Had another omega spring break in my Axis lock

[minimize]

That's because quality locks of almost any design don't fail unless the user does something stupid.
The whole lock failure issue is overblown. Besides, many of us are old enough to remember using nothing but slipjoints and NEVER having an 'accident'.

Well, I have read quite a bit about omega springs failing...

And I completely agree. Slips are a beautiful thing.

 

[the possum]

I've had these conversations before, and don't really mean to make a big deal of it. It was just on my mind, so I posted. Some thoughts:

Springs made from wire can be (and are) made to flex many, many thousands of times. I don't have to overhaul the engine in my car & replace all the valve springs twice a week.

There is really no way to abuse or overstress these springs. They're really not under any sort of undue strain when the knife is being used (since the lock bar takes all the force), and they can't be overcompressed since they're limited by the travel of the lock bar. I've had four of 'em break just doing what they were supposedly designed to do.

Once again, I see it repeated that the knife can function with only one spring. Sure, in dire circumstances, I could still use it. And I admit that this is not a catastrophic failure of the entire lock system. But I've already experienced slight injury with my Ares when the spring broke. All four of these springs broke in the middle, leaving a piece still attached to the lock bar. This little stub can get hung up and prevent normal motion of the lock bar, allowing the blade to come open in my pocket, or fail to lock normally when opened. Been there, done that. I don't trust this knife until it's been fixed.

I can see no evidence of spring wear through the openings for the lock bar. I have not disassembled the knife though, since I intend to return it for warranty repair.

I think I easily could fix it myself, if Benchmade were willing to mail just the spring out. I don't blame them for being concerned about liability, but it is kind of a hassle to spend ten bucks on postage & have my knife gone for a month, over a 25 cent part. Heck, last time, they didn't even return my own knife; they sent me another knife of the same model.

I love the idea of the sliding lock bar, as I'm sure many do. It will wear in rather than wear out. With decent care it should still be cutting & have perfect lockup when my grandkids are using it. Though the blade will probably be a little narrower by then. I just think it's kind of a shame that I don't trust the springs to last nearly that long. I usually carry a stockman in my other pocket, by the way.

I'm not the only one who's had omega springs break. Three others were mentioned right here in this thread. Last time we went through this I dug up links to like 20 other posters who'd had the same. I'm sure there have been more in the past couple years.

 

[jimbo@stn23]

Haven't bought an Axis lock for well over 2 years, and this is partly the reason even though the 6 that I have with Axis locks have proven to be stone reliable.

One thing I did with them is to remove scales one at a time and put a little good quality grease in the Axis pocket and then reassemble. Was concerned about the wear from the miniscule movement. Might be helping, but then again, probably not. But it was a good way to fiddle and relax with a Crown and Coke.

 

[lpd10574]

I flicked mine open and closed several thousand times. Kind of a unconscious thing while I'm on the computer or watching TV. ( not the safest idea but I've been lucky so far ) If I can get the same life out of the next springs that I had out of these then I'll never complain. I like the axis lock. I considered it a plus that the grips had the axis when I ordered two of them recently. Oh, yeah, what does Benchmade charge if you've taken the knife apart and re-assembled it before sending it back in to have a spring replaced?

 

[mongomondo]

I flicked mine open and closed several thousand times. Kind of a unconscious thing while I'm on the computer or watching TV. ( not the safest idea but I've been lucky so far ) If I can get the same life out of the next springs that I had out of these then I'll never complain. I like the axis lock. I considered it a plus that the grips had the axis when I ordered two of them recently. Oh, yeah, what does Benchmade charge if you've taken the knife apart and re-assembled it before sending it back in to have a spring replaced?

I read somewhere it's $20. Only if they can tell it's been opened though. If you do it right they won't notice.

 

[LowTEC]

I love my 943, it is by far the most loved folder out of my 50+ collection. Until one of the spring breaks. Now I have a rather loose axis lock when I don't carry the knife anymore. I wish BM has more support across the border. I would rather purchase the springs myself than spending 20+ postage to ship the whole knife back to the factory, AND risking the uneducated custom officers, for some reason, find the pivot to be too loose and confiscated my knife being a "gravity knife". Now my 943 has been sitting in the drawer.

I too, quite disappointed about the durability of the spring itself. Mind you, I only have it for about a year and I have 4 EDC to rotate from.

 

[Flotsam]

I have a 710, 730, 732, 551, and 530 - all were purchased the year they were released, and all except the 530 have seen a lot of carry/use - I've yet to break a spring.