Is there anything wrong with a little bit of blade wobble?

A

AnklePocket

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May 5, 2001
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I have a folder that's pretty flawless except that there's some side to side blade play (2 to 3mm) that's greatly reduced when the locking bar is engaged (very secure lock-up). Doesn't seem to affect performance at all. Tightening down the pivot point only slows down the action without reducing the wobble. Wondering if this is something to be concerned about.
 
Every tactical folder in my collection has that problem, other than my Sebenza. You just try to tighten the pivot screw to where you can best live with it. Unless the blade play is very excessive, it shouldn't cause any functional problems.
 
holy smokes thats weird! i posted bassicly the same question at almost the same exact moment you posted yours! my problem seems to be different though! please see my post. it doesnt seem to be the pivot/ liner mechanical connection that is wobbling. it seems to be the blade bending with practicly no effort appplied to it! if anyone wants to answer this please answer in my post so as not to confuse things!




thank you,
holdanedge.
 
Every folder I have has ZERO blade play. Tightening the pivot does not reduce the wobble at all? If this knife is put together with micro screws then it is time to take it apart clean everything on the inside, relube, reassemble, recheck for wobble. Maybe it's because I am so anal, but I will not have a knife if there is wobble side-to-side, or up-to-down! Just me.

Of course I only have 14 folders, eleven of which are custom tacs. by JW Smith, Kit Carson, and Mike Obenauf................they shouldn't have ANY wobble, and don't!!:D
 
Every once in a while youll see a high-end custom with slight blade play, but most dont have it, and honestly, i wouldnt own a custom knife that had any play, no play is one of the things you pay for in a custom, and lately, as soon as i pick up a custom knife, thats the first thing i look for, if it has play, i wont buy it, the next thing i look for is a centered blade, i can handle slightly off center, but more than that, back it goes. There are too many well put together customs out there to have to settle for play and off centered blades. JMO.

Now, if we're talking production knives, i guess im more flexible, and i can stand a LITTLE play, though it still bothers me since i know of several cheap prod. knives that have zero play, if they can do it, why cant others? Makes me wonder about the quality of the knife if i feel play. Needless to say, my Sebenzas have zero play, as do all of my customs.
 
My Benchmade 806D2 has no blade play at all. The blade is fairly tight, but the knife can still be snapped open without to much trouble.
 
If it is a very minor blade wobble it should not cause any noticeable problems. It might make it a little tougher to cut in a perfectly straight line, but it is rear that we use our knives to do this.

The major problem this causes is in our minds. It bothers us that our knives aren't perfect in this aspect. This problem bothers different people to differing degrees. If a person is anal this is going to drive him/her nuts.
 
You guys are brushing this one off too lightly. A properly made knife (yes, even factory) will have no blade wobble. If a knife is properly fitted and tolerances are maintained, it is NOT asking too much to have a wobble free knife.

NONE of my dozen and a half factory folders have any wobble - at least that could not be eliminated by tightening the pivot. I would accept no less.
 
I guess I should clarify my words. All of my production folders have some small amount of blade play when the pivot screw is adjusted for very smooth opening. I can eliminate the blade play by tightening the pivot screw, but this significantly effects the overall smoothness of opening the knife.
 
maybe you cold send the knife back for an exchange if the maker does that, who mad the knife anyway? also how much did you pay for the knife? 30-50 dollars? 50-100? 100 +? thinks that may make a diffrence...;)
 
:p ;) :) But Buzzbait is correct. I have experienced it. If I have a knife with blade wobble in my pocket I consider it to be defective and will not rest until I have a wobble free blade. I have sent back a couple of custom folders because of blade wobble. If you can get play-free blades in the under $20.00 category, then a $500.00 custom should also be play free! One reason I don't have problems though is because I like the actions to be stiffer than most people would like.
 
What kind of knife is it?? I know that sometimes threadlock is applied and the pivot not tightened in time. this causes the threadlock to start drying before its properly tightened. It can lead to the screw not being able to "seat" deep enough to bring proper tentsion. This may, or may not be the source of your problem.
I concur that you need to ttake it appart and clean it. Also when you have it appart try to screw all the way into pivot pin and see how far the srew goes in, this may let you know that the problem can either be the screw is too long, or the pivot has loctite in it that needs to be "broken" up. (some buck knives have had this problem)

hope this helps
 
If the blade is a lockback, then yes this is common. Otherwise certain knife manufcturers have a rep for this type of this, Emerson for example (I am not picking on them, just the 1st thst springs to mind.:)

Most production blades will flex if pulled hard, is this the play you mean or just general side to side stuff? My Benchmade liner locks are horrible for this!:( Sloppy sloppy sloppy...

Perhaps Microtech, Chris Reeve and Masters of Defence have spoilt me in production folders?;)
 
AnklePocket, you mentioned that the blade wobble decreases significantly when the blade is locked. Does this mean that the 2-3 mm wobble is occuring when the blade is closed? I'd say that this is very common and acceptable, but when the blade is open (and locked), there should be little to no wobble.
 
NO
I never even gave wobble a thought until my first liner lock. Until then serious wobble was unheard of in anything I owned. I would and still do accept a little less than 100% solid lockup in factory knives if they're lockbacks but none in liner locks or customs.
 
Thanks for the responses. The blade wobbles when the lock isn't activated regardless of what position the knife is in and, since the lock-up is very tight, it's pretty secure in the fully locked out position. In that position there is side to side play, but only when applying significant pressure.
As it turns out: I'm pretty anal. The maker didn't even remotely question anything. He's a gem (as are all that I've ever dealt with) and the superior knife will come back 100% perfect with very little effort.
 
My feeling is that a little blade play will soon turn into a LOT of blade play. A well made folder shouldn't have any blade play at all. That's a good part of what you are paying for and why good knives cost what they do.


Neil
 
I would agree with Neil. One thing to look for in a wobble free folder are large washers. With proper side support and tight tolerances on the pivot pin there should be no play to speak of.
 
Here is a related question. Anybody ever bought a Chris Reeve knife that had any play or a poorly centered blade? Me, no, ive handled probably 100 CR knives at shows/dealers etc and never saw one yet with play, and i have to add, i have never examined a Microtech side opener or MOD with play either, and, never seen any of these 3 knives with a poorly centered blade. To me, thats the kind of quality control you pay for, thats WORTH paying for, and justifies the relatively high prices on these knives. Now, ask me how many Benchmades ive examined that had play or poorly centered blades, and youll get a much different answer, and i guess thats why you pay less for them than a comparable MT.
 
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