Medford Knfe Question

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fleegs

Joined
Feb 10, 2008
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Has anyone taken apart and put back together a Medford knife without issue?

Medford makes it seem like it is a gift to put together his knife correctly. I have a few of his knives with issues and I am trying to determine if I should work on them myself or send them in.

Any thoughts?


Some additional info- My praetorian lock is slipping. I think the grind on the blade lock is too steep. I was thinking of grinding it down a little. I did this to some of my striders and I think it worked out well. I did increase the tension on the lock of the striders also...I just wanted a strider with a lock that locked. (I had bad luck, 5 out of 7 were pretty bad). I also took apart a grayman dua (g10) and fixed it (was not opening smoothly or locking up correctly)


fleegs
 
fleegs said:
Has anyone taken apart and put back together a Medford knife without issue?

Medford makes it seem like it is a gift to put together his knife correctly. I have a few of his knives with issues and I am trying to determine if I should work on them myself or send them in.

Any thoughts?


Some additional info- My praetorian lock is slipping. I think the grind on the blade lock is too steep. I was thinking of grinding it down a little. I did this to some of my striders and I think it worked out well. I did increase the tension on the lock of the striders also...I just wanted a strider with a lock that locked. (I had bad luck, 5 out of 7 were pretty bad). I also took apart a grayman dua (g10) and fixed it (was not opening smoothly or locking up correctly)


fleegs
Click to expand...

I really would not touch it. Medford is very explicit about not even trying to disassemble his knives and there has been numerous incidents where he has charged people huge amounts to repair knives that were claimed to be damaged in disassembly. I absolutely would not try and modify it either, it's simply not worth losing the warranty. Just send it in to him and avoid a huge headache and public shaming when he makes a youtube video about how stupid you are (because he will).
 
Thanks Misanthropia! That is funny.

One thing you should know...if I did take it apart and not get the lock right, I would never send it in to him. For the exact reason you mention. He lives for moments like this. And since he was very clear about his warranty, me opening it would mean I own the knife on my own. Plus I wouldn't want to spend more money on this knife. I would just keep it and count it as a learning experience. I know that I will buy more knives (love them!) so in a year I wouldn't worry about the loss too much.


I find it hard to believe no one has done their own maintenance on a Medford and succeeded. I can't be the only one curious enough to be the first.


fleegs
 
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fleegs said:
Thanks Misanthropia! That is funny.

One thing you should know...if I did take it apart and not get the lock right, I would never send it in to him. For the exact reason you mention. He lives for moments like this. And since he was very clear about his warranty, me opening it would mean I own the knife on my own. Plus I wouldn't want to spend more money on this knife. I would just keep it and count it as a learning experience. I know that I will buy more knives (love them!) so in a year I wouldn't worry about the loss too much.


I find it hard to believe no one has done their own maintenance on a Medford and succeeded. I can't be the only one curious enough to be the first.


fleegs
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I guarantee people have successfully disassembled them for routine maintenance, but having to fix a slipping lock I think falls outside of the realm of "routine maintenance". If it involves removing material on the lockface, that's something I would leave up to the maker.
 
I own 4 medfords. This is my 2 cents. Send it in. Period. This is why. If you take it apart it has no warranty. And if you decide to sell it then that will seriously hurt what you can ask. Or you could hide it and that's just not cool. As far as the slipping lock he says that it could be lube or smuck on the lock face. Did you clean it off? Try alcohol on a q tip. But I really wouldn't take it apart.
 
My opinion? Send it in, get it repaired, and send it on its way to another owner. I don't think much of his no dissassembly policy, nor his no lubrication policy. I owned a TFF 4 and though it was a tank of a knife, it was so stiff that you had to open it with two hands, and you had to take a non-marring object to pry the lock away from the blade. Their replay to inquiry? Just needs to break in, and maybe do some hand strengthening exercises.
I laughed and hung up. Sold it that afternoon with full disclosure of the issues.
 
misanthropia- good point about it not being normal maintenance. Which is hilarious because doing either puts me in the same spot with warranty.

cakes- yep I tried the methods he said in his video on maintenance. Nothing helped. Side notes- The TFF2 I got had lock up issues (don't even ask me about the rust all over it) but when it broke in, the lock issue went away. Plus the TFF2 has the flipper guard so I am not as worried. This praetorian seems to be getting worse with time and would be a guillotine when failing. Just like my first series HEST folder did to my finger :( And yes I still have the HEST folder. Never sent it in. I hate that they removed the liner on the G10 side.




red- yep I agree, his policy stinks. But I can understand where he is coming from. You also mentioned something I am really worried about. Everyone here in their reply assumes that the folder will be returned fixed. My experience with many knife makers leads me to believe that there is a possibility that I might get the knife back doing the same thing. If I mailed this in and got it back in same condition. Wow. I may have a heart attack. I would rather just ruin it myself.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I hope to hear from someone who took apart and put back together a Medford for any reason.

feegs
 
Fleegs, take 'er apart and go to town. There hasn't been a mechanism devised yet that only one man can understand, work on or repair. If you have trouble I will help you out if you're willing to drive a few hours - I'm in NW IN and was a machinist for 20 years. Still have access to all the tools and equipment from the last shop I worked in. I can fix about anything. I think you'll be able to handle it on your own though, just sounds like you need to work up the courage to do it.
 
eKretz- I still haven't decided. I am hoping it will just start to lock up if I keep cleaning the face of the lock. I appreciate the offer. I will let you know if I run into any issues.


fleegs
 
According to some of his youtube vids, he uses a special grease ,and even by oiling your knife you screw with what he has done, I would send it it for even the slightest thing ,especially at this price point. I wanted a medford but after talking with Greg over the phone in went with a hinderer. Not bashing the guy at all I'm sure his products are top notch, but if I can't oil my knife, disassemble my knife , do any kind of maintenence of my knife without being on a video, I will move on. I respect Greg for being a Marine aND only hiring combat vets, but I dunno I just don't get the whole public bashing on thing.
 
"...special grease, and even by oiling your knife you screw with what he has done."

Please. This is simply fear-mongering. These are simple tools, if he has a design that you can't take apart and put it back together without issues developing, he shouldn't be making knives.
 
somber said:
"...special grease, and even by oiling your knife you screw with what he has done."

Please. This is simply fear-mongering. These are simple tools, if he has a design that you can't take apart and put it back together without issues developing, he shouldn't be making knives.
Click to expand...

Please see latest video Mr. Medford has uploaded.My words posted were what he said in that video, something about jet grease and snakeskin oil from bladeforums only flushes his good grease out changing the tolerances , I encourage you to have a look.
 
What a bunch of bull-honky. If that were the case, every Chris Reeve knife that has been disassembled, lubed, oiled, etc. would have issues. Greg needs to stop talking out of his a**
 
From what I get from him is he's not telling you to not take it apart. He's saying don't take it apart and then send it back saying it's broke. Even if it's totally a legitimate warranty issue, how can you tell if it's been taken apart? I feel like this has been discussed to high heaven, and it says it on the website, and he says it in a LOT of his youtube videos. My question is if you're not ok with it or its the craziest thing you've ever heard, why buy an MKT? Just my stupid newb opinion.
 
Allen R- You don't even want to know what I did to my Hinderers :) (hint- they are not flippers anymore)

Well good news everyone. I have been studying this lock for about a month now. I really felt like there was a high spot on the front of the lock face. So I took a Dremel with a wheel grinder attachment and ground down the front part of the lock face. Boom! Locks up tight! Even has a little lock stick now. Time will tell how it fares. And for all who are concerned...the mod was done without taking apart the knife (the small wheel grinder fit right in there with the blade closed). So I should have my warranty. Which I wouldn't use anyway :)

I think knives at this price point should be able to be taken apart. I think they are in a field where they will be handed down from generation to generation.

After talking with Medford many hours at blade this year and having over eight of his knives. I would lean toward that he doesn't fully understand his product yet. Which leads me to guess that he doesn't want people taking apart his knives so he can get a better understanding of his true product issues. I do applaud him for his approach in the knife industry. I think him bringing many knives to knife shows is spectacular! And going after manufacturing of a high throughput, high quality product is something I will continue to support. He reminds me of a Chris Reeve product but I like that he goes after different finishes and coatings. Something I wish Chris Reeve and his company would do.

Medford has me stoked for Blade 2015! It is awesome going there and being able to handle high quality knives. Knife shows have taught me one thing...look for the unknown maker if you want to buy something.

I do wish Medford would get off the D2 steel is the best steel thing. He should go after better rust resistance in his product. I did not enjoy getting three of his knives rusted upon arrival. So now I only order coated knives from him. This experience alone makes me hate his "void if taken apart approach". I would love to have been able to clean the rust off without voiding the warranty. Instead I just had to wipe it with a Q-tip and hope.

I am still looking for any insight into any tricks upon reassembly of a Medford folder. I really want to hear about the jet ball bearing grease.


As Medford would say....."I'm out"


fleegs
 
Glad to know you mod your knives especially a hinderer and actually USE the knife. I use my hinderer just as hard if not harder than I would a knife at 1/8th the price point. Little off track here but I don't believe in safe queens, or baby my knives, they are pieces of gear and my gear gets used. I feel the same about medford he builds "go" knives instead of show knives no doubt, I'm just the type of guy that if I can't take my knife apart that I spent my hard earned cash on to clean it or perform routine maintenance (not mods) then that is not the knife for me. If you chose to mod your gear and make it your own that's all good, it's your cash and you may do with it as you please, betterms be careful saying you modded your hinderer though I'm sure everyrime you say it someone somewhere has a heart attack lol.
 
Jet ball bearing grease? Pffft. I bet it's just fluorinated grease. Good work fleegs.

A lot of people like to make it seem like their work is special and only they can understand it. I can assure you that this is NOT the case. There are some people who shouldn't take apart a jar of peanut butter with a screwed-on lid. These are the kinds of people that perpetuate these types of myth, because they end up screwing up their gear when they take it apart. There are quite a lot of people out there that probably should not take their knives apart, but I think they really already know who they are, and whether semi-complex, closely fitted mechanisms are things they shouldn't be messing with.
 
AllenR- I sure don't want anyone to have a heart attack! I guess that means not mentioning what I did to my Reeve knives ;)

eKretz- Thanks! I really do wonder about that grease :) I will definitely show the knife always adding that is has special jet grease on the pivot!


fleegs
 
Will this special grease last forever or will you have rust and corrosion around the pivot after a few years or weeks?.....which is completely preventable with preventative (void medford warranty) maintenance. 7 hundred for d2 uncoated steel folder, I feel you should be able to grease/lube non exposed blade areas.....so you can pass it down to the kiddo
 
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