Opinions on folding knife blades being centered.

DangCat

DangCat

Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Messages
55
How butt-hurt should I get over buying knives that are centered? Folders of course.... Titanium lock scale, etc. I , of course, want as much done right about a knife for my money, but I was told I was being "anal retentive".:grumpy: A knife had more spacers on the opposite side of the blade from the lock , moving the blade closer to the lock scale.
 
I have high-end folders with bad centering. I still love them because they're otherwise superb knives. I don't know if centering is a concrete indication of quality. I've seen Sebenzas that weren't perfectly centered. I have Spydercos that aren't. In my experience, the company that consistently does centering best is Cold Steel. I like looking at them and thinking, "now there's a company that really has it locked down", but I realize that in reality it has no bearing on the performance and overall quality of the knife. I'll draw the line and consider poor centering the makings of a bad knife when the blade rubs against the liner/frame. I had a Benchmade HK Ally that did this. Gave it away.
 
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I'll say this. If you're buying off the exchange and there's no pics of the centering ask for some. It's amazing how it's overlooked sometimes in the sellers description.
 
It depends upon the build of the knife. Liner Locks push the blade to the side where as lock backs do not. It also depends upon the Maker of the knife. I'd expect more out of good makers (production or custom).

As long as the function, safety, and aesthetics of the blade are not impaired does it matter? My Kershaw CQC 5 is not centered perfectly. But the knife still performs like a champ.
 
Rubbing the liner is never acceptable, other than that my level of tolerance for it is inversely proportionate to the cost of the knife.
 
My blades will center every time they close or they go right back. Period. Might be acceptable on a $30 knife, depending.
 
Thanks for the thoughts guys. I never really thought about my current knives, the 50 to 150 dollar range never seemed to have any issue. If my Emerson rubbed, I just flexed the scales and no more issue. The production manufactured stuff always looked pretty even at the pivot. When I start looking at $400 knives, I feel like I should be more critical of the quality level.
 
I can tolerate it if it's a little off center. I can't stand if it rubs. Even if it's an inexpensive knife. I have never spent over 100 bucks on a knife "yet" :rolleyes: but if and when I do, blade centering will be on my checklist.
 
I am in the "must center camp" especially in the $400 range. To me implies good or bad QC. They all have the ability to center their blades, so why don't they?
 
For a lot of people a centered blade is not a big deal for others it is. If you are spending good money on a high end production or custom knife then in my opinion the blade should be centered. We always try to check them before they go out but sometimes they make it past us. When they do, if the customer complains we take it back for an exchange or if we do not have it a full refund. I certainly would not consider someone anal retentive when they just spent $200 plus dollars on a knife that was not centered!
 
I preferred a centered blade but I don't get to worked up if it doesn't rub and it's $100 +/- $50.

Beyond $200 it should be dead nut centered.
 
What scenario would a non centered blade exhibit more quality than a centered blade? I mean, it would still work, but...just seems pretty lazy not to have a centered blade.
 
AFAIC, if it's not rubbing, it's not a tragedy. However, if I'm paying big dollars for a knife, over $150, it should be close. Over $200, it better be really good. In the $400 and up range, it better be dead nuts perfect! It's not being anal retentive, the reason for paying that much for a knife is for the finer details. like perfect blade centering.
 
Yeah. I am gingerly easing into this subject without trying to raise a bunch of stink. I actually bought this knife new and was wondering if I was completely stupid or what? The response happened today. I was told this was a warranty issue by the manufacturer. Once the knife arrived at the manufacturer, I was told this was a hand made knife and there wasn't any problem.... and told " I'm being anal retentive". I was at a loss for words for a couple hours. Then I got a case of the butt-hurt. So I need smarter people than myself with more knife knowledge to explain their expectations on the subject.
 
DangCat said:
Yeah. I am gingerly easing into this subject without trying to raise a bunch of stink. I actually bought this knife new and was wondering if I was completely stupid or what? The response happened today. I was told this was a warranty issue by the manufacturer. Once the knife arrived at the manufacturer, I was told this was a hand made knife and there wasn't any problem.... and told " I'm being anal retentive". I was at a loss for words for a couple hours. Then I got a case of the butt-hurt. So I need smarter people than myself with more knife knowledge to explain their expectations on the subject.
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A polite rep telling me it was within spec would be annoying, but possibly understandable. A rep telling me that I was anal retentive and I would immediately start a thread in the GBU subforum naming the manufacturer and relating the poor level of customer service I received.
 
DangCat said:
Yeah. I am gingerly easing into this subject without trying to raise a bunch of stink. I actually bought this knife new and was wondering if I was completely stupid or what? The response happened today. I was told this was a warranty issue by the manufacturer. Once the knife arrived at the manufacturer, I was told this was a hand made knife and there wasn't any problem.... and told " I'm being anal retentive". I was at a loss for words for a couple hours. Then I got a case of the butt-hurt. So I need smarter people than myself with more knife knowledge to explain their expectations on the subject.
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Who is the manufacturer, what knife is it, and how much did it cost? Cost is the determining factor in how much butt hurt you should experience.
 
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