Griptillian front to back blade play
I just got a Griptillian for Christmas, and I noticed that while its open and locked, I can move the blade a tiny bit from front to back. It seems that it sort of clicks into two different positions. Im not sure it its the blade moving against the lock or if its the liner moving against the grips. I tried tightening the grips up and it didn't seem to help at all. Is this normal or should I send it in for warranty repairs?
Thanks for any help
-John
Thanks for any help
-John
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I've lots of Benchmade knives with the Axis lock & never experienced the play your discribed.
Send it back to Benchmade. Their quility the best, but when one slips by as this seem to be the case, their service is also great.
Good luck, Bill
PS I been buying Les's knives since before he founded Benchmade & never had any problems. So based on odds your next 1,000 Benchmade sure be problem free.0 -
I wonder if the entire axis module is sliding back and forth inside the handle. I've never heard of that before, but it sure seems possible.
I'd send it back for the warranty repair...or if it was purchased locally, take it back to the vendor for a swap.0 -
I think I can kind of see the metal ridges on the top of the handle moving relative to the plastic scales or grips or whatever you folks call them. Any idea on how to fix that? It seems like the blade isn't moving relative to the metal ridges visible from the top.
Id rather not send it in for warranty, as its way better than the knife its replacing (a $20 walmart Gerber) , and Id rather not go a week without it.0 -
The beauty to the axis lock is it's simplicity, really only one moving part with a pair of springs to hold it in the correct position - the axis bar itself.
From your description, it sounds kind of like the liners are moving around inside the handles. But even that sounds like a remote possiblity as the pivot pin itself should be aligning the handles with the scales as well, so that type of movement should not be possible.
The only possibility I can think of right now is that there could be a manufacturing defect with the handles themselves.
I am sure Jason can comment better, unfortunately he won't be around until Monday.
I know that you mentioned the knife wwas received as a gift, maybe you can find out if was purchased locally and can be exchanged for a different one - one you can inspect before taking it home.0 -
Yeah Amos Moses..don't know if you resolved the play in your Griptilian yet but my 551 orange scaled Grip had just a slight amount of play...I snugged up the scales to the liners and that pretty much cured the problem... 0 -
Hopefully it's just a matter of adjusting the pivot screw and finding the sweet spot . But from the op's description sounds like something else is going on . I just picked up a Griptilian and lockup is rock solid with no play in any direction . The blade moves freely like its on ice or ball bearings . Out of the box the sweet spot is dead on for this one and blade is dead center 0 -
Based on your description, it sounds to me as if the cartridge liner assembly is actually shifting in the handles. I've never actually seen that happen before, but that's what it sounds like, at least.
When you say you tightened the handle scales, do you mean that you tightened the three 2-56 screws on the left side of the handle? The screws that attached the handles to the cartridge liners are actually the 4-40 screws about 2/3 of the way up the handle. One per side. Maybe try tightening those and see if it helps??
Otherwise, go ahead and send it in and we'll get to the bottom of it for ya.
Jason0 -
I just got a new Griptilian. It definitely has front to back play. I've tried tightening the handle screws but the play is still there. I've loosened the handle screws and the play seems to stop. This seems counterintuitive and not ideal if you ask me. The handle screws can only get loose over time with use if they are not snug. How tight should the screws be? Finger tight? I'm afraid of overtightening and stripping the screws. Any advice would be appreciated? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by PKW:
I just got a new Griptilian. It definitely has front to back play. I've tried tightening the handle screws but the play is still there. I've loosened the handle screws and the play seems to stop. This seems counterintuitive and not ideal if you ask me. The handle screws can only get loose over time with use if they are not snug. How tight should the screws be? Finger tight? I'm afraid of overtightening and stripping the screws. Any advice would be appreciated?
/|\ Welcome! We have all had side to side wiggle, but blade front to back it open position, that should gib a k to Benchmade to fix or replace.
Let us know how it works out.0 -
Ive never heard of front to back play before ........... 0 -
Thanks for your welcome. Lucky for me I live near the Benchmade Factory so I was able to stop by. I was told that there is some shifting between the liner and the scales that is normal. I showed them the audible knocking sound from the front to back play from my Griptilian. They happily replaced the screws for the scales and applied red Loctite. Essentially anything that gets a lot of use will get blade play over time. My big takeaway from this is that each screw for the scales must be evenly torqued or the liner will not be contacting the scales evenly, thus shifting the liner when the blade is deployed for use. There are no specified torque specs for the torx screws other than just finger tight. So...I'm happy with the customer service but a little dissatisfied with the performance. All my Kershaw knives with liner locks have no play but their steel aren't as hard as the Benchmade's, meaning blade flex is more likely to happen than liner shifting. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by PKW:
Thanks for your welcome. Lucky for me I live near the Benchmade Factory so I was able to stop by. I was told that there is some shifting between the liner and the scales that is normal. I showed them the audible knocking sound from the front to back play from my Griptilian. They happily replaced the screws for the scales and applied red Loctite. Essentially anything that gets a lot of use will get blade play over time. My big takeaway from this is that each screw for the scales must be evenly torqued or the liner will not be contacting the scales evenly, thus shifting the liner when the blade is deployed for use. There are no specified torque specs for the torx screws other than just finger tight. So...I'm happy with the customer service but a little dissatisfied with the performance. All my Kershaw knives with liner locks have no play but their steel aren't as hard as the Benchmade's, meaning blade flex is more likely to happen than liner shifting.
/|\ Glad BKC's CS fixed it for you. Couple of suggestions
1) my favorite Benchmade is the 940 models, which like the Grips have nested liners (or as Jason. calls them cartridge liners). When I tighten the screws that hold the handles to the liners, I put a piece of soft wood ( chop stick) it the blade channel. The soft wood should not scratch or damage the knife but gives pressure to push the liner & handle together so when you screw them together your sure the two are flush.
2) if you don't like nested liners, BKC makes lots of great knives with full steel liners ( e.g. 950, 810)
Enjoy collecting!0 -
Thanks! That's a great suggestion. Is it pretty obvious when the screws bottom out when they're snug? I'm always afraid of over torqueing screws. Too many expensive mistakes in my life than I care for.
I'm interested in the Benchmade Freek for my next blade but the liner is even shorter than the Griptilian. I like the choice of steel for the Freek and the bigger belly on the blade. It's the perfect size and length I'm looking for. The scales are plastic I believe with a soft rubber grip inlay.
Do you know if G10 scales have less flex or less likely to deform from use than the standard plastic scales that come on the Griptilians? If so, I'm hoping that would be a better material for mating steel liners.0 -
quote:Originally posted by PKW:
Thanks! That's a great suggestion. Is it pretty obvious when the screws bottom out when they're snug? I'm always afraid of over torqueing screws. Too many expensive mistakes in my life than I care for.
I'm interested in the Benchmade Freek for my next blade but the liner is even shorter than the Griptilian. I like the choice of steel for the Freek and the bigger belly on the blade. It's the perfect size and length I'm looking for. The scales are plastic I believe with a soft rubber grip inlay.
Do you know if G10 scales have less flex or less likely to deform from use than the standard plastic scales that come on the Griptilians? If so, I'm hoping that would be a better material for mating steel liners.
/|\ To each his own, my preference for handle material is G10 & CF (Carbon Fiber that is not slick). While not as pretty on customs I like cf with orange peel finish.
Neither Freak or Grip appeal to me.0
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