Umnum blade play?

zyhano said:
So @nyef, I know you love the umnum, but I don't open them as soft as I can and then do a spinewack :).
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You should know me better than that by now :) I love the zaan, it was just something I noticed when I got it. After taking it apart for a thorough cleaning ( you should have seen the crud ), it was like new. I posted pics and all so share with you guys. Its All about Knowing & Understanding your knife....Period.

Not every knife performs the same, either with different companies or within the same company. I agree 100%, everyone is too quick to jump on board after One negative comment, and it really was not that negative, its just how different people perceive it and run with it is the problem. ( strider is a different story as I have had 2 complete lemons out of 3.....lol )

I Will say this. Since I got my zaan, my beloved custom engraved sebenza has been keeping the safe...well...um..safe !!! The Umnumzaan is a step in a new direction to improve it as Chris saw fit. Its easy to compare it to the sebenza ( I have done so myself ), but before the zaan came out, thats all we had from CRK is the sebenza and it has been out for many years.
Knowing Chris, he probably made a zaan in 2005, and carried it and put it throuh everything he could think of before putting it into production in 2008. The guy is a pure Genius. Its not like he draws a design on a piece of paper and hands it to the guys and tells them to make 1K of them.

I waited to get a zaan for about a 1 1/2 years, thats my ONLY regret with it. I should have bought one when it first came out. In fact, I like it so much, I wanna get a tanto version. Thats okay if people wanna pass on them, thats just means more for me. I am even thinking of getting another.......just because !!!

Happy Easter Guys !!!
 
nyefmaker said:
You should know me better than that by now :)

Its All about Knowing & Understanding your knife....Period.

Not every knife performs the same, either with different companies or within the same company. I agree 100%, everyone is too quick to jump on board after One negative comment, and it really was not that negative, its just how different people perceive it and run with it is the problem. ( strider is a different story as I have had 2 complete lemons out of 3.....lol )

Its not like he draws a design on a piece of paper and hands it to the guys and tells them to make 1K of them.

I waited to get a zaan for about a 1 1/2 years, thats my ONLY regret with it. I should have bought one when it first came out. In fact, I like it so much, I wanna get a tanto version. Thats okay if people wanna pass on them, thats just means more for me. I am even thinking of getting another.......just because !!!
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Lol, Yeah, I do know better, but I just couldn't let that one go :)

THe Op was not negative, but people jump on board of the complain train you know...

Actually, he's such a genius, I think he does just draw a design on paper :D He's that good hahaha

I want the tanto too... maybe do a group buy for a discount?
 
I posted this thread to get information and to see if other people with the zaan had the same problem as I do. My intention was not to bash this knife or to influence other people into not getting this knife. I really do like this knife a lot, but am conserned about the play. Its not a deal breaker, but I am just trying to figure out how this knife is suppose to be. When I first got this knife, it WAS rock solid with no play what so ever. After using it for a few months it broke in and was much more smooth opening, but then I realized it had minor play. I looked at the knife and trying to figure out what the problem was. It could be possible that the ceramic ball made a small dent into the tang of the knife from use, and it sits in there allowing the blade to rock or move for minor play. I also noticed the lock bar moves vertical when I grip the knife with use, and when this happens the ball slides on the tang which I think could also cause play. So far what I got out of this thread is two things. 1) I am not the only person with this vertical blade play. 2) Other people have no blade play at all. The question is, the people who have no blade play at all...how long have you had your knife and how much have to actually used it??? I have had mine for about a year and I have used it for EDC things most days. This is still a new knife in terms of being on the market with a brand new design with the ceramic ball. I am sure Chris himself did test these knives before production. As I am sure he did with the sebbie when that first came out. But, I am sure the sebbie had its problems when it first came out. This could be the same with the zaan and thats all I am trying to figure out. IS IT SUPPOSE TO WEAR IN LIKE THIS OR IS IT SUPPOSE TO HAVE NO PLAY AT ALL? Remember I did already send the knife in last summer. I got it back with the same "problem". So 1) the knife is suppose to have this minor play after it breaks in, or 2) whoever at CRK did not fix it the first time when it was send in. I AM NOT FLAMING OR BASHING OR WHINING. This is the problem I am having. I would prefer if I didn't have to send it in again because I am dirt broke(college student). So before I get 100 responses to just send it in, I already know this. I AM JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF THE KNIFE IS 100% OK AS IS, OR IS IT SUPPOSE TO HAVE NO PLAY. Thanks for your time and any responses.
 
pinkfloyd101 said:
. . . So before I get 100 responses to just send it in, I already know this.
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I won't tell you to "just send it in"; however, I will say that if you want a definitive answer, it's much better to call CRK directly, as opposed to polling us. We are not the experts, and some of us have some pretty flawed opinions as well. :)

Do post with the results of a talk with CRK, however, and increase our CRK intelligence quotient.
 
I really feel for everyone who has had issues with their umnumzaan. as much as I love my sebbie, I carry the yumyum 90% of the time now, and have had zero problems with it. I wouldn't trade it for the world, and it makes me happy to know that if anything does crop up CRK will make it right. I am really looking forward to the eventual introduction of an umnumzaan in S35, at which point I'll retire my current model. in the interim I'll probably start switching carry with the nyala when those come out, but that's more to do with steel nerdery than anything wrong with the design of the umnumzaan.
 
Not for the world? Really? You do know that the world contains every other knife you *don't* own, right?
 
Mine had some play/lock "walking" across the tang, so I disassembled it and sprung the lock more.
That fixed it to perfection.:thumbup:
No play now, and tree-stabbingly secure(seriously).
 
stabman said:
Mine had some play/lock "walking" across the tang, so I disassembled it and sprung the lock more.
That fixed it to perfection.:thumbup:
No play now, and tree-stabbingly secure(seriously).
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When you say sprung the lock more? Which way do you bend it when you take the knife apart? Do you bend it inwards more or outwards more? Thanks
 
pinkfloyd101 said:
When you say sprung the lock more? Which way do you bend it when you take the knife apart? Do you bend it inwards more or outwards more? Thanks
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I sprung it more towards the non-locking side, so the opposite direction of unlocking it(I think that would be called inwards).
I just used thumb pressure to get the amount of bend required.
I would recommend going in small increments of bend, so you don't end up with it too stiff to unlock. You could always bend it back to make it less stiff if you go too far, but the less bending involved, the better.:thumbup:
 
Josh K said:
Personally I'd leave any adjustments up to CRK. Just me though.
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That's an okay choice, but I find pretty much every manufacturer puts an amount of bend I find insufficient.
Add the cost of shipping, and the fact it can be lost in the mail, and it equals me preferring to do it myself.:)
But that's my preference, nothing more.
 
Assuming I'm reading your posts correctly, you're increasing the pressure toward lockup. Most people seem to go the other way, which IMHO is crazy-dangerous. I wouldn't adjust my own knife, but at least you're going the right way (again...MHO).

stabman said:
That's an okay choice, but I find pretty much every manufacturer puts an amount of bend I find insufficient.
Add the cost of shipping, and the fact it can be lost in the mail, and it equals me preferring to do it myself.:)
But that's my preference, nothing more.
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I took apart my knife to see how much tension my lock bar has. After taking the blade out and leaving the handles together with the screw, the lock bar would travel all the way over and touch the other ti slab. This is from the clip tension and how the lock bar was. SO....I can't move it over any further to help this "walking" problem. It is what it is....its a user so its not the end of the world.
 
Mine feels like a fixed blade open. No perceptible play in any direction, and I've used mine pretty hard before, it's not NIB.
 
I had the same situation. The knife was new, straight from the factory with the movement / spacing between the frame and thumb studs with movement on the ball and tang. I spoke with Mr. Reeves and he explained to me that it was normal. Personally, I'm not really satisfied with the answers I received. This is a product that has hours (possibly years) of research and development from a company that produces products with high standards and prices that reflect it. And yet, it has simple problems. I don’t understand.

The Good. The ergonomics work well, including the thumb ramp, studs and grooves on the slabs. The design of the blade is great, the extra belly is excellent. The spine of the blade is also a good thing, feels great. Granted, I’m not a fan of the swedge but I feel is may have its place for some. I like the idea of the ceramic ball and the O-rings. Overall, good stuff.

The Bad. It is a little hard to disengage the lock bar. The cutout is not deep enough; it needs about a 16th more material removed to be extremely effective and efficient. All in all, this is not the finial nail in the coffin.

Why in the world does one have to have a special tool to take the knife apart? The pivot looks good but doesn’t help with the simplicity of the design. I have to have two tools, not one, to take the knife apart. I don’t understand. Add a bushing to the larger pivot and then I’ll use two tools, if I have to, to take it apart.

Plus, (the final nail in the coffin) why do I you have to put some type of thread lock on the pivot so it doesn’t back out and / or so you can get the “right” pressure? Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t it come from the factory with some type of thread lock? Yes, I think so. I’m sorry but this is not acceptable!

Remove the glass breaker and ship the knife with a 4” rock or medical dictionary! Okay, okay, maybe it has its place.

But glue on a $400 knife?! No, that is crazy.
 
I wonder if the O-rings play a part in the light lock engagement at times? If you open the knife softly, you don't get that solid lock-up right off the get-go like you get from a Ti-onTi lock.I know I'm comparing my new Umum to my 4+ year EDC; my sm. Seb., but it's difficult not to do so.
And as it's been stated many, many times before, these are two different beasts. Doesn't bother me one bit, though, as I don't see it as an issue.
 
flipe8 said:
I wonder if the O-rings play a part in the light lock engagement at times? If you open the knife softly, you don't get that solid lock-up right off the get-go like you get from a Ti-onTi lock.I know I'm comparing my new Umum to my 4+ year EDC; my sm. Seb., but it's difficult not to do so.
And as it's been stated many, many times before, these are two different beasts. Doesn't bother me one bit, though, as I don't see it as an issue.
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This is what I explained in another thread awhile back. If you open the knife up softly, the "O" rings are not compressed ( the lock is aprox. 20% ), you can close it with a soft spine wack to he hand. IF you open it like you would a sebbie, the "O" rings compress fully ( the lock is at 70%) and its like a bank vault. I personally like the "audible" click of the sebbie because when I hear that I know its opened. With the silent zaan, I always look t make sure its open. Like I have stated Many Many times, its Knowing and Understanding the knife.
Since I got my zaan, it has kept my sebbie in the safe. I got it used in trade for a stride smf. Hard to tell how many ownes it had or how itwas used. I took it apart, leand it up and made it mine. I have Zero bladeplay or issues to date. I have used it heavily as you can see by some of my posts and I have no complaints. Its my CRK Workhorse !!!
 
In reply to the part in bold red below, that is not at all uncommon with knives that do not have a bushing or similar system. Virtually all of my Benchmade Axis knives need this, as do most of my Emersons.

ToyKnife said:
I had the same situation. The knife was new, straight from the factory with the movement / spacing between the frame and thumb studs with movement on the ball and tang. I spoke with Mr. Reeves and he explained to me that it was normal. Personally, I'm not really satisfied with the answers I received. This is a product that has hours (possibly years) of research and development from a company that produces products with high standards and prices that reflect it. And yet, it has simple problems. I don’t understand.

The Good. The ergonomics work well, including the thumb ramp, studs and grooves on the slabs. The design of the blade is great, the extra belly is excellent. The spine of the blade is also a good thing, feels great. Granted, I’m not a fan of the swedge but I feel is may have its place for some. I like the idea of the ceramic ball and the O-rings. Overall, good stuff.

The Bad. It is a little hard to disengage the lock bar. The cutout is not deep enough; it needs about a 16th more material removed to be extremely effective and efficient. All in all, this is not the finial nail in the coffin.

Why in the world does one have to have a special tool to take the knife apart? The pivot looks good but doesn’t help with the simplicity of the design. I have to have two tools, not one, to take the knife apart. I don’t understand. Add a bushing to the larger pivot and then I’ll use two tools, if I have to, to take it apart.

Plus, (the final nail in the coffin) why do I you have to put some type of thread lock on the pivot so it doesn’t back out and / or so you can get the “right” pressure? Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t it come from the factory with some type of thread lock? Yes, I think so. I’m sorry but this is not acceptable!
Remove the glass breaker and ship the knife with a 4” rock or medical dictionary! Okay, okay, maybe it has its place.

But glue on a $400 knife?! No, that is crazy.
Click to expand...
 
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