My first SAK with blade lock blade play

8

860lacov

Joined
Jul 28, 2022
Messages
5
I've brand new Victorinox Hercules.
It is a gift.
Till now I had 2 SAK (91mm)

In new model with linear lock I have a little blade play. It's not a side play.
It is in a folding direction. Very little and to feel it I need to put a little pressure to the dull side of the blade.
I've found sikilar topics but with slide lock and not liner lock.
Is it normal?
II have something OCD like and even though the SAK is new I'm thinking about replacing it. Is there even a chance to get one with perfect align?
 
Now that you mention it, (and I just checked mine to be sure) the Hercules I have has a slight amount of up play, as well.
I think it might be by design. I wouldn't worry about it. When you're using the knife you're forcing the blade away from your digits and the tang against the backspring, not the liner lock ... unless you're trying to cut something using the spine, or maybe stabbing something?

I've been carrying and using mine daily for almost 2 months now. I never noticed any play in use.
 
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Thank you both.
The knife feels sturdy and every tool works great. Main blade is almost perfect and I have a feeling that It won't be better even if I replace it to another one.
 
Perfectly normal for the 111mm range with liner locks from what I've read and experienced.

I no longer have one to examine but I remember my Trailmaster having that play. The liner didn't actually engage with the blade tang, there was a tiny little gap between the two and the liner would always sit all the way over, what I suppose one would call 100% lock up. It's a slip joint liner lock combo, not like your usual liner lock.
 
Yes, I raised this question about my Bundeswehr SAK with liner lock. Completely normal apparently.
 
Normal. I have two Victorinox liner lock knives and they have the same blade play. It will not affect performance. I carry the GAK/Trekker daily on the farm and it has never let me down.

Zieg
 
That’s normal to 111mm SAK. It’s not traditional liner lock that keeps the blade open in contact with tang. Like mentioned above they are slip joint knives with additional liner lock. Something about the liner assures confidence though for me - very solid!
Don’t worry about it!
 
The closest I have is the Vic soldier. Also has a little vertical blade play but no side play

I've used my blade pretty hard but its never failed on me
 
Yep, as mentioned it's a part of the design. At some point there was a design document floating around, I didn't save a copy, but should have. Essentially the short version is that Vic considers the liner lock to be a "safety" and the actual locking mechanism is still the slipjoint. This allows them a wider threshold of tolerance in production (read cost savings) without reducing utility. When you really think about it, so long as there is no play when pressure is against the edge from a resting position, that's basically the ideal. Any play when pressure is against the spine doesn't impact the use of the knife, only its potential safety (in the case of a slipjoint, that play could involve travel to the closed position).
 
I only have one 111mm model with both locks…the Adventurer. The slide lock version has the same amount of vertical play as the liner lock. But, all of mine have it, I just thought it’d be interesting to compare the two versions.

One thing I will mention that caught my attention, the new liner lock version has a very noticeable half stop, the first 111mm Vic I’ve owned with this feature.

 
It also means that the liner lock always opens all the way. If you look closely, there is a tiny gap between the blade and the liner lock. Could be considered an extra safety feature.
 
Lee D said:
One thing I will mention that caught my attention, the new liner lock version has a very noticeable half stop, the first 111mm Vic I’ve owned with this feature.
Click to expand...
I wish all knives had a half stop. Something I dislike about the OHO models is their lack of it. The blade flies shut! Curiously the 85mm Wengers & Delemonts I have with blade locks have half stops, but not the non-locking ones.
 
In official victorinox store I was told that it is to be sure thst locking mechanism works well.
They gave me two other models to check and I can confirm that it was the same.

One more question.
What is the blade angle in Victorinox 111 knives?
 
860lacov said:
In official victorinox store I was told that it is to be sure thst locking mechanism works well.
They gave me two other models to check and I can confirm that it was the same.

One more question.
What is the blade angle in Victorinox 111 knives?
Click to expand...
For sharpening angle, Victorinox recommends 30-40 deg inclusive for most of their products.(15-20 deg per side)

 
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