Does it bother you if your knife blade becomes little off center after a while?

C

csisland

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Aug 8, 2013
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If the blade is centered when you first get the knife, but than becomes a little off center after a while, without any blade rub, does this bother you?
I have a PM2, and I loosened up one of the pivot screws to make for an easier deployment, but looks like it threw the centering off a little.
 
No, not really, it all depends on how much I paid for it, considering I use all my knives 'cept maybe 4 or 5 bought to sell later.
 
No, as said above as long as it doesn't rub IDC.

Thing is, if it moves it's basically a crappy construction. It should stay how it it unless he blade gets bent. If the tolerances of the pivot pin and pivot hole are perfect and the washers are flat and the blade and scales ore flat it should never move after being taken apart.

Does a Sebenza move? I don't have one... yet.
 
ev13wt said:
No, as said above as long as it doesn't rub IDC.

Thing is, if it moves it's basically a crappy construction. It should stay how it it unless he blade gets bent. If the tolerances of the pivot pin and pivot hole are perfect and the washers are flat and the blade and scales ore flat it should never move after being taken apart.

Does a Sebenza move? I don't have one... yet.
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Well like I said, the knife came perfectly centered and than after the second week I started loosening and tightening one side of the pivot screw. I guess it threw it off balance a little without loosening and tightening the other side. I don't want to make worse by playing around with the other pivot.
 
Nah, that doesn't bother me at all. I have a couple that are almost touching the liner and that still doesn't bother me. They're users and they still deploy smoothly and lockup solid.

I suppose it matters more when I'm buying a new knife.
 
ev13wt said:
Does a Sebenza move? I don't have one... yet.
Click to expand...

No, a Sebenza shouldn't move.

Depends on the price of the knife. On a cheap knife I wouldn't complain if it went off center over time under use. On a pricier knife, the blade should stay centered.

If something is not to my liking when I receive the knife I send it back for replacement until I get one that's right. I rarely take a knife apart or do any tweaking of the factory sets, including pivot. If it's a little too stiff I'll attribute it to break in and let it do so. Et cetera.

Basically a good knife should stay centered.

When you take one apart it's on you. That's why most warranties won't let you disassemble.
 
Funny thing about Sebenza 21's that I have noticed. You can take the screw out of the pivot (leaving the pivot in place) and you still won't have any blade play. Kinda cool.
 
I see this stuff come up with the PM2 a lot, is it really that common?
 
crom said:
I see this stuff come up with the PM2 a lot, is it really that common?
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Like I mentioned already, my PM2 came perfectly centered, but went off center a little after I started playing around with one of the pivot screws.
It's just a matter of playing around with both pivots together and it should come back to center but I'm too cheap to go out and buy a while set of torx screwdrivers. I only need two of them and I have the 10T already. Outside of that, I love the knife and have no intention of buying another modern folder.
 
MRaymond said:
Funny thing about Sebenza 21's that I have noticed. You can take the screw out of the pivot (leaving the pivot in place) and you still won't have any blade play. Kinda cool.
Click to expand...

My brother got one of the Knifeart exclusive cf Large Insingo 21's and the blade centering changed every time you closed the knife :eek:. It was sent back and promptly replaced. Obviously a problem knife but it can happen.
 
I have had lots of Sebenzas; I would be shocked so see that, as CRK even SHOWS you how to take it apart for cleaning, etc.
I think that it's the finest folder (Sebenza) that I've ever had, and I've had customs into the mid-$700 range.
Heck, even a used Sebbie will be perfect...for about $325.
 
On knives like the PM2 and others that aren't built to the same tolerances as something like a sebenza, or that have frames that have some give in them, the blade will move to one side or another as you tighten or loosen the pivot because the lock is applying force to it, and the tension of the pivot counteracts that force. I the case of the PM2, the lockbar for the compression lock is always pushing against the blade, and the tension on the pivot holds it in the center despite this. When you loosen the pivot, any gap between the blade and the scales, and any give in the materials for the handles will allow the blade to move to one side or another.
Usually loosening the pivot will also cause blade play to develop for the same reason. It doesn't happen in Sebenza or other high-tolerance knives because there is not enough room for the blade to ever wiggle or move from the center, regardless of the tension from the lockbar or the gaps.
 
A little deviation is to be expected, especially ones than move when you adjust the pivot. I'd expect a slight degree for any knife $300 and under.

Any higher I would be really upset if I got a knife that wasn't perfectly centered
 
It doesn't bother me. I've sold off all my other folders and I only have Emersons and Hinderers, two of the easiest brands of folders to center and maintain. In the rare instance they become off centered all I do is adjust the pivot a little and they're golden.
 
Charr said:
On knives like the PM2 and others that aren't built to the same tolerances as something like a sebenza, or that have frames that have some give in them, the blade will move to one side or another as you tighten or loosen the pivot because the lock is applying force to it, and the tension of the pivot counteracts that force. I the case of the PM2, the lockbar for the compression lock is always pushing against the blade, and the tension on the pivot holds it in the center despite this. When you loosen the pivot, any gap between the blade and the scales, and any give in the materials for the handles will allow the blade to move to one side or another.
Usually loosening the pivot will also cause blade play to develop for the same reason. It doesn't happen in Sebenza or other high-tolerance knives because there is not enough room for the blade to ever wiggle or move from the center, regardless of the tension from the lockbar or the gaps.
Click to expand...

I loosened the pivot ever so slightly and it's still solid with no blade play.
 
I havent really had that happen, ive had off center blades center themselves after use though which is convenient. Off center blades really bug me, especially if the knife costs a decent amount, blade centering is an important aspect of the fit (mostly just fit) and finish to me. If a manufacturer is gonna put so much effort into quality and materials then blade centering should be spot on, no excuses.
 
EChoil said:
No, a Sebenza shouldn't move.

Depends on the price of the knife. On a cheap knife I wouldn't complain if it went off center over time under use. On a pricier knife, the blade should stay centered.

If something is not to my liking when I receive the knife I send it back for replacement until I get one that's right. I rarely take a knife apart or do any tweaking of the factory sets, including pivot. If it's a little too stiff I'll attribute it to break in and let it do so. Et cetera.

Basically a good knife should stay centered.

When you take one apart it's on you. That's why most warranties won't let you disassemble.
Click to expand...


See, so they fiddle it together at the factory (I won't say cobble) and sell it "perfectly centered"... I am sort of dissapointed... The PM2 is not "cheap" by any means.

I've had my Pm2 apart at least 6 times now I guess I got lucky it seems ok so far. Makes want to sell it and get that Sebby though hearing these stories.
 
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