Lightning Elite Part 2: How to Fix a Cheap OTF That Isn't Working

[@theopps5863]

I found a solution. Don't tighten the screws all the way. Worked like a charm for me. First time I tightened them down then my problems arose. I tightened it and now it works flawlessly

[@BellowsBlades]

Glad you found something that worked for you. This knife is great once you get it working.

[@vtxdaryl]

Way to solve your problem, I just bought 3 of the lightning elites and one of them has already started to fail, so I will take it apart and polish the metal slide. Thanks

[@BellowsBlades]

Make sure that you check that the springs behind the blade stops are properly seated. That was the issue with this one, and since I fixed it, it hasn't failed in over a thousand deployments.

[@Fobes]

Mine doesn’t always lock on retraction. I purchased it to see if I liked OTF knives or not. Since I purchased a HK/Hogue OTF and it has had zero issues, but it cost a lot more. I didn’t expect much from the lightning OTF and am generally happy with it.

[@BellowsBlades]

Since finding and fixing the issue with mine, I've not had any issues since. Overall, assuming you get one that works out of the box, I think it is a great first OTF.

[@Silviapepe]

Awesome video! After watching I was able to fix my knife. Thank you so much🎉

[@BellowsBlades]

Glad to hear it. Love this thing now. I did reprofile it to a clip point instead of a drop point, and I like it even better now.

[@Quade-]

Ive been using my lighting elite to pull nails from my semi tires and abusing it while doing my job driving trucks and ive had the poor fire like you had for a bit, sprayed some oil down the front and fixed it had the knife over 2 years now and just had to disassemble it since it was caked with gunk on the inside only issue i had was getting the stops realigned so thats when i came here

[@BellowsBlades]

Once you get them working right, they are a workhorse of a knife. Been abusing mine ever since this video with no issues at all.

[@laptopdragon]

guessing theres a metal shaving or debris inside the spring seat. perhaps (if possible) swap the front/rear locks and springs to see if it is indeed the spring itself or if it's the spring seat (which might not be honed out properly too). Find out if the problem is following the springs or if it's in the casing.

[@BellowsBlades]

The spring itself just wasn't seated properly. Since reseating it, I've had no issues, and I've used it pretty hard since then.

[@dasCruz]

The problem: the deployment/retraction impact will, ever so slightly, vibrate the blade lock tab out of position to let the blade sneak by. The solution: minimize lock tab movement with some sort of vibration dampener (tiny foam piece next to lock tab spring). Thicker grease on this area achieves the same effect, however grease will wear off

[@BellowsBlades]

In this case, it was the spring not being seated properly. Once I fixed that, I've not had any issues since.

[@CNYKnifeNut]

My experience has been that a retailer is usually as good as the products they sell. A quick glance at their site puts your experience right where I'd have expected. Edit: I'm sure you've already heard it, but flood it with rem oil then blast it out with an air compressor. If that doesn't work, polish all the interface points. That always fixes my cheap otf issues.

[@BellowsBlades]

Yeah, not too many reputable dealers sell Chinese junk knives, so I went with who sold them at the lowest price. Later in the video I discover that it was a spring that wasn't seated correctly. Seems to be working now, but I'm sure the spring will work loose again at some point.

[@bellowsr]

Try putting a little grease in the slot then put the spring in. It might help hold it in place.

[@BellowsBlades]

If it comes out again, I'll give it a shot. Sounds like it could work.

[@tomfoolery2082]

Any experience with a boker Kalashnikov ak74 ? I have a new one tht doesn't open all the way 100% of the time . The company's been great . Wondering what u think .

[@BellowsBlades]

I've been considering picking one up for awhile, but haven't done so yet. I don't have any experience with their otf at this point. From my understanding, Cobratec actually makes their otfs for them. How long have you had it? With it being a Boker, I think I'd try reaching out to them directly for resolution if you are not comfortable tearing it apart and tinkering with it yourself. Overall, I've mostly heard good things about them, so it sounds like you might have got a lemon.

[@marknorwood8507]

Were do I get the screwdriver you're using, also will it work on an Atomic Defender mini? I'm having the same issues with my new OTF.

[@BellowsBlades]

The screwdriver is from Lowes. It is their store brand (Kobalt). I don't see why it wouldn't work, assuming it is the same issue. There are a few different things that can stop an OTF from firing correctly, but they all seem fairly easy to diagnose. I like to tinker, so I always take something apart to figure it out. If you're not handy with stuff like that, you probably have a friend or relative that is. I'd see if they wouldn't mind giving it a look. The mechanics of an OTF are pretty simple and straightforward.

[@niiteigh]

thank you , trick worked for me

[@BellowsBlades]

Awesome. Glad it worked!

[@greebuh]

Bought this same knife from AliEx for 19.42 after tax. Shipping was free and took two weeks.

[@BellowsBlades]

I actually carry this knife a lot now. It is my favorite beater knife!

[@greebuh]

@@BellowsBlades I definitely like it better than some more expensive beaters. I was actually shocked at how much I like it.

[@Roccopaul73]

Great stuff man. What size tool /size did You Use ?

[@BellowsBlades]

It is a T7 torx bit.

[@tomfoolery2082]

Thx good to know .

[@BellowsBlades]

This thing has been rock solid ever since.

[@tomfoolery2082]

Also good to know .

[@tomfoolery2082]

Í eñded up gettíng store credit from blade HQ . Got a civivi voltaic , it's a keeper. . Thks , lovin' the channel

[@jonnywunder]

I also recently purchased the same knife from the same company, and I have some complaints. Mine bucks like a bronco when firing. The impact is so heavy it feels almost like shooting a gun. It came dull as a butter knife. And it requires a shocking amount of force on the trigger to deploy or retract, although maybe that's something that can be broken in? Thus far, I really can't recommend the knife or Perry at all.

[@BellowsBlades]

I ended up loving the knife once I got the kinks worked out, but definitely don't recommend buying from this company if you can avoid it.

[@jonnywunder]

@@BellowsBlades Oddly, they offered me a return shipping label, so I'm slightly less angry. But I think I'm going to save up and grab a Benchmade Shootout instead.

[@reedtfc9829]

Any update on this? Still working?

[@BellowsBlades]

So far, so good. I'm thinking it was just a one off QC issue. Based on the price and the overall quality (soft blade steel excluded), I think it is worth taking a chance. Definitely a good option for a first OTF to see if you like them.

[@JonathanDawson-uo7jm]

Hey imagine if they made a single action version of the lightning elite and all lightning versions

[@BellowsBlades]

I'm not a big fan of single action autos, but you know what, I'd still buy it. I just wish they would make a D2 version.

[@paulbosley6448]

Rem oil.....spray it in no disassembly required

[@BellowsBlades]

I don't think spraying Rem Oil would have reseated the spring properly. But yes, that is the go to solution for the majority of otf issues.

[@paulbosley6448]

@@BellowsBlades did you get it from grindworx? Haven't had to do it myself yet but I hear they will send you another one if something is wrong with a new one. Anyways from what I hear most of them are ok some are really good and a few not so much. I'd say good build quality with poor quality control. I've had probably ten and they were all ok to really good. All that said I had to send a 2500$ custom back for service after only one day once so it happens.....

[@BellowsBlades]

@@paulbosley6448 , Perry Knife Works. Other than the spring issue, the tolerances on this thing are way better than I expected. Super solid feeling with almost no blade play. So I would agree that it is a QC issue with this specific knife.

[@paulbosley6448]

@@BellowsBlades good video anyways, I subbed and am looking forward to the next one:)

[@MrSpacegrass1973]

@@paulbosley6448 I got mine from grindworx and am happy with it. Maybe I lucked out. It miss-fired once upon closure after a couple thousand fires, and I haven't had it misfire since. Great review.

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

Weird. I’ve got a lightning I bought years ago as a curiosity. I’ve got multiple OTF’s that cost way more than the lightning. I was actually surprised at its reliability. Of course it rattles and twangs when you fire it. But it always seemed to be about the best OTF that everyone could afford. I guess their quality has declined over the years.

[@BellowsBlades]

Honestly, I'm thinking I might have just got a lemon. Once I determined what was causing the issue and corrected it, it has been reliable since. It actually is really good when it comes to blade play, rattle, and spring twang. Assuming mine was a fluke, I still think it is a great deal at the price.

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

@@BellowsBlades From my experience the Lightning is a good basic starter for anyone who thinks they might like to edc an OTF. I bought one for myself, one for my son and several to give to his friends as “thank you” gifts for helping me with projects. All of them were the standard models not the Elite.

[@vtxdaryl]

Is a Switchblade different than a OTF, if it is then it’s not a Switchblade, that’s how you ship it USPS.

[@BellowsBlades]

I believe the definition they use for a switchblade is a knife where the blade is deployed automatically, such as with the push of a button. So yes, an OTF would be a switchblade.

[@Hjerte_Verke]

You seem wishy-washy in this video; satisfied, dissatisfied, then satisfied again. You started off saying the knife stopped functioning. STOPPED FUNCTIONING. Then you say it "wasn't deploying reliably". Then you said the blade "does not deploy at all", but it sometimes does? Which is it? If it's broken up front, right-out-of-the-box, demand a return shipping label, send it back and get a refund. If it's "defective but sometimes works", it doesn't matter, SEND IT BACK, don't wait on it and stop using it. Their site states "We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect item)". This also implies a defective/broken product even though it is not stated directly. Their site also states: "You may return most new, unopened items within 60 days of delivery for a full refund. If you carry it, take it apart, cut stuff, "try it out for a day", or destroy the package: you own it." It sounds like you voided this rule. Next time handle it immediately and stop using it. It does seem you are new at this sort of thing. Your experience with PKW is hearsay without showing the email correspondence. The way you sounded so ticked off in this video leads me to believe you dealt with the vendor harshly (you acted like an a--hole?) and that can be part of the reason they "ghosted you" if they actually did. If PKW really sold ME a defective product, I would demand a return shipping label and get my money back or exchange it. If they ghosted me, I would contact my credit card issuer and chargeback the funds and keep the knife (or wait to see what the vendor does). 2:30 As per the legal stuff, it's a fascinating sort of gray area where the original Federal Switchblade Act has been trumped by local and state laws (as it should be). Some states have zero restrictions. I would not worry about it and if it was shipped via USPS, then I would return it the same way or whichever method suited me. It almost sounds like you ordered a knife that you are not allowed to own in your jurisdiction. You're presenting yourself as a "good guy" and don't want to break or admit to breaking the law on video but it sounds like you already did by ordering the knife. Like I said, what a fascinating gray area in that law. ALSO, it basically states no sales to civilians or non-government entities so whoops, you broke the law because I think you're neither of those.

[@BellowsBlades]

Wow. Pretty much everything you said is conjecture and just wrong. They absolutely would not pay for a return shipping label, which is why I didn't pay to ship it back. Of course I tried to get them to do so, since the item was defective. I was able to fix the knife myself, and now I love it. It has been 100% reliable since then. It is legal to own automatics where I live, although fairly recently. This knife was purchased after automatics were made legal in my state. I was back and forth because the action was so smooth and the blade play so minimal, that when it was functioning, it was really impressive. Obviously I was bummed when it stopped working. Again, I have since fixed the problem and this has become my favorite beater knife. I'm not sure why you seemed so personally offended by my take on this knife and the company that sold it to me. Regardless, thanks for watching and have a great day!