What happens when the Kershaw "speed safe" feature breaks?

Originally posted by tom mayo
The speed safe is just crap, in my opinion. Oh, it works as advertised, but I sure would like to see a boa without it...that's the only reason I sold mine

because otherwise it was a fantastic knife. :confused: :confused: :confused:

That really does NOT make sense.
Click to expand...

Hmm, why does that not make sense?

The Boa is a great knife, except for the speed safe. The design is really nice, overall. Not too light, slim, great blade shape, quality fit & finish, dual thumbstuds, quality materials, etc.

It's a great knife before you open it and after it's opened but not while your actually opening it.
The speed safe does in fact work as advertised, but it, in my opinion, ruins the knife.

I just wish they would make two versions available, one with and one without the speed safe.
 
mikemck: I am really not attempting to "cross examine" you about your dislike of the Speed Safe technology, but I still don't understand it.

On the Boa, the thumbstuds seem to be on the blade for no particular reason. If you don't like them, take them off. Use the flipper. The flipper is how the knife was designed to be opened in the first place. Don't even waste your time using the thumbstuds.

Also, regarding the secondary slide lock: It really is not needed unless you are packing it or carrying the knife loose in your pocket (not using the pocket clip). It is just there if you need it. Therefore it should not be considered a pain. Pretend it isn't there. Simply because the well designed lock is part of the design, you certainly don't have to use it. The Boa is not a custom knife, and therefore the features have to be designed for the likes and desires of the general public.

If "switching back and forth" between a regular one handed opener and the Boa confuses you, that really is not a fault of the Boa design. That is like switching back and forth between my BM 710 and my Microtech Auto Amphibian. Both take a completely different opening technique.

I must say, that my biggest complaint about the Boa, is that it started chewing up my nice pants when clipped to the pocket. But, again, that has no reference to the technology of the Speed Safe.
 
a co worker and i got bored one shift and decided to clean his chive. we took it apart, determined to see what this magical mechanism was inside the chive... erm... we couldn't quite figure it out, so we put everything back together before we lost any of the screws. we thought we got everything the way it was before, but the flick just wasn't the same. we tried to tighten it, loosen it, oil it, you name it... the "flick" sound just wasn't as strong for some reason...

i dunno, totally unrelated

aXed
 
Good one Axed!

I have a scallion and I love it.
On a negative note, I have seen quite a few broken locks within the last three months come in for a warranty
 
hi
i know what it will be..
In Hong Kong the dealer removed the speed safe for the "assited open"
is not allowed as auto.
the blade stay quite tight, not unfold easily.. so I leave the BOA at the shop. as many above will wounder why BOA w/o speed safe..
 
I've had a speed-safe Kershaw (I don't know the name of the model) for at least 2 years, and I'm constantly playing with it. The only problem I had, after about a year and a half, it didn't seem to be opening as fast (I was flicking it open like 20 times a day). So, I oiled it a bit. All of a sudden, it opened TOO fast, and I couldn't close the darned thing! After a while, it went back to normal. The reason I'm telling this story, is that I believe the spring is quit reliable, your only problems would probably be lubrication-related.
 
I've owned 3 Blackouts, a Boa and still own a Chive. IMHO they're a great knife for the money. As a matter of fact I'm looking for another Boa. The only reason I don't currently own a Blackout or a Boa is that I'm always running across people that see mine, try 'em and then want 'em. Although I've pretty much outgrown the Blackout, mainly because I don't like Zytel although I never had any problems with it, just didn't like the cheap feel, which is one of the reasons that I love the Boa.
 
There was an article in Tac Knives about a year ago that showed a stripped-down view of the Speed-Safe mechanism. I think it was written by Michael Jannich. The mechanism is really very simple, and repair should be easy. Also, I'm sure Kershaw would cover it under the warranty.
 
Here's a break down of the speed safe, any questions reply or email me, I've had them all apart.


pieces.jpg
 
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