Curse of the wobble.

T

TheDoggyGuru

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Ok, so a hot topic here at TF&FB is rust and patina on carbon steel blades. However, there is another aspect of folding knives that is a concern to some, and that's the wobble. That side play our blades develop sometimes. Specially as knives get older, or used more, they start to loosen and develop that side to side movement. It used to drive me crazy. I HATED a loose blade. It made me feel like the knive wasn't secure enough and might give on me on a heavy cutting task. I'd use the Tapping method or the vise method to take it out, but some times would end up loosing the good walk or talk as a result, which again would drive me crazy. I have actually thrown knives away when I couldn't remove the wobble. As I'm getting older, it seems like it doesn't bother me as much. I just got a Buck 303 cadet last night, and the blades have a little bit of a wobble. Not much, but enough to notice. However, the knife seems sturdy enough even with the wobble. What do you guys think about this? Will you go to great lengths to have a wobble-free knife? Does it even matter to you? Do you just live with it? Someone mentioned how a "working" knife may have scratches and signs of use on the blade, and that it's ok. Is a little wobble ok on a "working" knife? Is it to be expected?
 
As a more experienced slip joint loving buddy of mine once pointed out....
Take a look at a real old pocket knife,that has been there,and back,a few times.The blades may wobble a bit,but it still cuts and works just as good as the next.....
Good thread though,
-Vince
 
VCM3 said:
As a more experienced slip joint loving buddy of mine once pointed out....
Take a look at a real old pocket knife,that has been there,and back,a few times.The blades may wobble a bit,but it still cuts and works just as good as the next.....
Good thread though,
-Vince
Click to expand...

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Unless its really exsessive, its okay, its not going anywhere.

I can understand the high tech folders with the tricky close tollerance locking mechanisims needing to be tight as a bank vault, but in a slip joint, because of the nature of the beast, it makes no difference to the funtion of the knife.

In fact, if I may be so bold to offer another way of looking at it, it just may be a good thing under some conditions. Wobble means space, clearence. If a pocket knife is going to be used hard under dirty conditions, it seems to me that a knife with enough space to have wobble, and if held up can see light through the gaps, could be rinsed out or cleaned better. It will certainly function better without being rocket lab clean than a knife with zero slop or wobble. Kind of like the old 1911A1's we had in the army. You could hold it up and shake it and hear it rattle, but slide in a 7 round mag and it would shoot the whole thing in a very reliable mannor.

I have a couple of pocket knives that are over 70 years old, and they all have blade wobble, but I'm not about to try to tighten them up. First, it makes no difference in the way they cut, and second, I don't want to overdue anything. You just have to get over the modern mental outlook that everything has to be perfect. Old things tend to have a bit of wobble, or wear and tear, but still function. Heck, you should see me wobble when I get up out of a chair I've been in a while, and take the first couple of steps to loosen up!:eek: But I'm still here and fuctioning.

Just enjoy the knives as they are, and let them remind you as a metaphor that its not a perfect world.:D
 
Wobble is easy to fix. Just give it a whack :) Works every time. That's one of the reasons I like Puma lockbacks with their exposed pivot pins. Real easy to give it that once every 10 year adjustment.
 
I wouldn't be too happy with a brand new knife that has wobbly blades, regardless of the type of knife (slipjoint, locking).

Sometimes I feel that traditional knives are cut some slack when it comes to certain quality issues. If Spyderco users got blades with bad grinds or that were blunt, they would return them to the manufacturer. I can't imagine a Benchmade user being fine with a little wobble in his Griptilian. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that we sometimes don't demand enough from the manufacturers.
 
Quite a few of my slipjoints have blades with a little side to side play, it really doesn't bother me.

But I recently bought a Bulldog Sowbelly with a loose blade. The small Persian clip blade was never tightened up properly, there was a gap where the bolster/liner/spring all meet. Clearly that was a defect, I was just too lazy to send it back so I tightened it up myself.
 
brownshoe said:
Wobble is easy to fix. Just give it a whack :) Works every time. That's one of the reasons I like Puma lockbacks with their exposed pivot pins. Real easy to give it that once every 10 year adjustment.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: exactly. I cant stand wobble in any folder , Slipjoint or not.
A well placed , semi-gentle tap or two with a rawhide mallet is usually all it takes.
 
brownshoe said:
Wobble is easy to fix. Just give it a whack :) Works every time. That's one of the reasons I like Puma lockbacks with their exposed pivot pins. Real easy to give it that once every 10 year adjustment.
Click to expand...

If there's side to side blade play on a knife I'm buying as a collectable it bugs me because the minute I do any minor surgery on it, it is no longer "mint".

However if one of my users develops side to side play, I either just tolerate it or do what brownshoe does, i.e. get out the dead blow hammer and give it a whack!

In order to not damage the knife I'll put the knife on a magazine on my bench, and cover the bolster with a cloth to prevent scratching and dampen the blow.
 
I seem to have a higher tolerance for play than most people on the forums. If the lateral or vertical movement is less than an eighth of an inch at the tip of the blade, I'm okay with it. I have plenty of knives with that much play (and several with even more) that I have used for years with no problems at all. If I want a knife with no play at all, I get out a fixed blade with a full tang.

Folding knives fold. Things with moving parts require some clearance between those parts to move. I have dealt with enough friction fit parts in my life to accept that as a fact. How much clearance is acceptable is entirely subjective, and discussing THAT is like discussing religion or politics - pretty much a waste of time, since everyone has their own opinion which they KNOW is the only right answer. :D
 
TheDoggyGuru said:
Ok, so a hot topic here at TF&FB is rust and patina on carbon steel blades. However, there is another aspect of folding knives that is a concern to some, and that's the wobble. That side play our blades develop sometimes. Specially as knives get older, or used more, they start to loosen and develop that side to side movement. It used to drive me crazy. I HATED a loose blade. It made me feel like the knive wasn't secure enough and might give on me on a heavy cutting task. I'd use the Tapping method or the vise method to take it out, but some times would end up loosing the good walk or talk as a result, which again would drive me crazy. I have actually thrown knives away when I couldn't remove the wobble. As I'm getting older, it seems like it doesn't bother me as much. I just got a Buck 303 cadet last night, and the blades have a little bit of a wobble. Not much, but enough to notice. However, the knife seems sturdy enough even with the wobble. What do you guys think about this? Will you go to great lengths to have a wobble-free knife? Does it even matter to you? Do you just live with it? Someone mentioned how a "working" knife may have scratches and signs of use on the blade, and that it's ok. Is a little wobble ok on a "working" knife? Is it to be expected?
Click to expand...


Some knives need to have slight play to operate smoothly and have walk and talk while others do not. It isn't that hard to remove play and still keep the walk and talk if done properly. A little bit of play doesn't bother me, but alot does. If I can feel the blade shift from side to side while sharpening it on a stone, it's way too loose.
 
I think any blade wobble is too much when you're talking about a new custom or new high end production folder.

Any folder is going to loosen up over a period of time, some quicker then others. A little wobble doesn't bother me when the knife is used. A lot of wobble and it's time for the rubber hammer tune up.
 
I hate wobble in a new knife,but if it's one that I've put through the paces and it's done it's share of work I can exept it.

It may just be me but It seems like trappers and other paterns with long blades loosen up quicker than stockmans and other paterns with shorter blades,espesialy if used for carving etc. Im guessing due to the increased leverage on the pins.

What I hate more than a little "extra space" is a knife that has a blade and spring that dosen't meet up nice and square,those are the ones in my experience that develope exesive play.
 
Blade wobble (side to side) in a slip joint is just poor quality assembly and tolerances in parts.

Pick up any Victorinox and check for blade play,,,,they make 100 times more knives per day than any other manuf. in the world,,,the fit and finish are perfect, every time.

Most of the older knives (in good condition) have very little if any blade wobble. This was a source of pride and quality control for the manufacturers. If we continue to accept poor quality, the manuf. will continue to make sloppy slip joints.

Regards,
FK
 
:thumbup: :thumbup: on the Victorinox,My favorite brand since I discovered how well made and consistent they are.Im my opinion some of the best made and toughest slippies around!
 
lotoblades said:
:thumbup: :thumbup: on the Victorinox,My favorite brand since I discovered how well made and consistent they are.Im my opinion some of the best made and toughest slippies around!
Click to expand...

You and FK are right about the Victorinox quality. More and more as I grow older and want fewer possesions with more versitility, I find myself gravitating to sak's. For many years I edc'ed a tinker in a belt pouch with a small LED light. Of late I've been carrying a cadet 2, and find myself very taken by the build quality and ruggedness of the construction. Not too long ago I swapped a knife for a Wenger SI, and it also has made a heck of an impression on me. A pretty bullit proof pocket knife!:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Plus the Wenger SI reminds me of the scout knives I grew up with.
 
Yea people see the shiny scales and think junk until they use one,then there hooked,great knives.
 
I don't have any new slipjoints. Just a couple I've carried off and on for 30 years. I also have some new modern design stuff.

I find I am more tolerant of wobble in a slip joint than in a modern design. I grew up with slipjoints and they were always tools, not toys or looky see's. So as long as they cut they were good.

My slip joints cut whether they gots a little wobble or not, so they are always good.
 
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