Hi Kris -- Speak for yerself! ;-)

I've taken apart my Grips, and found why Benchmade doesn't want you doing it. In general, I found it a PITA to get it back together, but not impossible either.

I've seen reports on knifeforums everywhere from "I don't know what you were smoking, it is a breeze to put back together." to "I gave up. I couldn't get it back together.".

Oh, and the bit is kind of hard to find. I ended up just ordering the kit from Benchmade.

From what I hear, spring failure is rare, but not unheard of. As Doug points out, you can improvise in a pinch.

-john