Is anyone else not so fond of the trend towards bearings?

[jill jackson]

Does being overbearing have any real bearing on a conversation about bearings? Or were you just baring your feelings concerning their overbearingness?

It's quite disturbing, I can't bear overbearingness about bearings.

 

[bld522]

It barely concerns me, but I understand the bearing overbearing conversations about bearings could have on your feelings. I hope you recover quickly.

 

[Todd21969]

I disgree. In many cases they are easier to clean if you know what you are doing as disassembly is not required to flush them and reapply lubriction. And these videos below show just how impervious to the elements these types of knives can be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ptNsbpBnig

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDJn3ozeLLo

Disagreeing with my view is fine.To each his own. But I had to chuckle at the sandbox tourture test.

What gets into the nooks and cranies of my knives is at least a million times finer than play sand.

Otherwise I wouldn't wear a respirator.

 

[shinyedges]

Just curious, what bearing knives have you used that were harder to open?

Our personal experiances differ. As do our daily grit/dirt accumulations.

I crew a stone splitter making granite block on the grounds of a open pit gravel mine.

A bearing system is more time consuming to clean. Silica dust is a pain to get out.

Washers and bearings both foul up, neither to failure, but do require more effort to open and close.

I prefer washers.

 

[jill jackson]

Thanks for baring your feelings on my having to bear all these overbearing bearing haters.

 

[bld522]

You win!

 

[PURPLEDC]

Disagreeing with my view is fine.To each his own. But I had to chuckle at the sandbox tourture test.

What gets into the nooks and cranies of my knives is at least a million times finer than play sand.

Otherwise I wouldn't wear a respirator.

Ok, what makes me chuckle is you thinking that every grain of sand in that bucket is of the same diameter. I guarantee you that if you were to sift that sand with varying sized mesh screens you would have quite a bit of dust particles. Dont believe me? Go out to any sand box and move your hands in it and remove them. Even after you shake off the larger particles your hands will still be covered in dust within the sand. You after all should know that. And particles that are small enough to need a respirator arent going to stop a bearing knife from working.

 

[Todd21969]

Just curious, what bearing knives have you used that were harder to open?

A Ripple I picked up just to try a bearing system at work.

Didn't say they were harder to open than a washer system. Both systems get hard to open at my job.

It is my experiance that washer systems are easier to clean out.

 

[Todd21969]

Ok, what makes me chuckle is you thinking that every grain of sand in that bucket is of the same diameter. I guarantee you that if you were to sift that sand with varying sized mesh screens you would have quite a bit of dust particles. Dont believe me? Go out to any sand box and move your hands in it and remove them. Even after you shake off the larger particles your hands will still be covered in dust within the sand. You after all should know that. And particles that are small enough to need a respirator arent going to stop a bearing knife from working.

Ok. You win. Bearings are awesome and can't ever get clogged up.

And thanks for the lesson on sand.
I never new that.... working at a sand/gravel pit.

 

[shinyedges]

The bearings in my zt0561 were a flow through design, what came in.. went out. A rinse in water would clear anything. I agree with purpledc if the particles are small enough to get into the bearings then there small enough to fall out. I think that was what zt had in mind when not enclosing there bearing systems. Any way thanks for answering my question.

A Ripple I picked up just to try a bearing system at work.

Didn't say they were harder to open than a washer system. Both systems get hard to open at my job.

It is my experiance that washer systems are easier to clean out.

 

[scottabrandeberry]

I like both bearings and washers in well made knives.

I very much enjoy my bearing knives, which are mostly ZT (0560BW, 0561, 0562, 0801), plus a Spyderco Domino.

I have done action jobs on a few of my knives (used a extra fine strop to polish the PB washers, pivots, and blade tang), and for the most part, the results are fantastic. My tan/bead blast Franken-Skyline, for example, is crazy fluid smooth, and actually difficult to flip without successfully locking open.

The way I look at it is, you gotta love the wide variety of knives available out there.

 

[Todd21969]

The bearings in my zt0561 were a flow through design, what came in.. went out. A rinse in water would clear anything. I agree with purpledc if the particles are small enough to get into the bearings then there small enough to fall out. I think that was what zt had in mind when not enclosing there bearing systems. Any way thanks for answering my question.

561 is a nice knife. After carrying a 0301 for a year I am over ti framelocks.

We have large and small particles floating everywhere at work. If it makes any bearing guy feel better my Military clogs up enough to be non thumb flickable

 

[shinyedges]

I'm not a bearing guy, the 0561 was the only knife I've owned with bearings most my other knives have washers. My current carry is the zt0620cf which uses washers but is still VERY smooth. Personally if I like a knife I don't care what bearing system it uses. I just think there's a myth out there that bearings are somehow inferior to washers or less reliable and I haven't found that to be true.

561 is a nice knife. After carrying a 0301 for a year I am over ti framelocks.

We have large and small particles floating everywhere at work. If it makes any bearing guy feel better my Military clogs up enough to be non thumb flickable

 

[mqqn]

They offer no real increase in performance and represent additional cost. If a company wants my money they need to offer me more than fidget factor to get it.

I disagree.

My personal, completely non-scientific measure of smooth and free action prior to the proliferation of bearing-pivot knives was to hold the blade in a partially open position and see if the weight of the handle would be enough to close the blade into the handle to the detent.

With the advent of bearings, I have had to change that test to holding the handle and allowing the blade to drop into detent on it's own weight.

So - if you love washers and that is good enough for you, I would fight to support your choice.

However, bearings are better for me, and very noticeably so.

I have owned and used knives 35 years, and in my apparently ignorant opinion, bearings have changed the game.

best

mqqn

 

[PURPLEDC]

Ok. You win. Bearings are awesome and can't ever get clogged up.

And thanks for the lesson on sand.
I never new that.... working at a sand/gravel pit.

Well look at what you said and explain to me how the two statements made by you should make sense when they clearly contradict each other. I dont doubt that you know ultra fine particulates are found in play sand. Which is precisely why i found it so funny that you used the size of the sand particles as the basis for discrediting the video. But that combined with your vast and extensive first hand experience with bearing equipped knives it isnt a real mystery how you came to your conclusions.

561 is a nice knife. After carrying a 0301 for a year I am over ti framelocks.

We have large and small particles floating everywhere at work. If it makes any bearing guy feel better my Military clogs up enough to be non thumb flickable

My guess is because its on washers

 

[mqqn]

Our personal experiances differ. As do our daily grit/dirt accumulations.

I crew a stone splitter making granite block on the grounds of a open pit gravel mine.

A bearing system is more time consuming to clean. Silica dust is a pain to get out.

Washers and bearings both foul up, neither to failure, but do require more effort to open and close.

I prefer washers.

Good insight, Todd -

That's why they make so many different flavors!

Are you running a hydra-splitter? Is it in the field or in a plant? Interesting job, and a cool one at that!

best

mqqn

 

[Todd21969]

Good insight, Todd -

That's why they make so many different flavors!

Are you running a hydra-splitter? Is it in the field or in a plant? Interesting job, and a cool one at that!

best

mqqn

Yep ,we have three hydra-splitters. We have 2 walls and a roof so we call it inside.

 

[RevDevil]

I like both bearings and washers in well made knives.

I very much enjoy my bearing knives, which are mostly ZT (0560BW, 0561, 0562, 0801), plus a Spyderco Domino.

I have done action jobs on a few of my knives (used a extra fine strop to polish the PB washers, pivots, and blade tang), and for the most part, the results are fantastic. My tan/bead blast Franken-Skyline, for example, is crazy fluid smooth, and actually difficult to flip without successfully locking open.

The way I look at it is, you gotta love the wide variety of knives available out there.

I would say I agree with these ideas, I do like the bearings with a carrier (like ZT uses), over the loose bearings (IKBS) style.

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

Ok, what makes me chuckle is you thinking that every grain of sand in that bucket is of the same diameter. I guarantee you that if you were to sift that sand with varying sized mesh screens you would have quite a bit of dust particles. Dont believe me? Go out to any sand box and move your hands in it and remove them. Even after you shake off the larger particles your hands will still be covered in dust within the sand. You after all should know that. And particles that are small enough to need a respirator arent going to stop a bearing knife from working.

Purpledc, I must say, that while it obviously doesn't mean the bearings are IMPOSSIBLE to clog, I feel that those videos spoke louder than any arguing about bearings in this thread. While I've always enjoyed the few knives I have w bearings, I would feel they should never be used around any real dirty situations. The videos clearly showed that bearings can in fact be QUITE resilient. Took some balls to do that with that knife whoever did.

And Cmon folks, no one else in the world would want to waste any time even talking about this subject. I am just happy that there are people for me to talk to about this stuff.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I disagree.

My personal, completely non-scientific measure of smooth and free action prior to the proliferation of bearing-pivot knives was to hold the blade in a partially open position and see if the weight of the handle would be enough to close the blade into the handle to the detent.

With the advent of bearings, I have had to change that test to holding the handle and allowing the blade to drop into detent on it's own weight.

So - if you love washers and that is good enough for you, I would fight to support your choice.

However, bearings are better for me, and very noticeably so.

I have owned and used knives 35 years, and in my apparently ignorant opinion, bearings have changed the game.

best

mqqn

Nothing wrong with enjoying them, but please explain to me how that makes the knife perform better?