q: Kerhshaw's assisted openers

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SkinnyJoe

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1) How often does the assist mechanism fail?
2) If/when it does fail, is the knife still usable?

Thanks.
 
Skinny Joe, I've carried a Mini Cyclone Ti/ZDP almost daily for two years now (APR07). It hasn't failed yet. In fact, I've never had a torsion bar fail. You can usually tell when they're getting weak, and call for a few spares then. Of course there will be failures, but they are few and far between. Kershaw tests the torsion bars to 10,000 cycles, and each one is tuned for the knife its in.

As for whether its usable or not, depends on the knife. They will all still open and lock up, but some have stronger detents than others.
 
There have been reported incidents of torsion bars breaking. Followed very quickly by Kershaw sending a replacement or fixing it in-shop. They take care of you.

Removing the torsion bar (which I assume is similar to having one break, although without the rattling) makes an AO pretty useless, at least in the Kershaws I've owned. There's no detent keeping the blade closed in place like most liner/frame locks, instead it uses the torsion bar to keep the blade where it should be when closed. Remove the bar, and the blade swings freely from closed to open without any mechanism or device to make the blade "want" to stay closed in place.
 
I've had two Chives (EDCs with lots of use), still have a Scallion, Leek and a Zero Tolerance ZT0301 (same Speedsafe mechanism), and have had zero problems with the mechanisms. It's a great design that sold a LOT of knives.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I've had two torsion bars fail :
1.) A EDU Boa that I used everyday for 4-5 years straight . Used it a lot and used it hard - was the only knife on me during that time. It had to have had somewhere between 8-12 thousand open/close cycles on it when it went. Kershaw replaced it with a brand new knife.
2.) Had a minicyclone TiZDP torsion bar failure after only a couple of months.Thanks to a informative post with step by step pics on this site - I just got a new spring from Kershaw and replaced it myself.New spring had been changed from what was in the knife originally in terms of a cut in it - would expect that the redesigned spring would last at least as long as my Boa spring did.
3.) Actually had STR add a ball detent to one of my Boa's so that I could remove the bar and not have it open in my pocket.
 
never had any of mine fail theyre equally fast every time and the lockup and use is always top notch
 
I think I might be one of four people on the planet who don't like/trust flippers.When I had a AO Boa I would occasionally use the flipper when I was wearing heavy gloves , but I pretty much never flip a knife open otherwise -AO or not.
The detent that STR added to my Boa doesn't seem to make it a great flipper - but he knew I wasn't looking for that. What I do like about the Boa's flipper is that this knife's blade when opened has just a bit of a guard on the blade thanks to the flipper protrusion. The Boa's blade is both tough and a great cutter - that's why I didn't look at another folder for all those years - it worked for me!
 
Thanks for the info audiopile. I have quite a few Boas in various steel, and the thought of a nice smooth flipper without the AO was intriguing. The opening in my pocket thing isn't an issue as I haven't had one do that yet. And this is after several years of carrying Kershaw's SpeedSafe models.

I agree with you that the Boa is a great all-around work knife. Good size, heft and very solidly built.
 
I have had several torsion bars break, and none were even close to 10,000 openings.

Kershaw sends out new ones FAST, so I dont really care. It still cuts even if it doesnt snap open. I like Kershaws AO
 
have an old Whirlwind that I thought was going soft, it turned out to be dry....a little drop of lube and it was as fast/strong as new. this is an old knife so its longevity so far is 100%
 
I had a torsion bar break in one of my ZT 300 knives and Kershaw sent me out a few replacements. It was simple to replace it. I love Kershaws service and I especially like the fact that they are fine with me taking my knives apart myself. I love my Spyderco knives but it does bug me that they say they are too temperamental for me to work on myself. I have taken all my ZT users apart and polished the washers and pivots and they are sweet knives.

By the way my ZT 300 was usable without the torsion bar but was a gravity knife for sure. There is no hole in the blade for the detent to lock into.
 
20 years using Kershaws, probably owned at least or more than 100, decade plus of EDC...no failures aside from me breaking a blade using my insane brute strength :)
 
After two years of daily carry, my Kershaw Mini-Cyclone Ti/ZDP-189 torsion bar broke. The knife still opened manually with a tiny bit of drag. I emailed Kershaw about buying a replacement. Four days later, two free bars arrived in the mail. Oh, and by the way, I emailed them on a Saturday, and had a reply less then a hour later!!!

Love those guys!!
 
I've used several leeks ever since they came out and only have had one bar fail, and they promptly sent out a replacement. I still carry a leek sometimes and my father has used one for just as long and his is still on the original bar. I'd have to say they are good for roughly 6 years of daily use before they begin to degrade. I'll probly order a few up to swap out in couple of my knives as they are getting a bit weak.
 
I had two dud Kershaw Cyclones right out of the gate last year. Sent the first one back, Kershaw sent me another dud. Tim Galyean offered to personally replace it, but that never came to fruition.

Audiopile ended up sending me the torision bar replacement parts himself, for free. 10 minutes with a torx driver and I had the problem solved.

Thanks again for that, Audiopile...I know I'm not on the forums here very much so sorry for the lack of updates, lol. It's been over a year's worth of EDCing that Cyclone at work without a single hiccup.

It should be noted that the older, pre-2007 made Cyclone used a different torsion bar design that allowed for some slippage. The torsion bar will slip off of the actuator bar and hit the aluminum grip, making a loud SNAP noise, which can lead to damage. This is what happened with both of my Cyclones, both of which were produced in 2006. The torsion bar replacement parts that Audiopile sent me were the 2007+ newer variety. Not sure if the torsion bar design is the same for other speedsafe knives.
 
I've only had the torsion bar fail once in a Leek, and after sending it in for warranty repair Kershaw shipped me a replacement Leek.
 
Carried a whilwind for quite a while still grab it sometimes; the AO doesn't do much for me; once the novelty wore off; but itsure is/was sharp; never had a problem with it; think I have another new one somewhere around.
 
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