• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

What should i consider to be acceptable tolerances on production knives?

G

Garreth

Joined
Nov 4, 2013
Messages
57
Hello all,

I own 2 ZT200's and 2 BM Adamas's. What i have noticed with high end production knives is that some tolerances vary quite a bit. Most notably blade length, blade with and centering.
What would you consider acceptable? For example. I have 2 zt 200's one is wider than the other, leading me to think that one will be useful much longer on account of extra steel to sharpen away.
I'm talking 2mm's at most. So that's a lot of sharpening in my mind. Also one was centered, one wasn't. I managed to fix that so that's cool.

Maybe i'm just being a bit of knifenut here.
 
There will always be variations between knives, especially if they come from different batches. The narrower the tolerance the more expensive the knife becomes to manufacture and more units won't pass QC. Ideally I'd like to hand-pick the best specimen out of a selection from my local shop, but I pretty much exclusively buy online nowadays so I get what I get. The best consistency, in my opinion, comes from CRK and Spyderco's Taichung factory.

Your ZT has more life than you'd ever need, it's not a big deal really.
 
So long as the blade doesn't rub, and the lock is solid or designed so it won't disengage (a little wiggle usually isn't dangerous) then it is fine. If the knife will he a user, then the grinds and blade length are of little concern, unless the blade length is over legal or the grinds are horrible (like a blade coming with an edge variation of 5 or more degrees per side).

So long as the knife functions fine, slight errors are bearable.
 
Moxy said:
The best consistency, in my opinion, comes from CRK and Spyderco's Taichung factory.

Your ZT has more life than you'd ever need, it's not a big deal really.
Click to expand...

2nd this right here. Ive owned higher end ZT's Kershaws Spydies and so on and I personally have found the Taichung knives to be more consistent than most (got a techno now that is rock solid with no issues, had a ZT where the scales were shipped to me barely attached to the knife and the blade was shorter in all dimensions.)
 
Moxy said:
. The best consistency, in my opinion, comes from CRK and Spyderco's Taichung factory.

Your ZT has more life than you'd ever need, it's not a big deal really.
Click to expand...

I would put victorinox on there. A knife doesn't have to cost a lot to have consistancy.
 
Honestly QC is pretty hit and miss with most of the companies, even high cost production knives, doesn't matter if you spend $50 or $500 you'll see production knives with issues, one hopes that the higher in price you go the less issues there are.

It really depends on you, if it's really a user and all you care about is function then off centered blades, poor but not safety issue lock ups, horrible grinds, and poor sharpening angles is of no concern. On the other hand frankly for $200+ as many production knives are creeping towards these days and well over I don't think it's too much to ask to get a solid lockup, centered blade, and even sharpening angles.

I'm buying less and less knives these days and only keeping ones I really like/use, and instead of saving a few bucks and getting one with issues off the for sale boards or unseen off the net I try to buy new so I can inspect it, or from a shop that has an easy/no hassle exchange policy. It's worth the extra $ not to be disappointed in the fit/finish of an expensive production knife. Now if it's a $50 knife I'm going to toss in the glove box, that's different.
 
No matter the cost be it 50$ or 500$ or even the maker it happens. The fact that more than one person can assemble and do the finish work plays a big factor for a production knife and/or custom or semi custom. Being that I have alot of experience in the manufacturing of plastic and metals. Many of the parts are machined to the exact same size but alot can change from there when it comes to finishing a blade or components. Or adjusting a batch of stop pins, thumstuds or hardware for fit, etc.
With the Warranty that most of these companies offer. Just send it in for one that you are happy with. Any knife can have issues. Including customs and semi. Ive seen it everywhere.

However an off center blade is not acceptable to me. Neither is a screwed up blade grind and I dont mean the sharped edge I mean the actual blade geometry which is often the case for off center. Blade play is also a no no. But it can happen anywhere.
I feel that almost every knife I have ever purchased out of hundreds have been a perfect specimen. Many people are on the other end of the spectrum.
 
Last edited:
Moxy said:
I pretty much exclusively buy online nowadays so I get what I get. The best consistency, in my opinion, comes from CRK and Spyderco's Taichung factory.

Your ZT has more life than you'd ever need, it's not a big deal really.
Click to expand...

Agree with all of this.
Sonnydaze
 
ToddM said:
Honestly QC is pretty hit and miss with most of the companies, even high cost production knives, doesn't matter if you spend $50 or $500 you'll see production knives with issues, one hopes that the higher in price you go the less issues there are.

It really depends on you, if it's really a user and all you care about is function then off centered blades, poor but not safety issue lock ups, horrible grinds, and poor sharpening angles is of no concern. On the other hand frankly for $200+ as many production knives are creeping towards these days and well over I don't think it's too much to ask to get a solid lockup, centered blade, and even sharpening angles.

I'm buying less and less knives these days and only keeping ones I really like/use, and instead of saving a few bucks and getting one with issues off the for sale boards or unseen off the net I try to buy new so I can inspect it, or from a shop that has an easy/no hassle exchange policy. It's worth the extra $ not to be disappointed in the fit/finish of an expensive production knife. Now if it's a $50 knife I'm going to toss in the glove box, that's different.
Click to expand...

I do my buying online. The local knife store has ridiculous prices. My knife obsession started with a cheap but perfect Gerber Gator. After that i go into higher end stuff. I would have expected more consistent quality from ZT and Benchmade. I do hear a lot of good stuff about spyderco but havent gotten into them yet. I'm on a overbuilt folder bonanza right now.

what it tend to forget perhaps is that these tools were made to use, and not like i prefer, to be hung on the wall as a form of art. (I have users btw). Even the flagship 0301 (i've handled three, only one was perfect) has issues. I have one with a very uneven edge. And another one that was 't centered which i fixxed.
 
I know some people tend to be tolerant of QC issues, and the usual response is, It's a production knife, or it's only a $150-$200 knife...

IMHO that is part of the problem. Yes, they are mass produced, but when did it become acceptable for poor quality to be alright ? Granted, many of the issues don't affect how the knife will function, but that isn't the point.
When I buy a new knife, I expect the blade to be centered, the grind to be reasonably symmetrical, scales attached correctly, no screws stripped, and have an edge that will actually cut right out of the box....

I am realistic though, and know that everything isn't always going to be perfect. It took me a lot of years to realize there is no such thing as perfect.I have always been a perfectionist, and no matter what I am building or fixing, I put the effort out to do it the absolute best, I possibly can.

I've gotten to the point where it really irritates me when a person writes about an issue they have with a new knife, and the response they get is, " Ya, it's a production knife. Some are that way. Or, it's only a $150 knife. What do you expect "?
The other thing that gripes me is when the person is told, " Send it in. They have great service"....

It is nice to hear of a company that does take care of the customer, if they have an issue. There are a few that come to mind quickly.
There again, that's not the point... Make the damn knife correctly the first time. Have a good QC process in place, so the knives that do have issues, don't make it out the door. There will always be some that do, no matter how hard they try though. We are all human.
But when you read over and over about a particular knife that has an issue, it is obvious the company isn't making them right, and their QC program isn't working.

When a company can have a knife made overseas, and sell them here for $20-$40, and the overall quality is actually very good, there is absolutely no reason that it can't be done here. This has been proven numerous times, from more than one company.
As long as people keep making excuses, and accepting poor quality as the norm, there is absolutely no reason for companies to change their ways, and produce a quality product, consistently.


Rant over :D
 
Exactly. Honestly I really think people have watered down their expectations over the years, no doubt knife companies love it. I see people defending knives costing hundreds of dollars with rock lock, bad lockup, blade play, horrible grids and sharpening I don't understand it.

If all that maters is a knife that cuts, you can get a Manix 2 with G10 and S30V for less than $80, Elmax under $140 etc., so if it's not fit and finish, and quality control why buy anything more expensive, because it's not going to cut twice as well. If I'm going to spend $250 or more on a knife with the same or similar performing blade steel, then I expect the materials, quality, fit and finish to be representative of the extra cost. To not do so is to send the message to manufactures that shoddy quality control is okay.
 
Garreth said:
Hello all,

I own 2 ZT200's and 2 BM Adamas's. What i have noticed with high end production knives is that some tolerances vary quite a bit. Most notably blade length, blade with and centering.
What would you consider acceptable? For example. I have 2 zt 200's one is wider than the other, leading me to think that one will be useful much longer on account of extra steel to sharpen away.
I'm talking 2mm's at most. So that's a lot of sharpening in my mind. Also one was centered, one wasn't. I managed to fix that so that's cool.

Maybe i'm just being a bit of knifenut here.
Click to expand...

Blade length and width, as well as other design details, can and will change between production runs as the designer or manufacturer sees fit. This isn't manufacturing tolerances, this is design decision. Trust me, NOBODY has a 2mm tolerance on something like blade width. ZT in particular changes details of their designs on a very regular basis.
 
338375 said:
When a company can have a knife made overseas, and sell them here for $20-$40, and the overall quality is actually very good, there is absolutely no reason that it can't be done here.
Click to expand...

Sure there is. People will complain that the knife is overpriced 'cause they can get a Taiwanese made Somethingsimilar for half the price and it has the same materials. Peek your head into the Benchmade area to get a whiff of that. It costs less to ship everything that's somewhat close to spec out the door and handle the returns individually than it would to pay two or three experienced people to do QC in the first place. "This knife is too expensive!" will cost you sales. "This company has great service!" will GAIN you sales.

ToddM said:
Exactly. Honestly I really think people have watered down their expectations over the years, no doubt knife companies love it. I see people defending knives costing hundreds of dollars with rock lock, bad lockup, blade play, horrible grids and sharpening I don't understand it.

If all that maters is a knife that cuts, you can get a Manix 2 with G10 and S30V for less than $80, Elmax under $140 etc., so if it's not fit and finish, and quality control why buy anything more expensive, because it's not going to cut twice as well. If I'm going to spend $250 or more on a knife with the same or similar performing blade steel, then I expect the materials, quality, fit and finish to be representative of the extra cost. To not do so is to send the message to manufactures that shoddy quality control is okay.
Click to expand...

I'd really like to know what manufacturers charge that kind of money for crap so I can avoid them in the future. *gets the popcorn*
 
Seeing there's alot about knife quality in this discussion I had a question about alignment and if anyone had any tips on how to adjust anything to correct it? It is a $20 knife but I only got it for it's appearance but I would like it to function properly. It rubs when I close it and I can loosen it up and then tighten it and it stays but after I open it a few times it goes right back. Any advice would be great.
 
feenix said:
Seeing there's alot about knife quality in this discussion I had a question about alignment and if anyone had any tips on how to adjust anything to correct it? It is a $20 knife but I only got it for it's appearance but I would like it to function properly. It rubs when I close it and I can loosen it up and then tighten it and it stays but after I open it a few times it goes right back. Any advice would be great.
Click to expand...

To keep the pivot screw from loosening get some blue locktite, put a small amount on the end adjust to where the blade is centered and let it dry. Teflon tape works also.
 
The pivot screw is fine. It's the blade that's rubbing against the liner so I'll loosen the pivot screw and try to push end the of the blade to the opposite side, then tighten it back up to try ad counter the blade being crooked. It works but when I start opening the knife it makes it's way back over and start rubbin, then I have to do the same thing over. So I'm wondering what's affecting the blade to scoot over.
 
Which side of the liners is the blade rubbing against? (looking at it with the tip pointing toward you)

Edit to add: The pivot screw is what moves the blade from one side to the other not pushing it physically.
 
Last edited:
Okay then all you should need to do is tighten the pivot screw until the blade centers. Then remove the screw, locktite or tefelon tape it to secure into place when you reinstall it.
 
What do you mean by remove the screw? Cause I switched the screw to the other side and it's still being a problem so im about to say screw that Damn knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top