Axis lock Omega Springs

W

Wunderbar

Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
3,582
I am a big fan of Benchmade. Yet I still do not own a single axis lock. The reason being that I feel that the springs might break. No problem if you don't mind warranty repairs. I'd just like to avoid that though. Has anyone had a problem with their Axis locks as far as the mechanism goes? Thanks.:)
 
I've been carring my BM710HS almost everyday for the past ~3 years, flicking it open and closed all the time, and haven't had any problems. I have 2 other Axis locks and they haven't given me any problems either, although they see less use.
 
I have had 3 Axis lock knives which I used extensively.

A BM mini-Grip that gave me no problems.

A BM Griptilian that gave me no problems.

A BM 720 that gave me no problems.


Now the Griptilian blade is wearing the 720 handle, and despite the fact that this knife was cobbled together out of parts which were not designed to go together the locking mechanism still works just fine, and has done so for the last year.

If a spring should ever break I will go down to the local music store and buy a bit of steel guitar string the same diameter as the BM omega spring. I wil bend this guitar string into an omega profile and install it in the knife, and I have little doubt that it will work flawlessly.

No reason to bother with warrany repairs over something as simple as a piece of wire.
 
Originally posted by fishbulb
If a spring should ever break I will go down to the local music store and buy a bit of steel guitar string the same diameter as the BM omega spring. I wil bend this guitar string into an omega profile and install it in the knife, and I have little doubt that it will work flawlessly.

No reason to bother with warrany repairs over something as simple as a piece of wire.
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^^now this is the kind of next door neighbor you'd want to have when your car breaks down :D
 
Al but one of my EDC BM's is AXIS and I have not had spring failiure in any.

This includes, 710HS, 940D2CF, 770BC1CF. I had a 550Sand 942S that are now in someone elses hands and they have wait to complain.

Like all things they are springs and one day they will fail but hey you have to get one. Surely you always run the chance that the spring could fail prematurely but hey why let something so uncommon even on the BM Forum stop you from owning the best locking system on the market.

I remeber only one case on the BM forum 770 one spring failed the other covered and still kept on working.
 
The spring breaking is extremely rare!!

Let me tell you a short story about BM's warranty repair services. I will give you the cliff notes version:

-Had Older AFCK with linerlock
-Purchased newer 806
-Started to mistreat older AFCK
-Gave knife throwing a shot with older AFCK
-Busted up older AFCK inside and out
-Put AFCK in padded envelope with three stamps on it
-Put letter in envelope saying "Broke, please fix" and my address
-10 days later I got a LNIB AFCK

Benchmade HAS to have the very best repair services around. It may be possible to equal them with allot of hard work, but not to surpass them.
 
I had an omega spring break on me once. I think it was just a freak accident. I've bought a few other axis locks since that happened, and haven't had any other problems.

Did I mention that the knife still functioned with one spring?

It would have to be a pretty catastrophic failure for the lock to fail entirely due to the springs breaking.

I think that the axis lock is probably one of the most reliable, easy to use locks out there.

Any folding knife is going to eventually fail with enough use. Springs don't last forever.

Benchmade stands behind their products, and if you have a problem, they'll take care of you.

In short, don't worry about it.

-- Rob
 
Not to sound harsh but I fail to see the logic in not buying an Axis because you fear the springs may break.

The reasons for feeling this way....

Liner locks and frame locks are also springs. They will eventually wear at the engagement pont and move further across the tang until they have no place left to go, then blade play is introduced. Once this happens the knife needs to have the entire lock side scale replaced or a larger stop pin put in (which runs the risk of throwing off the geometry of the knife). Both fixes are things you should not do yourself.

Lock backs can also wear and eventually need serviced, but this is less common (probably about as often as an Omega spring breaking!).

My point is that any folder can be analyzed for wear points that would require warranty work, I think the risks are greater for that need with a liner lock than an Axis lock. I have personally owned at least 4 liner/frame locks that wore out and would engage all the way across the tang, I have never had an Omega spring break.

I think at one point BM had a small batch that were probably not heat treated right and came out a little brittle because there was a period where 2 or 3 people mentioned broken springs, but I have not heard of a breakage in quite a long time.

Buy one, they're sweet.
 
Originally posted by TheBadGuy
The spring breaking is extremely rare!!

-Put letter in envelope saying "Broke, please fix" and my address
-10 days later I got a LNIB AFCK
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Did you have to include a sales receipt with this to prove you purchased it? Or do they not even care about that?
 
2 BM722's
1 BM705
1 BM710

All used fairly frequently over the last 2 years with no spring problems at all.
 
I have a friend who will not buy a Benchmade Axis-lock knife because he says it will eventually break so he can't fully trust it.

But you should he him rave about how reliable his Glock pistol is.

Allen.
 
Any lock can eventually wear and fail. Just look at this recent thread on the Spyderco forum about a Police model's lock back failing:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=283213

I think the Axis lock can take a lot more use and wear than a liner or a lockback. If the lock bar wears, or the blade, it will just slide over a little more and continue to keep the blade solidly locked.
 
Originally posted by WadeF
Did you have to include a sales receipt with this to prove you purchased it? Or do they not even care about that?
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I've never had proof of purchase the two times I used BM service.

Once was my fault and the other was a minor QC issue, both knives had been taken apart by me, both knives fixed free under warranty and returned within 3 weeks.... Great service from BM!
 
Did you have to include a sales receipt with this to prove you purchased it? Or do they not even care about that?
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No receipt, no return shipping, the knife was obviously disassembled voiding the warrenty. Their concern is pleasing the customer:)
 
one of the axis lock spring broke on my BM 721...it still works okay...just a little easier to open...

but...i emailed benchmade and angie told me that i shouldn't worry about the return shipping and they'll sort it out...how's that for customer service??? considering that i live in the uk!!!

makes me love benchmade even more...i'm gonna post the knife tomorrow...

oh and you can get it sharpened for you as well if you buy benchmade....

oh...i also have the BM 556 and 770 and the springs are fine...so i think what happened with the 721 was just some bad luck....
 
I agree with the sentiment that it's hard to understand the reasoning that one would not buy an axis because the springs might break. All locks can have problems, luckily, the spring breaking seems to be the only problem the axis has, and that is mitigated by the fact that:
  1. It's rare that a spring breaks (though it does happen)
  2. Two springs don't break at the same time, and when one spring breaks, the other still works the lock just fine
  3. In the rare case you get a broken spring, just send it off to Benchmade for a quick repair (yes, I understand, that part is a bummer, but luckily Benchmade is quick about this)
    [/list=1]

    For reference, I have a pre-production Axis 710, which I got right about when the first 710s hit the market. What was that, 3-5 years ago? I use and carry this thing all the time, including idle blade flicking, and no busted spring yet. I do not take good care to keep the mechanism clean -- I often give the blade a quick wipe with a tuff-cloth, but only rarely clean out the pivot and lock areas.

    Joe
 
The reason I asked this question was because of the complex nature of the locking mechanism. I have never owned an axis lock but I do own several liner locks that are still going strong. All of you people that can't "understand" my question need to calm down. I've played with several axis lock knives but have never really used one. I also have drawings/diagrams of the axis lock and I understand how it works.
It does appear like the part of the omega spring that connects to the liners could easily become "unattached". This is why I asked if anyone had any problems with theirs. Thankyou.
 
Originally posted by Wunderbar
All of you people that can't "understand" my question need to calm down.
Click to expand...

Funny, I don't think anyone got un-calm at any point thus far except you.

Take a Valium and read this thread again 30-60 minutes later...:rolleyes: ;)
 
Originally posted by Wunderbar
The reason I asked this question was because of the complex nature of the locking mechanism.
Click to expand...

It's not complex. It is a metal bar and 2 springs.
 
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