New Emissary 477-1 with assist issue - Help!

D

Darkera

Joined
Oct 22, 2016
Messages
374
My new Emissary 477-1 arrived on Sunday and I was very pleased with it. I only opened and closed it maybe a dozen or so times within the first 24 hours. I started closing it and felt an odd sensation, like the spring had come off track or it was grinding against something (hard to describe). A couple open/close motions later and the assisted opening stopped working! It doesn't flick open and when I close it, it is obviously not engaging the spring/action.

I was emailing the company about returning it when I just retrieved it from the box to take a last look at it. It sat for a couple days and when I went to open it, it flicked open! It did this 2-3 times and then stopped working again.

Has anyone encountered this before? Is there a quick fix or should I just send it back? I haven't even cut anything with the knife yet, pretty disappointing...
 
I would just send it in, they’ll take care of you. Sucks to be without your knife for a while though. I sent in my mini bugout a couple weeks ago for a terrible grinding when being closed. I hate being without my “summer” knife but in the end they’re simple machines that will sooner or later need attention. Disappointed when they’re new though.
 
Darkera said:
My new Emissary 477-1 arrived on Sunday and I was very pleased with it. I only opened and closed it maybe a dozen or so times within the first 24 hours. I started closing it and felt an odd sensation, like the spring had come off track or it was grinding against something (hard to describe). A couple open/close motions later and the assisted opening stopped working! It doesn't flick open and when I close it, it is obviously not engaging the spring/action.

I was emailing the company about returning it when I just retrieved it from the box to take a last look at it. It sat for a couple days and when I went to open it, it flicked open! It did this 2-3 times and then stopped working again.

Has anyone encountered this before? Is there a quick fix or should I just send it back? I haven't even cut anything with the knife yet, pretty disappointing...
Click to expand...
I would contact W&W and see if they'll swap it out for you. I wouldn't want to take the chance shipping it back to the US and have our boys steal it on the way back.
 
Oh, didn’t realize he was not in the US, totally different situation then and I agree try to just have it replaced would be the way to go.
 
I’ve never had that issue with either of the two I’ve had, still have one and love it. That said, I’ve never taken either one apart, but have seen Barrages apart and assume they use the same, or very similar, mechanisms. If I’m wrong, somebody feel free to correct me.

If the mechanisms are in fact similar, and, just spitballing based on your description of the failure here, it’s possible one (or both) of the end tabs of the coil spring is/are not staying consistently engaged in their respective hole in either the blade tang or the handle scale and slipping out of place, thereby not providing any tension to wind the spring. In other words, the blade was rotating in the frame as it should, but one or both ends of the spring wasn’t engaging something stationary to wind the spring to generate tension as it rotated.

The fact that it worked eventually after it wasn’t working before could mean it may have properly reseated itself, but I still think it would be worth sending it in for warranty (or replacement, if that’s easier and your supplier is willing) because either the spring tabs, the spring tab retention hole(s), or some other spacing could be dimensionally out of spec, which could cause it to potentially fail again.

Unless your ok with a deassisted, manual-only Emissary, which wouldn’t be the end of the world.
 
I know with the Barrage, if the pivot is loosened a bit too much, the spring will lose it's tension. If this was an older knife, I'd fix it myself (as I have on a number of occasions with my own BM's) but since this is brandy new, I'd get it replaced. However, he can contact Benchmade and maybe they can tell him how to fix it, who knows.
 
Thanks guys, I'll most likely send it back to the retailer instead of trying to play around with it myself or risking the Canadian border.

It's the strangest thing though, because this morning I took it out of the box and it started working again! I've opened and shut it about 20 times today and it works fine.

Edit a few minutes later: nope, few more flicks and it no longer works.
 
Sorry to hear that. The Emissary is a great knife... at least when working as it should. Hope you get a good one in hand soon!
 
Don't play or tinker with this knife unless mechanically inclined.As this knife is more complicated than the barrage.

Simply just return it to the retailer.
 
razorburn said:
Don't play or tinker with this knife unless mechanically inclined.As this knife is more complicated than the barrage.

Simply just return it to the retailer.
Click to expand...

I think this is the best advice. I like to think I’m mechanically inclined, and this model has always said to me “Just don’t” whenever my curiosity has been piqued.
 
razorburn said:
Don't play or tinker with this knife unless mechanically inclined.As this knife is more complicated than the barrage.

Simply just return it to the retailer.
Click to expand...
Good to know. I'd have hated to find that out for myself if I ever bought one. It would be nice to find out what the problem was but we may never know.
 
Centermass said:
Sorry to hear that. The Emissary is a great knife... at least when working as it should. Hope you get a good one in hand soon!
Click to expand...
Do you have one? If so, and to anyone else with an assisted BM, if you open it say 20 times in a row does it ever fail to open?

If I open it 10-20 times it will eventually stop opening completely, the assist malfunctions. Then I put it down for a few hours or overnight and it typically works again. While I plan on returning it tomorrow, I hope there are no issues in the return, because by the time they get it I'm sure it'll be temporarily working again. I considered keeping it because if I don't flick it many times in a row it should be fine, but I'm pretty sure this isn't how much BM assists operate and I don't want a knife that may or may not deploy. And when the assist doesn't work this knife has a very poor action.
 
Yes, I have one. No, it’s never failed to fire. I had a different one previously, and never had any issues like you describe with that one either. I personally think you’d be better off, and happier not wondering, if you get one that works 100%.
 
My 580 will reliably fire open all day until the cows come home with no problems. However it is old and beat up so nothing is binding after all this time. Now I would be somewhat ticked if I had payed a ton of money for a new one and the blasted thing didn't work properly.
 
Centermass said:
Yes, I have one. No, it’s never failed to fire. I had a different one previously, and never had any issues like you describe with that one either. I personally think you’d be better off, and happier not wondering, if you get one that works 100%.
Click to expand...
colin.p said:
My 580 will reliably fire open all day until the cows come home with no problems. However it is old and beat up so nothing is binding after all this time. Now I would be somewhat ticked if I had payed a ton of money for a new one and the blasted thing didn't work properly.
Click to expand...
Thanks guys, I think I was trying to convince myself it was fine so I wouldn't have to go through the rigmarole of returning and waiting. But you're right, something is obviously wrong.
 
No problem here with my barrages and emissaries.They never fail to fire.
 
Darkera said:
Thanks guys, I think I was trying to convince myself it was fine so I wouldn't have to go through the rigmarole of returning and waiting. But you're right, something is obviously wrong.
Click to expand...
How did it turn out? Did W&W send you a replacement or did you get something else. Just curious is all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top