Blade centering. Should I care?

Ptman2000

Ptman2000

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Feb 8, 2014
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I've always seen people stating or asking about the blade centering in the sales forum.

If there is no blade play and the blade doesn't rub the scales. Does it really matter if the blade is centered perfectly in a knife?

Thx for your thoughts!
 
The way I see blade centering, it falls under the manufacturers terms of "Craftsmanship". If a folder is built and assembled correctly, it should have a centered blade. That means that the craftsmanship is high.Just like anything else, you expect symmetry when you buy pants (both legs the same length, when you buy shoes, both have the same stitching and fit your feet correctly), when you buy a table (you want all 4 legs to be the same length so it won't wobble). Most manufacturers warranty their products against defects in materials and craftsmanship. More than one manufacturer has described craftsmanship as the way the item is assembled. A wonky blade isn't good IMO.
 
Unless it's a certain type of traditional folder, then yes, I expect the blade to be centered.
 
I'm insane about it...just part of pride of ownership I suppose, as well as a symbol of attention to detail like Rev mentioned. I'll tighten or loosen pivots, switch washer sides...hell, I've even bent a frame a little to get a centered blade. Nothing like seeing it go right down the middle, and on some pieces almost required given how tight a blade's "bed" between the scales may be.
 
Are you able to center most knives if they don't come that way? Would you just send the knife back?
 
Do I like a centered blade yes, will an off center blade stop me from buying a knife I like no. It doesn't effect function of the tool.
 
Ptman2000 said:
Are you able to center most knives if they don't come that way? Would you just send the knife back?
Click to expand...

Simple question, complicated answer. Again, it depends on several factors. Some manufacturers will void your warranty on disassembly or suspicion of disassembly. It also depends on how much money the knife costs, what their reputation of customer satisfaction and how accurate their repairs are, and other factors. I have no problem adjusting pivots to see if I can get something corrected. Sometimes that is jus the way that specific knife might have left the shop.
 
Ptman2000 said:
If there is no blade play and the blade doesn't rub the scales. Does it really matter
Click to expand...

No it doesn't matter!

Or it only matters on a museum piece. I have about a dozen knives that I regularly carry and I couldn't tell you which ones are centered and which ones aren't. They all work fine for me.
 
A centered blade does not affect the way a knife does what it's supposed to do. I think it's a matter of opinion whether a centered blade defines the craftsmanship or quality of the single knife, the model, or the company that made it, the majority of us here know there's so much more to the whole picture. I do understand that people pay attention to how a blade is centered and why it might matter to them. If I'm going to store and have a choice between a centered blade and one that's not, I'll grab the centered one. If I order a knife online and it shows up off center, oh well, I can live with it. Brad
 
I have a Shirogorov clone, forgive me but I wanted to see if I'd like carrying it since it's a lot bigger than my other knives, with sculpted G-10 scales, recessed liner lock, bearings, the works(aside from the 9cr18mov steel). It was a whopping $36 shipped and I'll be damned if that blade is perfectly centered.

If a no name company can provide all that work, all those materials AND ship it halfway across the planet for $36, then yes, I expect my knives to be centered or at least pretty close.

Traditionals are a bit different, but I still expect to see a gap between the blade and both liners.
 
I suppose I would prefer it to be centered but am not crazy about it. I definitely can't accept it rubbing either of the liners, etc.
But if it's a little off and still functions correctly I don't really pay that much attention to it. I am not one who studies a knife
under a microscope to look for flaws, especially in a production knife. Once the knife gets up in the many, many hundreds of
dollars or past the thousand dollar mark my expectations increase.
 
someone answered my question yesterday so I will pay it forward. yes. blade centering is a mark of quality if nothing else. it is attention to detail good craftsmanship and high tolerance. you can $5 knives with centered blades but that is just luck. I have more high end customs than I care to mention and everyone of them is dead center. you can even count on the likes of spyderco and bm to regularly have a centered blade. they both make some duds but they will happily fix or replace them. with the big companies don't just say blade is not centered though. they may not consider that inclusive I don't know. in the end anything worth it's weight should be centered imo. I am in fact crazy about it but not with $100 knives. get into the thousands and you do not even have to ask that question. I don't mean to be a snob either. they should all be centered if they are any good imo. that's all. that being said as mentioned traditional are a little different. a older slip joint may not be completely. only in that case is it okay to me. a much bigger stickler for me is the lockup. you would be surprised what customs have a sticky bar but I can fix them no problem. also, for very high end knives I do inspect every aspect of them with a loupe. new, most makers are legit within their abilities. used over the internet if you do not know the party ask questions. you do not have to look too far to find knives with centered blades. perhaps not on the knife show ha.
 
Somewhere in my brain I have a list of things I care about when it comes to a folder. A centered blade is on that list somewhere, but it's several numbers down on that list.

I regard a centered blade as a "detail of quality", but I don't consider a blade that is not centered to automatically be a deal breaker.

Although I prefer a perfectly centered blade, things like solid lockup, no blade play, edge not hitting the back/inside of the knife, sturdy construction, etc, etc, all mean much more to me than a perfectly centered blade.

Of course, the higher the price tag, the higher the degree of quality I require. For a $100 knife I can easily overlook a blade that is not perfectly centered. But around the $300 mark I would expect a perfectly centered blade.
 
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