An Open Letter to Makers using Proprietary Screw Heads:

Spinny

Spinny

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Please stop this ridiculousness.

I understand that your intent is to prevent customers from adjusting, disassembling, tinkering, etc. with your knives. Manufacturers explicitly state in their warranty terms that disassembly voids warranties. Is this not enough?

In the end, if a knife owner wants to take apart his knife, he will. The owner bought it...it's his knife. There is NOTHING you can do to prevent this. As difficult as that may be to hear, it's true. Please accept it. Because knifes have proprietary screws, various workarounds are employed. Aftermarket tools are made by third-party vendors, homemade tools get fabricated, or worse-yet, the WRONG tool is used for the job. Proprietary screws are as effective at preventing knife disassembly as gun-free-zones are at preventing mass shootings.

About 3 weeks ago I purchased from an authorized dealer a brand new OTF. Yesterday the proprietary screw holding the pocket clip loosened on it's own. Without a proprietary tool (did not come with one), there is no easy way to tighten it. Ridiculous. Now I'm supposed to SEND this knife back to the manufacturer so they can tighten it for me. Seriously. I called and that's what they told me to do. At least some manufacturers using proprietary screws (e.g., Lionsteel) have the decency to provide a tool with their knives to tighten such screws. I can definitively say that there's NO WAY I'm sending back a brand new knife over something so trivial. I'll likely carry the knife clipless for the foreseeable future, and if I ever want to retighten the screw, I'll probably end up using the 'wrong' tool for the job.

What's frustrating is that it doesn't have to be this way.

nhoQNCk.jpg


Regards,

Spinny
 
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Spinny,

Read some of the other GBU thread's that have been started here, regarding Microtech's customer service...or just speak to BF member, LeftyTwoGuns. :D

Whatever you do, don't send this OTF back to MT, just to have a clip tightened! :eek: ;)

I completely agree: it's very frustrating not having the proper tools, just to make simple (non warranty voiding), adjustments on a knife...OR, companies could just add the proprietary tool needed for any given knife...as part of our purchase price. :thumbup:
 
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I like to chime in just to say I sent in a Scarab this year for a faulty deploying blade and after the RA# was sent to me and I sent the package FedEx with RA # as they required, it was back in my hands in less than 1 month.

I'd really like to hear how many bad vs good experiences there really are... I have a feeling there are hundreds of good ones to the dozens of bad. Still not a bad %...

Just my 2 cents..

And about your clip... rubber tipped pliers should do it... gl
 
I don't want this thread turning into an assessment of Microtech's warranty service or anything else.

It's simply about the DECISION that manufacturer's make to use hardware that is not owner-serviceable by design.

If EVERY TIME a proprietary screw needed to be turned, a manufacturer PAID to have the knife sent back to them and PAID to send the knife back to the customer, they would probably soon stop using proprietary screws. Lucky for manufacturers, this isn't the case. But maybe it should be....
 
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Spinny said:
Please stop this ridiculousness.

I understand that the intent is to prevent customers from adjusting, disassembling, tinkering, etc. with your knives. Manufacturers explicitly state in their warranty terms that disassembly voids warranties. Is this not enough?

In the end, if a knife owner wants to take apart his knife, he will. The owner bought it...it's his knife. There is NOTHING you can do to prevent this. As difficult as that may be to hear, it's true. Please accept it. Because knifes have proprietary screws, various workarounds are employed. Aftermarket tools are made by third-party vendors, homemade tools get fabricated, or worse-yet, the WRONG tool for the job is used. Proprietary screws are as effective at preventing knife disassembly as gun-free-zones are at preventing mass shootings.

About 3 weeks ago I purchased from an authorized dealer a brand new Microtech UTX-85. Yesterday the screw holding the pocket clip loosened on it's own. Without a proprietary tool, I have no way of tightening this screw. Ridiculous. Now I'm supposed to SEND this knife back to Microtech so they can tighten it for me. Seriously. I called and that's what they told me to do. At least some other manufacturers using proprietary screws (e.g., Lionsteel) have the decency to provide a tool with their knives to tighten such screws. I can definitively say that there's NO WAY I'm sending back a brand new knife over something so trivial. I'll likely carry the knife clipless for the foreseeable future, and if I ever want to retighten the screw, I'll likely end up using the 'wrong' tool for the job.

What's frustrating is that is doesn't have to be this way.

nhoQNCk.jpg


Regards,

Spinny
Click to expand...

Spinny seriously...

If you can't figure out yourself how to tighten that GBD holding the clip w/o marring the finish, IMO you shouldn't be working on it.

Wrap it well in a soft cloth and use smooth pliers or the like to remove it. Put some Blue Locktite on the threads before replacing it.

It doesn't need to be tightened with a hamfisted grip either. Easy does it.

Problem solved...
 
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Hey now, he's just saying he shouldn't have to resort to warranty service or MacGuyvering just so he can have a functional product that he paid good money for. He can probably work something out but there wouldn't be a need if makers just used Torx or anything standard.

Many makers now use decorative pivots that also have Torx holes, so they can have style and ease of repair, so there's really no excuse other than wanting to be obstinate for artistic or brand reasons.
 
Preach. Attaching a pocket clip with proprietary fasteners should be an infraction punishable by having your hands wrapped in duct tape to turn them into flippers.
 
In the past they did have a hole through the GBD to easily tighten/remove it.

Guess they decided to discontinue that hole just to be obstinate.

It is what it is...
 
sloth357 said:
I like to chime in just to say I sent in a Scarab this year for a faulty deploying blade and after the RA# was sent to me and I sent the package FedEx with RA # as they required, it was back in my hands in less than 1 month.

I'd really like to hear how many bad vs good experiences there really are... I have a feeling there are hundreds of good ones to the dozens of bad. Still not a bad %...

Just my 2 cents..

And about your clip... rubber tipped pliers should do it... gl
Click to expand...

^ This is reassuring news. :thumbup: In the last GBU thread (regarding MT's C.S.), it was discussed that MT, was in the process of revamping their warranty/customer service departments. I for one hope this is the case, as I personally really like most of their knives, & still own a few.
 
gzb said:
In the past they did have a hole through the GBD to easily tighten/remove it.

Guess they decided to discontinue that hole just to be obstinate.

It is what it is...
Click to expand...

Exactly. What knifemaker would WANT their users using pliers wrapped in [whatever] to tighten one of their screws??? By doing away with the old hole, this latest GBD design is a step further away from friendliness.
 
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That (and a lot of the other proprietary) hardware looks way more like an asthetic choice than a lock the users out of touching their knives option.
 
100% agree with the OP.....What possesses someone to go "You know...These off-the-shelf Torx heads are just not sexy enough for me. I need to design my own quadruple ellipitical quantum-tunneling screwhead that'll really show that Mr Allen and Mr Phillips what machined fastener looks like"...

I'd add that Phillips screws are the work of the devil:

Mr Phillips designed his screwhead for the early days of line manufacturing with unmetered air-tools- so it 'torques out'- once you reach a certain torque level, the driver is forced out of the head by losing friction...meaning the spinning tool now either chews up the head or leaves a mark on the job/workpiece.
That's why the Phillips head is an angled slot. It's basically it's own 'torque wrench'.

That's why an over-tightened Phillips head is a total sod to remove- you're having to work against the design.

Torx screws are designed to 'torque in' and are supposed to be used with a proper torque driver or torque-set power tool- the flat bottom means provided it'll keep tightening without 'bouncing out' like a Phillips.
 
demoncase said:
100% agree with the OP.....What possesses someone to go "You know...These off-the-shelf Torx heads are just not sexy enough for me. I need to design my own quadruple ellipitical quantum-tunneling screwhead that'll really show that Mr Allen and Mr Phillips what machined fastener looks like"...

I'd add that Phillips screws are the work of the devil:

Mr Phillips designed his screwhead for the early days of line manufacturing with unmetered air-tools- so it 'torques out'- once you reach a certain torque level, the driver is forced out of the head by losing friction...meaning the spinning tool now either chews up the head or leaves a mark on the job/workpiece.
That's why the Phillips head is an angled slot. It's basically it's own 'torque wrench'.

That's why an over-tightened Phillips head is a total sod to remove- you're having to work against the design.

Torx screws are designed to 'torque in' and are supposed to be used with a proper torque driver or torque-set power tool- the flat bottom means provided it'll keep tightening without 'bouncing out' like a Phillips.
Click to expand...

Maybe MT should go back to the Bristol Spline (6 flute) fasteners of the 90's...
 
demoncase- Thank you for this useful information!^
In many cases tho, a user uses the wrong sized driver and damage is done to the screw head.
 
Lycosa said:
demoncase- Thank you for this useful information!^
In many cases tho, a user uses the wrong sized driver and damage is done to the screw head.
Click to expand...

Yep- that's an additional point: the Phillips head is supposed to be matched in size correctly to the driver not just the 'one that looked like it fit and was at the top of the tool box'. ;)

Also- Using a normal Phillips driver in a Pozidrive head nearly always results in a mangled screw.
 
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