Microtech Select Fire opening a bit stiff

Kamoe

Kamoe

Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
183
I just got a Microtech Select Fire, and I noticed that the pivot is really stiff. I'm not sure if it's too tight or if it's not lubed up enough, but I've seen reviews of people who can depress the lock and the blade swings free. Mine doesn't do that. I also can't flick it open very well, it offers a lot of resistance when I try to open. Has anyone else had this problem? Should I send it into Microtech to fix it, or should I just try and break it in a bit and see how it goes?
 
Try breaking her in for a while. Not quite sure how long you have had it ,so give her at least a few days of opening and closing. Put it down for a while, then see if any improvement. Also try some lube. I'm not sure if the SF's have the bearings, but it couldn't hurt either way.
Cheers
 
I am assuming you have the manual action select fire. I have owned 2 select fires 1 was new the other is used. The new one came a little stiff but it ended up breaking in after a day or two of playing with it. Try breaking it in and give it a week. I would try to return it to were you got it from first and see if they could fix it. If they can't then call up microtech and see if they will take care of you. I have not had a problem with microtechs CS but others on here have. Good luck and let us know your outcome.
 
Is it a coated blade or no? Sometimes coated blades will be a little stiffer in the beginning from what I've seen.
 
It is coated, I also got it from Ebay, brand new. I just got it, but I wasn't sure if it needed a breaking-in period or not. I'll play with it a bit, I mean it IS a sexy knife, I already can't put it down. ;D
 
Second day of playing, opening has gotten no easier. I also noticed I do not have the full documentation that will allow me to send the knife to microtech for maintanance since the knife was purchased from Ebay. This is pretty lame.
 
If you do not have the tool to loosen the pivot, or some good lube, take some olive oil and drizzle a little bit down into the pivot, as well as the detent bearing on the lock bar. Open it and close it about twenty times working the oil through it. It should help a lot.
Good luck
 
Olive oil, eh? Some home remedy. Thankfully being Greek, there's no shortage of the stuff here.
 
Ya actually, I think it does better then most lube out there. Hell I use it on my hinderer about once a week. It seems to keep it lubed for quite some time. If that does not work, I would bet the pivot is to tight.
 
Hmm. It worked a little, but I do still hear some grinding, and feel some vibration when I open it. I can't flick it open with 100% certainty, like I can with, say, my Benchmade 940. There's no way I can get the tool to adjust the pivot, either. It'd be worth it if I had more Microtech knives, but putting 100 dollars in tools to one knife is a little ludicrous.
 
Hmm, the grinding when you open it is strange. Did you put oil on the detent bearing on the lock bar? Try depressing the lockbar and opening it. See if you still get the grinding
 
oh, the detent bearing is the tiny little metal ball on the inside near the top of the lock bar. Look down in the knife when it is open right below the end of the blade
 
There's still a little bit of the grinding with the lock bar depressed, not as much as when it's not, though. And yeah, I put oil on the bearing as well as in the pivot area.
 
Well if the grinding subsided a little bit, then part of it is the detent bearing. Contact the seller on ebay and explain. They should offer you an exchange, along with paid shipping to send it back, if they are a dealer. Try to break it in a bit and add a touch more oil while you wait to hear back.
 
After putting a bit more oil on the bearing, I noticed more certainty in my ability to flick it open, but it's still pretty hard to open compared to how I've seen it slide open nicely on Youtube. And again, I've also seen people who are able to depress the lock and allow the blade to freely swing under it's own gravity. Mine doesn't do that at all. So I'm pretty sure that the pivot is too tight.
 
You are probably right. Depending on how tight, and if it has locktight on it or not, it might wear in. I am glad I was able to help you a little bit, and hope it gets better with time.

If you cannot get it exchanged, and it still is really tight, I might be able to help you out. You can email me if you need to.
Elliotcharlesgallagher@gmail.com
 
Well, the seller claimed it was brand-new, and I don't doubt it considering that it came with a nice factory edge and no marks or blemishes, even under 25x magnification, everything looked pristine. So I don't think it'd have locktight on it, it's probably just a QC issue. I saw someone who got a Select Fire and the blade was almost touching the inside of the liner.

I might just buy a single wrench bit from here. Do you think that'd work for me? I'd rather pay 20 bucks for a single bit than 100+ for a whole array of stuff I don't need to have a single tool.
 
I have never heard of that place before, but they seem legit. Its good to know about it. Its also a damn good idea since microtech has proprietary screws.
 
My friend just had to have a Whaleshark. It came brand new with an off centered blade and the detent made it sound gritty when opening. It's already been returned and I wasn't impressed for cost.
 
Boias.John said:
I might just buy a single wrench bit from here. Do you think that'd work for me? I'd rather pay 20 bucks for a single bit than 100+ for a whole array of stuff I don't need to have a single tool.
Click to expand...

I purchased a tool from that site. I can't see why it wouldn't work for you.

I don't know if you'll need two, one on each side. I have no idea what the pivot looks like on the SF.
 
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