New to knives with some questions.

C

Charlie Morris

Joined
May 29, 2011
Messages
33
I've just recently gotten into knives and just purchased my first real one, an Al Mar Hawk Ultralight, but it's crazy hard to open. It seems the pivot is just super tight. I've seen videos of people opening the knife and it glides open single handed with the thumb stud. After searching the forums, I've seen that people like to use mineral oil or other oil and grease to not only protect the blade but to also help it open? Would that help? I've also seen that some people have opened their knives hundreds of times to loosen it. But that doesn't seem to be helping. I really love the knife and it's perfect for my EDC purposes, but not if it's going to shred my thumb trying to open it.

I wish I would have found this site before buying it though. I think that I'm going to be saving up for a Paramilitary 2. I thought it would be too big for my hands, but after seeing all your pictures, I regret not doing enough research.

If anyone has any other recommendations or advice to get my knife usable, I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
Try opening and closing the knife like a regular knife with some oil in the pivot point many times to save your thumb.Try to find a store that carries a knife you like to see if it some thing you want and search on the internet for a better price most stores do not have the best prices.Lots of knives look great in pictures but when you handle them they are not what you want,that will save some money on knives that just sit in a drawer at home that you regret buying.
Thanks,
Michael
 
I'm not familiar with that knife, but does it have a screw through the pivot where the blade turns? If it does, I would try loosening it.

The screw will most likely be a torx (star), and you can get a very inexpensive torx set by Husky for about $6.

Most of the knives I have bought have been a little tight to begin with, and loosening the pivot helped immensely. Please note, that if you loosen it too much, the blade will have side to side play and may not sit completely centered in the handles when closed. You'll have to find your sweet spot for it.

I wouldn't worry that you get a bad one though, from what I have heard, Al Mar knives is one of the better manufacturers out there. I don't own any yet though.
 
If I'm not mistaken the Al Mat Ultralight is a pinned knife. Just try some soap and water into the pivot area work open and close it about 10 times, then dry and apply lube. Work it again a few more times.
 
singularity35 said:
If I'm not mistaken the Al Mat Ultralight is a pinned knife. Just try some soap and water into the pivot area work open and close it about 10 times, then dry and apply lube. Work it again a few more times.
Click to expand...

Correct... it is pinned. It's also a midlock and part of the issue may be a strong backspring. Try Singularity's solution and use a standard 2-hand opening method for a while until everything has a chance to wear in just a bit. Be sure to wash and add lube to the backspring area as well as the pivot.
 
I had an Al Mar Eagle Ultralight and it was the same way. I oiled it and I opened and closed it several hundred times while watching TV and it smoothed up considerably after a while. At least smooth enough that it deployed fairly quickly and no thumb damage .
 
I don't know how it's going by now, but every new back-locked folder is hard to open at first in my little experience, but they loosen up over time. (I never handled an Al Mar Hawk Ultralight, but I can imagen that the thinner, the smaller and the lighter a back-locked folder is, the harder it is to flick open - and an Hawk Ultralight is all that.)
 
I'm carrying an Al Mar Eagle ultra lite now and it did take some cleaning and lube and use to make it smooth opening. Sometimes there is manufacturing debris/grindings in the joint that can be washed out with a strong spray of hot water. Ive used a dental type water pick to clean up this problem also.--KV
 
Try All Of The Above Solutions. Oil Is A Good Way To Lube Your Knife And Protect It, But It, And Some Opening And Closing Should Make It Easier To Open. Also If You're Looking For More Knives, Like A Good EDC, And Without Breaking Your Bank But Getting High Quality, And USA Made, Try Kershaw. I Own Several, And I Am Absolutely In Love With Kershaw. They Make Great Knives, And Most Are USA Made. A Good Knife For EDC From Them, Would Be The Leek, Or The OD-1, They Are Both USA Made, Quick Assist, And Perfect Moderate Size. Or If You Would Like A Nice Chinese Made Knife, Try The Kershaw Crown, The Kershaw Scamp, The Crown Is Around $15 And The Scamp Is About $20. Also, The CRKT Drifter Is Good Sized For EDC, And About $20 As Well. Or Do Some Trading Here On The Forums. I Mean I Have All Of The Knives I Listed Lol. So It's Just An Idea. Good Luck With Your Knife! And Welcome To Being A Collector. But I'll Tell You Now, It's Addictive. :P
 
I offer this as tentative advice only, but I have seen it given in connection with VERY hard to open Cold Steel Tri-Ad locks, and I have used it myself: open the knife to a 90 degree angle and let it sit for a couple of hours. It will loosen the backspring the same way that multiple openings and closings will, but with less wear-and-tear on the mechanism and on your fingers. If still tight, give it a couple of hours more.

And anyone with more experience with lockbacks can chime in to let me know if this is bad advice, since (as I said) I've done it myself. But I don't want to damage my (or anyone else's) knives.
 
I've got my Eagle Ultralight in my pocket today. Mine opens quite smoothly... no issues here.
As far as the construction of the knife goes, pinned folders of this ilk will indeed loosen up over time. As these guys stated, wash out the pivot really well, apply a little bit of your favorite lubricant, and work the action a bunch. Soon, it will break in just right.
Nice choice! :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
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