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unassisted 581...blade play?
- Thread starter yoko
- Start date
rajincagin
BANNED
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- Apr 21, 2013
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Lol, hope ya didn't pay too much for it...
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How slight is slight? All my axis locks have just a tiny bit of side to side play as my "sweet spot" is when I can flick it open and close easily using only the axis lock, bordering on a gravity knife. The vertical lockup is still rock solid.
If I take out all side to side play the opening and closing is too stiff for my liking. When the knife is new I usually set it a hair tighter than I'd like and let it break in then readjust if necessary.
If I take out all side to side play the opening and closing is too stiff for my liking. When the knife is new I usually set it a hair tighter than I'd like and let it break in then readjust if necessary.
Officer's Match
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I have one axis that needs a tiny bit of side-to-side play to open/close effortlessly - a Contego. Both 710's have no play unless really torqued on using that 4" blade for leverage, and my Rukus is simultaneously a bank vault and gravity knife - I've never seen a smoother action, even from my CRK's.
I remember benchmade commented on this on fb I think. They said all a/o knives had slight, very slight side to side to allow the spring to not be over tensioned. Basically so the spring does its thing. But my barrages have no play, only my 470 does no matter what I tighten. No biggie
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I might ask something. Since I see (so many) numerous postings on de-springing A/O Axis knives like the Barrage, (and which I own four and have no problems with any...) the question is why do you buy them? Never mind defeating the no questions asked warranty, (not that it matters to me this morning...) when there are many other models available that use the plain-old-Axis mechanism? Kind of, just saying: what's the point?
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I haven't un-assisted mine yet but here are my reasons:
1. M390
2. Bolsters
3. Excellent Egros and feel in hand (IMO)
4. Useful blade shape
5. I have an addiction
The big draw for me on the axis lock is the one handed operation. Assisted knives are less of a one handed operation because you need to close it against your leg, a hard surface, or use two hands. I have become very accustomed to the Axis lock and wanted to try the 581 for the five reasons listed above, with the fifth being rather dominant.
To the OP: I have noticed a slight bit of side to side on all of my axis knives. For me, to achieve the sweet spot where it's super smooth, I have to be willing to take a little side to side play.
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I've thought the same thing.I see folks post about doing it on various knives ?
Auston said above:
1. M390
2. Bolsters
3. Excellent Egros and feel in hand (IMO)
4. Useful blade shape
I agree with all of these. And am used to closing them two-handed.
I agree with jkarp_53's list above, although having aluminum bolsters is a nice feature but not a priority. I find myself more and more when in public opening an assisted knife using the old-fashioned two handed method to prevent unwanted attention with the loud clunking noise. However, what concerns me most about assisted knives is the ever changing local and federal laws. What is legal today may not be in the future, and a grandfather clause is always a crap shoot. Someday we might be forced to de-assist all of our knives whether we want to or not. If given a choice I would prefer the 581/586 in a de-assisted model.
To the original poster, I must be lucky because my 581 and 586 models don't have any lateral blade play, but none have been de-assisted.
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If they sold the 581 de-assisted then I wouldn't have to do it.
As far as the blade play goes, mine did the same thing when I first did it. As mentioned above, it is a very fine line when adjusting the pivot.
On the second attempt, I completely took it apart and cleaned, polished and lubed the washers. Also, I found a bit of grime in the bushing area where the spring once sat. Before putting the scales back on, I adjusted the pivot screw to just a tad sticky, where the blade would move freely, but not super smooth pendulum like. Once the scales were back on I opened and closed, 50 or 60 times and she stared to get really smooth. I would wait a while until you find the real sweet spot before using a thread lock.
I did this a few months ago, and now it's one of the smoothest knives I have. Fell in love with it all over again.
Cheers
As far as the blade play goes, mine did the same thing when I first did it. As mentioned above, it is a very fine line when adjusting the pivot.
On the second attempt, I completely took it apart and cleaned, polished and lubed the washers. Also, I found a bit of grime in the bushing area where the spring once sat. Before putting the scales back on, I adjusted the pivot screw to just a tad sticky, where the blade would move freely, but not super smooth pendulum like. Once the scales were back on I opened and closed, 50 or 60 times and she stared to get really smooth. I would wait a while until you find the real sweet spot before using a thread lock.
I did this a few months ago, and now it's one of the smoothest knives I have. Fell in love with it all over again.
Cheers
No, I don t think that s stupid. That s the reason I bought the 581 . When I bought mine, Benchmade didn t offer many knives in m390 steel, and the ones they offered didn t have the heat treatment to rc 60-62 like the 581. After getting the knife, I realized that an assisted axis lock was hard to close with one hand. Mine had vertical blade play out of the box. First axis lock I ve ever had with that. A return to the factory didn t solve the problem. I m giving the factory another chance. I do wish they offered an unassisted option. I believe the model would sell better in unassisted.
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The answer would be: not stupid, probably smarter than the average. There are other models, un-assisted, that are in M390 and don't use the second spring. The 710-1 and second version 710-2, as well as the LE Ares 730-1202 (and a gem of a knife) are worth seeking out.
If I might ask: regarding removing the spring and reinstalling it; for you that have done this - Is it really necessary to take the knife completely apart, or is it simpler than it looks on the Youtube videos? I have both the time and tools, just wondering.
If I might ask: regarding removing the spring and reinstalling it; for you that have done this - Is it really necessary to take the knife completely apart, or is it simpler than it looks on the Youtube videos? I have both the time and tools, just wondering.
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Yes you are pretty much stripping the whole knife, including blade stop and thumb studs if you want to put the assist back in so you can get the spring seated again. Tricky the first time, but once you discover it for yourself it's a much simpler process.
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Thanks for that, it's what I thought. When I feel like I don't want my 580-1102 in my pocket I'll go for the 710 naturally un-assisted. With mine at 22/50 I'm not going to mess. Maybe the trick is to buy one already modified; I love Ozzie's designs, all of them, (well, maybe not the 930) but that's another story. :foot: