T.R.E. Three Rapid Exchange LionSTEEL

Nice! Opened mine today...smaller than I thought but nice. I assumed it would be small sebenza size but it's just a tad smaller. Very light. Unfortunately the flipping action is medium to weak. I can preload like a Hinderer but all around not great for the price. I'm still a Lionsteel fan....just don't feel like having to ship it to Italy and have to wait some time to carry a new purchase. I'll be sending it back to the dealer. :(

I ordered mine (TRE Blue) directly from Lionsteel and requested one with a stronger detent for better flipping action. They delivered, and mine flips very well (albeit not as smooth as my Kershaw Blur). The only issue with that is I now cannot flick open the blade using the thumb stud, I have to use two fingers. Not a deal-breaker for me, as I wanted the flipper action (almost all my other knives use the thumb stud opening).

The one other criticism I would give the knife is the sharp edges. The spine of the handle (where your finger hits when flipping open) and the lock bar both have sharp edges. This wears on the fingers if you are flipping the knife open and closed (e.g. playing with it).

Overall though, this is still my favorite knife.
 
I ordered mine (TRE Blue) directly from Lionsteel and requested one with a stronger detent for better flipping action. They delivered, and mine flips very well (albeit not as smooth as my Kershaw Blur). The only issue with that is I now cannot flick open the blade using the thumb stud, I have to use two fingers. Not a deal-breaker for me, as I wanted the flipper action (almost all my other knives use the thumb stud opening).

The one other criticism I would give the knife is the sharp edges. The spine of the handle (where your finger hits when flipping open) and the lock bar both have sharp edges. This wears on the fingers if you are flipping the knife open and closed (e.g. playing with it).

Overall though, this is still my favorite knife.

Mobster, my Ti TRE also came back from Italy easy to flip but hard to open with the thumb disc ......that was a big issue for me because the disc was a big part of why I had enjoyed my new TRE months ago.

Fast forward to today, weeks of break-in later, and both the disc and the flipper perform well, I'm delighted to report.

That said, this has been a long journey: Ordering directly from Gianni; enjoying my TRE after it arrived, only to watch its ability to flip slowly fade; returning it to Italy for replacement and waiting months without knowing whether it had even arrived; getting it back with much improved flipping ability; and breaking it in a second time in order to get the thumb disc to work as well as it had on Day One.

Manufacturers are asking a lot from consumers when they don't bother to make their products work as advertised out of the box. Some Emersons and Striders are just a few of the well-known offenders.

It does seem that LionSteel has been trying to get its act together in this regard and Gianni is to be applauded for this.

This is a must for me since I can buy, for example, a Sebenza at nearly the same price that works just fine without requiring the customer to finish the quality control work that the manufacturer should have done in the first place.

I won't be giving up my TRE after all this -- it works so damn well!
 
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What about T.R.E. sharpening. What bevel angle to put on both side, and with which sharpmaker. I have spyderco triangle set but don't know is it suitable for this.
 
What about T.R.E. sharpening. What bevel angle to put on both side, and with which sharpmaker. I have spyderco triangle set but don't know is it suitable for this.

I would like to know this too. Thought I read somewhere they used a "special" angle on this blade.
 
To find the angle of the bevel on the edge. Paint the bevel with magic marker and adjust accordingly. On the sharpmaker you might have to raise the base to adjust the angles.

Just got a orange g10. I think i need to tune it as it's second hand, clean and lube should do it. Then we'll see how the action ends up. I played with a Ti one a while ago so I know how it should be better that what I have. I think. Any suggestions on lube?
 
Here's a size comparison pic with some other fairly common knives.
Mini-Grip and small Sebenza.


 
hi guys,

my CF T.R.E arrived to day and i really like it.
i bought it used so it came with some gunk.
i'm thinking about disassembly it to fully clean it but not sure if it's a smart idea.
as anyone done it?
if so, got any tips?
does it void warranty?
i apologize if this has already been covered :)
 
why not, i did it with mine as well. gotta mention i have a full ti version. disassembly of any knife will void warranty.
i use a soft blue plastic tool you also use to open up phones, this to prevent scratching and denting.
1. remove all screws and safely put them away in a tin so you won't loose them
2. remove the pivotscrew, also keep this one in the tin
3. lay the knife in the palm off your hand with the knife closed and with the backspacer facing you
4. use the blue tool to remove the front scale. little by little over the lengt off the spacer to prevent breaking the CF

you can now safely clean the bearings, pivot and milled out pockets in the scales. when i put it back together i use W10 nano oil in the bearings and i apply some chris reeve grease to the detent ball to reduce friction between the detent and the blade. in my experience the blade will flip better that way.

first screw the pivot on (not tight), then the screws, also not to tight. to finish it up just screw the pivot while flipping it to find the best setting. check for blade play while doing so. the blade can have a perfect action but maintain bladqplay. the setting listens very tight. good luck

best regards,


michael
 
I have had mine for about 6 months now. My clip has develop a significant level of play. I am trying to figure out if there is a way to tighten it back down .
 
I have had mine for about 6 months now. My clip has develop a significant level of play. I am trying to figure out if there is a way to tighten it back down .

Get in touch with the manufacturer. They may be able to help.
 
Here's hoping the TRE doesn't have to go back to the manufacturer just to tighten the clip.
 
I have had mine for about 6 months now. My clip has develop a significant level of play. I am trying to figure out if there is a way to tighten it back down .

Tighten the bolt on the other side.
 
I would always go with the Blue Lube from Benchmade.

It works perfect with all kind of folding knives, does not attract dust that much and lasts very long. :thumbup:

To find the angle of the bevel on the edge. Paint the bevel with magic marker and adjust accordingly. On the sharpmaker you might have to raise the base to adjust the angles.

Just got a orange g10. I think i need to tune it as it's second hand, clean and lube should do it. Then we'll see how the action ends up. I played with a Ti one a while ago so I know how it should be better that what I have. I think. Any suggestions on lube?

Dupont KRYTOX GPL-100 is awesome stuff.

I've noticed mine is a little stubborn to flip. I'm hoping it loosens up over time. Its so lightweight it really doesn't have a lot of mass for momentum. I tend to not really like the lube due to having to clean it more often but this one might justify a drop.
 
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I use Nano-oil 10 weight (red tip) for most applications except on the detent ball I use 85 weight (green tip).
 
My green G10 TRE will be here Saturday. I hope it's got decent flipping action. It seems after a lot of reading here the way to do it is definitely the push button flip.
 
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I want to get a couple good flippers. Thinking about the G10 TRE for a smaller flipper. I like the CF version better but seems many people think the flipping action is better on the G10 version given the stronger detent. Sort of makes sense to me that the G10 version would need reliable flipping since that is the only way to open it. Does the G10 version have a better flipping action?

As for the bigger flipper the hunt continues.


The ZT 0808 is an excellent flipper. Not at all difficult to flip like some other ZT models. The pocket clip rests on the frame, not the lock bar. I've had mine for 8 months and it's in my daily rotation, great flipping action.
 
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