Dang ! Broke the spring on my Boa

beluga

beluga

Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Messages
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Got this Boa (old school Boa, with CPM 440V blade) some years back, perhaps in 2000. I use the heck out of this folder, and finally the spring gave up last night. When I closed the blade, I heard a loud 'SNAP', and when I disassemble it, found the spring broken.

Warranty is not an option until I go home to the ol' United states.

I guess the Boa without the spring will have to do for now. It's such a great knife, underrated though. CPM440V blade steel that stays sharp and easy to sharpen, great ergo, recurve blade for more belly, solid lock up (steel liners), what more can a man ask for? Anybody still EDC this Boa ?
 
Contact kershaw and see if they will mail you a replacement torsion bar. They are super helpful, you should be fine.
 
My mini mojo's spring broke, but otherwise the knife worked perfectly. I prefer manuals, so I left it that way.

How's the boa working with the broken spring? Still retaining the closed blade and everything? Might consider just upgrading to a manual folder.
 
I have the Boa using the same blade steel. It has been used for a little cutting so far (still fairly new) but nothing to really test it. It is the sharpest knife out of the box that I own and has not been resharped yet.

It was my favorite in my EDC rotation until the G-10 Tyrade showed up. The Boa isn't retired by any means. It is still one of my favorites but it has to share time with some of the other knives I have purchased after it. :)

Also, if you like the Boa I am guessing you would like a G-10 Tyrade. Most of the things I like about the Boa are things I also like about this Tyrade. The Boa is smaller, lighter and a little more sexy. The Tyrade is more tankish like a ZT.
 
The problem about the ZT knives is that the edge is very thick. I'm afraid that I won't be able to sharpen them when they get dull. A couple of days ago I just inspected my ZT0200, and I was really surprised when I paid extra attention to the edge. I don't have the confidence that I'll be able to sharpen it. That's a really thick edge !

As for the Boa, I left it the way it is now. After all, I'm in no hurry in making an AO out of this knife again. It works great as a manual function, but I can't feel the detent when the blade is closed (afraid it won't stay closed in my pocket). However, I found multiple solutions for the problem.

1. Use the spine lock. To prevent the Boa from opening accidentally, Kershaw provides it with a lock located on the spine of the folder. When this lock is engaged, there's very very slim chance it will open without my consent.

2. Tighten the pivot screw. Since it's now manual folder, I don't think tightening the pivot screw will reduce the effectiveness of the folder. After all, I don't like to flip a folder open. I use thumb stud.

It's such a great folder. You might want to try Boa with CPM440V when you got the chance.
 
For those of you that have 440v boa's, how was the AO when you first got it? I bought a mint one off the auction site a while back, and found the AO to be sluggish compared to kershaw's other models. Is it like that new or is it from being stored in the closed position for so long?
 
I don't have the 440v Boa, just the s30v, but the AO does seem a little slow compared to the Kershaw Blackout that I also own. I have owned the blackout for a long time though, and has had plenty of time to get broken in (whereas my Boa is a week old).
 
5370H55V said:
For those of you that have 440v boa's, how was the AO when you first got it? I bought a mint one off the auction site a while back, and found the AO to be sluggish compared to kershaw's other models. Is it like that new or is it from being stored in the closed position for so long?
Click to expand...

My 440V was bought when they first came out. It has always been a little slower than the rest of my Kershaw AOs, but it has always functioned. 440V is great stuff also.
 
The Boa is the slowest of the AO Kershaws I own as well but by just a little bit. It is also the only one of my 3 that I can work the index piece very slowly and not have the knife snap open. Even the heavier bladed Tyrade snaps open a little faster by comparison but the Boa remains one of my favorite knives.
 
Mine was also slow. Once I even thought that it was defective. Slower than my ZT0300 series when I first bought my 0302. It opens fast when I put a little blue-lube around the pivot area.
 
Thomas W. once stated that the Boa was designed to open like that, and it was not defective or a worn spring. I too agree that it is a great knife and I've always enjoyed carrying mine. It was my first "supersteel" with a plain edge and I learned how to sharpen S60V/440V on it. Prior to that I only had a SE millie in 440V. Funny thing that, I've yet to ever sharpen it. Joe
 
Joe is correct. Kershaw "tunes" each torsion bar to a speed they think is best for the knife. I have a batch of Boas in all 3 steel designations all manufactured a few years apart, and each one opens at the same rate.

And I agree with SOLEIL. Kershaw will mail you a new torsion bar (don't be surprised if you get 2) to wherever you are now. They're pretty quick about getting repair parts out.

One little mod I did to one of mine was to "de-burr" the entire knife. All the hard edges were lightly rounded down, giving the knife a very nice feel.
 
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