C'Mon Folks, cheer on the Button Up

[sal]

We've been "gonna" do one forever, but never got to it. Eric just decided it was about time. He did a nice job on the design as well.

sal

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Bearings in the pivot are a hard stop for me as well. It’s way too easy to foul the pivot in real use.

Can that be remedied by the knife user without full disassembly or not?

Not to be flippant but that depends on the amount and type of gunk. There is a lot of sandy red clay where I live and in this instance disassembling the knife is absolutely required.

That's a good point. Do you then prefer a Spyderco folder with minimal internal parts, screw construction to take apart and put back together, and steel that is very corrosion resistant?

[silver & black]

I am not interested in bearings in my knife pivots. I know it's all the rage, but I have great and reliable results with knives on washers and prefer to keep it simple.

Of note, I often work in very dusty environments. The potential for fouling bearings is too great.

I wasn't sure if it was just me, but I am not a fan of bearings either. Is it really a big problem, perhaps not, I don't have anything that really points to bearings deffinitely causing issues, but I have learned as a general rule that the more complicated something is the more likely it is to fail. I have no use for bearings as I have never met a knife that wouldn't open on lubed washers, so they are really just an unecessary complication in my mind.

The specific thing that I always wonder about is wood working. Many of my knives get lots of wood dust in them when used for long periods and I worry that will get into bearings. The second thing I wonder is about yearly maintenance. I fully disassemble my knives every year for a thorough clean and I wonder whether bearings make that more tedious. If they are caged bearings I assume that means disassembly is as easy as washers, but then I wonder how hard cleaning out the bearings is. If they aren't caged I worry about keeping track of a bunch of little bearings when I take it apart.

I have wondered, can you just replace the bearings on a knife with proper thickness washers, or is there a reason that wouldn't work?

I wondered the same thing.

[jdw]

Bearings in the pivot are a hard stop for me as well. It’s way too easy to foul the pivot in real use.

Can that be remedied by the knife user without full disassembly or not?

Not to be flippant but that depends on the amount and type of gunk. There is a lot of sandy red clay where I live and in this instance disassembling the knife is absolutely required.

That's a good point. Do you then prefer a Spyderco folder with minimal internal parts, screw construction to take apart and put back together, and steel that is very corrosion resistant?

Hi SEF. My favorite Spyderco made is the Military and my favorite flavor is 52100, of which I have two. I have found that both the knife and steel travel pretty far with just a little care. If I am expecting to be working in an especially harsh or dirty environment I will always go for a fixed blade first.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

That 52100 alloy if I remember is among the best of the non stainless for serious cutting use. The late Ed Fowler used that almost exclusively on his hand made knives and people world wide trusted it.
Sal, in your years of knife design and making, did you meet Mr. Fowler?

Bill Adams and Hank Reinhardt of Atlanta Cutlery and Museum Replicas ( before being sold to Windlass Steelcrafts) also stood by that steel.

Imagine if Spyderco uses the Button Up as a starting point to create an entire series of Button Locks, using steel like VG10, 52100, and FRN grips.

[Enactive]

I am not interested in bearings in my knife pivots. I know it's all the rage, but I have great and reliable results with knives on washers and prefer to keep it simple.

Of note, I often work in very dusty environments. The potential for fouling bearings is too great.

I wasn't sure if it was just me, but I am not a fan of bearings either. Is it really a big problem, perhaps not, I don't have anything that really points to bearings deffinitely causing issues, but I have learned as a general rule that the more complicated something is the more likely it is to fail. I have no use for bearings as I have never met a knife that wouldn't open on lubed washers, so they are really just an unecessary complication in my mind.

The specific thing that I always wonder about is wood working. Many of my knives get lots of wood dust in them when used for long periods and I worry that will get into bearings. The second thing I wonder is about yearly maintenance. I fully disassemble my knives every year for a thorough clean and I wonder whether bearings make that more tedious. If they are caged bearings I assume that means disassembly is as easy as washers, but then I wonder how hard cleaning out the bearings is. If they aren't caged I worry about keeping track of a bunch of little bearings when I take it apart.

I have wondered, can you just replace the bearings on a knife with proper thickness washers, or is there a reason that wouldn't work?

I'm no expert on aftermarket parts, I tend to leave my knives stock. I think you could swap the bearings for washers. I personally wouldn't until I actually had a problem with the bearings.

I also don't generally disassemble my knives. Others may have more advice.

[silver & black]

How about a Shaman with a button lock???

[WilliamDK]

The design is outstanding (as so many of Eric's are).
The lock is really good (I have only handled a pre-production model briefly).
The price is fantastic (but with that steel and place of origin, only okay).
The steel is subpar (AUS-8 equivalent in 2025, why?).

[SpyderEdgeForever]

The design is outstanding (as so many of Eric's are).
The lock is really good (I have only handled a pre-production model briefly).
The price is fantastic (but with that steel and place of origin, only okay).
The steel is subpar (AUS-8 equivalent in 2025, why?).

I do remember Larrin saying 8Cr13MoV can be considered to be like AUS8 as long as the heat treatment is well done.