Mini Grip Off Center
I just bought a new Ritter Mini Grip with M390 steel and the blade when closed is so off center that it almost touches the scale, like less than the width of a hair. I can actually hear the blade rub during opening if I listen closely. Is this fixable and/or is this indicative of Benchmade Mini Grips? I have a friend who just got one the same day I did and he says his is perfectly centered. Do I need to have this looked at? Thanks.
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Nope. The blade should definitely not be rubbing the handle scale.
There are ways to adjust the blade back to center if you want to try it yourself. Otherwise, go ahead and send it back in to the Product Services folks for LifeSharp and we will get you squared away.
Hope that helps.
Jason0 -
Thanks Jason, I don't mind trying to adjust it myself but don't know what to do outside of adjusting the pivot screw, which doesn't seem to do a thing except tighten and loosen the action. The blade doesn't move back into center like on some of my other blades, mostly framelocks though.
Do you have any tips for me to try before I send it back in? The blade only rubs when opening, from what I can tell. The force of my thumb on the thumbstud is what pushes the blade over and makes it rub a bit, about two-thirds of the way down towards the tip.0 -
Ah understood.
It's hard to say without experimenting sometimes, especially with knives with cartridge liners as opposed to full liners.
I can usually adjust them by opening the blade, and putting pressure on the handle with the blade tip at about 45 degrees pressed against a firm surface. You actually want to push it towards the side that it is touching. This can help settle the cartridge liners more squarely into the handle. Obviously, if it's a sharp knife you need to be very careful.
There's also a possibility that somehow one of the plastic handles isn't as straight as usual. There is some process variance once in awhile with plastic injection. If that's the case we'd need to swap that handle for you.
Anyways, if it's not working for you, I wouldn't waste too much time struggling with it. It's not a big deal for us to get it fixed for you.
Jason0 -
quote:Originally posted by BMK Jason:
Ah understood.
It's hard to say without experimenting sometimes, especially with knives with cartridge liners as opposed to full liners.
I can usually adjust them by opening the blade, and putting pressure on the handle with the blade tip at about 45 degrees pressed against a firm surface. You actually want to push it towards the side that it is touching. This can help settle the cartridge liners more squarely into the handle. Obviously, if it's a sharp knife you need to be very careful.
There's also a possibility that somehow one of the plastic handles isn't as straight as usual. There is some process variance once in awhile with plastic injection. If that's the case we'd need to swap that handle for you.
Anyways, if it's not working for you, I wouldn't waste too much time struggling with it. It's not a big deal for us to get it fixed for you.
Jason
OMG, Jason. This trick really works! Thank you!!
I hope this will be permanent even after disassembly (yes, I am voiding warrantee...)
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MOBILE FIRELORD. Can you explain this again or more specifically for me? Just not sure I'm totally following. I'm one who learns by seeing, but not possible here. Thx. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Nags:
MOBILE FIRELORD. Can you explain this again or more specifically for me? Just not sure I'm totally following. I'm one who learns by seeing, but not possible here. Thx.
I don't think I can explain any better than Jason did.
Here is what I read.
Open blade and rest blade on workbench or something you don't mind having scratch mark. (Put rug over your garage workbench for example) then Press down the blade, not to get cut yourself. Gently and sturdily press down the blade and pull up the handle. Do it little by little and see if blade centers.
It worked for my full liner blades very well.0 -
Thanks Mobile Firelord this makes sense to me now. However it does not work for me. I'll send my knife into Lifesharp tomorrow morning. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Nags:
Thanks Mobile Firelord this makes sense to me now. However it does not work for me. I'll send my knife into Lifesharp tomorrow morning.
Good luck. AS Jason mentioned, minigrip with partial capsulated liner may not be as easy to correct as full liner one.
I'm fully confident Benchmade's customer support will take care of you!0 -
quote:I'll send my knife into Lifesharp tomorrow morning.
Do this anyway ........ however it made no sense to me either.
Unless you loosen the handle screws ...... then retighten while pushung the blade over , then nothin was gonna move.
I didnt understand it either.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dj:quote:I'll send my knife into Lifesharp tomorrow morning.
Do this anyway ........ however it made no sense to me either.
Unless you loosen the handle screws ...... then retighten while pushung the blade over , then nothin was gonna move.
I didnt understand it either.
Although I did with Rift, every bolt, screw was tightened. Then extend the blade, and hold that down on hard surface while gently but firmly bend pivot area slow and easy. It fixed Rift with slightly off center issue (It was not touching the liner, but cosmetic issue). I also did with 810-1401 that I found the liner and hole alignment was the culprit. I have grind the washer gently and center blade tip was achieved.
Again for partial liner with plastic handle may be more difficult as there are not much to adjust.0 -
Heh believe it or not, it really does work for most mild blade centering issues.. It actually works less effectively if you loosen the screws first.
Grips are a bit trickier because of the cartridge liner, unfortunately.
We'll get you squared away if you send the knife in.0 -
So I managed to send my Mini-Grip in to Benchmade and got it back. They fixed the issue. They installed all new parts, lock, etc. except the scales and the blade. Looks to be about 90% centered now which is great.
I was very impressed with Benchmade's customer service, both on this forum and from sending in my knife. They fixed it within 2 business days of arriving at their facility and shipped it back to me UPS ground.
Another happy customer! Thanks Jason for your help!
P.S. One thing they replaced were the Omegas? What is an Omega?0 -
good to hear you had such pleasing service. That is one of the reasons som many of us hold the company in such regard as we do
Those are the springs which operate the axis lock, holding forward pressure on the bar to keep the lock in the proper position.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Nags:
So I managed to send my Mini-Grip in to Benchmade and got it back. They fixed the issue. They installed all new parts, lock, etc. except the scales and the blade. Looks to be about 90% centered now which is great.
I was very impressed with Benchmade's customer service, both on this forum and from sending in my knife. They fixed it within 2 business days of arriving at their facility and shipped it back to me UPS ground.
Another happy customer! Thanks Jason for your help!
P.S. One thing they replaced were the Omegas? What is an Omega?
Great! I'm glad they were able to get you squared away! Enjoy the new knife!
We call the lock stud springs "omega springs" because of their shape. They have an extended wire "post" on one end that mates into the liner, then a half loop, similar to a horse shoe shape that provides the force to drive the lock stud forward in the open/closed positions.
Jason0 -
quote:Originally posted by dj:
Do this anyway ........ however it made no sense to me either.
Unless you loosen the handle screws ...... then retighten while pushung the blade over , then nothin was gonna move.
I didnt understand it either.
Well, actually it made sense to me to make sure all bolts are tightened. When all parts are tightened, it stays where is should be and little flex of liner or pivot nut shaft bends just so slightly. May be screw hole aligns
When you don't tighten, then whatever bending / moving goes back to original location.
Is that what you are wonderling?0 -
It worked for my brand new 585. First Benchmade folder! 0 -
This is a great tip! I used it on some of my less expensive knives, and it worked great! For some reason, the blade being off center bothers me, I don't know why. 0 -
Haha! Kind of a fun one, right?!? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by dj:quote:I'll send my knife into Lifesharp tomorrow morning.
Do this anyway ........ however it made no sense to me either.
Unless you loosen the handle screws ...... then retighten while pushung the blade over , then nothin was gonna move.
I didnt understand it either.
I think what is happening is that since AXIS lock is build with tight tolerances, screw and bolt being tightly fastened, it would actually reshape the liner, frame, pivot bolt with thousandth or ten thousandth of inch to make blade center to true. I have done this with one of 950 and 810. It still holds it to be true blade center.
MFL0 -
quote:Originally posted by BMK Jason:
Haha! Kind of a fun one, right?!?
Absolutely!0 -
I sent my mini grip into lifesharp because the blade was off center. Took 3 weeks. Just came back today and it's still off centered. Looks like the only thing done was it was cleaned and the pivot screw tightened. Is it just impossible for it to be centered? 0 -
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Man...I hate this.
I hate seeing people get off on the wrong foot with Benchmade. Especially over blade centering, 'cuz I'm looking at that going, dang I could fix that so easily...though centering issues on the Grips can be a little trickier than on the full liner models.
Jason, just send this guy a new knife or something.
For the record, I've had around 200 Benchmade knives pass through my hands. I've never sent one back for warranty. I think my next career will be as a Benchmade CS tech. Every time I see a post like this, I just wanna holler, send it to me!0 -
quote:Originally posted by Po:
I'm looking at that going, dang I could fix that so easily...though centering issues on the Grips can be a little trickier than on the full liner models.
Indeed.. Grips are a wee bit trickier than knives with full liners. The cartridges don't always settle exactly the same into the receiving pocket in the handle.
Just out of curiosity, nhyer, did you attempt the centering technique I described earlier in this thread? From the pics, it looks like it's not TOO far off center. Might be worth a shot.
If there's anything else I can do to help ya, just let me know.
Jason0 -
no I haven't tried that. I just don' think I would be comfortable trying it. would be too worried of breaking it or cutting myself. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by nhyer:
no I haven't tried that. I just don' think I would be comfortable trying it. would be too worried of breaking it or cutting myself.
Fair enough. I can understand that. Better to be careful than careless around a sharp knife.0 -
Thanks, I have a 940 that was off center too 0 -
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead. Does anyone have a link to a video about centering the blade? I just got my second Contego 810 in the other day and the blade is not centered. I didn't want to take the blade apart and void the warranty. I didn't know if the Contego can be fixed by opening the blade and putting pressure on it. I tried googling recentering a Benchmade and all the videos I found were about loosening the body screws bending and retightening but these were on non Benchmades. Thanks in advance. 0 -
I learn by hands on much better than reading. I opened the blade while putting pressure on the side that it was closer to. It seemed to center it but after a couple times of deploying the blade it seemed to lose it center again... 0 -
Maybe your pivot is comeing lose ...... try locktite (BLUE) 0
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