Shirogorov Questions!

[anvil_den]

Is there a place to get a wrench that fits the custom slots on the screws? I have a 111 and an F3 should arrive tomorrow...

There is a tactical pen tool now by Shiro- but it won't fit the pivot screw for the 111. Before I got that -- was just using flat bits.

Flat #8 for pivot and #6 for the standoff and clip screw... on the usual Shiros.

For the 111 -- u need to find something wider/ thicker for the pivot.. maybe a #10 flat bit? Can't recall off hand now.

Like Shady said- -u can file down some to not bugger up the side of the screws. Alternatively tape them up once over with those labeling strip or 3m masking tape. done right it should be a snug fit and with no metal to metal contact.. lesser chance to mess things up

when opening.. push straight down directly before turning- that helps to keep excess pressure to the sides of the screws which seems to be the softest areas.

One last tip.. helps to have a magnetic tip when putting those balls back one by one...

 

[Pittknife]

The problem with the Shiros right now is there are too many fakes.

when I bought my mod 95 w/ cf insert and s90v i paid $1100 with srbs. I can't sale it right now for $950...

 

[stician]

One more pic for easy ref to above on MRBS diff... ')

I think by now it has settled down to some kind of a de-facto std for what's used on what.. CD are almost all SRRBS and Sergey's full custom are DRRBS. It's the early ones and those before CD that had some degree of customization which can run anything from washer to SRBS and MRBS..

Is the MM version of the MRBS smoother?

 

[Zemapeli]

Interesting stuff. I wonder though, how the bearings would hold up to impact compared to a normal washer... Are the bearings/washers replaceable in the shirogorovs?

 

[stician]

Interesting stuff. I wonder though, how the bearings would hold up to impact compared to a normal washer... Are the bearings/washers replaceable in the shirogorovs?

A member here named Dmitry13 has a post about his visit to SBW workshop and they did a stress test on the pivot. My take is these Shirogorov are not only build with attention to detail inside and out with tolerance tighter than a Rockstead but strong as well.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1263295-SBW_Flipper-95-bearings-pivot-point-test

 

[anvil_den]

Is the MM version of the MRBS smoother?

For me the MM is way way smoother. But I wouldn't pin in to just the bearings alone and even that-- batch to batch they can be different. Lockbar tension plays a part especially on the closing. How much work is done on smoothing the race or race inserts would also be a factor. Weight distribution and blade shape also plays a part in how the "smoothness" is perceive overall. Also the MM are only used on collabs with SiDi and all these are limited run ed.. so the treatment for these may be different. My asym MRBS is from a serial production 111.

 

[stician]

Thanks anvil_den!

 

[FA1BladeGuy]

Are the SRRBS multiple bearings on the Shirogorov Custom Division 95T's worth the higher price?

 

[stician]

Are the SRRBS multiple bearings on the Shirogorov Custom Division 95T's worth the higher price?

I've heard yes from owners but I've yet to handle more than SRBS and MRBS/MM. One owner told me he feels the MRBS/MM is significantly better than his CD F95T.

 

[anvil_den]

FA1BladeGuy-- if you have a little more spare cash and might start wedging a Shiro and wigggling in hard surfaces.. the rod bearings of CDs would be stiffer I guess

Depends on what you are looking for.. if like me you like to tune until the last part of the dropping has a momentary halt before it drops down-- yes the mrbs with a grooved race usually works better. As for CD SRRBS or DRRBS-- there is a lot more contact between bearings and blade side and a flat race-- it is still super smooth with a proper tune up and lube but hard to achieve that bank-vault drop feel. But all those teeny weeny bit of action is really of no practical function. I do it just for the fun of it.

Hardly take notice of those things when using mine. Only check for ease of penetration over cooked meat

 

[FA1BladeGuy]

FA1BladeGuy-- if you have a little more spare cash and might start wedging a Shiro and wigggling in hard surfaces.. the rod bearings of CDs would be stiffer I guess

Depends on what you are looking for.. if like me you like to tune until the last part of the dropping has a momentary halt before it drops down-- yes the mrbs with a grooved race usually works better. As for CD SRRBS or DRRBS-- there is a lot more contact between bearings and blade side and a flat race-- it is still super smooth with a proper tune up and lube but hard to achieve that bank-vault drop feel. But all those teeny weeny bit of action is really of no practical function. I do it just for the fun of it.

Hardly take notice of those things when using mine. Only check for ease of penetration over cooked meat

Man that looks good. There's absolutely nothing better then ribs on the grill. Well, the truth is I don't really have a ton of extra money for cool knives because I've got a 6m old baby girl. That being the case I still found the Shirogorov 95T to be an interesting EDC option. I'll keep my powder dry for a good used 95 and hope that the Shiro prices keep coming down. Thank you sir for taking the time.

 

[Lenin33]

Just got my 95T and it is perfect as you would expect. Since this is my first Shrogorov knife, I wanted to ask you for some advices in taking 95T w/SRBS apart for maintenance(some DO's & Don'ts).
Thank you in advance

There is a tactical pen tool now by Shiro- but it won't fit the pivot screw for the 111. Before I got that -- was just using flat bits.

Flat #8 for pivot and #6 for the standoff and clip screw... on the usual Shiros.

For the 111 -- u need to find something wider/ thicker for the pivot.. maybe a #10 flat bit? Can't recall off hand now.

Like Shady said- -u can file down some to not bugger up the side of the screws. Alternatively tape them up once over with those labeling strip or 3m masking tape. done right it should be a snug fit and with no metal to metal contact.. lesser chance to mess things up

when opening.. push straight down directly before turning- that helps to keep excess pressure to the sides of the screws which seems to be the softest areas.

One last tip.. helps to have a magnetic tip when putting those balls back one by one...

 

[lemmuhj]

This is a great thread, just happened to find it via google

 

[mark jeneson]

This is a great thread! There's not a ton of info on these knives out there. I just became a proud owner of my first shiro, a 95t. It came like-new but didn't have that smoothness that I see in many of the videos. I thought i'd put a drop of rem oil in the pivot. Upon arrival if I put the knife up to my ear while closing it, I could hear the faintest scratching noise as if there were a couple tiny grains of sand in there. Putting on 3 drops of rem oil made this noise much worse and the action became slower and grittier. I certainly don't trust myself to take it apart to clean out debris. How do you guys keep your pivots clean? Is there any sort of protocol other than just disassembling the knife?

 

[marcus52AR]

^^I would just keep cycling it open and closed. The grit shouldn't do any damage and should work itself out. That's the catch 22 with oil, it makes for a super smooth operations but attracts grit.

 

[berthellen]

Mark, I have 2 shiros a f95t and a hati, and though I have only disassembled the hati (on washers) I believe they used a graphite based lube. My experience with graphite is that adding oil to it makes it gritty and less smooth like you described.

That said I've carried my f95 for the past 6 mo. and not been particularly cautious about keeping it clean just to see how long it would take to wane in performance. It is smoother than brand new now. I take all my knives apart to clean them so no biggie. Your issue is possibly that the previous owner put a few drops of lube in and that initially gummed it up and its not even grit...maybe.

To clean it without disassembly may be tough but maybe trying to flush it with some denatured alcohol in a syringe, blow it out with compressed air, and repeat a few times. Then try some rem oil. Good luck.

 

[mark jeneson]

Thanks for the advice dudes. The syringe sounds like a good bet.

 

[10 Gauge]

Reviving an old thread after doing some Google cruising this morning.

I currently have 6 Shiro's with pivots as follows - 2 SRBS, 2 MRBS, and 2 SRRBS.

Taking lockbar tension out of the equation these are my findings and experiences. I personally find the MRBS to be the most fun to flip with the overall smoothest and free-running action. The MRBS seem to all fall shut without any extra input at a nice controlled rate. The SRBS will nearly fall shut but usually require a nudge to get them moving or to get the blade to fully seat. The SRBS also seems to have the most "feedback" from the bearings through the scales, like you can feel the ball bearings as they travel. The MRBS doesn't exhibit this feeling through the scales in my experience. The SRRBS systems in my experience are not a fall shut type of pivot but someone in this thread made an analogy of them feeling more like a vault door, that's accurate. There's no feedback through the scales and it's absolutely buttery smooth like rolling on glass. They have a completely different feel to them all together compared to the the ball bearings. The action on the SRRBS does indeed exhibit a more premium feel, but if you prefer a drop-shut blade you may not like it. My 2 SRRBS examples also don't have a strong / crisp detent release on them like my SRBS/MRBS models do, they don't take as much force to open which can sometimes lead to somewhat slow deployment (even if you tension the lockbar un-necessarily high) which means you don't always get a completely consistent blade deployment like I feel you get every single time on the SRBS/MRBS production models.

Anyhow, those are my thoughts I felt like I'd contribute to this thread. I love my Shiro's!