Blade centering, how important is it to you?

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Centering does not matter to me one bit, unless it causes opening and closing problems.

But, I guess since it is SUCH a big deal to some(which is fine, everyone has their hangups and views on quality, F&F, etc.), it matters to me if there is a chance I might re-sell the knife after some use. That would be the only way it matters to me.
 
David Lowry said:
People worry about minute stuff like this waaaaaay too much. As long as it's not touching one side it doesn't matter.
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Same. I also think it's also that I'm of age where centering was never a big deal unless it was a very high dollar custom. It's gotten really important now, but years ago it was never thought about. As long as the blade wasn't warped and the liners weren't rubbing, you were good :).
 
I only accept off centering if I have to back off the pivot to improve the action. The only ZT with KVT I have will not come off center unless you completely take out the pivot it's a 561. A centered blade is more pleasing than a non centered one tho
 
I can't say I won't sell it cause I've bought and sold a lot of knives over the last few months. That's the key, if I sell it, It needs to meet certain standards depending on the condition you sell it in. I dislike the idea of picking apart a knife for flaws that I'm loosing money on anyways, I don't sell for profit, I sell cause I want to try something else and I know I'm going to take a loss.
 
To me it matters largely because to me it's a sign of care and tolerances, a well made knife with good tolerances goes together smoothly and once you have the pivot tight the blade it centered. If a knife needs a ton of tinkering and trial and error to center the blade it's a design flaw to me. Which of course is in part due to construction, a frame lock centers a lot easier than a compression or axis lock.
 
Benchmade and Spyderco point the finger at each other (it's actually the users, not the manufacture's) for best action but it's the same, you brought up a good point, axis or compression lock. You want better action, you loosen the pivot, the blade doesn't always center properly. As the warranty department mentioned to me this morning (when I called Spyderco), don't mess with the pivot, let the knife break in and the action will follow.
 
I’ve always taken it as a sign that most everything else in our lives is spectacular if we allow ourselves to stress over minor details. I can’t help but wonder, for those who admit this being important to them, if we had their bosses here with us, if they’d be able to confirm perfection in their daily duties.

Please don’t take offense. I like to discuss things like this, and poke and prod at both sides of an issue to to make myself (and others) think beyond just an emotion driven view.

We as consumers have been conditioned to have high expectations, sometimes to the level of ridiculous. At the same time, we as employees seem to be heading in the opposite direction at times. Seems an important inconsistency to note.

Full disclosure, yes, I like my blades centered. But as long as there’s no rubbing or other problems with the basic functionality of what is truly a basic tool, then I won’t return it or make a stink about in. Perhaps I might feel differently if it were over a certain price point. In that case, the difference you’re paying for is “bragging rights” more so than actual functional quality differences.

Sorry for the long, philosophical meandering post.
 
Roikyou said:
Benchmade and Spyderco point the finger at each other for best action but it's the same, you brought up a good point, axis or compression lock. You want better action, you loosen the pivot, the blade doesn't always center properly. As the warranty department mentioned to me this morning (when I called Spyderco), don't mess with the pivot, let the knife break in and the action will follow.
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True, the washers need some time to wear in, but still, it should leave the factory at least fairly centered, if the first thing you notice on your new knife that the blade isn't center it feels sloppy to me. SOMEBODY assembled the knife and looked it over, if they didn't see a noticeably off center blade they are either crap at their job or don't care, neither is a good thing. It can't be that hard to set it aside and move on to the next. Again, it might be in large part psychological but really off center blades irk me out.

As for Astronaut FX Astronaut FX 's post, it annoys me at work as well, all those "improvised fixes" I often have to do, to do "good enough" because a certain spare part isn't available and something needs doing right away. It irks me just as much. I am far from perfect but I would love to be able to do everything right. I am not a perfectionist but I have the desire to deliver the best work possible.
 
Astronaut FX Astronaut FX to me, I had to say that was a great post. I've opted for production knives that have that midway of quality and performance. I get they're production and tolerances are met to meet a budget, else for the absolute perfection we'd probably be paying 300 plus. I've seen and owned those 400 plus knifes that the QC was lost out the window. I quit buying anything much over 200 any more, I feel the value for this level of knife is perfect. If I want to resell it, it's still kind of a budget, not quite a 30 dollar knife but they go quick.
 
It didn't bother me or effect performance till I joined blade forums and learned that it was a quality thing.
Now centering or lack thereof does bother me because I notice it, and I'm convinced it effects something.
I really get upset about even the slightest amount of blade play side to side. But honestly I think if the knife isn't so off centered it rubs and it doesn't have so much play that the blade moves around when you cut then it's practically fine, but after becoming a knife geek, I almost can't shake those little imperfections in the back of my mind.
My Manix is off centered and has a little blade play even after adjusting screws, and the whole trouble shooting thing but I'm loving carrying it to work and it performs fine.
 
Not something that I even remotely care about. My primary purpose for pocket knives is cutting or slicing, not as subjects of photography or highly magnified inspection. If the blade opens and closes normally, that's good enough for me.
 
On a production knife, as long as the blade does not rub on a liner or other blade (I generally carry multi-blade traditionals) an off center blade is not a real big deal to me.
 
I have a military that's not centered. It's really annoying cause the scale screws are free spinning so I've left it as is even though it's rubbing. I suspect one of the previous owners opened the pivot which probably caused it.

I got frustrated and don't use it much. I'm just too lazy to get another torx driver right now. I hate having to send knives in for warranty. My spydercos are probably the best of the bunch though. That's the only one with a issue and it was likely caused by previous owners. Not a huge deal.

Benchmades are a brand I won't get cause of the issues they have blade centering just one of the many issues.
 
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It matters to me, though I don't care if it's not quite perfectly centered.

What matters to me is whether the blade is scraping the liners or not and whether the blade is sitting flush against the washer/bearing pivot suspension system.

A centered blade, to me, is also a sign that somebody took the time to inspect the knife before shipping it.
 
Lock up and grind are #1. But if your like me and your only EDC costs $500 like a CRK , Hinderer or Shiro for example then darn tootin I expect a centered blade.

A back up like a Kershaw, Spyderco or Benchmade. Id not complain.

Otherwise it would bother me until the end.

I'm extremely detail oriented so it would be on my mind for a few months until I came to terms with the situation.
 
Generally I prefer my blades centered and I notice. But if the referenced knife was under $100, I wouldn't worry about it. If it was over $100, I would be more concerned. This is one of the reasons that the majority of my knives are purchased "in person" and I look over the actual knife I will be taking home. So far this year.... 3 in store purchases and one mail order and the internet order was a fixed blade. In all fairness, it's about 50-50 for me overall.
 
As long as it’s not rubbing i’m usually fine with it. There are some higher end knives where it was less acceptable, especially if the knife is a safe wueen you might resell.

Rubbing drives me insane.
 
Roikyou said:
Astronaut FX Astronaut FX to me, I had to say that was a great post. I've opted for production knives that have that midway of quality and performance. I get they're production and tolerances are met to meet a budget, else for the absolute perfection we'd probably be paying 300 plus. I've seen and owned those 400 plus knifes that the QC was lost out the window. I quit buying anything much over 200 any more, I feel the value for this level of knife is perfect. If I want to resell it, it's still kind of a budget, not quite a 30 dollar knife but they go quick.
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I pretty much stay under $200 on folders also. If its' a big brand like Benchmade or Spyderco, I expect a well made knife and they usually deliver. If the blade is a tad off center but not rubbing, I generally don't worry about it. I have had very good experience with these brands and for the most part they aren't budget knives. With a custom (and I own some), I would be unhappy. To date, I have not been selling my un-used or unwanted knives and yes, that could impact the asking price. That could change.
 
As long as it’s not way off I’m not too bothered by it. I just looked at a dozen of my most used folders. Four were good and the other eight were very close.
My Taiwan Spydercos have been the best.
 
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