Bearings or washers

[Gary W. Graley]

So, I've gotten to where I'm not sure about knives with bearings, sure they might be 'fast' but that isn't always a good thing, phosphor bronze washers can be pretty smooth, ok maybe NOT as smooth as some bearings but they still work.

I've wondered if the bearing craze will some day take a turn and we go back to the PB washers or some fancy smooth material that is similar.

I haven't had any real issue with a knife that has bearings, so I may be worried for naught, but my old brain just isn't that keen on them, simple minded likes simple things I guess.

There are some knives that haven't made that move to bearings, such as Chris Reeve knives, they seem to be doing pretty well.

And GEC folders, no bearings there yet, I know some makers are putting bearings into slip joint folders but that seems like overkill.

Just a Monday evening rambling but I think there may be a few that might agree and of course a lot that will not and that's perfectly fine, everyone has their own opinion and feelings about it I'm sure.

Ok, back to sharpening things that are already sharp, ugh lol need to get another knife to sharpen up!
G2

 

[Dadpool]

Eh, I like 'em both. Neither is a deal-breaker or deal-maker, and which I prefer really just depends on the knife.

I do prefer bearings on my flippers, though.

 

[yoko]

I like pb washers over bearings

For me I notice bearings being affected by dust and dirt at my work more than washers

 

[Leo Greer]

I’m a bearings man.

I definitely see some bearings just pick up dirt and metal dust and whatever not that just completely ruins the action in no time at all. This happens to my Shiro Quantum. It’s the dirtiest knife I’ve ever held.

On the other hand, I think bearings are consistently smoother and more drop shutty, which is something I personally prefer on my knives.

I do think PBs tend to have that buttery smooth feeling more easily, but almost never while retaining drop shutty or shake shut action and no bladeplay.

To add this to the mix, I own a Reate Torrent that runs on MRBS and is the most drop shut knife I’ve ever touched. Perfect action, perfect centering, perfect lockup. I’ve taken it to work consistently in dirty, dusty, and sweaty situations and never once had the action slow.

Reates, however, are exceptional.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t shy away from a knife on bearings if it was one I really wanted, but I would place a lower value on washers due to my personal preference.

That being said, the types of knives that typically run on washers are not usually designs that I prefer, so I rarely have to make the choice.

 

[blanex1]

I tend to like washers but I will say bearings also work well.

 

[gazz98]

If I had to choose, I'd go washers. Simplicity is better imo.

Most of my knives are older so guessing they are washers. Now, are they teflon or Pb? I don't know. I don't tinker with a knife unless it has a problem.

What is in the pivot doesn't change my buying habits.

 

[rexromic]

Washers all day for me!

 

[DocJD]

I never ,even once, have thought , " Dang , this knife really needs bearings ! "

I understand the appeal in a fidgety flipper , but don't want to sacrifice any strength , reliability , or low maintenance in my hard use folders .

But not a burning issue for me , either way .

 

[Eric Colley]

To me it all depends on what I’m using the knife for. If it’s a hard use knife I definitely prefer washers due to less dirt etc getting built up. If it’s a “gentleman’s” knife I like the action of a bearing knife.

 

[Murphjd25]

PB washers. But man is a Shiro nice!

 

[yoko]

Guess it depends on your environment

I work in dusty dirty conditions a lot and also use my knife a lot

Bearings will keep working but bearings lose the smooth feel faster in my work environment than pb washers

 

[KVT]

Not all bearings are equal. If you haven’t tried Skiff or Taco bearings, you need to.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

As figured lots of support for both, I've not tried Skiff or any other than what came with the knife, but I would guess those would be a step up.

Double row type bearings, logically, would provide more lateral support to the blade, but they take up more room so designers can be limited to what can or can't be used.

I've thought that I might try and replace the bearings with PB but just never got the umph to go and try and locate something that would fit the dimensions that the bearing takes up.

G2

 

[Landshark99]

Depends on the knife, though I do prefer bearings in flippers. I also find that dirt and crud in any knife's pivot will gum up the works in both washers and bearings.

 

[jbmonkey]

I'm not picky on fast opening and closing or super smoother feel. doesn't matter to me.....

I dont care for bearings on a knife without a flipper tab on a liner lock or frame lock setup......on closing.

 

[Jejerusik]

My opinion is I use my knife to work, not as a fidget toy. I 9x out of 10 will go with washers. I don't understand why I need a knife to open a split second faster? I mean I get plenty of speed with washers.

 

[toker]

I like bearings more than washers, but that's because you can tighten the pivot more while still allowing easy opening. I find it a lot more work to get it so the blade opens easily and there is no blade play with washers. That being said, my favorite two knives are the ZT0620 (washers) and the ZT0777 (bearings). They both fly open and are really smooth.

 

[Danke42]

I only have a few knives on bearings.

My opinion is that bearings for parts that spin like in an engine and bushings/washers are for parts that move; like a suspension pivot or a folding knife/

 

[Therom]

I like a well tuned knife on washers but actually I don’t mind about bearing or washer when choosing a knife

 

[sgt1372]

Most of the blades on my knives are running on PB or teflon washers. The Hinderer XM18-3.5 that I've been carrying about a month is using bearings.

Frankly, I can hardly tell the difference between them.

I'm just not that sensitive to or about it. All I care about is that the blade opens smoothly when I open it. All of my knives do that.