Question regarding SAK blade play

E

Evan Lynn

Joined
Oct 21, 2018
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6
I recently started a collection of saks and was under the impression that these came with virtually no blade play. I bought two tinkers and they have great snap but it seems as if I wiggle the main blade and pen blade by the tip, they have a small amount of movement each. Is this normal in any way?
 
"Seems as if" sounds possibly pretty picky. Keep in mind these are production knives with tolerance variance, no matter how small or tight.
I have a few SAKs but not the Tinker. That said, I don't seem as if I can find any blade play on those I have.

I did purchase a Victorinox Swiss Army 1 Alox a few years ago that had spring gaps and the one and only blade wasn't well centered.
In fact, I had to closely check the box it came in and the knife itself to assure myself it was authentic LOL
I was able to center the blade and it is now one of my favorites. The "imperfections" have absolutely no impact on performance.
At the end of the day, NO knife is perfect ... and personal preference aside, the imperfections shouldn't be performance deal breakers.

... I had to return a Buck 501 to the mothership once because the blade actually rattled when closed and knife shaken.
So if you find something that bothers you badly about a knife, don't hesitate to seek warranty resolution.
 
Evan Lynn said:
I recently started a collection of saks and was under the impression that these came with virtually no blade play. I bought two tinkers and they have great snap but it seems as if I wiggle the main blade and pen blade by the tip, they have a small amount of movement each. Is this normal in any way?
Click to expand...
Just pop off the scales and give the rivet a hit with a hammer. Who gave you the idea there would be no blade play? They are massproduced not hand made , it´s normal with some small defects ;)
 
BrotherJim said:
"Seems as if" sounds possibly pretty picky. Keep in mind these are production knives with tolerance variance, no matter how small or tight.
I have a few SAKs but not the Tinker. That said, I don't seem as if I can find any blade play on those I have.

I did purchase a Victorinox Swiss Army 1 Alox a few years ago that had spring gaps and the one and only blade wasn't well centered.
In fact, I had to closely check the box it came in and the knife itself to assure myself it was authentic LOL
I was able to center the blade and it is now one of my favorites. The "imperfections" have absolutely no impact on performance.
At the end of the day, NO knife is perfect ... and personal preference aside, the imperfections shouldn't be performance deal breakers.

... I had to return a Buck 501 to the mothership once because the blade actually rattled when closed and knife shaken.
So if you find something that bothers you badly about a knife, don't hesitate to seek warranty resolution.
Click to expand...
Those alox solos all have an off center blade. The single blade is the same one they use for the multi blade knives and is crinked.
 
Like many have said, it is an inexpensive tool produced for mass market, so I won't be surprised if there is a (minuscule) play when you wiggle it side to side hard enough. But collecting SAKs for so many years, they are incredibly consistent in terms of fit and finish.

Since SAKs have life warranty, I would advise give their customer service a try and see whether that blade play falls within their spec or not. If you decide to fix it yourself, I would suggest to use a 2oz hammer to ever so slightly tap on the pivot pins square on, with a anvil or large piece of metal underneath(don't overlook this). Alternate to the opposite side after each hit, and check play for all the tools often. Too much force, you'd peen the pivot too tight and it will be much harder to fix.

A picture from my pass work for your reference, this is after peening and reassembly after a mod:
FXj0Syq.jpg
 
Any folding knife will have a very, very slight amount of blade play, "thanks" to, and to accommodate the thermal dynamics of the blade(s) and liners. Whether it is enough to feel, is another matter.
If there wasn't a tiny amount of clearance built into the liners and blade interface, there soon would be from wear caused by opening and closing and corrosion -- if the blade could be opened at all. With zero clearance, you would not be able to get oil between the blades and liners, nor the blade pivot hole and the pivot pin.

If you had to go all the way to the tip to detect the blade play, as Mr. sitflyer sitflyer stated, I would suspect a little blade flex (normal for a thin blade) more than an overly loose joint.

As Mr. JohnDF JohnDF stated, if you don't notice any blade play when you open the blade, it is unlikely you will notice any in use.
 
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sitflyer said:
Could it be blade flex? VIC does a nice thin grind on their blades.
Click to expand...
Barbababa said:
Just pop off the scales and give the rivet a hit with a hammer. Who gave you the idea there would be no blade play? They are massproduced not hand made , it´s normal with some small defects ;)
Click to expand...
All the Sak collectors on the web put it in my head that they had no blade play haha. I’m quite picky and I know it’s dumb (trying to work through that). One comment mentioned blade flex instead of blade play and that is what I’m starting to think it really is haha.
 
sitflyer said:
Could it be blade flex? VIC does a nice thin grind on their blades.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking Duane. You can take the tip of the blade on almost knife closed or open and get side to side movement at the tip and along the full length of the blade .
 
SAK tinker small in my pocket right now, I think it’s about 10 years old. I had never checked for blade wobble. I just did and it’s Victorinox precise. All things considered, it is simply amazing how well these knives are made. I recall I paid $14.99 new.
 
It may exist, but like finding a politician with common decency, it's extremely rare..

SAKs are not only mass produced but they are ultra high tech precision made on very advanced equipment. errors will occur but infrequently. If you think it's a dud, return it to the makers and ask for a replacement or fix, you'll get it.
 
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