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