God help you if you ever need service from Kizer

S

Sharperthansticks

Joined
Sep 19, 2017
Messages
1,612
If you have a Kizer knife that functions just fine, that's great, but if you ever need Kizer's help because of a defect or poor craftsmanship, forget about it.

I got as a gift a Velox 2 that came heavily Loctited and with a lockbar that is not tuned properly, either; the lockbar tension is way too strong. The pivot is not captive, either, and the non-show side of the pivot does not have a receptacle for a driver, so loosening the pivot is just about impossible. I've torn down tons of knives, and I cannot tear this one down.

I tried contacting customer service, and they told me to make a video. I made them a video and then they said that they can't view it! I told them that they need to download it from my Google Drive, and they wouldn't do that, either. Then I uploaded the video to youtube, and they STILL say they can't see it, and in every freaking email, they tell me to loosen the pivot, even though it's impossible to loosen it and I've tried every way I can -- even cutting into both sides of the pivo with a Dremel! Kizer customer support is absolutely awful. I'm disgusted with them.
 
1. The belongs in the good, the bad, and the ugly section.

2. I've found that using a heat gun on stuck pivot screws helps loosen them greatly. Really helped on my Yojimbo 2 when I swapped scales.

3. Thanks for the info, though my Kizer has been flawless over 4 years.
 
That's a shame. can you go back to the store you purchased it from? BladeHQ and Knifecenter are usually very good about that amongst many of other retailers on the forum.
 
K.O.D. said:
1. The belongs in the good, the bad, and the ugly section.

2. I've found that using a heat gun on stuck pivot screws helps loosen them greatly. Really helped on my Yojimbo 2 when I swapped scales.

3. Thanks for the info, though my Kizer has been flawless over 4 years.
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I posted there, too; people don't always check out that forum, though. I tried a soldering iron. I don't know if it helped or not, because there's no way to stop that non-captive pivot from spinning.
 
ErocSD said:
That's a shame. can you go back to the store you purchased it from? BladeHQ and Knifecenter are usually very good about that amongst many of other retailers on the forum.
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I would have, but I got this as a gift, and because it was bought on a trip but other people, there's effectively no way to exchange this. Even if there was, though, this doesn't excuse Kizer's awful customer service.
 
Sharperthansticks said:
I posted there, too; people don't always check out that forum, though. I tried a soldering iron. I don't know if it helped or not, because there's no way to stop that non-captive pivot from spinning.
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There is if you truly did cut a notch in that side with a dremel... just jam a flathead in there and get to unscrewin’.
 
AntDog said:
There is if you truly did cut a notch in that side with a dremel... just jam a flathead in there and get to unscrewin’.
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It's not working. It's a free spinning (non-captive) pivot without a bit hole in the other side to hold the other side of the pivot fixed. I've cut a slot in the other side, too, but it's not deep enough to fix it in place. I've tried a soldering iron, too, of course.

I have a good deal of experience with these things; the pivot --especially with this Loctite from hell -- is really poorly designed. And Kizer's customer service won't do a damned thing.
 
Does the smooth side of the pivot protrude a little? If so, do you think you could press the pivot into something grippy like a piece of rubber band and then loosen the other side with a driver? You could press down with the driver and the rubber band might help to grip the pivot just enough for you to break it free.

Do you have a driver that lets you apply a decent amount of torque?

I bought a pretty old Spyderco a while back. I think it had the red loctite on it. The pivot wouldn't budge, but I kept at it with the soldering iron and it finally broke free. I ended up heating it for longer than I thought I'd need to....that was with a D shape on the pivot, though.

Maybe you could hit the pivot with some penetrating oil a few times or even try to soak the pivot area in a good amount of the stuff. A little might seep in there after a while and help.

Too bad you had to resort to a Dremel and Kizer was being difficult.
 
Sharperthansticks said:
It's not working. It's a free spinning (non-captive) pivot without a bit hole in the other side to hold the other side of the pivot fixed. I've cut a slot in the other side, too, but it's not deep enough to fix it in place. I've tried a soldering iron, too, of course.

I have a good deal of experience with these things; the pivot --especially with this Loctite from hell -- is really poorly designed. And Kizer's customer service won't do a damned thing.
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Yeah, with some knife companies you’re on your own. Even great companies...

Anyhow, my advice would be to notch the smooth side until you can get a flathead in there (torx on the other side?) and break it loose.

Apply heat like you have been, maybe some lube, maybe dump some acetone in there, and break that sumbitch loose.

You can always put a punch down in the torx hole and give it a few whacks with a hammer. Give it a shot, might work.
 
Antdog is right some chemicals will help but if all else fails just drill out the pivot?
 
Brhowser87 said:
Take the smaller screws out of the scales then lift up on the non captive scale applying pressure to the pivot while trying to unscrew it. After applying heat to the pivot this might create enough grab for you to unscrew it
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Nah. Friction or pressure type hold won’t work if something is “welded on” like he’s describing. Plus, too much pressure and you got a broken scale.
 
AntDog said:
Nah. Friction or pressure type hold won’t work if something is “welded on” like he’s describing. Plus, too much pressure and you got a broken scale.
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I was kinda going on the assumption that if he's taking apart alot of knives he would know not to put a pry bar under it lol. You don't think if the soldering iron trick was done then slight pressure applied it might break loose?
 
NWPM2 said:
Does the smooth side of the pivot protrude a little? If so, do you think you could press the pivot into something grippy like a piece of rubber band and then loosen the other side with a driver? You could press down with the driver and the rubber band might help to grip the pivot just enough for you to break it free.

Do you have a driver that lets you apply a decent amount of torque?

I bought a pretty old Spyderco a while back. I think it had the red loctite on it. The pivot wouldn't budge, but I kept at it with the soldering iron and it finally broke free. I ended up heating it for longer than I thought I'd need to....that was with a D shape on the pivot, though.

Maybe you could hit the pivot with some penetrating oil a few times or even try to soak the pivot area in a good amount of the stuff. A little might seep in there after a while and help.

Too bad you had to resort to a Dremel and Kizer was being difficult.
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I put the knife down on a rubbery exercise device; it looks like a rubber band if you magnified a rubber band about 1000 times. Anyway, this didn't help. At this point, my driver is simply a flathead, since I've Dremeled both sides of the pivot. I've applied a soldering iron to the pivot for a few minutes at a time, too. This worked on the screws, but not on the pivot. They seem to be using some kind of white threadlocker.
 
Sharperthansticks said:
And then tap new threads?
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If you drilled it out, there would be no threads. He’s talking drill a hole through the middle of the whole pivot assembly and replace the whole thing.

Brhowser87 - no, I don’t think so, from the way OP is describing things. If you can’t get a grip on two screws with two flatheads hard enough to bust it loose, it’s a safe assumption that loosening a scale and mushing it up against “the spinny side” wouldn’t work to hold it steady.

OP - no insult meant here - maybe have somebody who is stronger than you give it a try.
 
AntDog said:
If you drilled it out, there would be no threads. He’s talking drill a hole through the middle of the whole pivot assembly and replace the whole thing.

Brhowser87 - no, I don’t think so, from the way OP is describing things. If you can’t get a grip on two screws with two flatheads hard enough to bust it loose, it’s a safe assumption that loosening a scale and mushing it up against “the spinny side” wouldn’t work to hold it steady.

OP - no insult meant here - maybe have somebody who is stronger than you give it a try.
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Yea I missed the part where he already dremeled into the pivot already.:oops::oops:
 
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