Years and years ago, automobile engines used to require adjustment every five or six thousand miles. Then, engineers improved the design and got that maintenance interval up to 15,000 miles.
My twelve-year-old car calls for a service ever 35,000 miles and they really don't even do much at that service.
Newer cars are bragging about needing no scheduled service for 100,000 miles. In fact, today's auto makers believe that most "maintenance" generally does more harm than good. The best thing you can do is keep your grubby hands out.
So, if I buy one of these new cars, should I feel bad about not tearing the engine down every 15,000 miles because that's what my father did to his cars? Should I feel that I'm not doing enough to maintain my engine? Of course not. I should be delighted that my car has been designed not to burden me with those maintenace demands. I put in gas as needed, change the oil and filter every few months, and that's all I need to do.
Likewise, BM knives are designed and constructed not to need to be torn down and rebuilt. Instead of asking if I'm doing enough to peoperly maintain my knife, I should be delighted that my knife has been designed not to burden me with those maintenance demands. I sharpen the edge as needed, rinse the dirt and pocket lint out every few months, and that's all I need to do.
The fact that some other manufacturer includes a wrench simply indicates that that manufacturer is admitting that his knife is not so well designed.
About fifteen years ago, most auto makers chagned to what are called "compact spare tires." By new, you've seen and maybe even used one of these. Why did they do this? Cost and weight certainly figured into the decision, but so did the simple fact that modern tires are much, much more reliable. Some folks lamented the switch to compact spares. If you look, the spare tire compartment of my car is large enough to hold a full-size spare if you insist because at the time my car was built, twelve years ago, some people still weren't comfortable with the compact spare.
Recently, chevrolet stopped including a spare tire at all on several models. Why? They now have "run flat" tires as standard equipment. You don't need a spare any more at all.
Some people will be upset with that. They've always carried a spare tire. They resisted compact spares but finally accepted them. And now they're being told that you don't need a spare at all. No way. They see this as something being taken away from them. First, the evil car companies took away their full-size spare (giving them more trunk space, a less-expensive car, and better fuel economy in exchange, but don't point that out to these people). Now, those evil car companies are at it again taking away the spare tire entirely. It a vast conspiracy! (The goal of which is entirely unclear but that that's irrelevant.)
I, on the other hand, see this change in tire backup as progress. I'm excited about and pleased by a car that has tires so reliable that I don't need to carry a full-size spare. I don't enjoy changing tires in my dress cloths by the side of the road on a cold, dark, rainy night and I'm pleased that automotive engineers have addressed that. I'm even more pleased and excited by a new design that completely elliminates that problem.
Likewise, I'm pleased by a knife design that doesn't need to be periodically torn apart and rebuilt. I'm pleased and excited by one who's manufacturer feels that it is do well designed and constructed that they don't need to include a wrench and, in fact, feel the need to ask you not to disassemble the knife.
Unlike those who decry the decline of spare tires, I don't feel like something has been taken away from me. Instead, I feel like something has been given to me.
