How much bladeplay is acceptable to you?

[Grathr]

I recently got myself a Kissing Cranes sodbuster. Im pretty happy with it, but one thing annoys the smurf out of me. It has quite a lot of blade play. I know it should not bother me since I use it as a beater, but it does.
Today I replaced it with a SRM linerlocking knife. I carry it in the pocket of my work jacket. Ideally it should be a slipjoint as Im worried my two year old son might find it. (he is not strong enough to open a slipjoint) As a compromise I tightened the bladescrew on the SRM so hard that it is now very hard to open.

I suspect that Im not the only member here who is annoyed by blade play, but how much bladeplay is acceptable to you?

[captain spaulding]

I have no idea of the measurement, but I am normally only tolerant of fairly small amounts of blade play left/right or back/forth.

[Top-Gear-24]

Side to side bladeplay drives me nuts  .

I can live with a bit (like 1 mm) of up and down blade- or toolplay.  I mean, it will still drive me nuts, but not so much that I won't carry the tool.  For example, my Swisstool has a very small amount of up and down play on the file, the saw, and the small screwdriver, the other tools all lock perfectly, so I'll carry it. 

My Spirit(s) on the other hand, have no play at all, that's one of the reasons why a Spirit is my first choice for EDC  .

[wndrstrck]

Zip, zero, zilch, nada....you get the idea. If it has bladeplay I get rid of it. I am far to anal for that to be exceptable

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2

[dks]

none.
Measuring it is also difficult. If you hold most blades by the tip then they will seem to have some play. If you hold them close to the pivot then it will seem less.

[powernoodle]

I would not want any play in a slipjoint.  But I adjust my "modern" folders like Spydies and Benchmades so that they open easily.  If that includes a little bit of blade play, thats ok with me.  Since I have a sweet spirit, I don't really notice.

[nuphoria]

Pretty much none for me. If I can feel it moving, it's moving too much!

[nelly1974]

 on my slipjoints a tiny bit of.side to side. And I mean barely noticible.  On my tactical folders, absolutely none is acceptable.

[Taxi Dad]

any 'play' is horrid, and i can't stand it !
yet my 'wingman' wobbles loads and that doesn't matter for some reason
first knife ever i've been able to tolerate with blade play.

[Ashley]

Depends on the price. When my $150 Case damascus back pocket arrived and it felt like the damn blade was gonna fall out, nope not having that!

Ash's mobile on the move.

[sawman]

Bladeplay unacceptable 

[Syph007]

Well if we are talking slip joints, there should be zero. In that the blade should flex if its a sak, but not wiggle.  Thats a test I do every single time I build a custom SAK. If there is side to side play, either the rivet is too lose, or it is poorly designed or made. 

[jekostas]

Slipjoints - zero.

Locking knives - side to side I can normally deal with as long as it's not extreme, zero up and down.  Up and down blade play with a locking knife normally means the lock isn't engaging properly.

[dks]

  Up and down blade play with a locking knife normally means the lock isn't engaging properly.

Most locking SAKs (e.g. wenger Ranger), however, have up-down play when locked as part of their design, so you have to expect that with them.
I was shocked when I got my first one and then I realises that they are supposed ot be that way.

[Styerman]

No side play , minimal vertical play . Depends on a lot of factors , and whether I trust the lock .

Chris

[Wootz]

Why do Swisstools have bladeplay? 
Give me a Spirit any day!