Axis lock vertical blade play

The axis lock is either an inherently flawed design as far as a sturdy blade to handle mating is concerned , or Benchmade's QC is very sloppy in conjunction with loose tolerances.

Having spent a lot of cash on a 760 that was in the worst "out of the box new" condition I have ever seen any knife , I am inclined to believe the latter. Which is why I choose other brands offerings over Benchmade 99% of the time.



Tostig
 
I am quite jealous of those who don't have any problems. I love Benchmade designs, but with the troubles I have experienced and the sheer number of knives I have tried out at many knife stores that have obvious issues, I have to be very careful when getting a new knife. I am going to try to buy other brands more. I went about 3 years without buying a Benchmade due to QC issues and the fact that they simply did not offer designs I was interested in. In the past 2 years, I have bought about 5 or 6. 4 of those have had their issues, some of which have been resolved, some not. I am trying to move on to other brands because I am fed up at the moment.

For those of you that have no problems, enjoy.
 
My one and only Axis lock (Benchmade for that matter), a Mini Grip, has no up and down play, but has side to side that can't be adjusted out. To be honest, I'm not really thrilled with the Axis lock.
 
I don't know how many benchmades I've handled, but from the dozen or so that I've owned, radial blade play has been non-existent.

I will note that the 72X series does seem to lock up very well and over time does not become sloppy in any degree, I can only comment on this one because for 13 years I've used them. None of my Benchmades have had broken omega springs, and before I lost my old 722s I conservatively calculated 18,000 opening and closing cycles for the 10 years I owned it, while the more realistic number is probably closer to 21,000. I based this on it being my EDC during the years that I owned it and definitely opening it at least half a dozen times a day. Add the fact that I used the crap out of it, to the point that the serrations were long gone and right before I lost it I had to seriously re-profile the blade because it was getting way to thick behind the bevel. Because of that knife and the 3550 (which after 3 or 4 years finally had the coil spring break... who knows how many cycles.) I am a staunch BM supporter, and for good reason, I've never had a lemon, I've stripped screws, bent pocket clips and for quite a while sharpened them like crap, but their customer service sent (free of charge) replacement parts, I have never once used a warranty and I couldn't stand the idea of sending a knife in for sharpening, thankfully now I can sharpen my knives better than any manufacturer could. So even the "issue" of BM sending out knives that aren't sharpened like Kershaw or SpyderCo is a non-issue for me... well that and I'm not of the opinion that a manufacturer should be omnipotent in what edge angle the consumer would want, much less what grit they want it at.

I don't know what else to say, if you don't like a product, don't buy it, if you want a product changed to suit you, you will be in for a spendy and/or time consuming ride getting your knife 'perfect' for you.

I hope you have my 'luck' with Benchmade.
 
I can't believe how many people on this thread have had so much trouble with the Axis Lock! And when I say I can't believe, it is said in wonder, not in someone telling untruth's. As I've said in my post's, I have not had any problems with the Axis Lock. I think the idea behind the Axis Lock is sound, and from my standpoint (no problems) I feel that BM has done a great job in the execution of the lock. Not a fanboy of BM, and can see where the opinions about the Axis not being such a hot lock come from. If I had those problems, outlined here, and on a consistent basis, I would not be as impressed as I am with the Axis Lock!
 
I guess I am just lucky, I have just over a dozen Axis locks and have used them for years. All lock up great and never lost an omega spring.
 
I bought a slightly used 14205 with an axis lock problem. I could overcome the lock and close the knife by pushing on the blade spine. Benchmade fixed it and it locks up tight now. I got a 13100 that I sent back for a loose axis lock and it came back better, but still had vertical play. My 950 Rift has had a little since it was new. I guess they are within Benchmade's specifications. I can live with it but prefer a rock solid lock up. I think it's more of a QC issue than a design problem.
 
My 527 mini-presidio is about a year old and never has nor does it have any vertical/up or down blade play and only a little bit of side to side. I really am a fan of the axis lock although I will admit I only own 1 benchmade and have only handled about 4 or 5 total; I really do like them. I am definitely looking to own a few more but my love for Spyderco comes first. ;)
 
I have had a significant development!
I said earlier that it "developed" blade play. Well, for the first 3 days I had the knife, there was no play. I did not use the knife for anything, even up to today. On the fourth day I went over the knife with a torx to see if any screws were loose. I didn't even think twice about that because I do that for all my knives-nothing crazy just a quick once over to make sure nothing is loose. Well, tonight, I was messing with the stop pin, and I noticed that if I, with the knife being held in the right hand, open, tighten the stop pin screw on the right but leave the one,on the left not tight, the play is gone. Something with tightening the left stop pin screw causes the little bit of vertical blade play. ??? So I screwed it down but then backed off a bit. This seems to prevent the blade play. I don't know why tightening it down causes the issue because I am not tightening it much at all, just enough to feel some resistance then I stop. I guess I can use some Loctite to secure the screw, even though I hate that stuff. It never really seems to work, and it is so messy. It's tough to get the tiny amount needed without getting it everywhere. I wish I could add some plumber's tape to the screw, but it's too small.

WEIRD!

Also, btw, my Manix 2 in CTS-bd30p arrived. It has perfect lockup. Perfect! It does have a minor issue too though I am being really picky. The polymer cage for the ball lock is thinner on one side compared to the other. Not by much. I think I'll accept it as nothing is perfect. I gotta get my OC under control and just live life without nitpicking every excessive detail!
 
If you get some blue thread locker and be careful you should do fine. Same with the PVC Teflon tape. It can be cut down into small pieces.
 
I can't remember if I brought this up before but I've resolved every instance of vertical blade play by removing the blade and lightly sanding the tang the Axis bar slides up on. I'm talking like 600 grit for 5 seconds...just enough to let the stop bar slide up a micrometer. It's fixed all of my issues including a Ganzo that rattled like a spray paint can.

Good luck all!
 
HAd one axis with vertical play, and that was an auto Presidio. The last 4 axis locks I've bought have had side to side play, though, no matter how much the pivot was tightened.
 
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