How easy should a folding knife be to open?

A

agoutihead

Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
470
How easy should it be to open a folding knife? I have a HEST/F 1.0 and it's very tight and I've always left it this way.

I've used it, granted I haven't clacked it open 1000 times, but I've still used it & it's very tight.

Should it be easier to open and lock open faster?

As it is right now I can't flip my wrist to get it open.
 
Any pressure on the lock bar will make it very difficult to open. I use the pocket clip as a grip. That said, the 1.0 HEST/Fs were notoriously stiff, but even worse if there was any pressure at all on the lock bar. 1.5s and 2.0s are considerably better.

Gen 1 ZT0550s had the same problems.
 
You can ever so gently hone the washers. If the detent is strong, honing the washers won't do any good. I have a TAD MK2 that had a strong detent. Wound up putting on a glove, put pressure on the lock bar and commenced to wear a grove for the sententious ball to travel in by opening/closing until it was better to open.
No doubt, adjusting the pivot will help correct the stiffness, just be careful the blade doesn't start to get off center or the pivot screw start backing out. On the MK2, I used loctite on the pivot
 
Mine also was very stiff and had a horrible sticky lock.. I ended up getting rid of it before everything sorted itself out.
 
Wave modded folders open easily.
 
If it opens easily and surely with the opener, then why fuss with wanting to intertia flick it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top