How Important is Disassembly?

How important is ease of disassembly to you

  • Very important, I won’t buy a knife that I can’t easily break down

    Votes: 27 16.1%

  • Somewhat important, I add this factor into consideration when researching purchases

    Votes: 75 44.6%

  • Not important. Ease/ability of disassembly has no influence on my purchases

    Votes: 64 38.1%

  • Other/important for reasons not stated in the OP

    Votes: 2 1.2%
  • Total voters
    168
I voted somewhat important. It may not matter much if the knife is only meant for collection piece, and will only remain on a shelf. But definitely more important for those that will be carried and used, and the ability to dissemble would not be a limiting factor on how I use my knife.
 
I like the option of simple enough disassembly but I rarely disassemble any of my folders.
The only ones I ever disassemble are my CRKs and they're meant to be easily broken down and re-assembled.
Broke down and re-assemnled my Spyderco Military and PM2 and they weren't too bad, but not as easy as the CRKs
 
I've disassembled quite a few knives over the years, and have bent my fair share of tiny torx drivers to the point of them now being useless, and stripped a screw or two along the way.
But I did so mostly to understand the knife's locking technology better.

Now days, I don't see a need to disassemble my knives.
 
i didn't think it was important at first because I used fixed blades a lot more than any folder but it is important to service clean and maintain anything sooner or later
I am a mechanic and I will take them apart if needed but I do think it can make them last longer I don't wash any knife with soapy water if avoidable at the time I do use lighter fluid alcohol wd40 alcohol and lighter fluid just evaporate off anyway
I have seen folders look mint out side and rust and debree in the pivots and the liners behind scales and that's why I perfair them to come apart easy cold steels are myfavorts for easy strip and clean
 
I started my interest with folders about 1970 when I purchased my first expensive (for me at the time) Gerber Paul knife. I have never had to disassemble a knife in all the years and frankly would not own a knife that needed disassembly. If I ran over it with my car and was really fond of it I'd send it back to the manufacturer if there was a warranty, or just toss it and buy a new one.

 
I wouldn't buy a riveted flipper thats for sure. I take apart 90% of my new knifes just to see if it needs cleaning or if the action improves.
Most of them don't need complete disassembly to get inside. I do strongly prefer '2 screw' designs. Pivot and body/clip, i give a pass to the lockbar insert screw.
Some knifes have way too many handle screws even at a high end premium price (lookn at you thorburn)
 
It was a lot more important to me in 2017 than it is now. :cool:

That’s only partly snarky...I was much more into bearing flippers a few years ago. I’m a little uptight about water and crud collecting in the bearing pockets, even in the days of compressed air & WD-40. If it’s got bearings, I like knowing I can (dis) assemble it.

These days bearing knives are a minority of my collection.
 
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I voted vary important , because I was a gunsmith before I ever collected knifes and I like things to run smooth, besides that I just enjoy working on my knifes easy disassemble is a must for me.
 
Ease of disassembly has no influence whatsoever on my knife purchases. I may make pivot adjustments or change a pocket clip, but I don’t see the need to take my knives apart.
 
The best cleaning job I've ever done was when I accidentally washed and dried my jeans with a Buck Stockman in the front pocket. Came out clean as a hounds tooth.
 
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