- Joined
- Apr 8, 2012
- Messages
- 26
Hello fellow BladeForum members,
Several months back I purchased an xm-24 from another BF member. The post description for that knife read as follows: "XM 24 Non flipper Slicer black scale in great shape factory sharp edge no wear to speak of. This is a great knife and hard to find non flipper." After receiving the knife I immediately noticed a faint squeaking noise and could not determine the cause so I disassembled the knife, cleaned, oiled, reassembled and still the noise continued. After contacting the seller and explaining the noise issue and that I wasn't sure I felt comfortable keeping the knife in its current condition, I was messaged back and told to put a drop of lube on the detent. The seller also asked why I would be uncomfortable with the sale and told me there was absolutely nothing wrong with the knife. I decided to not continue to communicate with the seller, figuring that if I tried to return the knife the seller would bitch about me having damaged the knife and then having to deal with a PayPal struggle trying to get my money back. Well, the squeak never went away and actually got worse. Finally, I decided to disassemble again, because I and my wife were getting really tired of hearing the squeak each evening when we would watch Wheel of Fortune while I habitually opened and closed the knife. Upon closer inspection, the detent ball was not moving at all and had been rubbed/worn down, thus causing the constant squeaking. To add insult to injury, the lockup of the knife appears to be at 50% and I didn't know this was more indicative of a well-used/older knife until just this week. This lack of knowledge is simply that and it wasn't until I became more educated on the topic and glanced at the lockup that I made the connection. Here is the best picture I could get of the issue.
I type all this to not so much to complain, but to state that I am realizing a gold membership status and a few hundred posts on the forum do not equate to honesty. You can bet I won't be dealing with that seller anymore, and may not utilize the exchange due to this and various other issues. That being said, I cannot blast somebody's integrity without being honest about myself and would refer you to my own shortcomings.
Now that I've got that out of my system, the real issue I need the forums help with is trying to find out how to remove the detent ball, obtain a replacement ball, and get that tiny mother sucker back into the lockbar. I have searched, but have come up short. There is a decent video out there explaining the process on a Strider SNG, but the owner of that video suggests using a 1/16" metal punch to push out the ball and a replacement ball size of 5/64". Found the punch at Menards, but is too big for my XM. Also, I want to make sure I am ordering the right size ball bearings from Grainger. I am aware that I could send it into the Hinderer ranch, but am unwilling to park with my knife that long and would like to be able to take on this project/make an educational video myself. Any help/info would be appreciated!
Brian
Several months back I purchased an xm-24 from another BF member. The post description for that knife read as follows: "XM 24 Non flipper Slicer black scale in great shape factory sharp edge no wear to speak of. This is a great knife and hard to find non flipper." After receiving the knife I immediately noticed a faint squeaking noise and could not determine the cause so I disassembled the knife, cleaned, oiled, reassembled and still the noise continued. After contacting the seller and explaining the noise issue and that I wasn't sure I felt comfortable keeping the knife in its current condition, I was messaged back and told to put a drop of lube on the detent. The seller also asked why I would be uncomfortable with the sale and told me there was absolutely nothing wrong with the knife. I decided to not continue to communicate with the seller, figuring that if I tried to return the knife the seller would bitch about me having damaged the knife and then having to deal with a PayPal struggle trying to get my money back. Well, the squeak never went away and actually got worse. Finally, I decided to disassemble again, because I and my wife were getting really tired of hearing the squeak each evening when we would watch Wheel of Fortune while I habitually opened and closed the knife. Upon closer inspection, the detent ball was not moving at all and had been rubbed/worn down, thus causing the constant squeaking. To add insult to injury, the lockup of the knife appears to be at 50% and I didn't know this was more indicative of a well-used/older knife until just this week. This lack of knowledge is simply that and it wasn't until I became more educated on the topic and glanced at the lockup that I made the connection. Here is the best picture I could get of the issue.
I type all this to not so much to complain, but to state that I am realizing a gold membership status and a few hundred posts on the forum do not equate to honesty. You can bet I won't be dealing with that seller anymore, and may not utilize the exchange due to this and various other issues. That being said, I cannot blast somebody's integrity without being honest about myself and would refer you to my own shortcomings.
Now that I've got that out of my system, the real issue I need the forums help with is trying to find out how to remove the detent ball, obtain a replacement ball, and get that tiny mother sucker back into the lockbar. I have searched, but have come up short. There is a decent video out there explaining the process on a Strider SNG, but the owner of that video suggests using a 1/16" metal punch to push out the ball and a replacement ball size of 5/64". Found the punch at Menards, but is too big for my XM. Also, I want to make sure I am ordering the right size ball bearings from Grainger. I am aware that I could send it into the Hinderer ranch, but am unwilling to park with my knife that long and would like to be able to take on this project/make an educational video myself. Any help/info would be appreciated!
Brian
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