Hey guys! This might be a bit of a longshot since I don't think this knife is too popular, so I don't expect a lot of people to have experience with it. I recently purchased a Reate Exo-K, and I absolutely love it. It's in no way a practical or useful knife, it's dangerous to the user and its own self, and it's illegal to carry in a lot of places. But it's fun, and that's what matters to me.
I often will idly flip the knife open and closed while working, and from the beginning there was always a little amount of rattle when deploying it. After having it for about a week or so, it feels like all the pivot points have gotten a bit looser, which I think is to be expected after breaking it in a little.
But now it's beginning to feel like there's more play going side-to-side with the arm, causing more rattle than before. While held in the normal reverse grip, it tightens right back up and there's virtually no play, so I'm not worried about it falling apart on me while I'm actually trying to cut something with it, but I'm worried that the arm may come apart somehow during deployment. Since a flipping motion is required to open this, I worry that I may end up launching a razor sharp blade in a random direction at considerable speed, which... isn't good.
For what it's worth, this is how much space I'm getting between the arm and the handle when in the open position. That much space exists while the lock is engaged. I'm not sure if this is typical for the Exo-K, or if this is an excessive gap.
Compared to the trainer, there's a significantly larger gap and louder rattle. But they're made from very different materials, so I won't know how much I can reliably compare the two.
Just curious to know if anyone else has had this happen with theirs and is normal, or if I should reach out to Reate for a warranty claim.
I don't have an exact number for what the measurement of that gap is supposed to be, but just eyeballing it that does look a little excessive to me. The lockup gap on that knife is influenced by the bushing around the screw all the way on the front end, where it meets up with the heel of the blade. If I were you I would inspect that and ensure it is not mashed or egged, or has any crap stuck to it. It's possible that its screw hole has become wallered out over time as well, which would be a bit more concerning.
I don't think it's possible for it to fly apart provided you haven't lost any of the screws. The Exo-K's mechanism is a pivot, not a track slider, and the pivots fully encapsulate the screw next to the release button and the screw at the base of the blade that it swings on. Gap or no gap, the blade won't be leaving the chat as long a those screws are still there.
Thanks a ton for the advice! I don't have the tools on-hand to take this guy apart just yet, but I'll examine that screw once I pick up a new bit set. As far as I can tell, there wouldn't be anything I could do to influence this gap beyond just adjusting the tightness of that screw, right?
I've got a feeling that if tightening the screw up a bit doesn't fix it, then I may need to touch base with Reate. Or if it doesn't get any worse, I can also live with it since it's not really interfering with using the knife at all, so I'm not too worried either way.
I would definitely get in touch with the manufacturer if the screw or its bushing is deformed (I don't know if it is a shouldered barrel or has a separate bushing over it, or what), or if the hole it goes through has become deformed from regular use.
If you don't have a decent Torx bit set, the Wiha ones are highly regarded and are definitely what I prefer these days. At $18 for their base Torx bits set that may seem expensive, but it's peanuts compared to tearing up the screws on a $170 knife with a 50 cent Chinesium screwdriver bit...
Thanks for the recommendation! You're definitely right on Wiha being a bit pricier, but the reviews are all overwhelmingly positive compared to everything else on Amazon, and they have more reviews that seem to be written by people who actually know what they're talking about. New set of Wiha keys should be coming in tomorrow. :)