- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 3,264
When a factory introduces an innovative folder, Murphy's Law is strictly enforced. With lots of skill, luck, and prayer, they may have the things that will go wrong go wrong with prototypes circulated among insiders. Or the glitch can crop up in the early production, out among the public. And if the buyer or the dealer involved is on the Knife Knut circuit on the Internet, the word will circulate *fast*.
Last week I mentioned in a couple of places that a Kershaw Mini Task's lock had let go and bitten my customer's finger, and wondered if anybody else had run into that problem. Friday, I retrieved the offending knife, and my customer was still happy enough with the design to take a slightly newer production Mini Task in trade for it. On Monday, or maybe it was Tuesday, I got a call from Ken Onion, long distance from Hawaii, who had me tell him at length everything I liked and disliked about that specimen and the Mini and Random Tasks, so he would be prepared when he visits the Kershaw factory next week to help them get it right.
Among other things, he says that current production has the lockup adjusted so that the liner lock engages the tang in the middle, and not barely on the near edge. Also, he says they've found that the "niftiness" factor with these knives means that they get cycled a lot more often than normal liner locks, whether or not there is any cutting to be done.
One suggestion I left with him is that they should use Torx screws that fit an easily obtainable driver for assembly, and for the pivot screw (presently a metric hex screw that is just asking owners of fractional hex keys to "round" it!), since some folks will want to remove the clip, and since the pivot screw is likely to want attention from time to time with that snappy mechanism.
Ken also said to watch for some new variations soon, including a more conventional drop-point blade, and a left-handed version.
On the Mini Task, he says that, among other things, it's intended to appeal to women more than conventional pocket knives, with the opening system intended to accomodate long fingernails.
On the "Is it a politically incorrect auto?" question, he said that Kershaw has paid a bunch of lawyers for a large pile of reasons why it isn't that can be dumped on any prosecutor's desk if necessary. Part of the logic is that in a conventional folder with a backspring, the spring holds it closed in the closed position, but helps it open after the blade travels part way and over a "hump." The torsion bar gizmo in the new Kershaws merely enhances this effect.
Meanwhile, we get to remind ourselves that not every industry has the standard of first-class honoring of warranties that we have among first-class knife companies. The offending Mini Task is on its way back for repair or replacement, and the offended finger is fine now.
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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
Last week I mentioned in a couple of places that a Kershaw Mini Task's lock had let go and bitten my customer's finger, and wondered if anybody else had run into that problem. Friday, I retrieved the offending knife, and my customer was still happy enough with the design to take a slightly newer production Mini Task in trade for it. On Monday, or maybe it was Tuesday, I got a call from Ken Onion, long distance from Hawaii, who had me tell him at length everything I liked and disliked about that specimen and the Mini and Random Tasks, so he would be prepared when he visits the Kershaw factory next week to help them get it right.
Among other things, he says that current production has the lockup adjusted so that the liner lock engages the tang in the middle, and not barely on the near edge. Also, he says they've found that the "niftiness" factor with these knives means that they get cycled a lot more often than normal liner locks, whether or not there is any cutting to be done.
One suggestion I left with him is that they should use Torx screws that fit an easily obtainable driver for assembly, and for the pivot screw (presently a metric hex screw that is just asking owners of fractional hex keys to "round" it!), since some folks will want to remove the clip, and since the pivot screw is likely to want attention from time to time with that snappy mechanism.
Ken also said to watch for some new variations soon, including a more conventional drop-point blade, and a left-handed version.
On the Mini Task, he says that, among other things, it's intended to appeal to women more than conventional pocket knives, with the opening system intended to accomodate long fingernails.
On the "Is it a politically incorrect auto?" question, he said that Kershaw has paid a bunch of lawyers for a large pile of reasons why it isn't that can be dumped on any prosecutor's desk if necessary. Part of the logic is that in a conventional folder with a backspring, the spring holds it closed in the closed position, but helps it open after the blade travels part way and over a "hump." The torsion bar gizmo in the new Kershaws merely enhances this effect.
Meanwhile, we get to remind ourselves that not every industry has the standard of first-class honoring of warranties that we have among first-class knife companies. The offending Mini Task is on its way back for repair or replacement, and the offended finger is fine now.
------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
