OTF Blade Play

E

Emery E Mitchamore

Joined
Jan 16, 2021
Messages
36
Still searching for the perfect EDC folder. I have collected about 50 folders (I don't want to count them) and spend some time using and evaluating several every day. My new Kershaw Livewire is the first OTF I have ever held in my hand. I like almost everything about it but there is a lot of side play in the blade. I'd appreciate it if some of you could talk to me about that. Is that typical of the type? Are there similar OTFs in the price range with a tighter action? If not, how much do I have to spend for an OTF with a superior feel?
 
There's supposed to be some wiggle with the blade in an otf, or it won't operate, not sure about "a lot" of side play, how much are we talking about?
 
they all have some play besides the hawk deadlock design and the sog otf.

it's not weird in otfs to have some play up and down and side to side and they all do. dont compare them to side opener folders....but truth is some play in side openers doesn't matter as much as lots make it out to be......
 
The worry over blade play is relatively new, before locks, slipjoints had something along the lines of it, but no one worried about it
 
Emery E Mitchamore said:
Thanks to all. Good simple advice with no drama.
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I've OTFs from Heretic, Brian and Tighe and friends, and Axial, I've owned a Hogue, and handled many microtechs, all have some kind of play. The BT has the least, and the Heretic negligibly more. The Axial has noticeably more, on par with Microtech.
 
Oddly enough, of the OTFs I own, the cheapest one has the least blade play: the Maxace Archer (I don't have a Deadlock). My collector series Hogue Counterstrike also has noticeably less play than my regular Hogues, which have less play than my Axials.

Keep in mind, tighter actions typically come with stiffer switches, since you need more spring power to reliably get past the extra resistance. If you're new to OTF's, you may be unpleasantly surprised if you pick up something that needs a lot of force to actuate. The Axials and Kershaws are among the easiest to manipulate.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Oddly enough, of the OTFs I own, the cheapest one has the least blade play: the Maxace Archer (I don't have a Deadlock). My collector series Hogue Counterstrike also has noticeably less play than my regular Hogues, which have less play than my Axials.

Keep in mind, tighter actions typically come with stiffer switches, since you need more spring power to reliably get past the extra resistance. If you're new to OTF's, you may be unpleasantly surprised if you pick up something that needs a lot of force to actuate. The Axials and Kershaws are among the easiest to manipulate.
Click to expand...
Perfect reply! Just the thing an OTF newbie needs to hear. In general I need to handle and use each new knife several times to really evaluate. To do that, I need to OWN it. That gets expensive so I'm trying to learn from others. Funny that, the older I get, the less I "know".
 
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