I bought about 8 SRM710s, and they all have this issue...please tell me if its normal.
Opening the blade is very rough. I thought it was the washer at first and it would break in with time...but after closer examination its the little ball on the frame lock, not the washer - little ball stays right on the rim/edge of the blade tang part. Is this common on the 710, or just my batch?
I made a picture to illustrate...little ball on rim/edge part = rough. When the ball is fully under the tang = smooth. If the ball were in the green section it would be smooth for that distance. Or if the tang had a greater diameter of only 1mm more it would cover the little ball.
The marks I made on the illustration shows how the little ball follows along the rim edge (red) rough, then gets smooth when it goes under the tang (blue). I have an SRM 707 (drifter), and the blade is smooth to open during its full motion.
I know its just an $8 knife but its bugging me they are all rough. Can you please check if your 710 is like this. Thanks.
Mine also rolls along the edge of the tang as you describe, but the operation is pretty smooth. I wonder if yours will still break in. I also use a penetrating CLP called Ballistol, which I like very much.
Nope, that's pretty normal. The little ball bearing isn't there to make opening smooth, it's there to keep the blade in the handle when the knife is closed. I could probably pull out three other liner or frame lock knives out of my bin that are the exact same way (slightly rough once the bearing goes off the edge).
Yes that ball is normal it is to give the knife retention, so the blade will not open easily in the closed position.
You can take the knife apart and clean and lube with any type of gun lubracant, or can drop a few drops on the pivot. Have you tried loosening the pivot screw very slightly?
Actually thats a good idea on the trying to play with the pivot screw. Should I get this screw driver, it says its made for SRM...or does the HomeDepot/Lowes have a similar kit for cheap. Can you please comment on the screw driver size I should get, if you know.
No you cannot use a regular screwdriver, you need a torx driver (star shape] . Im not sure what size , but yes any hardware store carrys a torx key set with all sizes, make sure it includes all small sizes , which you will use on most small folders.
The SRM 710 a friend has is very smooth... seems to be the luck of the draw. My SRM 905 , Bee L05-1 and SRM 908 were rough at first. The L05 and 905 have worn in and are even flickable now... but the 908 is still very rough and even makes screeching noises when opened. I also have that screwdriver, but it doesn't fit most of my knives... many of them have hex screws (allen, inbus). Look very closely to identify the actual screw type first. The exduct screwdriver is a 2 in 1 with torx T-6 und torx T-10 blades... you can also get those bits cheap on ebay und amazon sometimes.
Actually thats a good idea on the trying to play with the pivot screw. Should I get this screw driver, it says its made for SRM...or does the HomeDepot/Lowes have a similar kit for cheap. Can you please comment on the screw driver size I should get, if you know.
I stand corrected , the screws on the SRM 710 are indeed Allen keys ( hex ) . Allen keys are also widely available at your hardware store or online. After looking closely and Vextrex post ..
In fact most of the SRM knives use hex screws and only the minority torx... and the majority is either completely hex OR completely torx. (not counting the special 3/5 pin pivot screws)
