Boker Kwaiken Wooden Mirror - Massdrop Exclusive Discussions | Drop

Sep 20, 2017

I got mine just now... #0142 ... looks beautiful, but the action is terrible.. The blade scrapes one side and it feels like there's sand in the bearings. It doesn't always open consistently. I'll give it a little spa treatment and see what that does.
(I actually forgot I'd ordered this one for a while there)
EDIT: After cleaning and adjusting, the knife is much better. Action is perfect. Centering improved. I also put on the Pop's deep-carry clip.
I noticed a couple of the screws had mangled threads right above where they're threaded into the liners. So it doesn't affect their function but something weird happened to them. Another subtle issue is that the scale screws all rest at different heights because the countersink holes are all different depths. Sloppy!
Overall I give it an A-. Some tolerance issues here and there but I guess that's just typical Boker.

Sep 20, 2017

awkSame here.

dkjnvldjrvnldrgz

Sep 21, 2017

awkBe careful, these are a pain to take apart due to bearing.

Sep 21, 2017

dkjnvldjrvnldrgzOh definitely, I just took it apart and I think I've got all 38 of the little bastards. Plus Boker coats them with thick nasty grease so they stick to everything.

Sep 21, 2017

awkI have the same problem. I don't have experience opening a knife with bearings, and I've heard how notorious this bearing system is for losing bearings. Is there anything I can do? I got #48 and don't want to risk sending it back and getting a different number. Someone I know said the pivot screw is too tight, since I can't open this at all without using a very significant amount of pressure on the flipper tab.

Sep 21, 2017

rhinocerosbladderThey use thick grease in the bearings to keep them from flying everywhere in the factory and I think there was some debris in mine. I completely cleaned it and added 85 weight Nano oil (thick syrupy one) and it is very smooth now. Still not quite centered but MUCH better overall. Opens every time.
It doesn't hurt to loosen the pivot slightly and see if that helps. As long as there's not a lot of blade play it can't do any damage. (That wouldn't have worked on mine because the blade was already rubbing the liner and loosening would've made it worst.)
Other than that, I don't know....with the wood scales I'd be afraid of cleaning out the pivot with anything that might get on the wood. And you can't just remove the wood without taking out the pivot screw and nearly disassembling the knife.

Sep 21, 2017

awkThanks for the response, I really appreciate it. I actually just decided to try to move the lock out of the way slightly with my nail while trying to open it and it flies open. So I definitely think it's tightened too far.

Sep 21, 2017

rhinocerosbladderA knife on bearings should flop around fairly easily once you push the lock out of the way. As long as there is no side-to-side play it seems like your pivot tightness is fine. Maybe you just need some lube where the detent ball touches the blade.

Sep 21, 2017

awkIt almost feels like there's too much tension holding it closed though? I honestly don't know enough so hopefully this makes sense. It's just damn near impossible to flip the knife open and it looks like there's plenty of oil or lubricant around the part of the knife closest to the bearings.

Sep 21, 2017

rhinocerosbladderThat's interesting, maybe your detent ball is sitting a little tiny bit higher than it should be. It might loosen up over time as you open and close it.
It'll be interesting to see if other people are having any issues.

Sep 21, 2017

awkI hope so. Thank you for all the advice!

Hellreaver

570

Sep 22, 2017

awkSexy disassembly table.

airjordan

Sep 23, 2017

awkSame issue here and that is what I chalked it up to, either detent ball bearing isnt seated 100% and needs to be broken in or the detent hole is not the right size.

varga49

Sep 24, 2017

rhinocerosbladderYou might find someone on Blade Forums or Instagram that works on kwaikens.

Sep 25, 2017

varga49I think I'll just warranty it. Thanks though!

SKOZ1911

Sep 25, 2017

rhinocerosbladderPerhaps the bearings are dirty or there is something jammed in there. I don't have Kwaiken yet so I can't give you specific help, but I do own many knives with IKBS bearings. The IKBS are super smooth when they function right, but small pieces of dirt, sand, or metal can cause issues. If you do decide to disassemble rather than return it, then just do it over a bowl in case any balls try to run away. You will need some grease to put the balls back in after cleaning. I use a PFPE grease because its frankly all I have and it works fine, but most other types should be fine. Hope you get your issue solved ASAP!

Sep 25, 2017

SKOZ1911Thanks a ton, I do have what I need to take it apart but all I have in terms of grease is Bones speed cream for my skate bearings. It works wonderfully, but I'm not sure if it's too thick for this application.

SKOZ1911

Sep 25, 2017

rhinocerosbladderI am not sure Bones Speed Cream will work because of how thin it is. The grease I use is much thicker than Bones, resembling something similar to the viscosity of thickened bacon grease. The main point of the grease is to help hold the small ball bearings onto the detent on both sides of the blade, and of course to act as a lubricant. If the grease isn't thick enough the ball bearings will fall out of the detent and will give you a hell of a time getting it put back together (speaking from experience). I would recommend something like Finish Line Extreme Fluoro because it is thick enough to hold them on and disperses into a thin layer when reassembled and cycled a few times. Also it should be mentioned these bearings are not like that of skate bearings because it is the blade that rotates in relation to the handle instead of a wheel rotating around the axle. There are many good videos on IKBS cleaning and replacement that might help to understand what you'll need to do if you go that route. Best of luck.

Sep 25, 2017

SKOZ1911https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005112BDW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A27NGVKUPKCNVM&psc=1 How would you feel about this one? Thanks again for your help!

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Hellreaver

570

Sep 25, 2017

rhinocerosbladderIt doesn't have a weight, which is weird (viscosity rating). If you've got a few knives I'd suggest Nano oil, but it's expensive. 85w for ikbs and 10w for all else.