I am thinking about buying my first assisted opening knife of any kind. I have seen pictures of the two Cyclones and the Blur. I usually think that the best mechanical system is the simplest one. Are there any drawbacks to the Speed Safe mechanism? Has anyone had the Speed Safe lock on the Cyclone fail. Does Speed Safe offer much beyond cool factor?
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Does Kershaw speed safe ever screw up?
- Thread starter cadjak
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- Jan 28, 2007
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- 2,155
The basic SpeedSafe mechanism (pretty much all, but the Cyclone and the Offset) has only one more part than a manually opened knife, the torsion bar. The Offset has two torsion bars and the cyclone has the additional parts to engage and disengage the Speedsafe.
The torsion bar is basically a bent piece of music wire.
If anything goes wrong with the torsion bar the worst that can generally happen is that the SpeedSafe doesn't work, leaving you to open the knife manually. Not a big deal since there aren't really any SpeedSafe knives that can't be opened easily one handed, manually anyway.
The only problem I have personally encountered with SpeedSafe is on my girlfriend's Scallion, it wasn't snapping open all the way. At first I thought it might be a failed torsion bar, but it turned out that the knife was just gummed up with adhesive. It would have had the same issue if it was a manual flipper. Until I cleaned it out she just opened it the rest of the way with the thumb stud.
The torsion bar is basically a bent piece of music wire.
If anything goes wrong with the torsion bar the worst that can generally happen is that the SpeedSafe doesn't work, leaving you to open the knife manually. Not a big deal since there aren't really any SpeedSafe knives that can't be opened easily one handed, manually anyway.
The only problem I have personally encountered with SpeedSafe is on my girlfriend's Scallion, it wasn't snapping open all the way. At first I thought it might be a failed torsion bar, but it turned out that the knife was just gummed up with adhesive. It would have had the same issue if it was a manual flipper. Until I cleaned it out she just opened it the rest of the way with the thumb stud.
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To add to kneedeep's comments, Kershaw has tested the torsion bar to over 10,000 cycles.
Like all things mechanical, they can and will fail. The replacement of a torsion bar is real simple, and can be done at your kitchen table in just a few minutes. If you feel uncomfortable attempting this, Kershaw will repair or replace the knife, depending upon its condition, free of charge. And they will put the factory edge back on it if you want. For the life of the knife! I have read comments here that the turn around time is about a week.
Like kd said, pocket gunk is usually the main cause for a slow torsion bar.
As for the Cyclone and Blur, I own a bunch of both. The value of SpeedSafe to me is that I can open the knife one-handed, with very little effort, and quickly, too. Either would be a good selection and will last you a very long time.
Like all things mechanical, they can and will fail. The replacement of a torsion bar is real simple, and can be done at your kitchen table in just a few minutes. If you feel uncomfortable attempting this, Kershaw will repair or replace the knife, depending upon its condition, free of charge. And they will put the factory edge back on it if you want. For the life of the knife! I have read comments here that the turn around time is about a week.
Like kd said, pocket gunk is usually the main cause for a slow torsion bar.
As for the Cyclone and Blur, I own a bunch of both. The value of SpeedSafe to me is that I can open the knife one-handed, with very little effort, and quickly, too. Either would be a good selection and will last you a very long time.
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2004
- Messages
- 1,434
Even if the SpeedSafe fails, it won't fail in a way that prevents you from opening the knife manually with one hand.
It definitely offers functional benefits, not just a cool factor. It is fast, and it requires less effort to open than a manual folder.
It definitely offers functional benefits, not just a cool factor. It is fast, and it requires less effort to open than a manual folder.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
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- 14
Fast Speed, Easy to use, & fun. Assisted openers are yet to let me down.
Enjoy
Enjoy