Being that aluminum is softer than steel, won’t the stop pins loosen up over time? After so many deployments hitting that bar, can it warp? I don’t have much experience with aluminum knives.
Nah, it's not going to deform. The pin is steel, the scales are solid aluminum. I actually weld aluminum for some jobs and it's extremely strong stuff, education when it's a 1/8" inch think.
@@sharpends4279 I’m talking about the aluminum warping not the pin. I work with steel myself & hitting that pin multiple times had me thinking (the hole the pin is inset in) can warp over time. Maybe it won’t. Idk but I’m curious.
@tgonzalez1983 Also, the button lock itself where the spring is housed is very thin. If it bends a bit, there will be a noticeable amount of blade play.
@@tgonzalez1983 Not enough mass and velocity to cause warping, the blade itself is nowhere near enough the weight needed to warp those scales. Any deformation would take decades upon decades to happen unless caused on purpose, the bearings and spring will wear out long before that. Source: Im a CNC machinist and studied basic metallurgy (basicly the contents and densities of various types of steels, aluminium, brass, copper, etc).
I honestly don't have any more Benchmade knives. They're over priced and I honestly have never had one that I thought wasn't outclassed by something else.
@@sharpends4279 Thank you! I totally agree. I had (briefly before I returned it) a bench made bugout, and replaced it with a mini praxis. $150 cheaper and for day to day use I cannot tell the difference.
@@fuloran1 I have the Civivi Qubit and a Benchmade Griptillian 551 from the days when you could still afford Benchmades. I like the blade geometry of the Qubit much better, but the Axis Lock is clearly superior to the Button Lock. My Qbit opens so tightly that I have already disassembled it according to the instructions here because I thought something was wrong. It is almost impossible to open with one hand. No comparison to the smooth action of the Griptillian. In my opinion, the spring in the qubit is too strong or the thumb pin is too close to the axis, resulting in a lever that is too small.
Great vid, was curious about this knife. Just discovered your channel I’d love to see a collection vid sometime !
I definitely need to do an updated one. There's a couple of very old ones up. But yes. It's on my list. Thanks for the comment!!!
Nice and clear explanation, thanks!
Does it really matter which way up the bearings go?
I'm not sure, but I try to keep them in the same orientation since they've already started to wear in that way.
Being that aluminum is softer than steel, won’t the stop pins loosen up over time? After so many deployments hitting that bar, can it warp? I don’t have much experience with aluminum knives.
Nah, it's not going to deform. The pin is steel, the scales are solid aluminum. I actually weld aluminum for some jobs and it's extremely strong stuff, education when it's a 1/8" inch think.
@@sharpends4279 I’m talking about the aluminum warping not the pin. I work with steel myself & hitting that pin multiple times had me thinking (the hole the pin is inset in) can warp over time. Maybe it won’t. Idk but I’m curious.
@tgonzalez1983 Also, the button lock itself where the spring is housed is very thin. If it bends a bit, there will be a noticeable amount of blade play.
@@tgonzalez1983 Not enough mass and velocity to cause warping, the blade itself is nowhere near enough the weight needed to warp those scales. Any deformation would take decades upon decades to happen unless caused on purpose, the bearings and spring will wear out long before that.
Source: Im a CNC machinist and studied basic metallurgy (basicly the contents and densities of various types of steels, aluminium, brass, copper, etc).
Do you know if it’s feasible to replace the bearings with bronze washers in the Qubit?
No I don't! But technically it should be possible. You would need to find something thick enough. Good luck!
@@sharpends4279 Thanks! I prefer the feel of washers so I’ll have to look into it.
So why would I get a Bench made over this? They seem similar but the bench made price...
I honestly don't have any more Benchmade knives. They're over priced and I honestly have never had one that I thought wasn't outclassed by something else.
@@sharpends4279 Thank you! I totally agree. I had (briefly before I returned it) a bench made bugout, and replaced it with a mini praxis. $150 cheaper and for day to day use I cannot tell the difference.
@@fuloran1 I have the Civivi Qubit and a Benchmade Griptillian 551 from the days when you could still afford Benchmades. I like the blade geometry of the Qubit much better, but the Axis Lock is clearly superior to the Button Lock. My Qbit opens so tightly that I have already disassembled it according to the instructions here because I thought something was wrong. It is almost impossible to open with one hand. No comparison to the smooth action of the Griptillian.
In my opinion, the spring in the qubit is too strong or the thumb pin is too close to the axis, resulting in a lever that is too small.