Mini-Cyclone problems

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kgriggs8

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I recently bought a Mini-Cyclone and I have had nothing but problems with it. The assist feature stopped working. It would slip the action bar and not be assisted anymore. I could press the bar with a small screwdriver and it would work for a few more tries but then would slip again.

It also had screws that seemed to come loose in the grip. The steel of the blade had small specks of rust on it as well. I got it from E-bay and the guy sold it as new but I think it was handled and played with before I got it. It still shouldn't be junk like it was. The blade also had a nick in the edge even though it didn't look like it had ever been used to cut anything. It was still sharp but had a chip in the edge.

I had other Kershaws that didn't measure up IMHO as well. My Boa's liner wore clear to the other side of the blade in a short time. My Chive assist was so weak that it didn't open the blade fully. Several of the G-10 Hawks I bought had loose pocket clips, uneven edge grinds and in general were sloppy. I guess that is why they were discontinued.

I have had a few good Kershaws like my Boron Chive and Leek but I have to admit that most of them were sub par.

Did I just get unlucky with my model picks or did I get lemons from otherwise good models?

Don't flame me just for bringing this up. I want to keep giving Kershaw more chances but not if I am going to keep paying good money for sub-par knives.
 
You obviously can't judge Kershaw's quality by the Mini-Cyclone as it was obviously not new and already trashed when you received it. The fact that the blade was still sharp doesn't mean the previous owner didn't strike it against something.

I'm not sure what kind of answer you're looking for. This is the Kershaw Manufacturer's Forum, and it's also full of Kershaw fans and supporters. It's a good bet that none of us are going to say "Yeah, they're all sub-par junk...don't buy any more." I can't speak for Kershaw, but perhaps one of their reps will have some answers for you.

What I can relate is my personal experience with the 6 I've purchased over the years (more on the way). They were all pretty much perfect in appearance and functionality, and all worth more than I paid for them. You could probably take a micrometer to them and find asymmetries, or a microscope and find minute fit and finish flaws, but nothing that you would ever notice or would interfere with their use and enjoyment. Even the older ones are all still fully functional with no issues.

So I say...must be a highly unusual run of bad luck and lemons from otherwise good models...by all means give them another try!

Edit: As I've been reminded by more experienced brethren...Kershaw's knives have limited lifetime warranties, and their customer service is next-to-none...give them a call or e-mail.
 
kgriggs8 said:
I got it from E-bay and the guy sold it as new but I think it was handled and played with before I got it. It still shouldn't be junk like it was.
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You bought a knife from Evil-Bay, that was advertised as new. Assist not working, screws loose, rust. Any knife abused will have flaws like that. No matter what brand.
If it was new, it wouldn't have those problems. Sounds like it was abused before you got it.

kgriggs8 said:
I had other Kershaws that didn't measure up IMHO as well. My Boa's liner wore clear to the other side of the blade in a short time. My Chive assist was so weak that it didn't open the blade fully. Several of the G-10 Hawks I bought had loose pocket clips, uneven edge grinds and in general were sloppy. I guess that is why they were discontinued.

I have had a few good Kershaws like my Boron Chive and Leek but I have to admit that most of them were sub par.

Did I just get unlucky with my model picks or did I get lemons from otherwise good models?
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1. Did you purchase any of the above from dealers? Or just Evil-Bay?
2. I've had a few knives wear the liner out. I'm sure Kershaw has a fix for ya.
3. Your weak Chive can be fixed very easily by sending it in for repair or
having Kershaw send you new torsion bars if you want to fix it yourself.
Maybe the pivot needs to be adjusted.
4. Were the Hawks new or used? I've had problems with my BM 975SBT and AFCK clip screws. Sent them in and they were fixed.

mike
 
I think mike's spot on...you got a used (abused?) MC...

Personally, I've bought right at 50 Kershaws of various models in the past 12 months, and never experienced the issues you have.

Take mike's advice, and get in touch with Kershaw's CS...




Oh, and btw...why are you a HIGH LEVEL SHEEP?
 
It's a tough call as to wether the evil bay ( or what one office I work in calls "shoping while drunk" apparently based on a percepetion that it helps if either the buyers or sellers are inebriated ) or gun shows are a worse source for not quite right products. My personal experience with some of the models you have had problems with is somewhat different: 1.) Boa - carried and EveryDayUsed one individual Boa for 4 or 5 years straight.- and used it hard -sharpened / pryed with it - cut anything I thought it had a chance of making a dent in. SpeedSafe finally failed -returned it Kershaw - they replaced it with a brand new knife N/C. 2.) Really like the mini-cyclones - at least some of them have had spring/torsion bar problems. Yours sounds like it was previously beat upon -send it Kershaw or requist a spring kit from them - there's a how to dissassemble pictorial on this site -easily done.
3.) I'll admit I'm a knife user - not a collector -so I could easily miss some things that are a concern to you - but my experience with Kershaw/Onions over the last 7 years or so -is that they cut (some even pry) very well . Maintence for me has generally been no more than blowing the pocket lint out of the pivot once in a while - had never even lubricated the Boa that served me so well.
 
Don't tell me he wandered in there...my god man, they eat people alive in there!

As for the for trade thread, I'm sure Dann will see this thread and apply the correct pressure...probably around his throat or to the kick/fire area!
 
SPXTrader said:
Don't tell me he wandered in there...my god man, they eat people alive in there!

As for the for sale thread, I'm sure Dann will see this thread and apply the correct pressure...probably around his throat or to the kick/fire area!
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My apoligies it was a for trade thread with no disclosure of the fact that the liner was all of the way over to one side.
 
I'm not sure what answers I am looking for either. I guess I wanted to know if other people have had similar problems with the Cyclone in particular and other Kershaws in general.

I seem to have had a few more problems that I would have thought normal for a company that seems to have a good rep. I don't really hear people talk bad about Kershaw like they might about CRKT or Gerber.

I bought most of the knives new but some I got used.

As for the High Level Sheep comment, I will never change it. I used to be a Gold Member here but someone changed my title without my permission. I was informed I could have it changed back if I paid $20.00. It felt like blackmail in a way. I don't bow down to bullies. I stand up to people who try and push me around whatever the cost. It is a matter of priciple now. I will never pay to change my title.

You "Pirates" are just going to have to deal with it because I don't back down to bullies. I stand up for my beliefs and that is that.
 
It seems that you got a lemon there. You can send it to Kershaw and they'll fix it up... or you could try to fix it yourself. It's not rocket science, however it requires some minimal skills.
 
I have a mini-cyclone and have had ZERO problems with it. it's consistent, sharp as hell and a great knife.

brett
 
kgriggs8 said:
I'm not sure what answers I am looking for either. I guess I wanted to know if other people have had similar problems with the Cyclone in particular and other Kershaws in general.

I seem to have had a few more problems that I would have thought normal for a company that seems to have a good rep. I don't really hear people talk bad about Kershaw like they might about CRKT or Gerber.

I bought most of the knives new but some I got used.

.
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Maybe people who bought used/abused Kershaw's have the same problem.
Did you even bother to contact Kershaw with your second hand knife problems before you came here to berate them? To accuse a company of poor quality on a used/abused product before contacting them is an unfair assessment. Contact them before you start complaining about buying secondhand used & abused products. Kershaw will make it right, whether the product is new or used. And they would do so without you complaining here.
 
kgriggs8 said:
As for the High Level Sheep comment, I will never change it. I used to be a Gold Member here but someone changed my title without my permission. I was informed I could have it changed back if I paid $20.00. It felt like blackmail in a way. I don't bow down to bullies. I stand up to people who try and push me around whatever the cost. It is a matter of principle now. I will never pay to change my title.

You "Pirates" are just going to have to deal with it because I don't back down to bullies. I stand up for my beliefs and that is that.
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Not to hijack this thread but the record needs to be made clear...

Kriggs got his title because ( when he had a gold membership) was insulting and rude to several individuals including myself and got on his high horse and started thumping his chest saying how he is a champion for the underdog and that he always defends the weak blah blah blah..:barf: then he proceeded to rant on about how the pirates were all just low level sheep blindly doing as they are told by myself. This tapestry of lies and idiocy has earned him this title. Earlier this year he got into another exchange with myself and I asked him to specifically mention who he has ever helped in a time of need such as donating to the VG visiting angels fund etc. Of course our buddy Kriggs would not respond to these queries because he is a person of poor moral and ethical character and a complete fraud.
So anything you hear about pirates being bullies and how he has been so mistreated etc. is pure fiction on the part of a person who is a liar, and has no moral character whatsoever.
I apologize to the kershaw regulars on this forum for posting this but I feel that this guy has some sort of deluded notion that he was bullied and chased out of Whine and Cheeze and other forums because there was some sort of campaign against him. In reality, Kriggs was rude, insulting, a cry baby, and obviously could dish it out but could not take it. It speaks to his character. So be forewarned that most of what comes out of his mouth is tainted with B.S.

sorry to interrupt..

Ren
 
Another point of historical fact is several people got similar amusing titles in the same large bold red letters. One fellow was ridiculed because he kept making jokes about never getting an infraction, he played along and still makes jokes about it. Another fellow who had a rough start here of Bladeforums got a joke about his skateboard, he played along and took it like a man, now even bought a membership. Heck even I got one, which in my opinion was the least flattering as it said,"Hanging out with his ghey friend which stemmed from me making fun of people and saying they were gay. Shrug, no big deal.

You can take it and laugh or you can concoct some sort of paranoid delusion about it, speaks a lot about a person's stability and character.

Me, I don't care to kill no albatross and hang it about my neck, some people are different I guess.
 
I was only considered "rude" because I dared to stand up to a bunch of bullies that were talking about someone behind his back. I just thought it was wrong to bash someone on a forum with the other person being able to defend themself. I didn't know the person I was defending and I wasn't even really defending the person. I was just trying to get Ren and some others to see what they were doing was dirty and low and didn't portray them in a good light.

Of course as soon as someone stands up for someone, that person is made the target. I am not going to lay down and take it so it became a online fight. Ren and his gang are the ones who can dish it out but can't take it. Why would little old me upset them so much if they were such men? All I did was question why they thought it was honorable to bash someone behind their back. It is like a 20 page thread over at the Pirates Cove. The guy they were bashing was a member who never did anyone wrong as far as I know. They just didn't like the guy for whatever reason. They need someone to pick on and better it be me than someone who might be hurt by their comments.

I think I can take a few insults from a couple of losers who spend all their time pretending to be Pirates on an online chat room. Considering the source of the comments, I am not too bothered by them.
 
OOOOOOOOOK....pointless exchange finished? Back on topic? Yeah? Good. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm going to second the sentiments of the others here. Kershaws, in my experience, are great knives. Sharp, reliable, well made. However, they are mass porduced, and anything mass produced is bound to pop a lemon out of the batch once and a while.

That being said, I think that the previous owner "tested" this knife, and when he dicked it up he decided to pawn it off on Evil-Bay. So, here are my two suggestions for you, for now and the future:

1. Contact Kershaw's CS. They are great. You can either send the knife in to them for evaluation (they will fix or replace the knife for free), or you can elect to have them send you a new torsion/actuator bar set. Even though it's pretty easy to replaces the bars yourself, given the problems you've had with the knife I think that you should send it in so that the Kershaw techs can give it a thorough once-over and make sure there aren't any other issues.

2. DON'T BUY YOUR KNIVES ON FRIGGEN E-BAY, YOU'RE ASKING FOR TROUBLE. Either buy them locally, or find a reputable online vendor and order one from them.

Hope that helps. Sorry you got a used and abused piece, but trust me, Kershaw will take care of you.
 
Convert said:
OOOOOOOOOK....pointless exchange finished? Back on topic? Yeah? Good. :rolleyes:
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Thank-You. Now, with any luck, I won't have to be handing out infractions for the mess posted in this thread. Any further comments that are an attempt at beating eachother up need to be posted in Whine & Cheeze, The Cove, or in The Good, The Bad, The Ugly forums...NOT here at the Kershaw Forum, as we try to keep this forum informative AND friendly...

Thank-You.
 
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