Blade Wobble: What do you think?

[TheChunk91]

On a two blade knife or other multiple blade knife you can push the tip of a liner into the blade with wobble and eliminate the wobble. Just a touch will do it and will not be noticeable unless looked at closely. I wouldn't do this on a safe queen but on an EDC it's not a problem.

Or if it's a swinden knife you can hammer the end of the bolster and bend it into the tang to tighten it.

 

[r redden]

I just this morning received a Stag Northwoods Everyday Barlow I bought off of the exchange and it has slight side to side wobble that the seller had described in the listing. The wobble is slight and doesn't bother me at all. But like others a new knife is a different story especially if the knife cost a $100 or more it gets under my skin and it will be returned.

 

[Modoc ED]

To illustrate my point about bending a liner slightly:

I received this Case 6231 1/2 Swell End Jack a few months ago. The pen blade had some very, very, slight side to side blade wobble.

I fixed it by bending the tip of the middle liner into the pen blade tang thereby eliminating all blade wobble. It is unnoticeable unless looked at closely and this is an EDC knife anyway. This picture is lousy but you can see how I bent the middle liner tip into the pen blade tang.

Oh, I voted A3 - B1

 

[Hickory n steel]

I check for it and if there's blade play I can remedy I will.
Now if I can't then I don't worry, I won't notice it during use and it really effects nothing.

From the ol' 33OT with significant blade play, to the Imperial backpacker I recently got with a little bit of up and down I don't worry.
I just use the knife and put that play out of my head, I won't completely forget about it but it's not going to nag at me.
I don't know how many with some play I've got, maybe 5 or 6 and none of them sit neglected because of it.

 

[5K Qs]

As others have noted, I find noticeable blade play in a NEW knife unacceptable.
But blade play really doesn't bother me (and might be inevitable?) in a knife that's been used frequently for several years.

- GT

 

[Will Power]

A1/ B2

A new knife should not have it, if it does it suggests lax build to me.

It's more serious on a single blade...

I don't like having to make excuses for a knife in order for me to start using it...

Simply put, 2 otherwise identical knives, one with play one without, you'll chose the latter because it's the superior knife.

 

[dsutton24]

I did the best I could, it's a non-issue for me.

You see all sorts of complaining about blade wobble and blade centering, yet nail busting backsprings and pocket ripping tang heels are regarded as a mark of quality. You Flitz off the blade etch, and bury the blade in some kind of fruit (or gawd knows what) because you're a knife user. Knives are tools, safe queens are stupid. You carry it three times, then try to sell it for 20% more than new cost.

To each his own, and all that, but it's a funny world.

'You', in the above context, is the collective you, not the OP or anybody specific. You probably know this, but you never know who'll take a good, old fashioned, generalization personally.

 

[black mamba]

I am SO glad I posted this poll thread. Lots and lots of very thoughtful answers here, the Porchers done them-sefs proud!

To this point, I'm guessing the 27 who chose B3 also chose A1, so somewhere between 37 and 53% think it's pretty darn important. About 16% would rather not have it, but don't find it very off-putting unless it's severe (A3 and B1). The other 40ish percent are somewhere in the middle.

So far . . . Keep them responses comin'!

 

[sXePhenomenal]

I consider it a plus to have no play. I love when a knife doesn’t have any but not a deal breaker when it does.

 

[biomed]

Two of the three Case Doctors knives I just purchased had a lot of side to side blade play, but both had a great closing snap. They were both single blade models. The two bladed one has no play, but has a more sluggish action. I can live with a little blade play, but not as much as these have. My score with Case this year is blade play 4. No play 1. I may try to fix one of the wobblers. Any suggestions from those who have successfully accomplished this?

 

[dispatch184]

On a new knife, it would be a non-starter for me. Used or old knife, I think you should kind of expect it.

Does it bother me? Yes. Probably the toughest thing I deal with when working on any knife. Often, there is a trade off between the action on the blade and being able to eliminate blade play.

Agreed, and I would add you have been a God send fixing this very issue for me on a few knives now. Cheers to you!

 

[traumkommode]

On a new knife, it would be a non-starter for me. Used or old knife, I think you should kind of expect it.

Does it bother me? Yes. Probably the toughest thing I deal with when working on any knife. Often, there is a trade off between the action on the blade and being able to eliminate blade play.

It mostly bothers me on locking knives. I buy a locking knives to have it "locked" into position, so any blade wobble makes me feel like the lock isn't doing a proper job. I can live with a slight bit of wobble on knives, but I don't like it when the blade is just flopping around.

I always check for noticeable blade wobble and it bothers me a lot.
I've been carrying and using pocket knives for 5+ decades. In my experience blade wobble is something that might develop after years of use.
I don't want a new knife that feels like an old knife. If I buy one that does, it gets returned.

It bothers me enough that I learned how to tighten a joint, peen a pin, and sand the pin down flush with the bolster. It's relatively easy to do, and now I never have to worry about wobbly blades again. I feel the same way about blades that aren't crinked quite properly, and now adjust them accordingly. These two meager skills, along with learning how to reset an edge bevel, go a long way toward creating exceptional vintage knives out of what would ordinarily be considered disappointing aftermarket purchases.

Just to clarify, I can live with a small amount of blade play. But what I consider to be wobble is entirely different. If I can feel the play during use, it's wobble. If play causes one blade to scratch against another while opening or closing, then it's wobble. If I shake the frame, with the blade(s) either open or closed, and can feel or hear the blade move, it's wobble.

Pretty much in these boats. I tolerate the slightest amount. Just a little hint. And I decided to learn how to adjust it myself when I realized I was going to send back half of the knives I received. Believe it or not, GEC has about a 30% track record with me of NEW knives either coming with wiggle or developing some after about a week or two of use, and once I tighten the pivot and find the balance between action and tightness so that it still has good, smooth open/close and snap, it usually doesn't develop wiggle again. Locking blade, though - uh uh. Blade is supposed to lock. I'm kinda also in the boat of if I really NEED a blade to lock, I'm probably just gonna use a fixed blade, but still, I want a locked blade to be solid.

 

[Liberando]

I don't like blade wobble. Especially in the main blade. Not even a little. I've tried to articulate why, as well as rationalize that a little wobble is okay, but I can't.

Now I can accept all manner of other defects in a knife. Pitting...blade rub...mismatched scales...scratches...these things don't worry me a bit.

 

[Getting older]

If you by a $5 knife and it has some wobble maybe but if you droped the $$$ on a Boss and it wobbled there would be a issue.High or substantial prices equal a increase in build quality.Shoddy workmanship is not acceptable and could be dangerous in a knife or other tool,you do get what you pay for,and there are exceptions to any rule.

 

[Old Hunter]

Don’t like any blade wobble. Blade wobble (and low/no snap) are my main two reasons for rejecting a pocketknife. OH

 

[CVamberbonehead]

I voted that it was important and I dont like it. Thats only half true, since it really isnt a big deal...at first. The problem is that if I get the knife with a little wobble, itll get worse over time and wear out prematurely. So no, I dont like it.
On the other hand, I can live with it. Ive only ever sent back 1 knife for blade play, and it was a brand new Case trapper where 1 blade wobbled really badly, and so Im waiting on it to come back now. Its not the end of the world. Id rather have a little play than nail breaker springs anyday.

 

[jstrange]

To illustrate my point about bending a liner slightly:

I received this Case 6231 1/2 Swell End Jack a few months ago. The pen blade had some very, very, slight side to side blade wobble.

I fixed it by bending the tip of the middle liner into the pen blade tang thereby eliminating all blade wobble. It is unnoticeable unless looked at closely and this is an EDC knife anyway. This picture is lousy but you can see how I bent the middle liner tip into the pen blade tang.

Oh, I voted A3 - B1

So does the liner drag and scrape the blade as you open and close it? Seems like it would make a rough action.

 

[jstrange]

Pretty much in these boats. I tolerate the slightest amount. Just a little hint. And I decided to learn how to adjust it myself when I realized I was going to send back half of the knives I received. Believe it or not, GEC has about a 30% track record with me of NEW knives either coming with wiggle or developing some after about a week or two of use, and once I tighten the pivot and find the balance between action and tightness so that it still has good, smooth open/close and snap, it usually doesn't develop wiggle again. Locking blade, though - uh uh. Blade is supposed to lock. I'm kinda also in the boat of if I really NEED a blade to lock, I'm probably just gonna use a fixed blade, but still, I want a locked blade to be solid.

The worst wobble I have ever experienced was with a GEC, but it was used so I don’t know if it left the factory that way.

 

[Pinemoon]

To me, when new, wobble is a sign of a less than perfect knife.
I have come to expect it on Case & GEC, even though they make some of my favorite pieces.

I do not usually experience it in my Italian or Japanese models.

I let it slide in the American brands. In the others, the typical absence of wobble just reassures me that I have a real nice piece in my hands.

 

[Wowbagger]

Personally, I rarely check for it, unless I feel it in use.

Yuuuuup
Here's an example; I've had my first Buck 110 for going on thirty eight years. It was my first largish folder. Until like a year ago I paid no attention to the pivot . . . it opened . . . it closed . . . the knife cut stuff. It felt fine in use. It felt like a quality knife in use.

Then someone mentioned slop in the pivot of their traditional. I checked the 110 and it has some significant blade play. In all that time I had never noticed it. The knife has spent most all that time as a fancy paper weight. I've probably carried it for a full year, all added up, in all that time. I am super careful with my tools especially my knives. The play must be there from the factory. It would NEVER occur to me to pry with a knife so I couldn't have caused the play in the pivot. I'm flush with tools; the right tools for the job. I'm never out in the wild wishing for a pry bar; I'm in my shop (at work or at home) surrounded by wedges and pry tools . . .

Bottom line; yes if I were buying a knife today off the shelf in a brick and mortar I would check for play. I bought that knife in a little mom and pop hardware store and I wasn't aware enough about knives then to check for blade play. I would much prefer little or no play but it just doesn't matter in use. Unless it is a silly amount of course.