I've got a small Vantage Select. I've been opening it and closing it because it is so addictive, until it started developing a grittiness that made it all but impossible to flip open. So I decided to disassemble and see what was happening. Here is what I observed:
1. What a great design! Buck gets an A+ in my book for designing this knife. There are no springs (save the liner) or ball bearings to lose. There are just as many parts as there need to be, no more, no less. One note about the brass washers: with all washers, there is a side with rounded edges, and a side with sharp edges. I kept the side with rounded edges facing the liners for smoothest action.
2. After cleaning and reassembly, I noticed 2 things:
* My lockup improved! Previous to disassembly, the lock engaged 66-75% past the leading edge of the tang. After putting it back together, the lock engages around 50% past the leading edge. This was a happy accident.
** I was able to position the back spacer as far away from the tip as possible, to avoid future contact with the blade tip. This was accomplished by pushing the spacer as close to the spine as possible, and also by slightly altering the position of the liner spring. If you position the ball detent on the liner as far away from the spine as possible, the blade tip will ride the highest (away from the back spacer) when the knife is closed.
One drawback is, the more you adjust the pivot screw, the looser it gets due to the blue loctite wearing off. I need to pick some up at the hardware store soon.
1. What a great design! Buck gets an A+ in my book for designing this knife. There are no springs (save the liner) or ball bearings to lose. There are just as many parts as there need to be, no more, no less. One note about the brass washers: with all washers, there is a side with rounded edges, and a side with sharp edges. I kept the side with rounded edges facing the liners for smoothest action.
2. After cleaning and reassembly, I noticed 2 things:
* My lockup improved! Previous to disassembly, the lock engaged 66-75% past the leading edge of the tang. After putting it back together, the lock engages around 50% past the leading edge. This was a happy accident.
** I was able to position the back spacer as far away from the tip as possible, to avoid future contact with the blade tip. This was accomplished by pushing the spacer as close to the spine as possible, and also by slightly altering the position of the liner spring. If you position the ball detent on the liner as far away from the spine as possible, the blade tip will ride the highest (away from the back spacer) when the knife is closed.
One drawback is, the more you adjust the pivot screw, the looser it gets due to the blue loctite wearing off. I need to pick some up at the hardware store soon.
Last edited:
