Centered blade, what does it matter?

Doesn't really matter, so long as the blade isn't rubbing the liners. Even then, it just becomes a cosmetic issue when it scratches up the blade.

Still, though, if I buy a higher-end knife and it has a bunch of little flaws that don't really affect performance (like rough edges, uncentred blade, bad lockup, scratched up blade), it kind of ticks me off. Even though those things don't really matter in use, I end up expecting a higher attention to detail when I pay more for a knife.
 
If you click on the first link in my last post - is the tried & true method for centering Millies. I've used on my own and other knives as well. It's just a little fiddling around. Too bad Spyderco has had this rap on their flagship folder for alll of these years and hasn't done a thing about it. I know - it doesn't matter right? It does to a lot of people though. :)
 
My brother wanted to try the Kershaw Half Ton, so I bought him one. I noticed the blade wasn't perfectly centered when closed. That got me thinking about my other folders and I checked my Endura, purchased in 1998. It is still perfectly centered.

Joe
 
It's all part of the fit and finish. The higher the $, the more anal I am about it. Besides, in regards to alignment, balance and symmetry, conscience of it or not, we look for it.
 
On a user (REAL USE) it really doesn't matter as long as the blade doesn't rub, or shouldn't matter really because if the knife is used it will get scratched up and worn over time anyway if used for more than a pocket ornament, flip toy ect..... Kitchen use with folders doesn't count as real use either, that's playing, using them as toys because just about any cheap dull paring knife will perform better in the kitchen than 99% of folders will. And a sharp cheap kitchen knife will do better than any folder in the kitchen.

Most of the knives I have seen the blades have been close enough to center.

On customs I would expect them to be centered or very close since they are hand made so the maker an make adjustments before they are finished with it.

Also if the knife is expensive, $300 and up I would expect more than with the less expensive knives.

It's all about being realistic and understanding the basic process of production manufacturing.

I think it's very amusing how these days there are people who go over cheap production knives with a magnifying glass and expect perfection.
 
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I never even bother to check. It still catches me a little off guard when I'm selling a knife and someone asks me "is the blade centered?"

I have two knives in my pocket and a third on top of my desk as I'm typing this. All of them are just a hair off center but none even close to rubbing the liner. I didn't know that about any of them until I pulled them out to check just now. I just never mattered to me for a working knife.

I think the obsession with blade centering is more acute in the slipjoint world because it has been used as a measure of build quality. WHether it really reflects anything useful is debatable, but it does give the old knife traders something to talk about. I also think some of them focus on it because they can use the lack of blade centering as a bargaining point to talk down the prices of knives they are trading for :)
 
Some interesting points made above. I never really gave it a thought either until I started visiting the exchange, an a centered blade was always mentioned as a positive.

My first Spyderco experience was a recent Caly 3 with Super Blue. For a relatively inexpensive production knife, it was as close to perfection at that price point as I could have asked for. So, I was surprised when the millie and Para came not centered. But that prompted my OP of "does it really matter" to a user. Most answers I think lean towards no, and that's my feeling as well.

But, if it's easy enough to center up with some of the tips given, why not? In fact, I tried the tip in the video on the Para and it worked perfect. Not so well on the Millie. I'll try the tip in the first link later tomorrow when I have time.
 
For the anal among us. This has never failed on my Milllies (I use matchbook cover and fold it tightly to the desired thickness) - courtesy of LowTEC03

you shouldn't loosen the blade. instead, tighten the pivot to very tight, then loosen the back spacer screws, press the blade to the opposite side and wedge the blade with paper and let it stay like that when closed. then tighten up the rest of the screws, take the paper out and see the centering again, when desired result is reach, adjust the pivot back to normal tightness, problem fixed. I have 9/10 of all my Spydercos NOT center when close and I use a few different methods to fix all of them, and this is the one for millie and para.
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Edit: I've found from researching several centering posts and PMing guys like STR, that it's really the handle slabs that have to be moved. That's why in the above example the blade is closed and tightened 1st and the spine screws loosened. Then ya shim the blade (I usually shim it flush to the non-offending side and not shimmed at the tip but closer to the pivot or mid-spine). After doing all that and tightening the spine screws if it's looking lots better you loosen the pivot back to normal. If still more is desired you just shim more and place your wedge closer to the pivot. It's always worked for me and is very satisfying.

To you scoffers, $125+ is a lot of cash to some of us to drop on a "pocket knife" and I personally expect it to be excellent in every way. I understand that you're jaded in your expectations & I respect your opinions but plz understand that our/my expectations aren't unrealistic at the price point we're talking about. YMMV :)
 
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elkins45 said:
I never even bother to check. It still catches me a little off guard when I'm selling a knife and someone asks me "is the blade centered?"

I have two knives in my pocket and a third on top of my desk as I'm typing this. All of them are just a hair off center but none even close to rubbing the liner. I didn't know that about any of them until I pulled them out to check just now. I just never mattered to me for a working knife.

I think the obsession with blade centering is more acute in the slipjoint world because it has been used as a measure of build quality. WHether it really reflects anything useful is debatable, but it does give the old knife traders something to talk about. I also think some of them focus on it because they can use the lack of blade centering as a bargaining point to talk down the prices of knives they are trading for :)
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Slip Joints are a whole different world, especially customs and those that are multi-bladed, if the blade or blades are even slightly off they will rub because there just isn't much room there to play with at all and MOST really aren't user adjustable at all because they are pinned construction so they have to be right. The craftsmen that make custom slip joints are really excellent and the time and work that goes into them is usually reflected in the price also, usually in Sebenza range or higher from one of the top makers.

Some really need to grasp reality in what they are buying and cost of what it is they are buying.....

$5 to around $100 don't expect too much most of the time, but some can be really clean depending on the maker.

$120 to $250 one can expect it to be good with some things here and there going on depending.....

Over $250 we can expect them to be right with getting close to excellent as the price goes up from there.

There is no perfect that is made by man and likely never will be, I haven't met a knife yet in any price range that I couldn't find something if I looked hard enough. I have a 105mm MACRO Lens and with that and my Camera I can really look hard if i wanted too and blow the images up very big and really look.
 
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Doesn't matter if it doesn't rub the liners, as some have said. In the worst case, from my experience, an off center blade may hit one of the spacers and ding the edge, if they have get wider towards the liners..
 
cziv said:
To you scoffers, $125+ is a lot of cash to some of us to drop on a "pocket knife" and I personally expect it to be excellent in every way. I understand that you're jaded in your expectations & I respect your opinions but plz understand that our/my expectations aren't unrealistic at the price point we're talking about. YMMV :)
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+1.

When I talk about not caring whether or not an inexpensive knife has a centred blade, I'm talking about <70$ knives. For me, if I pay more than that for a blade, I kind of expect it to have some pretty tight fit and finish.

I kind of laughed when actionyak called the Caly 3.5 superblue a "relatively inexpensive production knife". No offense man, it's just that I don't even own any knives that expensive anymore... Besides, most folks I know think anything over thirty bucks is an expensive production knife.
 
actionyak said:
Centered blade, what does it matter?


My only negative observation was that each has an off center blade while closed. Having made that observation, and determining that was a negative, I had to ask myself, "Why?" What does an off center blade take away from the functionality of the knife? Of course, if it is so off center it is rubbing the liner or interfering with closing or opening, that is a problem. That is not the case here.

Thoughts?
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I think much as you, for a knife you are carrying to use, centering of the blade in the closed position doesn't matter a bit.

On the other hand, if it's on a knife that is being bought as pocket jewelry, I suppose someone could get bent about it.

I've had a number of knives with off-center blades over the last 50 years that I've been carrying and using knives. It's never bothered me.

IMO, adjusting a knife with a liner lock to center the blade is a bad idea. When you do that you are changing the engagement angle of the lock interface. Not a good thing. That can affect the security of the lockup. I can't help wondering how many liner lock failures are actually due to someone adjusting the blade to sit in the middle of the handle.
 
Dorito Monk, it's all relative. That Caly Super Blue is a production knife, so is a Sebenza. I felt for the price of that Caly, it had superb fit and finish. It was just very well done. I was impressed, and while it certainly wasn't cheap, it's a lot less than many other production knives.

Interesting point above about messing with the centering may effect the lockup. Hadn't considered that at all.
 
I can't build a knife and I don't know what it takes to create one. I like for the things that I actually can see to be right (blade centering, locking up correctly.) I'm hoping it's an indicator that the creator took the time to get everything I can't see or figure out right.
 
It matters to me. I have $30 knives with dead centered blades and solid lock up in all directions. Why shouldn't I expect the same from $100 knives and up? In the case of off centered blades, it's either sloppy assembly or warped/bent components or a little of both and all that tells me is the MFGs or makers just doesn't put enough effort into assembly and quality control of the components.

It matters to me.
 
Ankerson said:
I think it's very amusing how these days there are people who go over cheap production knives with a magnifying glass and expect perfection.
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$150 ain't cheap for a folding knife.
Sure, I've spent far more, but when you pay over $100 for a frigging folding knife, you DO get the right to start being picky.
 
Ankerson said:
On a user (REAL USE) it really doesn't matter as long as the blade doesn't rub, or shouldn't matter really because if the knife is used it will get scratched up and worn over time anyway if used for more than a pocket ornament, flip toy ect..... Kitchen use with folders doesn't count as real use either, that's playing, using them as toys because just about any cheap dull paring knife will perform better in the kitchen than 99% of folders will. And a sharp cheap kitchen knife will do better than any folder in the kitchen.
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So what the hell DOES constitute "real use" for a folder?
I get tired of the "Don't use a folding knife for THAT!!!" mentality.
If you listened to all the (conflicting) opinions for "proper" folder use you wouldn't:
-cut food (kitchen knife)
-cut paper (use scissors)
-cut cardboard (use box cutter)
-open your mail (use letter opener)
-cut wood (use fixed bla...I mean axe...no wait, use saw...)
-cut carpet (use carpet knife)
-pry out staples (better carry a staple remover at all times)
-and anything else THEY don't approve of...
and then we whine about how people don't see a knife as a useful tool when we put ten thousand restictions on what to use one for?
 
stabman said:
So what the hell DOES constitute "real use" for a folder?
I get tired of the "Don't use a folding knife for THAT!!!" mentality.
If you listened to all the (conflicting) opinions for "proper" folder use you wouldn't:
-cut food (kitchen knife)
-cut paper (use scissors)
-cut cardboard (use box cutter)
-open your mail (use letter opener)
-cut wood (use fixed bla...I mean axe...no wait, use saw...)
-cut carpet (use carpet knife)
-pry out staples (better carry a staple remover at all times)
-and anything else THEY don't approve of...
and then we whine about how people don't see a knife as a useful tool when we put ten thousand restictions on what to use one for?
Click to expand...

Box cutters don't work that well most of the time unless they are of the utility knife type.
 
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