- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 3,195
Well, there is no way to ask about everyone's balls, without a few giggles from some, and perhaps some offense from others. I'll try my best not to degrade this forum with lude humour! 
Anyways.....all kidding aside, I noticed that the balls in my early model umnumzaan and my recent model 25 behave very differently. The detent ball on my Umnumzaan actually rolls along the blade. The ball is not loose in it's socket, but does roll around in there. As you open the blade the ball starts rolling along it's track. On my 25 the ball is basically fixed and does not move at all. This actually makes the 25's action much smoother as the ceramic ball sliding along the steel creates less jitter than the ball of my Umnum rolling along the blade.
Looking at the Umnum apart, it does seem like the ball was intended to turn as there is not as much "pinch" in the ti lock-face socket as there is on my 25 (which of course also has a larger ball). I am left to wonder if my Umnum has a design feature that was later abandoned, or if it's just unusual in having a rolling ball. The best way to observe this action is too put some fresh white grease on the ceramic ball. If the ball rolls you will see the grease spin around.
Does anyones else have free-rolling balls?........man that sounds wrong! :culpability:
Anyways.....all kidding aside, I noticed that the balls in my early model umnumzaan and my recent model 25 behave very differently. The detent ball on my Umnumzaan actually rolls along the blade. The ball is not loose in it's socket, but does roll around in there. As you open the blade the ball starts rolling along it's track. On my 25 the ball is basically fixed and does not move at all. This actually makes the 25's action much smoother as the ceramic ball sliding along the steel creates less jitter than the ball of my Umnum rolling along the blade.
Looking at the Umnum apart, it does seem like the ball was intended to turn as there is not as much "pinch" in the ti lock-face socket as there is on my 25 (which of course also has a larger ball). I am left to wonder if my Umnum has a design feature that was later abandoned, or if it's just unusual in having a rolling ball. The best way to observe this action is too put some fresh white grease on the ceramic ball. If the ball rolls you will see the grease spin around.
Does anyones else have free-rolling balls?........man that sounds wrong! :culpability:
Really rolling balls as opposed to non-rolling balls!! Your killing me Cody!! You are way to scientific for me!! But I am very interested in your discovery of the rolling ball!! As we know the Umunmzaan was and still is a complete departure from previous designs that have come out of CRK! And in my opinion, as I have stated in earlier posts the pinnacle of CRK design in a large folding knife!! (yes I know fooj the Mnandi) Until the introduction of the Sebenza 25 in 2012!! So, knowing that your Umnumzaan is one of the first production models with a birth card date of October 16 2008 is it possible or even probable that the "new" ceramic ball system has evolved in the last five plus years? Probably so!! But although I have almost every variation of the Umnumzaan (just completed the purchase of another) in my meager collection I don't have any white grease!! 
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