An observation regarding aftermarket bearings

Glad to see this thread. I've been putting skiffs in many of my knives and honestly can't tell much difference in how they function. I've wondered if I was missing something.
 
K.O.D. said:
Oh boy, lots to say. Switched over to my computer as a phone takes too long.

I too am not a fan of IKBS and therefore do not own a knife with that feature.

I enjoy taking apart things, knives, guns, computers, video game consoles, etc. Whether to clean or to fix. Bearings falling out would suck.

I only replaced the bearings in my Domino because I couldn't get it to center, no matter what I did. In disassembling it, I noticed how dished and warped the washers and bearing cages were. So since I was ordering replacements from Taco, I figured I should try it on my Southard too. Granted, I bought the Domino used, so it was probably time anyway.

I've customized quite a few of my knives, and taken apart nearly all of them. My Alan Davis is an exception, as it is perfection and I don't want to mess with a good thing. My Biryukov is as well, but because of the proprietary hardware (which irks me).

Due to losing about 30% of my visual field as an 11 year old, my other senses are heightened. If I cannot find a perceptible difference in switching bearings, I doubt most people can.

Flippers can be good on washers too--case in point is my Bailey Model 2. Has that feel that other knives on washers has, but flips well. It could use a slightly stronger detent, and a much shorter flipper tab, but it works fine on washers.

I will say, I abhor the feeling of poorly executed bearings, or at least the feel when the manufacturer chooses to use that viscous black lube (I call it the black nasty) that attracts dust and gives the bearings a gritty feeling. I've yet to experience that crap on a knife with washers, though its been a hot minute since I purchased a knife with washers.

In the end, I think a good cleaning an good (and appropriate for the application) lube of both the pivot and detent ball can do wonders for a knife's action, far more than upgraded bearings (or washers for that matter).
Click to expand...
I picked up a Domino awhile back that had really bad action. I took it apart, and the washer was cupped, so I just took the washer out and put it back together. It was centered up and smooth as butter, so I'm curious: did you put a new washer and bearings in or just go with new bearings?
 
Aside from knives where the bearings are actually damaged. The only knives I've noticed a large difference with is my ruike knives. They feel so much better with skiff bearings than with the stock hardware
 
I've had knives that were noticeably improved by Skiffs, and knives that I couldn't tell a difference. I usually find it worth the price of Skiffs to find out and I don't think it means there's something wrong with the knife for high quality bearings to improve it. Is there something wrong with your truck if at some point during it's life you put on upgraded brakes or shocks to try and improve your stopping power or ride quality?
 
rtc71 said:
I picked up a Domino awhile back that had really bad action. I took it apart, and the washer was cupped, so I just took the washer out and put it back together. It was centered up and smooth as butter, so I'm curious: did you put a new washer and bearings in or just go with new bearings?
Click to expand...
I honestly don't remember.
 
oldrifleman said:
The only knives I have messed with were a couple of "Herman" knives from Poland. I took the first on apart to fix a pathetic opening action and discovered that their bearings were not only not caged, but incredibly small. I believe I lost about 30% of these speck (seriously, my eyes were not even able to see them at first!) sized black balls. no response from the maker so I picked up some skiffs to replace factory bearing on all three of my Herman knives, Work great, slightly different size than original, but works at least as well.
Click to expand...
I am looking to do the same thing. What size Skiffs did you place in yours? And are they all the same size? I have a Mantis and their newer knives have caged bearings now but are still small and fragile.
 
Synov said:
Skiffs will not improve the action unless there is something really wrong with the original bearings. It's a common misconception. Adding more bearings just offers more contact points on the blade, making the connection between blade and handle sturdier, and allowing the bearings to last longer.
Click to expand...
Which is worth the 10ish dollars they cost to many.
 
Tensaw said:
Glad to see this thread. I've been putting skiffs in many of my knives and honestly can't tell much difference in how they function. I've wondered if I was missing something.
Click to expand...
Then why do you do it?
 
I have had good luck with taco bearings. On most of my Cheburkovs they make a noticeable improvement. Mostly due to factory bearings are just trash.
 
Pros: (1) Most stock bearings are carbon steel. Ceramic bearings in brass are corrosion proof, and (2) possibly run on multiple tracks, distributing torque. (3) Finally, some aftermarket scales (Demko) don’t work with stock bearings.

Cons: a knife has to break in. Bearings creating tracks in Ti, PB washers polishing themselves, detent and lockup, etc. If you keep disassembling the knife, it has no time to do so.
 
crk1984 said:
Which is worth the 10ish dollars they cost to many.
Click to expand...
Right. I'm not saying it's not worth it, I'm saying it doesn't generally improve the action. When people say they notice the action is better after installing new bearings, it's more likely due to the re-assembly of the knife changing the tightness of the scales/pivot.
 
crk1984 said:
Then why do you do it?
Click to expand...
I feel the design of the Skiffs (expecially the cage) is often times better than the factory bearings and I like the idea of them being in my more premium knives. But honestly, I've experienced very little tangible improvement when switching to Skiffs.
 
Skiff thick washers fixed the really bad action on my Spyderco Domino. I replaced the bad idea plastic cage bearings & lightly oiled. The action is superb now. I see no reason to replace something that is already working well, but if the action is poor why not? Prior adjustments did not help the action.
 
TheOne45 said:
Oh, I heard somewhere (this forum?) Spydies are quality US made knives.


Do they use cheap chinese bearings?
Click to expand...
Domino is made in Taiwan and only the bearings were a mistake. The rest of the knife is top quality. Even the best can make mistakes.

Spyderco makes (or has made by contractors) knives in the US, Japan, Italy, Taiwan, and China. I might be missing one location in that list.
 
SharpBits said:
Domino is made in Taiwan and only the bearings were a mistake.
Click to expand...
I just looked the EU price for this knife.
Huh, a lot of money for 'Made in Taiwan' knife (with lousy bearings).
I bet Spyderco makes a lot of profit with this knife.... you know... cheap working force and high selling price.

Yeah... I know.... ok moderator... hit me now.
 
I've got knives with both washers and bearings. I prefer keeping them factory just like the designer intended.

Washers definitely break in smoother with use, but I am curious to see it polishing them would make a noticeable difference.
 
tristanbetz said:
Bearings in folding knives are designed to reduce friction between the blade and the handle scales or liners, allowing for smoother opening and closing action. Stock bearings in quality knives are typically well-engineered to provide good performance. However, aftermarket bearings, like Skiff or TBS bearings, are often marketed as upgrades that can enhance smoothness and reduce wears.
Click to expand...
Bearings also provide stability, since the only part of the blade that's in contact with the handles is the pivot and the bearing balls. Logically, it makes sense that more bearings = more points of contact = better stability. Does it matter in practice? Probably not, but one thing you normally get with Skiffs is more balls than the factory bearings provide.
 
I use Skiffs in all my knives that use bearings. The OEM stamped cage bearings are incredibly cheap, and I'd rather have a solid phosphor-bronze disc with a maximized number of ceramic balls for the same overall size. More balls = better blade support = smoother action and better longevity. I lightly oil the balls, and even more importantly I GREASE the pivot OD, and ID of the blade hole, with Dupont Krytox. You won't know how smooth things can be, until you also grease the pivot surfaces. But the main reason I like Skiffs with a maximized ball count- is that when I re-assemble, using a dab of blue loctite on ALL threads, I can crank the pivot screw down TIGHT, and the blade will be perfectly centered and perfectly controlled and the detent will stay perfectly consistent. You can't do that with flat PB washers or garbage ball bearings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top