens easily so a small amount is acceptable. If the tip of the knife moves half a millimeter, which is a good amount, the amount of movement at the pivot is going to be almost impossible to detect. I don't think in most cases it will weaken the lock.
 
On a production folder I pretty much expect blade play. Can't be helped.

If I'm carrying a custom however, I expect no blade play, especially on a frame lock and I also expect the knife to be perfectly centered and to open smooth as butter.

That isn't too much to ask for a knife that could cost anywhere from a few hundred bucks to well over a thousand dollars.

On an 80 dollar production knife though, whatever. You get what you pay for, and I wouldn't expect anything otherwise.
 
I really dont mind a bit of bladeplay as long as i think its not gonna cause the knife to fail for some reason
 
That's where you have to find that 'sweet spot' and set the blade tension to it, whether through simple adjustment, plumber's tape or Loc-Tite, which is my preferred method.

Since no two knives, even the same model, are exactly alike, it takes an individual approach...so some of my pivot-based folders have a slight wiggle if held at the tip, and a number are tighter than that...but it's sure not something I stress about, it's not worth the energy or time.
 
If you ask that question, the answer is "Yes. You are." ;) Stick with full tang fixed blades and you'll be fine.
 
Depends on the knife and or lock....

Some knives have to be broken in and the pivot tightened as they break in.
 
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I am like you in a way. While I'm not insanely vigilant about it I don't like blade play at all. Especially on a high end knife $300 and up.
 
SteelSnob said:
I am like you in a way. While I'm not insanely vigilant about it I don't like blade play at all. Especially on a high end knife $300 and up.
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On a folder with extremely tight tolerances the will be some blade play (very slight) as it breaks in, tightening the pivot will fix that though. Once it is broken in there shouldn't be a need to adjust more.
 
No blade play is acceptable in my opinion. I can't seem to trust any folder that has blade play.
 
The funny thing is that my Ontario RAT-1 has no play whatsoever and never has. I have played with it heaps and it has always opened quickly and smoothly with 100% solid lockup. If that is possible on a knife I paid $26 for then all dearer knives should be similarly free of blade play. My Spyderco Endura 4 has the slightest bit of side-side play, but it doesn't seem to harm the performance in any way and it locks up solid, so I don't really care.
 
I'm an insaniac when it comes to blade play. I can't stand to know that there is the slightest bit of wiggle when my blade is open. I consider myself way too anal when it comes to blade play. It's just the way I am. I'll sacrifice fast and super smooth opening for zero blade play.
 
longbow said:
In a liner lock or frame lock 0 blade play is acceptable. In certain lock backs it seems to be accepted. Personally I am anal about blade play in any folder I own. I tolerate none and expect none. keepem sharp
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I'm with you 0 blade play,if i pick up a new knife $100 or better and itz got blade play i will not buy it...........
 
Ankerson said:
On a folder with extremely tight tolerances the will be some blade play (very slight) as it breaks in, tightening the pivot will fix that though. Once it is broken in there shouldn't be a need to adjust more.
Click to expand...

I can't remember a $300 or up folder that had any.
 
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