I've got a recent production 710 (2011 iirc) and had an omega spring break in about a year of use. Granted I flicked it open all of the time and it carried exclusively at work with a heavy amount of daily use; so I figured it was just from overuse. In the year since it was replaced I've bought other knives into my carry rotation and I don't sit around opening and closing it all of the time. So just earlier today at work. Guess what another spring breakage. Are these getting more common or am I just unlucky? Anyone else had problems like this?
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anyone else had this many problems with omega springs?
- Thread starter fzla226
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I have 5 benchmade axis lock knives and have yet to ever have a failure. Two have been used hard and all have been flicked open hard on thousands of occasions. Was the second spring failure on the same knife? I am wondering if maybe the hole is off in the internal frame where the omega spring locks in and it is putting more stress on the omega spring?
Same knife. Same side too iirc. Pain in the ass to have this happen only maybe a year and a half out. Probably send it out later today. I mean I was talking about daily use with maybe a couple hundred a day for about 8 months. Probably talking about 25,000 or so openings. I actually hadn't used it recently much at all. the Manix 2 XL had put it out of my pocket for maybe a week or so before I used it earlier. Early in the day I heard a small snap and low and behold the spring tension holding it open was reduced greatly and there's some weird gritty feeling.
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the spring is most likely rubbing against the inside of the G10 scale along a certain point causing the spring to wear through against the g10 over a short period of time. Sending it back to BM again in such short time I would ask them to replace the spring AND the g10 scale on that side. I have 11 Benchmades 10 are axis locks. I beat the crap out of all of them and have yet to have a spring break. I did have a weak spring on one side of one of my Griptillians and was going to send it in but it strangely corrected itself and now has greater tension on it and matches the other side...weird. Also the whole spring breaking due to wearing through against the g10 that covers it DOES happen and asking Benchmade to also replace the scale on that side should NOT be an unreasonable request. Most likely the scale on the side of your 710 with the problem spring most likely has just a liiiiitle bit of g10 on its underside that didn't get correctly milled out leaving the spring on that side with incorrect amount of room to function
Thanks, I'll put that in the warranty form. Might ask for a barrel spacer conversion too. Now that I look at it, the side that broke is also off center with the bias toward the side that had the spring breakage.
I've considered this theory as well and i'm curious if it will become more prevalent (as it seems it has) with BM using more G10. The axis lock on my G10 BMs is most certainly more gritty than my ritter grip, presumably from the springs rubbing on the scales. You can put a pretty fine polish on G10, i'll take one apart and take a look later.
Have you tried putting checking out the liner and possibly putting a grease on the omega springs? It seems the 710 is mentioned more frequently than other knives as far as issues with the Omegas. One issue a few users have told me about is that the 710 Omega springs would actually pop out of the liner hole and would feel like the spring itself broke but in fact it had just dislodged itself.
Requesting the liners be replaced may be worthwhile? If something was off spec with the liner, or if there is an unusually sharp edge, it could accelerate the wear process.
I tend to use a fluoro grease on the Omega springs since they are a part that has friction with other parts for precaution.
Requesting the liners be replaced may be worthwhile? If something was off spec with the liner, or if there is an unusually sharp edge, it could accelerate the wear process.
I tend to use a fluoro grease on the Omega springs since they are a part that has friction with other parts for precaution.
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[QUOTE
I tend to use a fluoro grease on the Omega springs since they are a part that has friction with other parts for precaution.[/QUOTE]
+1 on the grease. I've never had a spring issue. Perhaps I've just been lucky though. But I do use a touch of grease where the spring bears on the frame.
I tend to use a fluoro grease on the Omega springs since they are a part that has friction with other parts for precaution.[/QUOTE]
+1 on the grease. I've never had a spring issue. Perhaps I've just been lucky though. But I do use a touch of grease where the spring bears on the frame.
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I had a 520 that would just not feel right when flicking it. It has eaten 3 springs where none of my other knives have broken any.