Can custom bearings damage knives ?

Mister_Punchy

Mister_Punchy

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Jul 8, 2020
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I just changed the OG bearings with some Skiff on my Hinderer and am concerned that the ceramic balls would end up carving tracks on the titanium bearings nests, especially since it is the main selling point for Taco bearings.

Should I be concerned or am I too OCD about this ? My Hinderer is my grail knife and I would hate to damage it.
 
I've never owned a Hinderer but did the stock bearings just ride on titanium? Every knife I have with titanium and bearings, from Olamic frame locks to WE liner locks, has a steel washer (race) between the titanium and the bearings. That design detail exists for a reason and I'd be surprised to see a $500ish knife without it.

If it does ride raw on the titanium, just defer to the point made by Locutus D'Borg Locutus D'Borg . Use whatever material the stock bearings used. (Skiff offers steel bearings too.)
 
They do not have steel washers plates and they run on steel bearings. That's too bad since the action improved quite a lot with the ceramic bearings (more balls).
 
Mister_Punchy said:
They do not have steel washers plates and they run on steel bearings. That's too bad since the action improved quite a lot with the ceramic bearings (more balls).
Click to expand...

So do "more balls" with steel. Skiff has a few sizes of glide ring available with steel bearings but you can also buy the bearings loose.

One of my favorite things about the Skiff Bearing upgrade is how inexpensive it is. The same $12 glide rings that upgraded my Olamic Wayfarer were an even bigger upgrade to my Petrified Fish 818 or my Sencut Neches. It's worth looking at the growing compatibility guide on their website. You can order a dozen or so in different sizes and get free shipping. :)
 
The Hinderer stock bearings carve tracks, too, in both lockside and liner. The bearings (some kind of carbon steel) are harder than the Ti.

If your ceramic bearings are multi-row, there will be multiple tracks, that's the only difference. If the bearings are single row, there is no difference.

Tracks are "self-correcting", meaning the depth increase slows down as the knife breaks in. If you don't keep disassembling the knife, at some point they will not deepen anymore.

Note that you can buy multi-row bearings for Hinderers with steel washers, too.

But bottom line: don't worry about it. If you want to keep the knife as new as possible, use the washers.
 
Any knife has a finite amount of use bef it starts to wear to the point of needing repairs or being damaged. If it’s used normally, it will last years without any issues. If it’s a fidget toy, then expect it to wear faster.
Where I work at, the facility is run 24hrs a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. So, things like chairs, stoves, refrigerators don’t last as long as if they were at a house where normal use is applied.
If I was going to flip my knife open/close a thousand times a day, I’d be leery of replacing the factory bearings.
 
Thank you guys for those precious informations. Anyway, after almost cutting myself several times with the guillotine action, I simply reverted my knife back to washers 😑

Chronovore Chronovore I live in Europe, so I need to carefully plan my Skiff purchases, as I get slaped in the face with 30 USD in shipping fees and taxes every time.
 
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