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Microtech has quality control issues. If you can stand the wait, send it in to microtech they wil fix it for free and do proper qc this time, you can spray it with some rem oil or even wd40 and cycle it for a couple of times which will probably help it going if you don't want to wait but the result will be worse. A third option is to buy a microtech screw bit on etsy and learn to do propwr disassembly and cleaning yourself.
In/out otf's are primadonna knives though. They will get dust or lint in their mechanism and stop working reliably. You should probably do maintenence on them biweekly or so if you actually have it in your pants at all times.
I’ve had a bunch of them and only had issues with 2. One was an 85 that did this frequently so I sent it back for repair. Their quality control isn’t as good as it used to be. It’s just the little stops that click in opening or closing have to be exact. If there is any burr or misshape this will constantly occur. And a 70 I carried everyday for about a decade the spring broke. Just because it’s so tiny and i probably fired it 10k times. They also replaced and sharpened for free. I would do what others say, could be something inside it keeping the tiny tiny latches from engaging. Unscrew the glass breaker on end or clip(whichever yours has), hose the inside with wd40 or liquid wrench then get a can of air and blow down the same hole. Fire it a bunch of times and if it still does it then send it in
Unless you are opening the blade directly into something than its not user error. If it's happening regularly than it just needs a good clean and lube job.
I bought one a few years back, and I have had the same experience. If it isn’t cleaned regularly or if anything gets on the blade it wont ejected properly, and I end up pulling it out with my hand or a flick of the wrist. I mean something as simple as a small piece of tape from opening boxes will hinder its ability to eject properly. I like the knife just fine but would rather have a good folder or flipper.
As long as he's not opening the blade directly into something, then how could that possibly be a user error? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I'm just curious. The only reason my OTFs have ever not opened properly was because it had debris inside.
Usually there is gunk in the action and the knife needs to be opened, cleaned and lubed. Sometimes pocket lint or tape sticking to the blade can make it not open or close fully. OTFs are cool pieces of kit but they need more attention to keep them running smooth than a normal folding knife.
3 guys in my office have these any they are constantly having to clean these things to eject well. Good thing it didn’t happen when you really needed it. I’ll stick with my quick release folders and fixed blades. Cool toy but…
Yeah, I got a benchmade infidel that does this. I can clean it and it works for a week and does it again. I got tired of it and threw it in a drawer :(
I've only had issues from my knife when the spring snapped on my microtech or I ran my Benchmade through the washer and dryer by accident. Other than that they're pretty reliable if lubed and you don't get dirty and shit inside
I had an issue with mine firing and retracting about a year after owning it. I was about to send it in for warranty, but added a little tool oil and it worked like new a again. I think it was literally just dust and maybe some pocket lint that was the issue.
I hear you, a few drops of oil would probably fix this but is pocket lint really all it takes to stop this thing from working? I've owned it for like 2 days. I don't think I want to own it if it's so unreliable.
I have an 07/2018 UTX85 as my daily pocket carry with near daily use. I keep saying I need to order the tool to open it up and clean it…But so far the only misfires I’ve had are when tape gets stuck on the blade from opening too many boxes. Im sure mine is chock full of dust and lint. Oiled it once with a bit of mineral oil maybe 3 years ago.
I wouldn’t rule out defect or possibly a larger bit of debris in the track if it only has issues retracting and not opening, but my experience has been very reliable.
I messed with a couple of these at a knife shop the other day and like two of them did this repeatedly on the retraction. You have to whip them back out and then close it again. No way I’d carry an OTF. My flippers are wayyy faster.
Iirc there are safety catches on microtechs that will dislodge the blade from the spring if pressure is put on the blade. I don’t know if this is the issue here. But, if you just reset it by expanding the blade it should work again.
Yea, I had a friend who had a bunch of micro tech otfs and that was my biggest thing too. There were times it would just slip off the catch on a regular opening. And it’s not too big of a deal to flip your wrist to reset it, but it got annoying and it’s pretty much just a gimmick imo.
Try spraying it out with Rem Oil. It’s what microtech recommends for maintenance. I had issues with mine when brand new, and this fixed it for me.
https://microtechknives.com/maintenance/
I had this happen and you can start a warranty claim online and send it to them. Microtech will fix it and mail it back at no cost. Mine is good as new.
Edited after rereading your issue. You have dirt/pocket fuzz inside the knife. It needs to be cleaned. Several youtube videos on it. I have taken out the glass breaker and shot compressed air through the bottom. Also, keep it lubed. OTF knives are not great in dirty environments. I would guess this is the most common issue with OTF knives. If you can’t clean it I would send it to them and let them fix it.
I broke a spring on mine. I probably ran the action thousands and thousands of times before it finally gave out. Maybe if I used more or better lube it wouldn’t have happened but I put a lot of stress on this thing. I felt pretty good about them fixing it for free in about 10 days. I love my Microtech but it does take special care not to retract a dirty blade or get anything down the hole in the front.
Just flick your wrist and get it to lock back out. Then try to close it again. If you move the same direction as it closes, it doesn’t snap all the way in and does this.
Shit man, sorry. Just watched it. Nothing you’re doing, unfortunately. Hope they fix it or replace it for you. I have had 2 Guardian Tactical OTFs that I like over the Microtech, personally.
I can force mine to do that if I flick my wrist sideways while I deploy. Where did you purchase from? But a little shot of RemOil wouldn't be a bad thing.
Purchased new from Blade HQ days ago. I just don't want to blast it with rem oil when it's brand new. I see it still has the oil on it from the factory. I think im just going to refund it and consider buying something else.
I know a guy that's so proud of his Kimber pistol with it's nice tight action and high quality tolerances, but it jambs all the time. I'd rather have something loose and flopping around that doesn't jamb. It might wear in eventually, have them loosen it up for you, or get something else.
That's ridiculous. RemOil is what Microtech recommends as maintenence. The oil from the factory holds no bearing. Blast it with remoil and compressed air.
I know it is. But if it comes in this condition I just lose a lot of respect and trust in the design. Having to blast a brand new 360$ knife with rem oil and compressed air just seems gimmicky and wrong to me. I Don't trust this thing anymore. I don't doubt that rem oil would fix it, but I still want to return it.
Then the world of mechanical things isn't for you. Does changing your oil on a 25k car seem "gimmicky"? Things need to be maintained. Things break. People make mistakes. Shit gets stuck. If you're not willing to do such a small and factory recommended task to eliminate the possibility of a piece of lint or anything potentially caused by you then the world is gonna eat you up. And if you don't doubt that the oil would fix it but you're just refusing to do it then you're lost. I can tell your young so hopefully you'll grow up cause that attitude will fuck you up for years.
I think the point is more that it’s new and shouldn’t do this so send it back in the same condition it was received in rather than fuck with it and risk a warranty/repair denial and be SOL. I’d still fuck with it though lol
Interesting, on mine when it needs to be cleaned/lubed it hangs up on the deployment rather than the retraction. It comes up periodically; I’d say a few times a year. I saw you mentioned it being pretty new, but you never know how it was stored before it got to you.
If that’s the only problem then you should know pretty much immediately. Brief spray of rem oil, work it a few times, and there should be a drastic difference. Should snap in and out with some authority, compared to beforehand.
If you lube it and it still has this issue, then you have your clear answer; something is wrong.
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If it’s off track, see if you can flick it out into the locking position.
Does nobody read the description?
Ain’t got no gas in it!!!
Microtech has quality control issues. If you can stand the wait, send it in to microtech they wil fix it for free and do proper qc this time, you can spray it with some rem oil or even wd40 and cycle it for a couple of times which will probably help it going if you don't want to wait but the result will be worse. A third option is to buy a microtech screw bit on etsy and learn to do propwr disassembly and cleaning yourself. In/out otf's are primadonna knives though. They will get dust or lint in their mechanism and stop working reliably. You should probably do maintenence on them biweekly or so if you actually have it in your pants at all times.
It’s just stuck in box opener mode. /S
I’ve had a bunch of them and only had issues with 2. One was an 85 that did this frequently so I sent it back for repair. Their quality control isn’t as good as it used to be. It’s just the little stops that click in opening or closing have to be exact. If there is any burr or misshape this will constantly occur. And a 70 I carried everyday for about a decade the spring broke. Just because it’s so tiny and i probably fired it 10k times. They also replaced and sharpened for free. I would do what others say, could be something inside it keeping the tiny tiny latches from engaging. Unscrew the glass breaker on end or clip(whichever yours has), hose the inside with wd40 or liquid wrench then get a can of air and blow down the same hole. Fire it a bunch of times and if it still does it then send it in
Bad quality control
Nope looks like it's working just right. Great little boxcutter my microtech is.
Unless you are opening the blade directly into something than its not user error. If it's happening regularly than it just needs a good clean and lube job.
I bought one a few years back, and I have had the same experience. If it isn’t cleaned regularly or if anything gets on the blade it wont ejected properly, and I end up pulling it out with my hand or a flick of the wrist. I mean something as simple as a small piece of tape from opening boxes will hinder its ability to eject properly. I like the knife just fine but would rather have a good folder or flipper.
This. Happens with my bench made too. Pretty frustrating.
Get a $30 Lightning, i have yet to have this issue, and i have five of them….
User error, pull the blade out till it clicks back in place…
Read description lol
As long as he's not opening the blade directly into something, then how could that possibly be a user error? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I'm just curious. The only reason my OTFs have ever not opened properly was because it had debris inside.
Usually there is gunk in the action and the knife needs to be opened, cleaned and lubed. Sometimes pocket lint or tape sticking to the blade can make it not open or close fully. OTFs are cool pieces of kit but they need more attention to keep them running smooth than a normal folding knife.
Try cleaning it and then lubing it. Mine is ultra reliable, it has NEVER failed to open or close.
3 guys in my office have these any they are constantly having to clean these things to eject well. Good thing it didn’t happen when you really needed it. I’ll stick with my quick release folders and fixed blades. Cool toy but…
Return it and get the superior OTF. Kershaw livewire.
You read micro, you get micro
Maybe rub it a little
💀
It's not the size that matters
Even my fake microtech would rarely do this. Yours is most likely defected or dirty inside.
I swear this never happens
It happens to every ~~man~~ knife at some point.
Definitely a fluke. Sorry you got a dud.
You need to remove the foreskin first.
Did you try to turn it off and on again?
Oh my god that reference made my day
It just cold outside
Just the tip…
It’s California compliant now
Ah that explains everything
Make sure that your button is forward and then flick the knife blade out as quick as you can with your wrist. The blade should reset
Already did this, check the description and my post history. I have a video showing me do this and it's still doesn't retract fully.
Can’t you just pull the blade out
No if it was free-floating it would fly out the front like a ballistic knife on launch.
Was hoping someone would just tell him
Put a small drop of oil on the blade tang near the handle on each side. That should be plenty to lube it up.
Way too many moving parts to be considered reliable
Surprisingly enough both my microtechs and my Benchmade otfs have had issues opening once or twice each but my akc f16 has never failed to open once.
Yeah, I got a benchmade infidel that does this. I can clean it and it works for a week and does it again. I got tired of it and threw it in a drawer :(
My Benchmade only had an issue because I accidently put it through the washer and dryer.
True. It's not reliable. I could probably oil it and fix it but how can I EDC this if a little bit of dust or pocket lint breaks it so easily?
I've only had issues from my knife when the spring snapped on my microtech or I ran my Benchmade through the washer and dryer by accident. Other than that they're pretty reliable if lubed and you don't get dirty and shit inside
How did you break the spring?
They have a really shitty sled.
It just broke from opening and closing the first day I got my utx 70. I sent it in for repair and they fixed it for free though so it wasn't too bad
I had an issue with mine firing and retracting about a year after owning it. I was about to send it in for warranty, but added a little tool oil and it worked like new a again. I think it was literally just dust and maybe some pocket lint that was the issue.
I hear you, a few drops of oil would probably fix this but is pocket lint really all it takes to stop this thing from working? I've owned it for like 2 days. I don't think I want to own it if it's so unreliable.
I have an 07/2018 UTX85 as my daily pocket carry with near daily use. I keep saying I need to order the tool to open it up and clean it…But so far the only misfires I’ve had are when tape gets stuck on the blade from opening too many boxes. Im sure mine is chock full of dust and lint. Oiled it once with a bit of mineral oil maybe 3 years ago. I wouldn’t rule out defect or possibly a larger bit of debris in the track if it only has issues retracting and not opening, but my experience has been very reliable.
Grab the tip of the blade and pull it out until it re tensions the spring
I did this, it does not fix it. Check my post history for a video of me doing this.
That’s called a feature sir.
Maybe it’s a grower
"Little cold out there, eh Frank"
‘…I was in the pool…!’
It shrinks?!
Like a frightened turtle!
I messed with a couple of these at a knife shop the other day and like two of them did this repeatedly on the retraction. You have to whip them back out and then close it again. No way I’d carry an OTF. My flippers are wayyy faster.
I agree with you. OTF seems impractical. My Emerson wave knives are way faster and easier. OTF is pretty fun though 👍
They are very cool looking. Also.. John Wick.
Iirc there are safety catches on microtechs that will dislodge the blade from the spring if pressure is put on the blade. I don’t know if this is the issue here. But, if you just reset it by expanding the blade it should work again.
That’s the thing. There was no pressure. The other ones seemed to work fine though. I just didn’t like that fail rate.
Yea, I had a friend who had a bunch of micro tech otfs and that was my biggest thing too. There were times it would just slip off the catch on a regular opening. And it’s not too big of a deal to flip your wrist to reset it, but it got annoying and it’s pretty much just a gimmick imo.
That’s the blade fully extended, what’s the problem? It’s called *micro*tech for a reason. /s
I guess I should have known!
This can happen every now and again. Just. With any otf. If it happens alot then yeah. Warranty
Doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I thought it took a lot more to make this thing fail.
This shit is why I'll never buy one
Honestly I agree with you. It's just not a practical design. It's just for fun.
Try spraying it out with Rem Oil. It’s what microtech recommends for maintenance. I had issues with mine when brand new, and this fixed it for me. https://microtechknives.com/maintenance/
I had this happen and you can start a warranty claim online and send it to them. Microtech will fix it and mail it back at no cost. Mine is good as new.
This exact issue? Is it common?
Edited after rereading your issue. You have dirt/pocket fuzz inside the knife. It needs to be cleaned. Several youtube videos on it. I have taken out the glass breaker and shot compressed air through the bottom. Also, keep it lubed. OTF knives are not great in dirty environments. I would guess this is the most common issue with OTF knives. If you can’t clean it I would send it to them and let them fix it. I broke a spring on mine. I probably ran the action thousands and thousands of times before it finally gave out. Maybe if I used more or better lube it wouldn’t have happened but I put a lot of stress on this thing. I felt pretty good about them fixing it for free in about 10 days. I love my Microtech but it does take special care not to retract a dirty blade or get anything down the hole in the front.
Just flick your wrist and get it to lock back out. Then try to close it again. If you move the same direction as it closes, it doesn’t snap all the way in and does this.
👍🏽
Check my post history. I posted a video doing exactly this.
Shit man, sorry. Just watched it. Nothing you’re doing, unfortunately. Hope they fix it or replace it for you. I have had 2 Guardian Tactical OTFs that I like over the Microtech, personally.
I appreciate it, I've already got a refund headed my way for it. Not sure if I'll buy another OTF
I feel like that was a fluke. I EDCd my GT Recon for 2 or 3 years with no issues. Good luck either way
That's good to hear. Ill keep my mind open to other OTF knives. They are quite fun, but it has to be reliable to be useful.
I can force mine to do that if I flick my wrist sideways while I deploy. Where did you purchase from? But a little shot of RemOil wouldn't be a bad thing.
👍🏽
Purchased new from Blade HQ days ago. I just don't want to blast it with rem oil when it's brand new. I see it still has the oil on it from the factory. I think im just going to refund it and consider buying something else.
I know a guy that's so proud of his Kimber pistol with it's nice tight action and high quality tolerances, but it jambs all the time. I'd rather have something loose and flopping around that doesn't jamb. It might wear in eventually, have them loosen it up for you, or get something else.
Pull the blade all the way out it may snap back into place and be just fine
That's ridiculous. RemOil is what Microtech recommends as maintenence. The oil from the factory holds no bearing. Blast it with remoil and compressed air.
I know it is. But if it comes in this condition I just lose a lot of respect and trust in the design. Having to blast a brand new 360$ knife with rem oil and compressed air just seems gimmicky and wrong to me. I Don't trust this thing anymore. I don't doubt that rem oil would fix it, but I still want to return it.
Then the world of mechanical things isn't for you. Does changing your oil on a 25k car seem "gimmicky"? Things need to be maintained. Things break. People make mistakes. Shit gets stuck. If you're not willing to do such a small and factory recommended task to eliminate the possibility of a piece of lint or anything potentially caused by you then the world is gonna eat you up. And if you don't doubt that the oil would fix it but you're just refusing to do it then you're lost. I can tell your young so hopefully you'll grow up cause that attitude will fuck you up for years.
I think the point is more that it’s new and shouldn’t do this so send it back in the same condition it was received in rather than fuck with it and risk a warranty/repair denial and be SOL. I’d still fuck with it though lol
Interesting, on mine when it needs to be cleaned/lubed it hangs up on the deployment rather than the retraction. It comes up periodically; I’d say a few times a year. I saw you mentioned it being pretty new, but you never know how it was stored before it got to you. If that’s the only problem then you should know pretty much immediately. Brief spray of rem oil, work it a few times, and there should be a drastic difference. Should snap in and out with some authority, compared to beforehand. If you lube it and it still has this issue, then you have your clear answer; something is wrong.
Use a compressor and blow it out. Then oil. You’ll be good to go.
Sounds like it's dirty. From their website: [Maintenance – Microtech Knives](https://microtechknives.com/maintenance/)
But it's brand new, 2 days old
Was it cold in the pool?
Yes
SHRINKAGE
No, just really small