needle bearing system

Joined
Oct 26, 1999
Messages
626
What exactly is this? I'm very interested in how knives work and would like a description or better yet a picture of the mechanism. Also, are all your knives of the button-lock variety?
 
Thanks for asking about our TiNives/Larry Chew needle bearing system. Our TiNives Speedroller starts with a 60 rockelled harderned race with a caged needle bearing stacked on top, embedded on each side of the handle with the blade sandwiched inbetween. There is very little surface contact to the blade so when the blade is thumbed out it is already rolling on the needle bearings giving this the smoothest opening I have ever expereinced. Anyone that owns a Larry Chew knife knows what we are talking about. It is verbally very difficult to describe just how smooth this mechanism works. Because the needle bearings are floating we have the ability to make this mechanism slow or fast and no side to side play. This is one you just need to experience. It is the only mechanism that I have been willing to use since the ceramic ball knife TiNives first produced. We will ask Larry to give his expertise on his system.

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Scott Self
 
It sounds like the system works, but it does sounds complex. Is it hard to maintain? If I were to use a knife with this system to peel an apple or get it muddy, dirty, or wet with seawater would the juice, grit or salt infiltrate the system and damage it or could I just rinse it out and move on? I am specifically interested in the answer in regards to the manual Tactical model. Thank you.
 
It is the Voo Doo that Chew do
The words that come to mind when describing Larry's bearing action.
Smooth,
Fluid,
Art in motion,
Perfection,
The future of folding knives,
The best innovation since thumb holes and pocket clips,
0 blade play,
No flex in pivot area(blade does not rub liner when deployed with thumb on D/A models)

The list could go on for awhile but I will let it go at this.

Kevin

 
I am going to give my personal opinion of the TiNives/Larry Chew collaboration. This opinion is backed by hundreds of hours of prototyping, asssembling, using and customer satisfaction.

When we designed our first knife we wanted to produce something that no one could lay claims to except TiNives. We accomplished this with our Zero Play. We produced a $1000.00 knife which included: 84 ceramic balls, a 3-d sclupted handle in titanium, a texturing on top of the 3-d sculpted surface, a new thumb opening innovation, blind tapped holes in titanium, special raceways in the blade and a production run in Damasteel powdered stainless damascus. Where were we going to go from there? How can we improve on what we have done? The Zero Play is a very expensive knife to produce. Our goal was to be able to have the same type of excitement in a more affordable knife to reach more people in the knife community.

Our first goal was to go to a more affordable handle material but still provide the 3-d sculpting and texturing. Our second goal was to have a mechanism that was just as smooth and innovative but more cost effective. We were fortunate enough to meet Larry Chew and see his mechanism before someone else grabbed it up. Larry's needle bearing system is everything you have ever heard about it. There is a slight difference in the way the two mechanisms feel but they are both rocket proof, smooth (the smoothest)with total control of any play--side to side, or up and down.

As far as cleaning an air blow once in a while is all this knife needs. No oiling is required. If grit gets in your knife the bearings will spit it out. I have and our shop people have abused, dirtyed, and put this mechanism to a full test. Besides we stand behind our product.

In closing there is nothing wrong in wanting to own a $19.00 knife or wanting to own a $300.00 knife or even a $1000.00 knife but there is a big difference. TiNives knives performs like a small machine. When we first went into business we made this statement: "Would you rather drive a Ferrari or a Yugo to the 7-11?" I myself would rather drive a Ferrari even though a Yugo would get me there. All the knives out there cut, it just depends on what you want. Driving a Ferrari just makes you feel good, just like a well-engineered, innovative knife does.


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Scott Self
 
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