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umnumzaan pivot questions

joewoo

joewoo

Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
85
ive been reading every zaan thread that i can find... i just got one... really like it...

ive had a couple sebenzas before...

i have questions with regards to the pivot...

the knife currently doesnt not "open like an automatic".... it takes considerable force to overcome the ball detent and yes, i have the technique down... i am going upwards parallel to the frame.... this could be because of 3 reasons that i can think of.... super fresh detent.. or overly tight pivot... childlike hand stength...

firstly, i do not second guess the quality of the knife... i dont think anyhting is "out of spec" with mine... so what im wondering is, do i relieve tension in the pivot? or do i be "patient" and break in and wait and assume over time that everything will relax a little bit?

the pivot currently does not rotate if i pinch it with my fingers... if i adjust the pivot to where the blade "opens like an automatic", the pivot becomes pretty loose where when i pinch them, the handle moves fairly freely... also, with the pivot adjusted looser, there seems to be blade play when the knife is close.... i can move the blade slightly where i can hear the lubricant squish around... the knife also leans to one side when in the closed position when the pivot is loose... so another question is, does this even freakin matter?

im not interested in watching tv and flicking the knife all day... but when i do want to use it, i dont want open the blade to be such a thought process which it is right now... should i be more patient? got it less than a week ago.... should i loosen my pivot?? i hesitate because i trust reeves and im no knife maker.... do i have weak hands???

for now, as long as i can open the knife, im ok... which i can do... jus not super effortless like i seen on some youtube vids... mainly id like to know, am i creating unnecessary wear by having a tighter pivot? or is this naturally the break in process... ive read breakins goin for 10 min for some people all the way to a couple thousand open and closings.... is this not really a "serious" issue?? i might be over thinking the idea of having a knife with tight tolerances... i see that the difference between "late" lockup or mid lockup is an issue where people become overly sensitive and it doesnt matter so long as its not at the extremes.... is this pivot tightness thing the same thing???

thanks BF
 
forgot to mention that im also NOT resting fingers on the lockbar... i see that can increase the force needed to deploy the blade...
 
It should loosen up after a few weeks.

I wouldn't leave the pivot loose. I noticed after taking my umnumzaan apart that the oversized pivot when fully inserted seats flush, and I mean flush! to the other side of the frame, meaning when you tighten down the pivot screw it should not compress the washers like a conventional pivot knife.

If you are getting play in the blade it needs to be tightened more. Play will translate into wear in places it wasn't designed to wear in.

I trust Chris's engineering and tolerances.

Just give it some time.
 
I also got a brand new zaan 10 days back. Single hand opening is a considerable effort. i just assume that it would take some time to break in , plus i have somewhat small hands. Since i am in total awe with the knife i tend to open the knife just to admire it pretty often. so it should get smooth soon
 
I'll second the earlier comment. When I first got my Umnum it was super tight and stiff to open. It was still smooth through the opening arc but it just wasn't nearly as easy to open as a Sebenza. Now, after having it and carrying it for a while it is smooth as silk and very easy to open.
I actually have a couple now and only my user is easy. The other 2 that are still NIB are both pretty stiff compared. So it really just takes time and use in my experience.
 
Its does take time, however my use umnum never really obtained the ease of opening some of my other knives have. Its not as easy as any of my spydercos or benchmades. However it is a lot easier since I first got it.
 
You need to develope "man" hand strength.

I took apart my Umnumzaan for a cleaning and then made it tighter than it originally came. Just preference there. I noticed that if I had it really loose that there would be blade play and the blade was off centered. I tightened it until the blade was centered and zero blade play. Opened easily enough. Then I tightened it some more.

I did notice that you don't have to adjust the pivot that much to make a difference in the way it felt opening/closing the knife.

Since it is a Chris Reeve knife then I would start with the following. No blade play, centered blade and finally how tight or loose the blade moves when opening/closing it.

Don't forget to use loctite once you find your sweet spot.
 
When I got my Umnumzaan I specifically remember having a good amount of resistance with it in the beginning and by the time I traded it the blade would come out easy and smooth
 
Bluesummers said:
You need to develope "man" hand strength.

I took apart my Umnumzaan for a cleaning and then made it tighter than it originally came. Just preference there. I noticed that if I had it really loose that there would be blade play and the blade was off centered. I tightened it until the blade was centered and zero blade play. Opened easily enough. Then I tightened it some more.

I did notice that you don't have to adjust the pivot that much to make a difference in the way it felt opening/closing the knife.

Since it is a Chris Reeve knife then I would start with the following. No blade play, centered blade and finally how tight or loose the blade moves when opening/closing it.

Don't forget to use loctite once you find your sweet spot.
Click to expand...

k that really helped... blade play isnt an issue when i get the blade centered... its the overcoming of the detent that really gets me... i know the ball doesnt sit 100% inside the hole... it rides on the edge.... i will be patient and hopefully it'll smooth buttery... i know when i get to the arc that i can feel its potential.. which is why i dont think i have a defective piece...
 
No worries, it should loosen up over time. It will become smoother as the ceramic ball wears a path onto the blade tang.

Personally, I like my knives to have a very strong detent. I've tightened down the pivot on mine so that I get a lot of resistance opening it--I know that it will never come open unless I want it to.
 
ok... so im def gonna keep mine tight.... no worries on "excess" wear from the tighter pivot
 
I really wouldn't worry about "excess" wear. The only knives I've ever seen wear out were cheap POS liner locks--the Umunmzaan's ceramic ball prevents that type of excessive wear. Really the only parts that are going to wear down on the knife are the washers (for which you can get replacements for under $10) and the blade itself.
 
Let me relate my experience with the Umnumzaan and pivot tightness. I used to carry a Sebenza clipped in my right front pocket until one day the clip apparently failed and I lost the knife. Since then I deep pocket carry my good knives. While deep pocket carrying my Umnumzaan one day I suddenly cut my hand. Turns out that somehow the knife opened slightly in my pocket and the blade cut through my jeans. So, one pair of Carhartts ruined and a cut on my hand for my troubles. As this never happened before I tried to figure out exactly what went wrong. I figured it must be the glass breaker on the Umnumzaan as I found I could actually open the blade by pressing on it. I phoned the factory and asked a gentleman there if they would grind off the glass breaker for me if I sent them the knife. No was the answer I got. So, I figured I would deep pocket carry the knife tip down so that the glass breaker would not come into contact with whatever might be in the bottom of my pocket. No good. It opened again. This time I discover it when I sat on my couch. The blade cut through and ruined another pair of jeans AND one couch cushion. Great! I stopped carrying the knife in favor of my Sebenza which has never had this problem. I have since decided to try tightening the pivot on the Umnumzaan a bit more compared to the factory spec. Now it is fairly tight but still opens smoothly and with one had. I have been carrying the Umnumzaan now for a while like this and it has not opened in my pocket since. So, as I am not one to 'flick' open my knives this is how I will continue to keep the Umnumzaan's pivot. A bit on the tight side. Great knife but I really do hate that glass breaker thing. Serves no purpose as far as I can see and looks like crap to boot. If I could convince Mr. Reeve to change anything on the knife it would be to get rid of that thing. Please!
 
So just to update... Been a couple days and its super perfect now... Thx for all the input and experiences... The action feels like its floating along..
 
polebridge - The glassbreaker also allows you to open the Umnumzaan with your non-dominant hand. I can open my older lefty Umnumzaan (which doesn't have the lock bar cutout to allow for access to the thumbstud that the newer ones have) with my right hand.

joewoo - Good to hear! Now it's time to use it!
 
One of my favorite EDC's since I got into folders.

It helps to push the stud forward toward the pivot rather than up and out with your thumb.
 
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