Blade off-center: why does it happen, and should I care?

[raindog101]

I'm posting this in the Spyderco forum, because I just obtained an older Stretch II (with the rougher jimping), and noticed the blade is not centered. So I got curious, and laid the flat of the blade on a table on each side. Sure enough, the blade seemed to curve very slightly to the right, starting about 1/2" from the tip. Should I be concerned about this? It doesn't seem to affect the performance of the knife, so I probably won't worry to much about it. But it did arouse my curiosity a little. What is primarily responsible for blades being off-center? Is it blade "warp", or a pivot issue, or what? I've seen some blades that appeared off-center for the entire length of the blade, suggesting a problem at the pivot. But my knife resume is rather short and unimpressive, so I was throwing this question out to the knowledgeable members of this forum.

 

[65535]

As long as there is no play in the pivot (although it is generally acceptable for lockbacks to have minor vertical play) there is not issue, unless the blade is actually bent.

Just being off center could mean uneven washers (does not affect anything but aesthetics) but you'd be hardpressed to notice that as it would be a nearly invisible offset.

Sometimes the pivot just isn't aimed quite straight, no real reason (frame locks and liner locks can push the blade slightly sideways), but unless there is play it makes no difference.

 

[raindog101]

As long as there is no play in the pivot (although it is generally acceptable for lockbacks to have minor vertical play) there is not issue, unless the blade is actually bent.

Just being off center could mean uneven washers (does not affect anything but aesthetics) but you'd be hardpressed to notice that as it would be a nearly invisible offset.

Sometimes the pivot just isn't aimed quite straight, no real reason (frame locks and liner locks can push the blade slightly sideways), but unless there is play it makes no difference.

Thanks for the response. In this particular case, I think it's the blade itself. My eye is not acute enough to say for sure, but it looks like either the blade itself is bent, or the distal taper grinds are uneven (one being much steeper than the other). Wish I could say for sure. I'll have to drag the camera out, take a pic later tonight...

 

[v8r]

my original Stretch has the same issue, don't fret my friend.It is made by human hands.

 

[perchjerk]

i got my digi cam mili 2 days ago and it has the same thing. it works fine for me so i tuen my cheek to it! just enjoy ur knife man!

 

[raindog101]

I hear y'all. And don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying it all right. It doesn't really bother me, but it did get me wondering about some reasons you might see this problem. 65535 gave me some good insight, so I learned something today! But to me, it doesn't take away from the awesomeness of this knife. However, I notice people asking about centered blades a lot in the sale threads, as if it is an indicator of quality. IMO, as long as the blade is not grinding along the liner/scale when it's being opened/closed, it is a non-issue. Would some disagree, thinking that it might be indicative of a pivot problem down the line?

 

[65535]

However, I notice people asking about centered blades a lot in the sale threads, as if it is an indicator of quality. IMO, as long as the blade is not grinding along the liner/scale when it's being opened/closed, it is a non-issue. Would some disagree, thinking that it might be indicative of a pivot problem down the line?

A lot of people do think that blade centering is indicative of quality, yes if you spend a lot of time going over blade alignment you have a high quality centered knife, but just because the blade isn't perfectly centered in the handles doesn't mean it's a lesser knife.

Strider words it pretty well, we don't make a knife to look perfect, we make a knife that works. If you want the blade centered we can do it, but it don't make a damn difference in use.

I like mine centered because it usually tells me my pivot is tight and everything is clearing everything else, that there should be no binding.