removing the assist mechanism?>> kershaw,etc?

[nosilence]

is it possible/wise/a good idea to remove the assist mechanism of a kershaw?
has anybody tried it already? i dont know anyhting about how these work, so any info, pics, sugestions would be apperciated!

 

[Grover_Cephas]

I have a non-assisted Chive right here--the torsion bar broke, and I haven'tgotten around to replacing it. It's easy to do; just keep track of where each part goes as you take the knife apart. I've found it a tiny bit trickier to finagle the torsion bar _back_ into place, but getting it out's easy.

The main problem is that the detent holding the blade _closed_ seems non-existant without the closing pressure of the torsion bar. The knife has a ball detent, but it doesn't seem to accomplish too much. This may vary from model to model.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Maybe these pics will help.

 

[dialex]

The main problem is that the detent holding the blade _closed_ seems non-existant without the closing pressure of the torsion bar. The knife has a ball detent, but it doesn't seem to accomplish too much. This may vary from model to model.

Indeed, the knife has the ball in the liner, but unfortunately there's no corresponding hole in the blade. My guess is they put the ball to reduce friction, thus to ensure a smoother opening.
OTOH, I also had the torsion spring broken (several times) and the Chive performed pretty well without it. It's just that I got the Chive especially for its assisted opening, so I replaced the spring.

 

[Knifeclerk]

It's still got that 'safety' on the handle, right? So you could just move that up when you stick the knife back in your pocket. Not amazing, but still a solution.

 

[betts]

My question is why mess with perfection? These knives are designed so that they open fast and the torsion bar makes it happen. Ken Onion spent years working on the design. If you don't want the torsion bar or the speed, go find a small gents knife style.