Tachyon Preliminary Review and pictures

Gollnick

Gollnick

Musical Director
Joined
Mar 22, 1999
Messages
29,258
My preliminary review of Tachyon (and remember, I've only had this thing for a few days so I'm not going to reach any earth-shattering conclusions just yet. So, please don't go asking stupid questions like "Is this thing gonna last forever?" I don't know. I've only had it for a few days.).

So, what took so long to get the review done? Well, all totalled including three wall paper images, it's almost twenty-five megabytes of material.

Anyway, here's a little something to peak your interest

tachyon9S.JPG


The rest is on http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
I was very disturbed to read that MT has decided to implement the "DISASSEMBLY WILL VOID WARRANTY." rule. This goes against what was, for me, one of the best selling points of the Tachyon.

Problem: The very nature of the butterfly knife makes it the most dropped knife on the market. Blades get chipped and sometimes the blade actually breaks.
Solution: Make the blade user replaceable by allowing the pivots to be removed completely by the user.
Result: The user can now replace their own blade or switch out a blade for a different style at will without having to buy an entire new knife.

And what about the latch? Would switching the latch, or removing it completely also void the warranty???

Mike, please advise.
 
If it would void the warranty then MT would have effectivly done just what BM did. Promise that blades would be able to be changed out and hint at the user being able to do this, then failing to meet their promise. Admittedly, one of the selling points of the BM42 to me was the ability to switch blades. BM then said that the user wouldn't be able to switch blades, they'd have to send it in. Now it seem that replacement blade aren't even available.

Hopefully Mike will come through and prove that MT can hold up their end of the promise. Only time will tell.
 
I feel kinda dumb but.. I can't find the new wallpaper up on your site? In the wallpaper section there is only 1 Tachyon picture (the one from yesterday)


Adam
 
Opps.

That review and all of the pictures added or modified fifty some-odd files on my site. I thought I'd QCed the whole thing, but I forgot to upload the new wallpaper page. Sorry.

It's up now.

As for the warranty issue, well before you go off running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off, I'd wait to see what Mike has to say.

Yes, BM talked about interchangable blades and then they discovered that for technical reasons it wasn't a good idea. Just because a manufacturer talks about something in the early stages is absolutely no guarantee that it'll be there in the final product.

I'm looking right now at the original sales flyer for Tachyon. I can tell you that several things have changed. That's the way it goes with preliminary information.
 
I don't think we running around like the proverbial chicken. I agree we should let Mike make the final decision. And you're absolutely right in that things change from the planning stages to the final product. But here's where I see is the crux of the problem:

That quote is straight from WOWINC's website, and as far as that goes, that "user disassembly" feature is still being advertised.

Yet another issue that Mike needs to clarify. And Balilover's post is just moral support for MT to do the right thing. BM's actions left some users feeling cheated. I don't wish to see the same thing happen to such a nice bali as the Tachyon.

On a personal note, I hope this means that when I switched the latch from Batangas to Manila, my prototype is still covered under warranty.
 
IMHO, The right thing for MT to do is make Tachyon the best quality, strongest, most durable product they can. Personally, I would rather have strong, durable pins than replaceable blades. Both would be nice, that's true, and a hundred dollar bill in the bottom of the box would be too. But, sometimes, you can't have your cake and eat it too (I'm just full of old adages tonight.) So, if, and I say IF since Mike hasn't commented yet, MT felt the need to forgo interchanability for quality, strength, and durability, as both BM and Darrel Ralph both concluded they needed to, then I can easily accept that.
 
Except in this case we have a slight issue of "False Advertising", if Mike and MT decide to go that route. I'm sure it's all a matter of Tony sending out the generic MT warranty card with the Tachyon, and did not realize that the verbage on that card places Mike in a legal bind. I'm with you in that the Tachyon is one of the best bali's out there, and I'm one of the first proponents to say so.

Between this warranty issue, the latch configuration, and the fact that MT shipped the Tachyons beyond the contractual date, I'm sure Mike has plenty to speak to Tony about.
 
As Tony said, that card is Microtech's standard warranty card. Besides, what could happen to the knife that would be covered under the warranty if there is nothing wrong with the knife when you receive it? If you drop it, and it breaks, not covered. If a screw falls out, I don't think Microtech would have a problem sending you a replacement. They never have. If you take the knife apart, and can't reassemble it, don't expect Microtech to do it for free. As someone who regularly disassembles HALOs and Nemesis for cleaning, the Tachyon looks like a piece of cake.
 
This thread parallels blade_420's post and my answer about aftermarket blades. I think MT and BM know what a can of worms is opened by customer disassembly of a knife, and the ensuing headaches if things don't fit "just so". While it would be nice to have interchangeable blades from the manufacturer, knife design is a trade off across the board. As Chuck says, a soundly designed and manufactured initial product is the most important consideration. How many products don't change from their initial advertising? None? If we don't like the Tachyon as it is, we shouldn't buy it. How many of us are going to do that? None? Probably, because we all know that as delivered, the Tachyon is well worth it's price. I'll say it again, all aspects of knife design are a trade off. Benchmade, Darrel Ralph, and Microtech have good reasons for not believing blade interchangeability to be currently practical. If they didn't, they would offer it (apparently Microtech has not absolutely said there will be no customer blade interchangeability).
 
Gentlemen, with regards to the Tachyon, we're beyond the "initial advertising" stage. We're into the "final product delivery" stage, with no change in the wording of the advertisement (and Mike has already updated the website at least once). Mike and MT made it a point to stress the value of the "user interchangability" feature. Otherwise they wouldn't have mentioned it as one of the FOUR (4) main advantages of buying the Tachyon. Given the amount of thought that went into designing the Tachyon, I would be very surprised if that feature wasn't deliberately designed in. And for them to retreat from that marketing strategy, and hide behind warranty fears, makes no sense to me.

I can understand why BM would be hesitiant to allow customers to do their own blade changes, as the removal of the tang pins require some level of skill to pin punch the Chicago screw safely out of the pivot hole. If someone isn't careful, they can easily damage the screw, fracture the pivot hole, or hurt themselves using the hammer. The same is true when you install the pivot pins. Hammering those pins back into the handle isn't simple SOP for most people.

Those dangers aren't there with the Tachyon. As mentioned by Pigsticker, we're not talking about a complicated spring loaded auto here. We're talking 12 insert screws (T8), 2 pivot screw sets (T10), 1 latch screw set (T6), 4 bronze bushings, 4 handle slabs, 2 inserts, a latch and the blade. And all you really need is 3 torx wrenches (and one or two pin punches, but no hammer required). There's not much that can really go majorly wrong by a customer taking one apart. The worst case I can see is for the customer to strip the threads on the inserts, but that step is not necessary for swapping out a blade. If you consider the blade swap as the most a customer will do, the worst case is for them to damage the pivot screw. Call MT and they'll send you another one.

But that's the question here isn't it? What is really covered under the warranty? And will Mike and company stand by what they promised to the customers? As well built as the Tachyon is, I'm even more impressed with the simplicity of design in the way it was put together.

Now, if Mike comes back and says that we never should have received those warranty cards, then this whole conversation is moot. And I pray that's all this needs to be.
 
Now I am somewhat worried. Does this mean there will be no separate blades at all?

With the bali-ban getting closer here in Germany, I had hoped to buy a Tachyon now and then still be able to get loose blades after the ban.
Waiting for a Tachyon with Nemesis-blade right out of the box would be too late, and that is the blade I want.
If the separate blades concept has been dismissed, I do not think I will get a Tachyon. I hope this will be clarified soon.



Kristofer
 
Let us not forget that many companies out there make statements about disassembely voiding warranty and then turn around and repair things free of charge regardless of dissassembely. That's basically an *ss covering clause in many cases. In case somebody does something real stupid, they aren't obligated to pay for it.
 
I wouldn't worry about that at all. I have a dozen MT's and have taken apart almost all of them, including an LCC DA (which has a LOT more parts than any Bali).

Just don't F- it up when you take it apart, and if there is loc-tite on the screws, then heat em up before hand and re-loc-tite em afterward.

MT has always taken good care of me on warranty stuff and gone WAY beyond that in customer service, so don't sweat it.
 
MUST HAVE TACHYON(drooling). Well there is another nice knife and I have no money. How come this happens to me so much? Anyways, I wonder benchmade will make a new design to compete with the tachyon. I cant wait until the bm31 comes out, then you guys can compare the two.
 
to hell with the waiting for a permission for collecting balis!
i'm buying! :D:D

thanks for review & nice photos, chuck. you know we like that. keep it up! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top