How much tinkering do you expect to do on entry level knives?

[GermanyChris]

So I have a Benchmade 522 that was never really smooth or free and always had a bit of blade play if it was free enough to open nicely. A couple days back I set about to fixing it so I polished the pivot are area and axis travel area with some 1200 and 1400 grit as well as 04 and 00 steel wool. It took 3 or so hours but the knife now centers better and is actually smooth and free. I didn't really mind doing it, as a matter of fact I just did it to my Kershaw Emerson too but is this something that I should expect to have to do going forward with my "cheap" knives?

 

[Skimo]

Not a lot. Cleaning with very hot and soapy water after loosening the screws can have the same effect. Sometimes factory grease and grit get into the pivots.

 

[petrosil]

I think it depends on your expectations. I tinker with most of my lower end knives to get them as smooth as I can. Usually just polishing like you mentioned, sometimes adjusting the tension on the lock bar. Almost all of my Spydercos have benefited from some tweaking and I get the Delicas as smooth as silk.

 

[fsatsil]

The most tinkering I'll do on a new knife is a clean and lube if that doesn't fix the problem the knife is going back. I would have returned that Benchmade. If a $25 knife like the ESEE Zancudo can come from the factory working smoothly and perfectly centered why should we accept any less from a $100 Benchmade even if its one of their entry level models?

 

[jpm2]

There's very few of my knives I haven't taken apart, cleaned and polished, traditionals excluded. Traditionals get polished and contoured where I can reach. Forcing valve lapping compound into the pivot/spring area also works wonders. I recently did this to a GEC 73 that was terrible. It's now smooth as butter and rock solid.

One of the worst knives I ever got was a benchmade northfork. It was so harsh and gritty, I thought about sending it back. Instead, it got stripped, cleaned & polished. It didn't take long. Afterwards it's the smoothest axis lock I have, and like the GEC, perfect centering, rock solid lockup, and zero blade play.

I used to do a lot of gun trigger jobs too, mostly 1911's, 10-22's, and AR's.