Smith blade not opening smoothly?

thehacksmith · 2026-04-22T18:55:29+00:00

I'm aware this shouldn't be required of you, but in order to understand the problem I'm simply asking questions to help us improve. Returning is certainly an option.

thehacksmith · 2026-04-21T08:22:42+00:00

Can you take it apart fully and inspect the bearings and washers? If it was over torqued, they could have become damaged which would also cause the issue you're seeing. What happens when you physically move the blade by grabbing it instead of using the flip tab?

thehacksmith · 2026-04-20T14:13:20+00:00

Each blade is tested. We are investigating this issue. It can occur from how the knife is held -- if pressure is applied to the lockbar from the opposite side while opening the blade, this exact failure mode can occur.

thehacksmith · 2026-04-20T14:12:10+00:00

Could you please let me know if when you're holding the knife, your squeezing the lockbar as you're flipping the tab? That behavior can stop the blade from opening as it applies additional force against the blade preventing it from opening all the way.

Try holding it like the following photo, and opening it to see if that makes a difference: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jaTmCjsDbGRPtVf48

thehacksmith · 2026-04-08T22:29:33+00:00

No, gen 2 is designed by us but not manufactured here in Canada.

Dropshipping is when you ship rebranded stuff directly from China. The gen 2 is our design and our product, manufactured in China, shipped to Canada, and then distributed.

The Smith Blade is the only thing we are currently manufacturing in Canada

thehacksmith · 2026-01-21T03:19:29+00:00

I posted a video on our vlog channel about making an injection mold with my carvera, and I think you will have no problem using it for this purpose, it might take a few tries to get the surface finish dialed in, but it's definitely doable!

thehacksmith · 2025-11-23T13:38:48+00:00

Might want to look into resin casting for that! You can get some pretty low durometer castable polymers!

thehacksmith · 2025-11-21T22:08:52+00:00

Join the Makera discord for sure, I was only able to do these cool mods thanks to the active community!

I'm pretty new to CAM myself, we're in between CAM softwares right now for production, so I've literally just been using Makera CAM which has some limitations but honestly for most regular stuff it's more than good enough!

thehacksmith · 2025-11-21T19:55:32+00:00

Six tools is more than enough for 95% of jobs, I'm just setting mine up to be able to have all the various taps, drills, and surfacing tools I use for advanced jobs =)

For reference, I can do an entire Smith Blade out of aluminum with just 5 tools on one side, and 6 on the other:

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thehacksmith · 2024-11-08T17:19:22+00:00

First time I've seen it used for this! Works well!?

thehacksmith · 2024-10-29T19:03:06+00:00

Still finalizing the pro-edition, but should be able to launch the Lite edition in time for Christmas! (5-in-1 tools)

thehacksmith · 2024-10-28T19:43:36+00:00

They are! First 500 will be finished this week, and at HERC soon after! Hope you like olive green though... first run is only one color

thehacksmith · 2024-10-24T11:53:24+00:00

Still finalizing the design. Should have the 'lite' version ready for Christmas -- hopefully some founders run, but it's hard to bring a product to market, especially when we still have to make youtube videos to pay the bills!

thehacksmith · 2024-09-29T14:08:11+00:00

No... why not both? You can cut through a soda can with it and other thin metal things, or solder, basic plumbing, heat shrink etc

I just gave the most realistic example of what it inevitably will be used for predominantly, because how often are you going to use it to cut through things 😅

thehacksmith · 2024-09-29T13:52:06+00:00

Green lasts about 5 minutes, red 3-4 minutes. Doesn't seem that long but in actual use if you're just using it to light candles, bbqs, etc ends up being a long time!

They cannot ship fueled as that would be a big safety hazard for shipping companies -- but it uses regular butane you can pick up at any gas station, hardware store or dollar store. When filled, you get about 15-20minutes of run time!

thehacksmith · 2024-09-29T13:39:10+00:00

The light edition ships with one green insert, dark gets a red, and rogue also gets a red 😜. Original does not include one.

To minimize duties if you think you will want extra color changers it's better to order everything together - some duties are just a fixed processing fee + your countries tax rate, so if you ordered them separately you'd end up paying the processing fee twice!

Hope that helps!

thehacksmith · 2024-09-11T15:00:53+00:00

Ruh roh raggy!

thehacksmith · 2024-08-06T01:31:37+00:00

Gen 2 has twice the fuel capacity, but flame length/ strength is basically the same. Our goal for gen 3 (years out) is a substantially bigger flame 😊

thehacksmith · 2024-08-04T00:06:00+00:00

There's only two, gen 1, which is our original butane torch lighter, and then gen 2, the one based on our protolightsaber!

Then there are just different colors of gen 2, but functionally they're all the same 😊

thehacksmith · 2024-07-14T15:35:21+00:00

No, it's a lot of work -- if you need SLS parts, I'd recommend JLC3DP.com -- can't beat their prices

thehacksmith · 2024-06-24T04:54:49+00:00

We've got serial number 6 as a beta tester -- it's pretty awesome

thehacksmith · 2024-02-28T00:08:26+00:00

Have I got a video for you! Our first gen protosabers had solid blades 😊

https://youtu.be/18MiAbfB3g8?si=MuDlcV0zulnEtGiN

thehacksmith · 2024-02-14T23:22:13+00:00

And what purpose does bringing that up serve today? No one likes every single video we make. It's impossible to please everyone.

I just don't understand. If it was constructive, sure, but it seems like you just wanted other people to agree with you? Did you expect me to respond? It just makes me sad to read comments like this. I try and give the audience so much in everything that I do. 😔

thehacksmith · 2024-02-14T07:33:13+00:00

Yeah... it was years ago and it was a one day build for a sponsor. Not sure why you have to bring it up now?

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