Folders that are a PITA to reassmble

[Charlie Mike]

I also a big tinkerer. I can't leave good enough alone. First comes tinkering, then tweaking, and soon you'll be a knifemaker. Keep it up :thumbup:

Also, when taking apart anything with springs and screws, build a "spring tent of death" hanging bedsheats in a tent around perhaps your ceiling fan. That way you can narrow down the search on any Jesus Parts. Those are the things that fly before you yell "Jesus, where'd that part go!?!"

 

[Buffalohump]

I try to avoid taking my knives apart but the one I did take apart completely, an Emerson Commander, was fairly simple to reassemble.

Note I said 'reassamble'. Taking anything apart is easy, as most amateur handymen know. Its putting it back together that's tricky.

The Emerson line-up is put together with phillips head screws and the main pivot is flat head screw. (A word of warning - make sure you keep a little tray handy for the screws. They are tiny and black. If they manage to fall to the floor, they will be gone for good!)

This is highly commendable for obvious reasons - most folks will have a phillips driver handy and the flat head can be unscrewed with just about anything.

Other knifemakers please take note: Tiny torx screws are a major PITA!

 

[Charlie Mike]

I think many makers use torx to discourage just that. Look at how Microtech moved from torx to those 3 hole things. That pissed me off BTW.

 

[bearcut]

C'mon you guys.


We make 'em with screws cuz you want them with screws, but we can't put the skill in the box.

sal

Which made my Caly3 CF ZPD-189 so disappointing.

It is the only knife I own that has pins instead of screws.

Gee, charging 15 bucks more for screws would have killed sales on a high -end, limited edition version of this knife?
The pins sure killed the looks of the knife. They're even off center.

Congrats to the beancounters on this one.

 

[Sal Glesser]

Which made my Caly3 CF ZPD-189 so disappointing.

It is the only knife I own that has pins instead of screws.

Gee, charging 15 bucks more for screws would have killed sales on a high -end, limited edition version of this knife?
The pins sure killed the looks of the knife. They're even off center.

Congrats to the beancounters on this one.

Hi Bearcut.

There is not enough room in the design to use screws. Nothing to do with beancounters. I make all of those decisions.

One of the major problems with amateurs taking apart knives is they don't have the knowldege to know if they've put it together correctly. "It looks right"?

Then they re-sell them as "new in the box". the new customer doesn't know that the knife has been taken apart and put together by an amateur, so he thinks the problems are manufacturers defects. At least if your are going to take a knife apart and re-sell it, let the new customer know that you have taken it apart. it's not new in the box. It was put together by a pro and then messed with by an ameteur.

You would be amazed at the number of knives that we get back with that problem.

sal

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Hi Bearcut.

There is not enough room in the design to use screws. Nothing to do with beancounters. I make all of those decisions.

One of the major problems with amateurs taking apart knives is they don't have the knowldege to know if they've put it together correctly. "It looks right"?

Then they re-sell them as "new in the box". the new customer doesn't know that the knife has been taken apart and put together by an amateur, so he thinks the problems are manufacturers defects. At least if your are going to take a knife apart and re-sell it, let the new customer know that you have taken it apart. it's not new in the box. It was put together by a pro and then messed with by an ameteur.

You would be amazed at the number of knives that we get back with that problem.

sal

Sal why don't you use a tamper indicator on the screws, this way second party buyers would know if it's been disassembled, a drop of multi colored/swirled paint, something that if they stick a torx wrench in they disturb or powder the mark/drop.

They use this method of tamper indicator all the time in the Consumer Electronics industry, just look at some of your high end stereo equipment you'll see what looks like a dab of yellow paint where the screws are, if the screws been touched the paint marks are either gone or don't match anymore.

It's a low cost option that can be implemented at the QC step.

Sorry for rambling, can you tell I've been home for way too long.

 

[bearcut]

Hi Bearcut.

There is not enough room in the design to use screws. Nothing to do with beancounters. I make all of those decisions.

One of the major problems with amateurs taking apart knives is they don't have the knowldege to know if they've put it together correctly. "It looks right"?

Then they re-sell them as "new in the box". the new customer doesn't know that the knife has been taken apart and put together by an amateur, so he thinks the problems are manufacturers defects. At least if your are going to take a knife apart and re-sell it, let the new customer know that you have taken it apart. it's not new in the box. It was put together by a pro and then messed with by an ameteur.

You would be amazed at the number of knives that we get back with that problem.

sal

Thanks for the reply Sal.
Makes me feel better about the pins.

Yeah, I bet you do see a lot of returns that are not the fault of Spyderco.

And people wonder why things cost so much.

 

[Josh K]

Which made my Caly3 CF ZPD-189 so disappointing.

It is the only knife I own that has pins instead of screws.

Gee, charging 15 bucks more for screws would have killed sales on a high -end, limited edition version of this knife?
The pins sure killed the looks of the knife. They're even off center.

Congrats to the beancounters on this one.

At first I was also pretty pissed that I couldn't take it apart.

But after a while I realized that it (a) removed the temptation to take it apart, and (b) worked just fine.

 

[TheCarbideRat]

Everything mechanically ever done was a piece of cake, there was just one problem and that was trying to eat it without using a fork.

In other words the right tool for the job, yes there is patience, skill, and experience I do know that, but there is nothing that replaces the correct tool / application.

 

[gunmike1]

I'm looking forward to pics of the Manix 2 regrind. That should be pretty cool! :thumbup: It's a little tricky to put back together, but it's not too bad. The spring does tend to go flying when you take it apart though. At least the ball bearing doesn't shoot out of it or anything.

To reassemble, I screw down just the bottom of the backspacer/spring holder, so it can rotate (pic below). After that, you can drop in the entire lock assembly. Then swing the backspacer forward, pinch it closed by holding the choil (with the blade open), and screw the top down.

Thanks for the tip, that backspacer/spring holder actually looks a lot like I thought it would (the Engineer in me comes out).

Sal, I see your point about returns on improperly reassembled knives. It really sucks that there aren't enough people out there with the integrity to tell the truth about major things like disassembling the knife which voids the warranty. If I do end up disassembling any of my knives I will definately not try to send it in for W&R work for free, as I know I have voided the warranty. I personally have the integrity to admit that, but unfortunately after my experiences in life I know most people won't stand up and be truthful about things. Worse it that it effects the bottom line for Spyderco and other companies, raising prices and wasting their time. I certainly wouldn't send in my Glocks that I put new trigger bars and related springs for warranty work, as I have voided the warranty and am on my own. Maybe the tamper evident screws would be a good option like noted earlier, it is just sad that it even has to be done.

Mike