Xm-18 tri-way pivot preference? Also: do you bother with loctite?

Your preferred tri-way setup?

  • Teflon washers

    Votes: 6 14.0%

  • Phosphor bronze washers

    Votes: 15 34.9%

  • Ball bearings

    Votes: 22 51.2%
  • Total voters
    43
U

UmnumMAN

Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Messages
313
My apologies if this poll thread exists. I searched and searched and didn't see it.
If it exists, please drop a link and I'll close this down.


Which do you prefer on your tri-way? Bearings, phosphor bronze, or teflon?


Also, do you bother using loctite?

I did my first disassembly/reassembly last week when I first got the knife (needed to fix off-centering issue), and during reassembly, applying the loctite seemed weird. The threads are so long, fine, and deep, when I dropped loctite in it sort of just vanished like an oasis in the desert.
Do you bother?
 
I have had mine apart a few times. Changing to the phosphor bronze washers, trying a few different scales, a couple different titanium handles and finally the titanium handle I have now. I applied no thread-locking compound throughout all of this. I might use Vibratite VC-3 if I felt inclined.
 
josiahg52 said:
I have had mine apart a few times. Changing to the phosphor bronze washers, trying a few different scales, a couple different titanium handles and finally the titanium handle I have now. I applied no thread-locking compound throughout all of this. I might use Vibratite VC-3 if I felt inclined.
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How is the action of broken in phosphor bronze washers over the bearings?
 
I prefer a tighter pivot but there is no difference if adjusted normally. It falls shut - seems the rage - and I can't tell a difference. I don't miss the bearings at all. Despite the number of times I've had it apart, it always centers and the pivot is easy to adjust to eliminate blade movement Pretty good for a production knife.
 
Hmmm....maybe I should go for it. I kinda prefer feeling "something there"

The bearings bug me out with the 0 friction
 
I have not owned a tri way-only earlier models and kept the Teflon washers.
I have always used Teflon tape rather than Loctite. should work just as well on tri way I believe
 
I would say phosphor Bronze all the way! Also I'd say always locktite your screws. It's much better to have done it and not needed it then to lose a pocket clip screw or a pivot and kick yourself for the three days it takes for a replacement to come in. The easiest way to locktite is the stick. Its basically an Elmer's glue stick you run your screw over and screw. Effortless.
 
On the tri-way knives I had, I used bronze washers. None of them flipped particularly well, even when using bearings. But I kept using the PB washers because I've ripped and broken synthetic washers before, and bearings don't complement the strengths of a Hinderer design very well.

Yes, use blue loctite. The body screws can come loose pretty easily in my experience.
 
marrenmiller said:
On the tri-way knives I had, I used bronze washers. None of them flipped particularly well, even when using bearings. But I kept using the PB washers because I've ripped and broken synthetic washers before, and bearings don't complement the strengths of a Hinderer design very well.

Yes, use blue loctite. The body screws can come loose pretty easily in my experience.
Click to expand...
Hmm maybe I got a good one. It flips really easy, in any direction. Can even spydie flick it open with the fuller

Maybe because I spent the week flipping and closing it about 500-1000 times
 
UmnumMAN said:
Hmm maybe I got a good one. It flips really easy, in any direction. Can even spydie flick it open with the fuller

Maybe because I spent the week flipping and closing it about 500-1000 times
Click to expand...
Mine could be reliably flipped open but had weak detents that required technique, the classic Hinderer problem. I've had too many knives with actual good detents to praise the new tri-way knives.
 
marrenmiller said:
Mine could be reliably flipped open but had weak detents that required technique, the classic Hinderer problem. I've had too many knives with actual good detents to praise the new tri-way knives.
Click to expand...
Ahhh

Yeah the detent on mine was BRUTAL out of the box. It has smoothed out nicely after many openings, a lubing, and reassembly

It's still pretty hard. Hard enough where thumbstud deployment is absolutely impossible for me. Makes for great flipping however
 
Since I have a fullered spear, I CAN however use the thumb on the fuller to break the detent, and then as the blade is opening, slide up to the thumbstuds
 
Oops had to change my vote as I misunderstood the question. Between washers only (gen 4 to be specific) and tri way I prefer the former. But on a tri way I prefer ball bearings because the washers do not seem to work well though my sample is small.
 
My experience has been that the knife feels like it was designed to run on bearings. Detent feels like it was designed for bearings, it flips better with bearings, and re-assembly is easier and centers better with bearings.
 
I've always preferred washers on a hard use type knife. The Gen 5s I've owned were extremely smooth on washers. I was never fond of the idea of the Tri-Way design and just saw it as Hinderer appeasing the masses who at the time all wanted "drop shutty" action. I was very disappointed with the Gen6 I bought recently because I thought by just swapping the spacers and adding the washers I'd be as satisfied as I was with the Gen 5s. I was wrong.
My Gen6 is horrible on washers and took a considerable amount of work to get it dialed in.
This also brings to light that titanium scales are not all created equal. :(. But that's a whole other story...
 
Just tried the washers and it sucked. Blade play. Just enough to say NOPE

and then I snapped a handle screw when switching back to bearings :(

And all the 3.5" stainless are sold out:mad:

So I grabbed a pack of damn working finish screws. I'll put it in the lathe and hit the head with some very fine sandpaper to remove the ugly finish and get it as close to stock finish as possible
 
Thats one thing I like about my CRKs: nice, thick strong hardware.

My previous knife purchase, an olamic rainmaker, has very small screws as well. Bought it new from DLT trading. It's pretty nice, but the dang blade centering is off just enough to bother me.

Went to disassemble and NOPE: whoever assembled the knife mangled the head on the first screw I tried.
I took it over and looked under the microscope, and several were like that. Pivot screw just BARELY intact enough to turn.

Aggravating, but whatever. Such is life I suppose
 
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