Life is short, flip knives, fidget knives, do whatever you want. Support companies that have good warranties and if you are really worried about your knife failing carry a fixed blade. Good points all around and good for opening up discussion on the matter.
Why I agree if you fidget with one knife like crazy you can’t complain if certain things happen faster, lock bar travel, omegas what ever. I’ve had omegas break in 10 openings rat after getting them back from being replaced by BM I have others that have never broken and were used way way more. But you can get aftermarket omegas real cheap and they are slightly thicker and last a lot longer. And some other companies use really robust omegas for budget knives. So I think that’s more the argument, omegas shouldn’t break from hard use though there’s no stress on them. That all being said I love Benchmades
I can't carry a knife at work so that drastically decreases my knife fidgeting. However I really enjoy the sounds knives make and the feel of a lock engaging so I am truly a knife fidgeter. They're my tools and I'll enjoy em how I want. Great video, keep the information coming.
I appreciate a good audible “ting” as well. Do you have any favorite knives with this quality? I’m still pretty new to pocket knives and looking to try something new.
@@FreedomFox1 my Civivi Cormorant has a nice ting sound. Other Than that the best singing knives I own are all over $200 the best being the Herman Knives sting butt the cheapest at $250 would be the Maxace Babylon. Best bang for buck would have to be be kubey 0322. No ting but great sounds
@@BlazeBerger Thanks for all the great ideas. The new Civiv Cogent is supposed to have a good sound… is that the one you like, or is it the Kizer Cormorant?
@@BlazeBerger Thanks, good to know… I’ll probably grab the Cogent. One last question - do you think all-metal construction changes the sound of a knife?
There you go, bringing logic to the discussion. Thanks for the video on this obvious point. That said, I am on the low side on the fidget scale. If I break a spring, off to Benchmade. Easy peasy. I have plenty of knives, so a few weeks without one is no big deal. As a bonus, it will come back factory sharpened.
Great points! But I buy my stuff to enjoy it. If it means I go through them more often, so be it...why buy it if you just look at it. Work with it, fidget with it, it's all the same, so long as you enjoy your purchase!
I’ve literally never fidgeted with my knives. They’re tools, I don’t give a shit about “fidget factor” nor will I ever especially after this video! Perfect point to make, I want my knives to have a long life! 🤙🏻
Why don't you just get two. One for fidgeting, and one for just laying down and avoiding. And wash things when they're dirty instead of twice a week. I wish these were my biggest problems.
Myself, I think fidgeting is an important part of testing a folder to see how well the lock type holds up. I am sure, many of your Viewer's like to fidget. Not everyone needs their folders to constantly be cutting things. Some just like carrying their folders and having them for when they need them to do simple chores. Other's need them for heavy-duty cutting chores or for hunting, fishing, or other outdoors duties, like woodcrafting, whittling, or food prep. And, as a Reviewer, it's important to understand that People use knives for all sorts of tasks. And, it's the Reviewer's job to let everyone know what you feel about the knife your reviewing and to let everyone know if it can handle fidgeting and how well it will cut and carry as an EDC Folder and what tasks you feel the folder would be best at... That's my opinion. With that said, I totally agree with you on the wear issue. Especially, if your folder is a Liner-Lock or Frame-Lock without a hardened steel insert... But, most of the if other lock types available can handle fidgeting very well. I have never worn out a Tri-Ad Lock. And, yes I have broken Omega Springs, but they are easy to replace, so that's not an issue for me; Crossbar type Locks are among my favorites for fidgeting. A well made Plunge-Lock, rocks, too. The other one I need to mention is the Compression-Lock, I absolutely luv that one, too... Great Video! I absolutely loved seeing you, a Young Woman, making a Knife Video; I subscribed. :-) Happy New Year! :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)
Yeah people act like taking apart a knife is some massive undertaking. I never understand in knife reviews why they always mention the difficulty of taking it apart for cleaning, or how axis locks are difficult to disassemble, like the most complex folder in the world is still a relatively simple object. Maybe that's just the mechanic in me
Never broken an Omega spring, and I fidget like a kid with ADHD. I put in a little cutting work, semi-heavy use, and axis style locks are so much better than standard liners or frame locks for wear. But life is short, enjoy it while you can. Use it, play with it, hell, abuse it if you want. Get your money's worth and then rebuild it.
Fortunately open and closing a knife doesn’t fall under abuse and should be fully coved under warranty being that it is what the knife is designed to do. I’ve had a few omega springs break and upon disassembly to replace them, they all had developed rust on them causing weak points. It’s probably the biggest flaw in axis/bar lock knives since you can’t easily oil and protect the springs without disassembly. Some companies send them out with a bunch of grease on and around the springs but I don’t recall seeing it on any Benchmade knives. Luckily omega springs are very cheap and easy to keep spares or you can send it to Benchmade and they’ll take care of it no questions asked. I think frame and liner locks wearing quickly is a bigger concern but again should be fully covered by warranty since no company can say you abused the knife by simply opening and closing it. I have framelock knives I’ve had for years that have been opened and closing an inestimable amount of times and the lock hasn’t moved enough to raise any concern. Thin liner locks may move across the lock face quicker since there’s less contact but it still takes a lot to be noticeable on a quality folder. Button/plunge locks are another one that I’ve seen very little advancement of the lock over many openings but is also another easy warranty replacement. Personally I don’t “fidget” with my knives in an extreme way but I also never hesitate to give it a few extra flicks to enjoy and admire the workmanship. You only live once and life is short, they are material objects that will still be here when you’re gone, so cut, flick and do whatever you want with them to enjoy them.
Well I only disagree on the Omega springs. Fidgeting is kinda silly, I agree. But it shouldn't break a knife after a month. It doesn't make the knife trash, but there's a difference between getting a little play over time and having the entire knife made useless/unsafe by broken springs. No other locks break no matter how many reps of opening and closing. A little blade play is not impractical. Fidgeting may be silly, but a knife shouldn't have a battery life of X number of deployments. It would bug me even if I didn't fidget because I'd never know if it's about to break. (Personally I've broken 4 sets of omega springs, of course I fidget, but that's still a weak point in the knife). Talking about other locks wearing in deeper, that's just normal wear that doesn't affect the function. When the springs break it's useless and dangerous.
All summed up your point is good for sure, many people do not consider that they wear out the material like that but after all I think you can still be lucky or unlucky... your stuff can fail after 10 times or it will never fail even if you fidget for ever. Take the boker Kalashnikov as an example... I think they soll 45% just for fidget and collection reasons cause they will always fire.
Those axis lock types look cool and fun and most people buy them to fidget with them, but they don't look like their ment to last long whether you fidget or not. The triad lock on my 1 cold steel can last lifetimes and can open and close probably hundreds of thousands of times without breaking
I am a spyderco fan but to be honest the only lock that hasn’t developed play In any direction or wear after lots of opening closing and hard use are my triad lock cold steels, I have been using them for years and that’s the only lock I truly trust on a folder.
@@johnnyboy1586 same here I love my s35vn version even my old aus8 model is still rock solid, Spyderco ball bearing locks are solid also I forgot to mention I haven’t developed any play in mine after years of use, I think she needs to give the triad lock and ball bearing lock a try.
I’m not a fidgeter but I did wear a groove in the pivot pin on a CRKT from whipping it open instead of using the flipper tab…glad I learned that lesson before I started buying high end knives. Side note, that’s how you ruin zippos too(stupid human tricks lol)
My Benchmade 705( think Osborne 945, 3" blade) is about 26 years old. No blade play or spring issues.. Scratched and worn. Fidget all you want but don't expect never to have to replace a part. You can wear through the toughest knife. Put it untouched in a glass case to keep it pristine or use it. It's up to you.
I break omega springs. I jam crossbars. I have strong hands I guess? I love these knives though. Buying springs, taking apart my knife and carefully undoing the crossbar jam, its my joy. Polishing pivots. Polishing washers. Smoothing burrs off of edges. Its fun. Seriously though... Don't buy expensive knives with omega springs if you are gonna cry when they break.
I view the omega springs and frame lock inserts like brake pads on a car. Some people will wear them out much faster than others. The beauty is that they can be easily replaced. People shouldn’t stress over it and just use their shit. I like your points of view. Keep it up.
Clearly this is true. but i make sure i have enough knives to not wear out. for example i have several ganzos that i fidget with. great action. nothing to replace
I feel you on this I really only open and close when I first get it to break in . I have about 15 Benchmades and use them all not one broken spring yet .thx for sharing my opinion.
I had my Para 3 LW for over two years and I will open and close it like over 50 times a day and it opens and closes better then when it was new. I would love a 940 or Bugout but not with those dumb springs.
I'm not a knife fidgeter. I have friends who play with their knives endlessly especially the OTFs. Then they complain when their OTF doesn't work as well as new or breaks after opening/closing thousands of times. Everything mechanical eventually breaks!
I use some of my knives as an “adult fidget toy” (to replace my actual toys 🥴) realised the fact I would ruin locks etc so I just bought a couple of inexpensive Uber fidget friendly knives that I don’t mind if I ruin them. Keep my good users as users for tasks and my collection ones barley get opened. Just now and then to enjoy the aesthetic of them.
Someone could just buy like any other brand with the same steel and performance for cheaper, and their lock wont break because a poorly engineered spring. I had a griptillian omega spring break in two weeks, im not a fidgeter. Ive owned 3 benchmades, one of which was a bali and is still an amazing knife. The bugout and the griptillian both had omega springs break. Im just not going to overpay to have things break. Especially considering their is so much competition to benchmade these days, and with prices going up on just about everything especially. My two cents is its unacceptable for a pocket knife in that price range, i expect that out of a kershaw speedsafe, not a benchmade. If it works for you more power too ya, im just done with the butterfly tax myself
Any knife with an omega lock will fail with constant rapid cycling, open shut open and shut. Spyderco. Will not. Simply due to the fact that it is engineered with strong components, and not Springs that are thick as a human hair as the omega lock is 😉
I've owned a benchmade 940 for 20 years. Never had a omega spring break. I have around 10 other benchmade knives and never had a spring break. I can think of thing about benchmade I can complain about, but the spring isnt it.
I don't fidget knives every day, probably open and close 40-50 times a day, on the few days I do fidget knives. With that being said, I ABSOLUTELY agree with you on this. If you are so dense you can't understand how this happens, ya need to step away from the knife hobby and collect marbles, Cause = effect. So long you understand the risks and premature wear, carry on nothing to see here. P.S. - Don't forget, play stupid games, win stupid prizes is also in play.
I've read about about omega springs failing so I pulled my axis bar back on my mini bugout about 6000 times over a few days just to see how long it takes to break and it survived. That was about a year ago. No issues yet. Seems like one would have to be in rust causing conditions and constantly fidgeting for it to be an issue. Though I'm sure those with a broken omega would claim they only opened their knife a few times. I'm sure there were a few dud springs over the years and the vocal minority makes it seem worse than it is or was.
I'm guilty of it. I have a Bailout on the way, and it's going to be difficult to keep my ADHD hands off of it during my downtime. The omega spring issue seems to be one of the more divisive topics right now, on top of all of the Benchmade hate. I bought my first Griptilian 15 years ago, and I've owned probably a dozen various models since, and I've never had an omega spring break. I think a lot of it is, a smaller percentage have had this actual issue, and some are just saying it happened. There's no middle ground, it seems like it either happens often, or never happens. Not trying to invalidate what some are experiencing, just doesn't add up to me. The same could be said for those who have had springs break, but won't admit it out of brand loyalty.
Seems like if you are a big fidgeter itd be wise to get a good budget knife to do that with when you get the urge. That way you cut down on the wear to your good knife.
Why though? Why don't you allow yourself to fidget the knives, theres no reason to worry about wearing out a product with a lifetime warranty, such little material to replace so no real waste, and it's easy to do. Not to mention these knives aren't fragile whatsoever, that Emerson will outlive you, especially with a warranty replacement if it fails. Benchmade and Emerson both are companies that will warranty the lock on the knife. Even if its for a small fee, usually these companies take care of you once you buy into their product line. The warranty and the customer service for these knives are one of the main reasons they are worth the price. It's not like Benchmades are customs that have nice tolerances and impressive machining. It's a mass produced product, there are thousands of replacement locks and it won't cost you a much, if anything. You say enjoy your tools, and I agree, they help me get work done sure, but the only time I feel like I can say they really bring me joy is when I'm looking at them and appreciating what they are, and usually fidgeting with them goes along with that.
Let's say person A opens their knife 15 times a day, which I'd say is pretty frequent use for an EDC folder. In ten years, which I think is a decent life for a knife with springs, person A will have opened it 54,750 times. Now say person B opens their knife 50 times a day to fidget. The knife of person B, the fidgeter, will have the same mechanical wear after *just three years* that person A's knife had after ten years of frequent use! Either be person A or don't bitch about springs breaking.
5:51 The definition of Kneeves Knives. I've got nothing against the guy but Holy cow does he have a fetish for the "fidget" thing. I find myself fast forwarding through his videos cause he'll sit and fidget with it and go on for 5 minutes about reverse flicking and blah blah blah.
I agree, a knife is to cut stuff. Take it out of your pocket or whatever you hold it, open it, cut stuff, close it, put it back where you carry it. Done.
I like using and fidgeting my shit!😉 The knife makers know we will fidget and they use it as a selling point. See Demko shark lock. Your Osbourne rocks! Now I need one - dammit.
I don't fidget with knives personally but as a reviewer myself I understand that most people actually solely buy knives to play with and I think that's fine. however I think there's alot of over complaining that goes on in this community on alot of things I've never found issue with personally materials, lock types ,blade steels everything under the sun basically..my take it just buy what you like enjoy it how you like and of you break it take responsibility and fix it accordingly Thanks for the video I hope you have a great new year 😀
Any knife is only designed to so many actuations before failure. And thar assumes regular maintenance and cleaning. Some are hundreds of times per day. The compression or liner lock interface will wear even with lubrication. Springs are only engineered to so many cycles.
It is difficult to believe that fidgeters are not aware of that. At the same time, I am convinced many will be surprised by the math and, as you say it, don’t realize how fast the numbers are increasing. You didn’t exaggerate those numbers. Many fidgeters are way over 50 actions a day and you were conservative with your 1400 a month since only February as exactly 4 weeks; the other 11 months would come to either 1500 or 1550. Finally, I think you would convince even more fidgeters to reduce their fidgeting if you would mentioned that this 50/day translate itself into 18 250 after a year. Next topic: the over sharpening of many and how it affect the blade geometry of your knife? 😉
I was just about to hoist the the "fidget" flag and viciously defend the mindless and repetitive opening of all smooth operating folders and autos, but then I made it to the end of the video and I think we might be pals. If you wash your pants before they stink then you've got something wrong with you. - Just to add my two cents on the 940, though - I did have double omega spring failure after only a year of use (mostly opening avocados and making hand drill fireboards) and I was heartbroken. Tainted my love for one of the best knives ever made, but that's how it goes with moving parts I reckon.
Your points make sense. In my own experience - I’ve had my 940 for 20 years, literally since I was 17, dedicated only knife in my pocket for almost 10 years of that. Fidgeted a lot with that knife and never had one issue. Also beat the tar out of that knife and agree with everything you have to say about it. Proper knife maintenance and cleaning is going to be much better to preserve longevity.
Interesting video. Do you know how to tell if someone is a knife fidgeter? Look at their thumbnails. If one thumbnail is looking pretty rough, they could be a fidgeter. Their knife blade will knick their thumbnail many times and chew it up. They need a knife intervention! 🙃
Finally someone with some sense. It's extremely annoying to watch reviewers who just won't stop moving the knives around or can't stop fidgeting and just keep blurting out "sooooo smoooooth" the entire video(s), drop shut fetish and all that. But their knives still look new two years later. Because the only action their knives get is just the finger actions 🙄.
I remember seeing a youtube video about the founder of Levis never washes his jeans but ... I'm sure that his pants, in particular, only see use from the door of his gated estate to his limo and from the limo to the interview about why his pants are so durable :P
I fidget my 940. Went through 5 - 6 sets of springs in the 7 years I’ve had if. Bought some springs off of eBay and haven’t had an issue. Benchmade just used cheap springs.
even on my favorite knives i only figet them at max 50 times a day (by that i mean 1 time means 1 open, one close), granted i have no axis lock or emerson opener knives yet, but i am planning on getting a 940 soon, i will keep your advice in mind, thank you!
