CRKT Bivy Mods!

[ChopperCharles]

Frankly the awl thingy was useless to me, and the Phillips driver was laughably bad. The pliers and blade are great though. So what do?

Welllll, on the site that shall not be named, I found a Bivy knock off with a 3D Phillips diver instead of the awl, and a can opener instead of the 2D driver. Same pliers, and a plain edged blade.

I used this knockoff for a while and was quite happy... for a time. The pliers are not as robust as the Bivy pliers. They loosened up, and the cutters no longer cut wire. The pliers would occasionally get stuck and not close without manually pushing on the backspring. I also didn’t love the orange color. Sooooo...... I took it apart, removed the driver and can opener, and threw the rest away. Into the Bivy they went!

Last pic shows the Bivy compared to another of the copies I have in my collection. This one of slightly better quality than my original orange one.

Charles.

[gerleatherberman]

Great work on the Bivy, Charles! Those were some of my concerns as well. Especially the awful phillips driver that cones on the Bivy.

Thank you for sharing! 

Was the disassembly of the Bivy any trouble?

[Sparky415]

That's cool Mate,
was it a straight swap? any grinding or drilling?

[ChopperCharles]

It was almost a straight swap. I had to add a washer to the entire tool pack, because it was ever so slightly thinner than the Bivy's. I stole the washer from the cheapo. One of the washers that shimmed the blade in the donor knife. Ideally I should have also swapped the fingers that lock the three tools open, as they're slightly different and engage the screwdriver in a slightly different area. Without the washer the phillips driver would not lock open. With the washer only half of the lock finger is engaged in the lock on the screwdriver. HOWEVER, replacing the fingers is a big deal, because that part of the Bivy is riveted together. A little localized heat from a tiny butane torch and bending might work better to get the finger perfect... but I'm going to run with it as-is and deal with it if it ever becomes a problem.

Bivy wasn't a big deal to take apart, once you hit all the screws with a torch to break up the locktite. Just take it apart with the pliers extended, or the spring will launch across the room. Be careful and you'll keep the spring installed and have no problems. You don't even need to remove the blade or anything. Once the scales are off just slide the pin out the blade side. The pressure from the liner lock and the retention detent will keep the blade from falling out or moving at all. Also the locktite on the copy is a LOT stronger than the stuff on the Bivy, in my experience.

Oh, for the screw in the switch that extends the blade, don't use a torch. The switch is plastic. Use a very precise torx bit and steady pressure. You don't need to remove it to get the scales OFF, but to get them back on it's a lot easier if the switch is not attached to to the sliding plate.

Charles.

[Sparky415]

 

[Poncho65]

Great work,  Charles thanks for the pics and the explanation

[gerleatherberman]

 
A big thanks from me as well. That is definitely going to make the Bivy a much better tool.

[ChopperCharles]

Yes the driver is actually very robust and does not cam out at all, even when given force. The can opener on the other hand is a disappointment. It will work in a pinch, but it does not cut cleanly or easily. It’s not long enough nor near enough to the edge of the tool. On both the copy and in the Bivy the handle hits the rim of the can and prevents the can opener from cutting at the best location. It is usable in an emergency, but mostly it’s completely awful. 

Charles.

[Poncho65]

I usually use a P-51 can opener because I am not a fan of can openers on MTs but if it works at all then it is better than nothing 

[ChopperCharles]

Where as I have to have a can opener on my multi tool. I hate my girlfriend's can opener. It's one of those safety things that cuts the side of the rim, and it takes like 3 full revolutions to cut the lid. I can open a can with my swiss army knife or gerber MP600 multitool in a quarter the time. I always have a MT of one sort or another on me, and I need it to have a can opener for that reason if no other.

Charles.

[cody6268]

Where as I have to have a can opener on my multi tool. I hate my girlfriend's can opener. It's one of those safety things that cuts the side of the rim, and it takes like 3 full revolutions to cut the lid. I can open a can with my swiss army knife or gerber MP600 multitool in a quarter the time. I always have a MT of one sort or another on me, and I need it to have a can opener for that reason if no other.

Charles.

Basically the same here. I can pull out any Victorinox can opener;  even the classic lever style on the 100mm Soldiers, and have a can open within a few seconds, versus me just starting at a modern can opener in frustration.  I mean, I had the Vic can opener figured out within a year of me buying my first real SAK (when I was 11); yet I still cannot use one of those modern hand openers with the crank on the top. 

[ChopperCharles]

Note that the Bivy copies with the good screwdriver are on amazon now, sold under the "Cattleman's Cutlery" brand.  They call it the "Ranch Hand".

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KF2EVCG

charles.

[King_Gorilla]

It's funny to see what tool preferences people have in the multi tool community. 

I have thought about buying a Bivy a number of times and the tiny marlin spike is one of the major selling points for me.    So few multi tools have them.

[ChopperCharles]

I get it. But I'm not ever doing things on a boat. I almost never need to untie rope. I wouldn't take the Bivy camping, I'd take something bigger, like a 130mm SAK, and the corkscrew on that does double duty as a marlin spike. Right now, my Bivy lives in the teeny little toolbox I use for carting around the bits and pieces for my RC car. I use the pliers to remove the pins that hold the body on, and the phillips screwdriver to adjust and repair in the field. On the days I do EDC it, I'm far more grateful to have a good screwdriver than a goofy spike. It's just not something I ever need.

Charles.