Dumb question on blade play....

R

rhz

Joined
May 20, 2010
Messages
3
Hi,

I don't know anything about knives. I just ordered a Buck redpoint 750. It seems nice, but does have some blade play--both horizontal and vertical. What practical effect would blade play have on performance? Does some moderate blade play matter at all?

Thanks.
 
I don't have the answer to your question but wanted to add there is no such thing as a dumb question. Even a genius will ask questions. Its how we learn.
 
Bladeplay speaks about the quality of the knife IMO. If the knife has bladeplay that's obvious then there might be other problems that you can't see since they didn't get the obvious details right. While I don't know if there is a actual danger or problem other than the play its self it sure as heck would bother me and cause me not to want to use it when I have so many knives that don't have that flaw.
 
It's not really an issue of functionality, as long as it's not too extreme. We're all a spoiled bunch, to put it bluntly, and most of us tend to be more picky about such things than necessary.
 
With lateral blade play, the knife won't cut where you want it to cut - the blade can move from side to side in use - I prefer no blade play.
If blade play is excessive, it may cause premature lock failure - you will get more abrasion than you should in the lockup with vertical play. I have never had this happen, but it is a possibility with lots of play.
I used to ignore this, but now send blades back to swap them from the vendor or to the manufacturer to fix blade play. It bothers me....
 
If vendor won't swap out, go to Buck website and see how to send it back, they will make it right.....

300Bucks
 
puukkoman said:
It's not really an issue of functionality, as long as it's not too extreme. We're all a spoiled bunch, to put it bluntly, and most of us tend to be more picky about such things than necessary.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

If it's just a wee bit, the heck with it. Just use the heck out of the knife, and it's going to develope some play anyway in the years to come. I've seen some beat up old knives with blade play, the old guys got it done with those knives just fine.

puukkoman got it right.
 
I've had lots of slipjoint knives over the last 50 or so years that had a bit of blade play. It never inhibited my use of them. Every one of them was a good worker and always reliable.

I agree with puukkoman, we get a bit spoiled and fuss about things that are really only a matter of aesthetics.
 
Hi, Everyone.

I'm a newbie with a question about my first knife.

I have a Buck Redpoint 750, which I like very much aside from the blade play. I thought about tightening the "pivot point" (if that's what it's called) to reduce the blade play. The screw is so small, I can't really figure out whether it's hex or not.

Here's a link to the knife: http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=2937

What do you guys think? Hex or not?

Have any of the redpoint owners out there made this adjustment? Can you tell me which tool you used? (If Hex, which size?)

I contacted Buck with this question. They told me to send it in to them for evaluation--which may take up to 2 months! I'd really prefer to do something myself rather than wait 2 months. Other redpoints which I've tried in stores all have the same blade play issue so I don't think I wound up with an especially bad one.

I'd appreciate your comments.

Thanks very much from a newbie.
 
I don't own that particular knife - but on the other bucks that I own (and on most other knives) the screws are torx heads.

The size is going to be up to you to figure out (unless someone else here has that knife and knows offhand) but probably somewhere between a T5 and a T8.

I purchased a precision screw driver set from a local hardware store that had T4-T10 (along with a bunch of other bits) for about $10.
 
Check out Husky Torx Driver at Home Depot for $6 bucks. I haven't run across any production knife with a torx screw that this little tool won't fit.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...87664&catalogId=10053&storeId=10051&langId=-1

23b010eb-b462-48ff-b7d5-240fc5ee8034_300.jpg
 
I'd definitely grab a torx set, especially if you plan on getting more than one knife, which is a safe assumption on bladeforums. That said, I've never had Buck customer service take longer than a month, or do anything less than a perfect job. So that's another option. Is it side to side play, or up and down? If up and down, I would definitely send it in, due to its unique lock.
 
jec006 said:
I don't own that particular knife - but on the other bucks that I own (and on most other knives) the screws are torx heads.

The size is going to be up to you to figure out (unless someone else here has that knife and knows offhand) but probably somewhere between a T5 and a T8.

I purchased a precision screw driver set from a local hardware store that had T4-T10 (along with a bunch of other bits) for about $10.
Click to expand...

i'm not sure of the redpoint, but IMHO, majority of Buck screw heads are t-6 torx. jec is right that a set would be good, some, i believe, t-8 pivots on larger liner locks like the alpha hunter, kalinga and csar-t.
 
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A little blade play is a common thing.

Blade play threads are usually much ado about nothing.

It's not a fixed-blade, after all.

If it really seems sloppy, send it back. If the problem is just that you can wiggle the blade a little, relax and use it.

Buck will fix it if it ever becomes a problem (it rarely becomes a problem).

If you want rock-solid, buy a fixed-blade (if that wiggles, then you have a problem).

:thumbup:
 
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