How many Knife Companies allow breakdown of their folders?

a2d2 said:
Was there really a need for that comment? I'm not saying I'd use it to lube a motorcycle chain, but I've never had any problems using it to clean and lube small moving parts on guitars, and have never had a problem with it gunking up on me(pat down or use canned air to remove excess). Then again I don't leave it on for six months without cleaning and reapplying.
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Oh Please, you cited advertising copy as proof in discussing a technical question. If you had cited your experience instead, I would not have made that particular comment, though I would have provided the rest. I do not recommend WD-40 for knives, though they will still function if you do use it.
 
EZ Bake said:
Not trying to talk smack here, but carrying and using your knives are two different things. I use my knives heavily and I've gotten them dirty enough that no amount of soaking or washing would clean the area in the pivot between the bushings and liners/frame (they were noticeably gritty). I can honestly say that taking them down and properly cleaning/lubing them made a serious difference in the action of the knife.

I could probably get away with not cleaning/lubing it ever, but then again, I could probably get away with not changing the engine oil in my car until every 15,000 miles, but I don't do that because my engine is a machine, and machines with moving parts like to be clean and lubed.
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I would suggest that your use is unusual if you get them that caked with grime. I've taken folders camping, hunting, and working on old cars and they did not need to be disassembled to clean them up afterwards.
 
knarfeng said:
Oh Please, you cited advertising copy as proof in discussing a technical question. If you had cited your experience instead, I would not have made that particular comment, though I would have provided the rest. I do not recommend WD-40 for knives, though they will still function if you do use it.
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I don't see how posting personal experience would "prove" one way or another whether WD40 is considered a lubricant(by myself or the company), nor do I see how it would add anything to a technical discussion regarding the matter.
 
It's always good to hear about different real life experiences, just as it is good to know the underlying technical rationale, or lack thereof. On the other hand, I consider advertising copy to be valuable for lawn enrichment.
 
knarfeng said:
I would suggest that your use is unusual if you get them that caked with grime. I've taken folders camping, hunting, and working on old cars and they did not need to be disassembled to clean them up afterwards.
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I know what you mean, I don't see the point either.

I remember when all folders were pinned and never had any issues keeping them clean or cleaning them.

Just because a knife has screws doesn't mean it has to be taken apart to clean it.
 
Ankerson said:
I know what you mean, I don't see the point either.

I remember when all folders were pinned and never had any issues keeping them clean or cleaning them.

Just because a knife has screws doesn't mean it has to be taken apart to clean it.
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Do you mean you don't routinely fully disassemble your refrigerator or vehicle to clean it??? :( :confused:
 
EZ Bake said:
Not trying to talk smack here, but carrying and using your knives are two different things. I use my knives heavily and I've gotten them dirty enough that no amount of soaking or washing would clean the area in the pivot between the bushings and liners/frame (they were noticeably gritty). I can honestly say that taking them down and properly cleaning/lubing them made a serious difference in the action of the knife.

I could probably get away with not cleaning/lubing it ever, but then again, I could probably get away with not changing the engine oil in my car until every 15,000 miles, but I don't do that because my engine is a machine, and machines with moving parts like to be clean and lubed.
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Maybe compressed air is the difference. I have used almost exclusively folders to gut, skin, and debone deer, hogs, ducks, and alligators. If I can clean a knife with dried blood and meat as well as fat then I imagine anything can be cleaned from a knife without disassembly. A rinse or soak in water with some dish soap, followed by a blast of air and allowed to dry, then a drop of lube on the pivot gets my knives squeaky clean and super smooth every time. If you're really anal a tooth pick and Q-tip can speed the removal of stubborn dirt. In fact I can't imagine that cleaning routine NOT being able to get a folding knife smooth assuming it was smooth to begin with. I have nothing against taking apart my knives and do so when it is needed to fix or modify a knife. Some knives just aren't as smooth as others and polishing the blade, liners, and washers can make a big difference and is another reason I take knives apart. But it is much easier and quicker to clean them still put together than it is to take them apart. Maybe I'm lazy but I will take the easy route if the end result is the same.
 
I've used floss too ;)

FlaMtnBkr said:
Maybe compressed air is the difference. I have used almost exclusively folders to gut, skin, and debone deer, hogs, ducks, and alligators. If I can clean a knife with dried blood and meat as well as fat then I imagine anything can be cleaned from a knife without disassembly. A rinse or soak in water with some dish soap, followed by a blast of air and allowed to dry, then a drop of lube on the pivot gets my knives squeaky clean and super smooth every time. If you're really anal a tooth pick and Q-tip can speed the removal of stubborn dirt. In fact I can't imagine that cleaning routine NOT being able to get a folding knife smooth assuming it was smooth to begin with. I have nothing against taking apart my knives and do so when it is needed to fix or modify a knife. Some knives just aren't as smooth as others and polishing the blade, liners, and washers can make a big difference and is another reason I take knives apart. But it is much easier and quicker to clean them still put together than it is to take them apart. Maybe I'm lazy but I will take the easy route if the end result is the same.
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Personally, I don't think that disassembly should void a warranty, provided the knife isn't riveted or pinned together. However, improper disassembly/reassembly should certainly void the warranty, just as improper use/abuse would. But I can certainly understand why a company would prohibit disassembly, as protection from idiots who don't have the proper tools or mechanical ability. I have willingly and knowingly taken apart several of my knives despite "voiding" the warranty, like Spydercos, Benchmades, and Microtechs. I put "voiding" in quotes because I would challenge anybody, even the people employed by those companies, to prove that I had voided the warranties.

I guess that you can't blame a company from protecting themselves from idiots. Such policies are undoubtedly the result of people who screwed up their knives by improper disassembly and expected the manufacturer to correct their errors. Even companies like CRK that allow this sort of thing have to deal with the occasional idiot that abuses their warranty and abuses their knife.
 
Warrantys are a good thing from good companies but they still seem to place much of the burden, or "a" burden, on the consumer anyway. Warranties can be bittersweet sometimes.

I've seen plenty of knives that were delivered to a customer assembled incorrectly from the factory. I'd venture to say that not once have I reassembled a knife wrong when I was the one who disassembled it. In most cases, even when the error is the fault of the MFG, the consumer still faces the return shipping in all but the rarest occasions. That's fine when you have a $100 and up knife but when you have a $30 knife, it makes you wonder if it's worth it sometimes.

My guess is that the majority of damage from trying to dissaemble or reassemble a knife is a stripped screw or screws.

Don't get me wrong, good customer service is still a a valuable thing and is part of what I shop for but sometimes warranties can be futile too. But I'd elect to pay an extra $5 to $10 bucks just for better quality out the door if better quality happened with a little extra time during the inspection.

I just sent in my almost new SuperLeaf to Spyderco because you can pinch the blade and push it downward quite a bit with your hand. The tip moves as much as 1/8 inch in a downward motion when the knife is opened. I don't know too many knife enthusiasts who are very tolerant of any vertical play but the knife was returned to me with the $5.00 bill I enclosed for return shipping with a letter telling me my SuperLeaf is within factory specs. I still had to pay the shipping to Spyderco to find out that vertical blade play is within factory specs. That was news to me.

So now I have a knife I can't really sell without full disclosure and a significantly reduced selling price so I'm sort of stuck with a knife that I can push the blade tip downward almost an 1/8 of an inch with just a little downward force on the blade. It doesn't take a lot of force either. At least this one is a compression lock but . . .
 
I honestly have no idea why anyone would want too use any other lubricant besides mineral oil.
-It lubricates without attracting much debris
-Non Toxic
-Has no Scent
-Inexpensive
-Readily Available
-It works well for protecting the blade and cleaning the blade
-It can "rehydrate" G10 if need be
And it also has many other uses around the house!

The only thing it has going against it is that it comes in a big bulk bottle, but you can always put it in a different bottle.

The only companys i know that advertise disassembly of a knife as a feature would be CRK and Emerson, it doesn't void the warranty on Kershaw but I don't think its encouraged.
 
I'm not trying to argue with anyone here, but I just don't believe that any of the folders I own can be cleaned/lubed as well as they can be without being taking them apart. I've yet to have to for any of my Spydercos (save the Caly 3 - and it is a bushingless design so not much there), but several of my Kershaws, Benchmades, and cheaper knives have been washed/rinsed and attempted to be lubed and they were still not as smooth as when I actually took them apart and cleaned/lubed them.

Do you have to take down a folder to clean/lube it? No. Is there anything wrong with taking apart a folder to clean/lube it? No. Can you get a folder as cleaned/properly lubed without taking it apart? No.

If you soak a knife in solvent / soap and water / simple-green / whatever you want for as long as you want to and then use all the compressed air in the world - you can still take it a part and find dirt/dust. Does this mean that the tiny amount of dirt/dust inside the knife will hurt it? Probably not, but if you can get it cleaner and apply a better lube by taking it apart, then I guess I just don't see why you wouldn't.

I use Lucas Assembly lube on my folding knives and it makes a serious difference. Its tacky so it stays only where you want it. Its thick enough that you only need a little bit of it, and its extremely slick. I've found that several of my assisted openers work even better after using it.

My use of the phrase "I don't see how anyone can properly clean your knife without taking it apart" is probably over-stating it and I think its cool that different folks do different things to clean their knives, but I'm of the opinion, that if I can do a better job maintaining something, why would I not do it to the best of my ability?
 
Because it doesn't cost enough??? Because the Guru at the Gun Store didn't talk it up? Because no one buys TV ad time for it? ;)

Mattman888 said:
I honestly have no idea why anyone would want too use any other lubricant besides mineral oil.
-It lubricates without attracting much debris
-Non Toxic
-Has no Scent
-Inexpensive
-Readily Available
-It works well for protecting the blade and cleaning the blade
-It can "rehydrate" G10 if need be
And it also has many other uses around the house!

The only thing it has going against it is that it comes in a big bulk bottle, but you can always put it in a different bottle.

The only companys i know that advertise disassembly of a knife as a feature would be CRK and Emerson, it doesn't void the warranty on Kershaw but I don't think its encouraged.
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RevDevil said:
I've never heard of Benchmade "sending out blades to members". I have heard of them reblading a knife for a fee, I think that is a very reasonable thing to do. Emerson does it, Benchmade does it, I don't know or belive that Kershaw/ZT does it, and I know for a fact Spyderco won't do it. It's a good service and it would be great if Spyderco would offer it.
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Kershaw "fixed" (replaced knife) my broken (dropped and broke point) blade on my Cyclone at no charge other than shipping to them.
 
Well I hope to find out how strickly Spyderco adheres to there take down/void warranty position. I have taken my leaf storm apart, cleaned, lubed and put back together numerous times. I am having trouble with the lock up of the liner and the blade now. I'll post an update of what they come back to me with.
 
aephilli said:
Kershaw "fixed" (replaced knife) my broken (dropped and broke point) blade on my Cyclone at no charge other than shipping to them.
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Yep Kershaw CS is amazing. Understandably, though, they won't send out blades. The markings on the blade are how they tell the difference between normal knives and the cheaper factory seconds.
 
JNewell said:
[/B]

Do you mean you don't routinely fully disassemble your refrigerator or vehicle to clean it??? :( :confused:
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I don't sit there and flick my knives 400 times a day so I don't see the need, I can run them dry as possible.

Just some WD-40 or 3-IN-1 oil does the trick for me.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Yep Kershaw CS is amazing. Understandably, though, they won't send out blades. The markings on the blade are how they tell the difference between normal knives and the cheaper factory seconds.
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Totally agree. Kershaw is leaps above others in terms of customer service.
 
Yep. These are not IC engines turning 6k+ revs at high temps...just about anything will work. I used to spend a lot of time in the 18th century and we used olive oil as a lubricant and corrosion inhibitor. It was period-authentic and worked fine. It didn't sit around on stuff long enough to get sticky. Worked just fine on flintlocks, bayonets, swords, etc. ;)

Ankerson said:
I don't sit there and flick my knives 400 times a day so I don't see the need, I can run them dry as possible.

Just some WD-40 or 3-IN-1 oil does the trick for me.
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