Blade being centered?

N

nod

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Jan 18, 2018
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Somewhere along the way I got it in my head that an expensive knife would have the blade centered when folded into the body of the knife. Most of my knives have the blade centered however my two newest knives don't. I have a new Hinderer XM-18 3" and the blade isn't perfectly centered. Yesterday I received a new Heretic flipper ($459.95) and the blade isn't close to being centered. In my opinion the blade is either centered or not.

So what's the deal? Should I be concerned the blades are not centered?

Thanks
 
If I were someone who resold my knives then I would want the knives to meet as many peoples idea of "perfect" as possible. But then I would also not want to use it, because that would affect resale value.

But I never buy a knife with the idea that I will, or might sell it. Whenever I buy a knife I do so with the intent of keeping it for life.

If the blade rubbed on the liner I would likely send it back. But if the blade didn't rub, and if the lockup were rock solid, I would wonder how I would feel if I returned it and the replacement had a perfectly centered blade, but also had lock-play. It's always a gamble.

Of course the most I've ever spent on a folder is $300. I've never spent $460. Recently I considered paying $500 for a discontinued folder I REALLY want. If it had an off-centered blade that didn't rub, but had a solid lockup, I'd be very happy with it. If it had a perfectly centered blade and lock-play, I would be VERY unhappy.

We all want all of our knives to be "perfect". But I've learned that "perfection" is not always possible. I don't let imperfection prevent me from using, or enjoying a knife.
 
Consider killgar's trade off comments carefully, and decide what matters most to you. Before I would spend even $200 I would ask for confirmation of issues such as centering and adequate lockup. I would also ask a litany of other things as well, depending on the knife, but that's just me. Then if things go bad, at least the onus is clearly on the seller.

In your case, I think you should have well centered blades.
 
I don’t like poorly centred blades.

I know that if it doesn’t rub on the liners, it doesn’t effect how the knife performs, but I just keep looking at it, and i find it offensive.
I never buy a knife unless it’s easy to return because of this.
strangely I can live with other imperfections, if they don’t effect the operation of the knife.
 
First, thanks for the responses. Second, a shout out to Jordan@DLT as both these knives came from DLT Trading. killgar brought up some seriously good food for thought. I mainly collect knives and pretty much only use a couple. The resale value is important to me however I think the knife being built right is the most important factor. The same thing I look for in semi custom 1911s. If they are built right they will work right. What I found amusing was when I bought the Hinderer DLT had a special where I received a free Spyderco knife. The MSRP on the Spyderco was $79.00 and the blade was centered perfect.

I went back and looked at the Hinderer this morning and the blade is very close to center so I will leave that knife as is. The Heretic is pretty much way off center almost dragging on the liner. That being said the blade locks up perfect with no movement what so ever. I contacted Heretic so I will see what they say. I may just leave it alone as well.

I think hanging around this forum is what got the blade being centered thing in my head :D.
 
Jaygti said:
I don’t like poorly centred blades.

I know that if it doesn’t rub on the liners, it doesn’t effect how the knife performs, but I just keep looking at it, and i find it offensive.
I never buy a knife unless it’s easy to return because of this.
strangely I can live with other imperfections, if they don’t effect the operation of the knife.
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How much money does one have to pay to get the knife done exactly right? I figured over $400.00 would get a perfect knife. In the 1911 world I expect a perfect 1911 when I pay $3000.00+. I have a Shirogorov that is centered perfectly and opens great but at $1000.00+ a pop I can't afford that.
 
There's a guy on YouTube named Metal Complex. He's a knife guy. He has a video out that shows one how to center the blade on a folder. Check it out. It may help you.
 
On my hardcore users I don't care much, in fact some are in horrible shape and just won't center, and again, I don't care, just keep them sharp.
I have a couple higher end chisel ground pieces that always look off center and some funkier designs that also give the similar appearance at different angles so I ignore that, but when I drop something like Hinderer and CRK prices on something it better be close to perfect centering!
Out of the box I'll check for a loose pivot by checking blade play side to side that could be offending the centering but other than that I won't touch it with a tool and it gets dropped right back in the box awaiting return authorization.
My money hasn't been earned easily and if these knife companies want it they'll have to earn it with a product that's worthy.
 
I understand there are material costs to consider, but I think great build quality is a reasonable expectation past the $200 mark. At $400+ anything less than a perfect knife with good centering and good lockup will get it sent back, period. At that point what am I paying for? If I want slop I can get it at a much lower price point.

A valuable work of art is one thing, but people have gotten way too comfortable letting the industry charge increasing amounts for decreasing quality.
 
MarkN86 said:
I understand there are material costs to consider, but I think great build quality is a reasonable expectation past the $200 mark. At $400+ anything less than a perfect knife with good centering and good lockup will get it sent back, period. At that point what am I paying for? If I want slop I can get it at a much lower price point.

A valuable work of art is one thing, but people have gotten way too comfortable letting the industry charge increasing amounts for decreasing quality.
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That is exactly the way I see it. A prime example was the RV industry rushing units out the door for a few extra bucks. What it really got many of them was bankrupt and a lot of people got screwed over. I think the semi custom 1911 business is taking the same route.

Heretic sent me a return label so I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.
 
All my Hinderers are adjusted by me to my liking, on receipt, new or used. They come different out of the ranch, depending who assembles them. With or without lube or loktite, etc. I haven’t had one that couldn’t be easily centered.
 
It's inexcusable to me. If you're paying more than a hundred dollars, the blade should be centered, otherwise either the people putting it together were lazy or the company doesn't value the quality of their fit and finish.

I've gotten off centered blades from Reate and CRK, this is has significantly damaged my respect for both brands. With CRK, the issue wasn't even addressed when the knife was sent back.
 
I think that a knife should be perfectly centered if that is what the brand has marketed itself toward. With a CRK, I kind of expect it to be centered out of the box, especially something like the Sebenza that is touted as a knife you just crank tight and its good to go without fiddling with the pivot.

However, if a knife comes with easily adjustable assembly that doesn't require a proprietary tool, I'm ok tweaking it to get it where I want it as long as it still functions well.
 
killgar said:
We all want all of our knives to be "perfect". But I've learned that "perfection" is not always possible.
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I agree with most your post but this part. Perfection is ALWAYS possible. its just the people who assemble the knives at these big production companies just don't always take the time to make sure they are perfect when they assemble them...its the same as any production line, make sure its good enough and try to get out as much as possible. Time is money. People have perfect examples of spydercos, benchmades, cold steel, hinderers, zt's, ..you name it.
Good action, no lock stick, solid lock up with no blade play in any direction, centered blade and closes fine.
Then someone can have the exact same knife with one or more of what I just mentioned off. Whether it was a small part that wasn't made to the best tolerance throwing something off or an assembly issue just over looked cause time is money and you gota push product out as fast as possible. Either way PERFECTION is ALWAYS possible, just often overlooked to save time/money. If a company can make 1 example of a perfect knife then it is possible.

There are lots of videos out there to help center a blade if you need to though and often isn't that big of deal. But it's personal preference. A $400 knife definitely should come centered though and not have any of the issues I mentioned above.
 
A knife not being centered bothers me at the price point the OP mentioned. I got a Rat 2 that was not centered the other day and it did not bother me. But at the price point the OP mentioned he paid, I do not want to get a knife not centered and hear it’s fine. The market says it is not fine for it not to be centered. I have purchased knives at this price point and decided that they weren’t for me. I go to the exchange to list them. The first thing a buyer wants to know if you do not state it is “is it centered” or “can I see a photo of the centering”.
 
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Nepling00 said:
It bothers me at the price point OP mentioned. I got a Rat 2 not centered the other day and it didn’t bother me. But at the price point OP mentioned he paid, It don’t want to get a knife not centered and hear it’s fine. The market says it is not fine. I have purchased knives at this price point and decided that they weren’t for me. I go to the exchange to list them. The first thing a buyer wants to know if you don’t state it is “is it centered” or “can I see a photo of the centering”.
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Edited, think I misunderstood your post..
 
Sometimes I have a knife on the bench. Done, centered, looks good.

come back the next day and it is all wrong. Spend another two days trying to figure it out.

Point is. Centering bothers me. Sometimes there is something wrong that only pokes its head out after a while. It takes a lot of effort to try and figure it out once it does.

One of the things that has been a root cause for me is I like a strong framelock. Really strong and late, but that is not the norm. This can lead to a slightly off center blade due to the pressure of the lock.

A slightly bent liner can cause hours of frustration in getting a blade centered.

On another note. The below is from another forum on the XM-18 centering.

Rico801;4470254 said:
Okay, I finally took my 3" XM-18 apart and cleaned it up. This knife has always been perfectly centered and the blade was really smooth and opened like lightning.

Usually when I put my XMs together and get the blade centered they are a little tight making it hard to flip open. When I got this one together, the blade was past center towards the lock face and still looser than I like.

I called Rob on the phone and he taught me a little trick that fixed the problem. I felt bad because while I was talking with Rob, my kids were going crazy in the back ground. He didn't seem to mind though.
buddies.gif


Here we go:

1. Open blade to 90 degrees and tighten pivot so that it is really tight.

2. Close the blade and loosen frame screws so they aren’t tight, but still holding the frame together.

3. While the blade is still in the closed position, pull blade towards the side you want the blade to move. In my case, I pulled the blade toward the liner/scale.

4. While pulling blade, tighten the frame screws.

5. Loosen the pivot and adjust it to the desired tension.

These instructions helped to "reset" my blade. Now while in the centered position, my blade has a little more resistance. This is the way I like mine to be.
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