I love the axis lock... but hate the Omega springs.

[MobileFireLord]

Just got mine all taken apart, and thought I would share some pictures... I've got some music wire that I think might work to replace the spring...

Disassembly

After taking off the handle, the break is revealed...

OMG, sorry but mine was never this dry and with some dirt. May be sand grinds out the spring?

One of those handle screws was really tight. I ended up breaking the tip off of one of the torx bits and twisting another (you can see that in the pictures). Luckily the bit-kit comes with two of each size.

I recommend to go to local hardware store to buy more reliable torx. I have stripped 2 of BKC knives (I haven't send them back yet)..

 

[sunandsteel]

Just getting off topic for a sec if I may. Are the Benchmades relatively easy to disassemble just in case a blade is off center and needs to be centered or the spring needs to be replaced?

 

[chiral.grolim]

Just getting off topic for a sec if I may. Are the Benchmades relatively easy to disassemble just in case a blade is off center and needs to be centered or the spring needs to be replaced?

They loc-tite their screws, so a poor-fit or inadequate pressure on your driver can result in either a stripped screw-head or torx-bit. However with some care, or the help of penetrating solvent or a heat-gun, it isn't too difficult.

 

[The Government]

OMG, sorry but mine was never this dry and with some dirt. May be sand grinds out the spring?

Haha, no worries! This knife was a daily user for me, so it was almost never perfectly clean on the inside. Most of the mess you see in that picture is only pocket lint and maybe fine dirt. I don't think there was any sand. Not being able to properly clean the knife without breaking the warranty had always stopped me from opening it up. It is really tough to clean it all out without taking it apart.

I highly doubt that pocket lint and fine dirt is what broke the spring.

Either way, I still love the knife, and I am glad to have it back in service. I actually like it more now that I am not afraid to take it apart.

 

[billym]

Just got mine all taken apart, and thought I would share some pictures... I've got some music wire that I think might work to replace the spring...

Disassembly

After taking off the handle, the break is revealed...

Close up...

Entire spring mechanism taken out...

I'll post pics when it is fixed...:thumbup:

PS- One of those handle screws was really tight. I ended up breaking the tip off of one of the torx bits and twisting another (you can see that in the pictures). Luckily the bit-kit comes with two of each size.

That knife is filthy and there are all kinds of signs of corrosion all over the knife's metal liner/axis and blade housing. Mystery solved.

 

[The_Iron_Joe]

That knife is filthy and there are all kinds of signs of corrosion all over the knife's metal liner/axis and blade housing. Mystery solved.

I don't think there was much mystery in that pic to begin with, though.

Something that I've noticed recently... I've seen people start comparing linerlocks and axis locks. Benchmade Axis locks are probably the toughest locks on the market (tri-ad lock extremely compareable) due to their strength relying on a solid pin, which transfers force to the handle. This is opposed to other locks which, when tested, stress parts designed to move against parts more easily damaged, such as liner locks and frame locks, which is why so much force is required to cause a failure in Axis locks (see the Benchmade lock test videos on YouTube, very interesting).

With a linerlock, a catastrophic failure could probably be defined as a lock slip; when the blade tang pushes the liner, which slides out of the way in either direction, ending lockup unintentionally.

With an Axis lock, a catastrophic failure could be defined as the frame / liners breaking; the lock doesn't ever disengage even during major failure during use. HOWEVER, when deploying or retracting the blade, the omega springs are flexed and stressed; if conditions are right, you could end up with a broken spring due to corrosion or wear caused by lack of maintenance.

TL;DR - Axis lockup strength is not determined by the omega spring; the spring only ensures that the lock is in place. Axis locks are still strong with both springs removed, but only when the pin is in place. Linerlocks require less maintenance but are typically not as strong as Axis locks.

 

[cross1178]

Received my mini back from BM today. It was out about 1 week total and shipping was paid to them on my end only. Looks like they gave it a good cleaning, replaced the omega springs,screws, including the pivot screw, and touched up the edge. I had also wrote a side note to maybe send me back a deep carry clip for my 940, and it was in the box as well. Maybe I just got unlucky on the spring, it happens, so I will use this thing daily as usual until it happens again. I'm not fond of sending off my knife for repair, and the mod previously mentioned looks promising, but I really like the mini grip for my beater, so here's to hoping this thing goes for many,many years.

 

[csisland]

Maybe I just got unlucky on the spring, it happens, so I will use this thing daily as usual until it happens again.

Until it happens again?

 

[The Government]

We can call the knife filthy, but understand that the lint you see is located in the hidden compartment that houses the springs. There is no way to clean that without taking the knife apart and voiding the watranty. Furthermore, after wiping everything down and cleaning it, I did not find any rust. Just clean metal. Springs break due to fatigue. It is just a fact of life. Not all mass produced springs are perfect, but to the human eye they all look the same. It is a hard thing to QC.

If you plan to carry and use an axis lock knife, expext that compartment to get dirty. You can try washing the knife with soapy water, then wd-40, then oil, but that compartment will still be dirty. You really need to void the warranty to clean that spot...

 

[cross1178]

Until it happens again?

Everything breaks. That's life. It may last a week, it might last 50 years. Depending on the frequency of the breaks is what I will base my opinion off of from here. There are many people who have owned axis locks since they've been out and never had an incident. That's the luck of the draw.

 

[billym]

I took my full sized Ritter apart to put on Bladescales.com G-10 scales. Not as dirty or rusty as that 943.

 

[csisland]

I took my full sized Ritter apart to put on Bladescales.com G-10 scales. Not as dirty or rusty as that 943.

That 943 looked like it was either worked hard, left in the jungle for a few days, or spent a day at the beach with it.

 

[chiral.grolim]

We can call the knife filthy, but understand that the lint you see is located in the hidden compartment that houses the springs. There is no way to clean that without taking the knife apart and voiding the watranty. Furthermore, after wiping everything down and cleaning it, I did not find any rust. Just clean metal. Springs break due to fatigue. It is just a fact of life. Not all mass produced springs are perfect, but to the human eye they all look the same. It is a hard thing to QC.

If you plan to carry and use an axis lock knife, expext that compartment to get dirty. You can try washing the knife with soapy water, then wd-40, then oil, but that compartment will still be dirty. You really need to void the warranty to clean that spot...

I try to only ever oil/lubricate the pivot itself, anywhere else WILL collect dust/lint more than if it were left dry. When it gets dirty i blow it out, if greasy or juicy I flush it with soapy water and dry it out. So far haven't felt the need to disassemble just for cleaning, only took my 585 apart and de-assisted out of curiosity. But I live in the US and have more than one knife, I don't mind sending in for warranty service if it rarely ever happens. I've 3X sent in Leatherman products for warranty, 2 of those on the same tool (or rather the first issue, then an issue with the replacement). What impressed me about that image was how close to pristine the handle-scales were, I've come to expect more surface scratches on the aluminum.

 

[richstag]

I don't get why anyone is jumping on someone for having a dirty knife??? Aren't these knives considered working class knives? Are you supposed to somehow keep them isolated from contaminants when you use them for REAL work? I blew out mine daily with compressed air up to 165psi, cleaned it and everything. Looked just as bad, if not worse.

You absolutely have to take these apart if you want them clean if you actually put them through hell and back. Which I did.

 

[MobileFireLord]

That knife is filthy and there are all kinds of signs of corrosion all over the knife's metal liner/axis and blade housing. Mystery solved.

No, there are no rust on that 943. Just some lint and dirt. The dirt may be slightly abrasive, but The Government did kept up with some oil. (I saw some residual oil on partial liner.)

I still think AXIS lock is far better than liner lock as WillardCorspe has commented.

 

[The Government]

Here is a photo of the knife after it was cleaned up. All I did was wipe it down with a paper towel and some rubbing alcohol. As you can see, there was no rust to speak of. All of that discoloration was dried up oil combined with lint and grit. I have never been picky about what kind of oil I use for knives, so whatever is handy is what I use, and some oils have a yellowish brown hue, especially when dried. I think that explains the "discoloration." The reason I didn't clean the knife up for the pictures was because I wanted to treat it more like a crime scene.

Overall, this fix just makes me like the Axis lock even more. Knowing that I have the ability to fix one of the only problems with this design kind of takes away the problem all together. And now, life goes on...

PS- good call MobileFireLord! You know dried oil when you see it

 

[JNewell]

We can call the knife filthy, but understand that the lint you see is located in the hidden compartment that houses the springs. There is no way to clean that without taking the knife apart and voiding the watranty. Furthermore, after wiping everything down and cleaning it, I did not find any rust. Just clean metal. Springs break due to fatigue. It is just a fact of life. Not all mass produced springs are perfect, but to the human eye they all look the same. It is a hard thing to QC.

If you plan to carry and use an axis lock knife, expext that compartment to get dirty. You can try washing the knife with soapy water, then wd-40, then oil, but that compartment will still be dirty. You really need to void the warranty to clean that spot...

High pressure compressed air will get enough lint and cr@p out that what's left won't matter.

Obviously use care when using an air compressor around knives.

 

[richstag]

Here is how mine looked...



One left alone, one wiped off with paper towel...



I sprayed 165psi out of a needle tip into that thing daily. After initial oil I only used dry teflon spray.

High pressure compressed air will get enough lint and cr@p out that what's left won't matter.

Obviously use care when using an air compressor around knives.

 

[The Government]

Thanks for the pics, Kevin!

From the looks of your knife, air seems to do the trick just right.:thumbup: I have an old air compressor that is sitting in a box in my basement, and I think it just got hired.

 

[richstag]

You are welcome. Oh, I am sure it helped a lot, but think about what doesn't blow out just sitting there at the bottom where the spring has the most action. I am sure mine got sand, bay mud, carpet backing, limestone, fiberglass, rock dust and on and on down into there. Make that all into a nice slurry held together with oil and I think I had a ticking time bomb.

The axis lock is still my favorite lock to date for many reasons. I love how it works and even broken springs you can jam it locked with something if you really needed to. Heck, i use a friction folder daily, but they are tuned by peening for the tension I like. My benchmades are set without blade play and very slick opening. So broken spring you could tighten down the pivot and treat her like a friction folder.

I wonder if titanium would be a candidate for this? I really don't know much about making springs. I just know even though my homemade guitar spring looked perfect it wasn't as strong.

Thanks for the pics, Kevin!

From the looks of your knife, air seems to do the trick just right.:thumbup: I have an old air compressor that is sitting in a box in my basement, and I think it just got hired.