Is up and down blade play normal with Axis lock?

G

gofastalot

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Jun 4, 2002
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I just noticed that my BM 13100 has some up and down movement that my 710 and 806 don't have. Is it acceptable to have a little up and down play in some of the Axis lock knives? I'd hate to send it to BM for repair if it is not really a problem.
 
No, the axis lock automatically adjusts for up and down movement. That's why the part it engages is more like a ramp.

Call benchmade, they'll take care of you.
 
Is the knife new? A new knife that has not been broken in yet can have a little bit of up and down play. A small amount of vertical play won't hurt anything. If something has not had time to smooth out then a little friction can keep the lock bar from sliding forward the last couple hundredths of an inch and cause a little wobble. As long as the lock bar is covering the tang the blade can't close so there really isn't anything to worry about. Flip the knife open and closed a couple hundred times (that should only take a couple dozen minutes with a new knife) and it should smooth out and any play go away.

Also, how much play are you talking about? I can feel play in almost ANY folder if I am trying hard enough. One persons play is another persons locked solid.
 
The knife is not new and I never noticed the play before. I just cleaned and lubed the knife and that's when I noticed it. I will check again but I think everything is very clean in there. The play is noticable and I would say my two other BMs have "no" up and down play, at least none that I can detect.
 
Up and down play is definitely not normal for an axis lock. Did you take the knife apart for cleaning? If so, are you sure that the Omega springs have been replaced correctly? Just a thought.
 
like eveyrone said, up and down is absolutely not normal. the axis lock is specifically designed so that it NEVER has up and down play. you might have a very very very small amount of side to side play though, this is necessary as far as I know
 
I guess I'll be sending it to BM. I never took the knife apart, just blew it out and put some lube on it. Weird. That's my most expensive BM too.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Is the knife new? A new knife that has not been broken in yet can have a little bit of up and down play. A small amount of vertical play won't hurt anything. If something has not had time to smooth out then a little friction can keep the lock bar from sliding forward the last couple hundredths of an inch and cause a little wobble. As long as the lock bar is covering the tang the blade can't close so there really isn't anything to worry about. Flip the knife open and closed a couple hundred times (that should only take a couple dozen minutes with a new knife) and it should smooth out and any play go away.

Also, how much play are you talking about? I can feel play in almost ANY folder if I am trying hard enough. One persons play is another persons locked solid.
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This just simply isn't true with a new axis lock. To the OP:

Do as the others suggested, and send it to benchmade. A new benchmade should lock up super tight with zero play whatsoever.
 
I have noticed on some of my axis locks slight vertical play when opened slowly. The harder you open them the tighter they lock up.
 
freq18hz said:
This just simply isn't true with a new axis lock. To the OP:

Do as the others suggested, and send it to benchmade. A new benchmade should lock up super tight with zero play whatsoever.
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i disagree: this is true : my hardtail had a vertical blade play at the begginning .... after some use, it is perfect ! no more blade play at all !
 
nightman said:
I have noticed on some of my axis locks slight vertical play when opened slowly. The harder you open them the tighter they lock up.
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Yeah, my Kulgera was like this.

The AXIS lock has a bar that slides forward, and if it doesn't slide forward all the way and engage the blade there will be vertical play. To rectify this I cleaned the back portion of the blade the bar touches, the bar and the liners that the locking stud and bar glide on very thoroughly, and it took care of the problem.

However the other thing to pay attention to is the bar on the top. If there's some grime on that, then that could also keep the blade from rising the entire way, which would also keep the AXIS lock's bar from sliding forward fully.

So those are the main portions I clean and take good care of on that to prevent vertical blade play and it's not been a problem. Even after breaking my omega spring, just keeping this spots clean and snug prevents any vertical play.
 
vicious00machete said:
Yeah , I noticed it as well with my 710 , and it's pretty damn annoying
Does this BS normal for AXIS or is it a defect ?
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I don't have an axis lock knife anymore to test this, but I really don't think that's normal. since, I think, the axis lock is all hardened steel, there shouldn't be any galling taking place, which, I believe, is the main reason slamming a knife open would cause a tighter lock up.
 
Maybe the lock bar doesn't engage fully when not opened all the way. When opened quickly there is less resistance against the omega springs jamming the lock bar into engagement.
 
freq18hz said:
This just simply isn't true with a new axis lock. To the OP:

Do as the others suggested, and send it to benchmade. A new benchmade should lock up super tight with zero play whatsoever.
Click to expand...


And just how is it simply not true? Because you haven't experienced it? If you are going to say I'm wrong then at least have an explanation of why you think I'm wrong.

The only reason there will be vertical play in an AXIS lock knife is because the lock bar does not move all the way forward, or because the knife is worn enough that the lock bar moves all the way forward and there is still a space between the blade and stop pin. The last one very rarely happens and would take a LOT of hard inertia openings to deform various parts. But there are a couple things that can keep the lock bar from moving all the way forward, one of those being new parts that are not super smooth yet or have a rough spot or burr. Excessive grime can also prevent the lockbar from moving all the way forward and a soft opening could cause the lockbar to get 'hung up' a little and not go completely forward. One spring being stronger than the other can also have the same effect if someone makes their own or tries replacing one spring from another knife.

As long as the lockbar is engaging the tang of the knife a little bit of vertical play is not a problem other than being annoying. If the lockbar is where it is supposed to be the knife can not close. If you have some vertical play and it really bothers you then push forward on the lockbar and that should remove any vertical play. If you clean and lube the knife and cycle it open and closed a couple dozen times then usually a little play will go away. If it really bothers you then send it in and they will probably do something similar and try to fix it for you.
 
I checked again last night and cleaned it some more. I opened it fast, slow, hard, soft, and I still get the blade play unless I hold the lock bar forward. I checked my 710 and if I really try I think I can get a tiny amount of play but it might just be in my head. The 13100 definitely has play when compared to the 710. I guess I will send it in to BM.
 
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