New Bugout with omega spring break

I've never had an omega spring break myself across nine Benchmades. I do not fidget with them though. I've often wondered if rapid repeated opening and closing heats the springs and causes premature failure. Steel does not react well to heat after all. You can see where some omega springs rub the liner and that seems like it could cause a lot of friction.

I wonder about these variables because I've seen guys say they've gone through multiple factory and aftermarket springs in just a few months.

Regardless, I can accept occasional breakage as the price you pay for the benefits of the Axis lock. All springs have finite life spans. I suspect the Axis lock is a victim of its own "fidgetability" though. Let's say an omega spring has a hypothetical lifespan of 20,000 cycles. A high fidgeter who opens his knife 50 times a day will see spring failure in 13 months. A non fidgeter who opens his knife 5 times a day will see spring failure in 11 years.

It would be interesting to know the average lifespan of an omega spring. And of course some bad springs will fail at very low cycles. It happens with all manufactured items.
 
Delta-v said:
I've never had an omega spring break myself across nine Benchmades. I do not fidget with them though. I've often wondered if rapid repeated opening and closing heats the springs and causes premature failure. Steel does not react well to heat after all. You can see where some omega springs rub the liner and that seems like it could cause a lot of friction.

I wonder about these variables because I've seen guys say they've gone through multiple factory and aftermarket springs in just a few months.

Regardless, I can accept occasional breakage as the price you pay for the benefits of the Axis lock. All springs have finite life spans. I suspect the Axis lock is a victim of its own "fidgetability" though. Let's say an omega spring has a hypothetical lifespan of 20,000 cycles. A high fidgeter who opens his knife 50 times a day will see spring failure in 13 months. A non fidgeter who opens his knife 5 times a day will see spring failure in 11 years.

It would be interesting to know the average lifespan of an omega spring. And of course some bad springs will fail at very low cycles. It happens with all manufactured items.
Click to expand...

I asked a question about them breaking in another thread, and someone postulated that they rub against the scales. My Griptillian has the original scales on and both springs are still in tact, so who knows?
 
Sharp Steel said:
I asked a question about them breaking in another thread, and someone postulated that they rub against the scales. My Griptillian has the original scales on and both springs are still in tact, so who knows?
Click to expand...
Yeah you can see sometimes when you disassemble them. Clear wear pattern from rubbing. Add in no lubrication and I wonder just how much friction is generated with lots of repeated cycling. But I'm just speculating. Corrosion is probably another factor as well.
 
It mostly comes down to # of cycles. However corrosion does also play a factor for some people. The springs are pre-plated with zinc but they can still develop corrosion. Most people who do not fidget with their knives don't have issues. I have personally never had a spring break.
 
I got an orange 533 Mini Bugout in April this year. I had one spring break in July. I got replacements from Benchmade in France from my knife dealer where I purchased the knife - FOC . I fitted two replacements. They are stronger than the original ones. Another satisfied customer.

I love the knife as it has a super thin blade , S30v steel . Cuts very well. Thanks .
 
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