Breaking in a Mini A-100?

Inazone

Inazone

Joined
Aug 27, 2012
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My first Emerson, a Mini A-100, arrived today, and I'm finding it a little different from what I'm used to. It opens extremely stiff, so I thought "I'll just adjust the pivot screw" but found that the screw (unexpectedly a flathead) really only has a tiny amount of travel, certainly not enough to adjust anything. Is this just the nature of the knife, and I should expect to spend a lot of time breaking it in?

I didn't oil it yet, figuring that as a newb to the brand, it would be worth asking about first.
 
Emerson brand of knives have a break-in period and are just stiffer in general. They use a stiffer 2nd detent in a lot of models to regulate the tension between the lockbar and the closed detent. A safe guess would be @200 full opening/closings. Something to do while watching TV or a movie. You can take it apart and change out the lube that is provided. The break-in process is something that needs to happen just like a pair of new shoes. Don't loosen up the pivot too much or you will get abnormal wear on the lockbar interface. You can loosen it but do not leave any slop/ in the adjustment. Be patient, it WILL get better! Great purchase, I have one too!
 
I would take it apart, clean out the black sludge, and oil it up. Then open and close it for a few days while your watching TV and it'll be smooth as glass.
 
Buy some Frog Lube, rub it on the blade, and metal parts. fron Libe is a great lube, and coating. Now open and close the knife about 250-300 times. All the way open, and Al the way closed. This is done while watching TV, etc.

Bet the knife feels better after the above process.
 
Regarding Frog Lube: If you do disassemble and clean it, make sure you clean off any traces of lube from the pivot, and anything contacting it. To use frog lube effectively, you should warm up the metal pieces you wish to coat with it before applying (heat from a hair dryer works fine). Don't know why people that use it never mention that.
 
I also take mine apart and clean all the contact points after opening and closing a few dozen times. I wipe the blade, washers and liners with frog lube too but clean all of it off before reassembly. I find that putting it back together dry it is just as smooth as oiled but stays smooth longer. Any oil would work to clean it but I don't recommend leaving any oil on it when putting it back together.
 
rayster357 said:
Emerson brand of knives have a break-in period and are just stiffer in general. They use a stiffer 2nd detent in a lot of models to regulate the tension between the lockbar and the closed detent. A safe guess would be @200 full opening/closings. Something to do while watching TV or a movie. You can take it apart and change out the lube that is provided. The break-in process is something that needs to happen just like a pair of new shoes. Don't loosen up the pivot too much or you will get abnormal wear on the lockbar interface. You can loosen it but do not leave any slop/ in the adjustment. Be patient, it WILL get better! Great purchase, I have one too!
Click to expand...

I can't improve on anything that Rayster said.
 
Take it down and inspect the liners. I recently had to return my Mini A-100 due to a defective non-lock liner - the detent tab wasn't cut all the way through and couldn't flex properly. I had tried to break it in with about 500 openings and it wasn't improving. A quick trip back to the mothership and it's perfect now.
 
Thanks for all the tips. I did the obligatory "dinner and a movie . . . and knife opening/closing" and oiled the pivot, and I'm guessing that the pivot screw needed a little breaking in. Once I tried to adjust via the screw (which initially would barely move) I was able to get it the way I wanted it. The liner lock is a bit difficult to disengage if I give the blade an especially strong flick open, but otherwise all is well.
 
I just got a new Mini 100 in last week. It was stiff and the G10 was a little stickier than I like, so I took it apart first thing. Sanded the scales very very lightly, cleaned the pivot and put on a few drops of Benchmade Blue Lube. As soon as I put it back together it was PERFECT!! Smooth as silk! Much faster than waiting for it to break in too.:D
 
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