Learning to live with vertical play?

[spydutch]

Greetings you all

After about 4 years of collecting and using Spyderco lock backs, I think I'm slowly starting to lean to live with some vertical play in my knives.

In the past I retired my Spydie if it developped even a small amount of vertical play, buy a new one and hope for the best

As of lately I'm back to carrying my one year old Delica 3/SE again which has about half a mm of vertical play.

It still annoys me from time to time but not so much that I put back the knife.

Could you help me to get past that last bit of annoyance so I can really enjoy my Spyderco lock backs?

Thanx very much in advance

[MANIXWORLD]

vertical play,you can find on any brand of lockback,as you know,already.
i just cant get used to it,if its to much play.A small amount of v.play,i can make peace with.
i generally dont like any loose feeling parts on a knife.
what i dont get,is that alot of Spydies dont have any v.bladeplay and others do.

[yablanowitz]

The only way I know to avoid "play" is to avoid folding knives altogether. Some have such a small amount that you can't feel it, but they all have some clearance between the parts. If they didn't, they wouldn't fold.

[Left Hand Path]

Hi spydutch,
I don't mind a little vertical play at all in my lockbacks. Once I read some posts by sal, STR, and others, and learned that a little vertical play is totally normal and acceptable in a lockback, it didn't bother me any more. All types of locks have their goods and bads - I like the ease of use and ambidexterity of the lockback and I am willing to tolerate some vertical play as a tradeoff. I think yablanowitz is right that only a fixed blade will have no play. Enjoy your D3s and don't let it bother you!

[The Deacon]

The only way I know to avoid "play" is to avoid folding knives altogether. Some have such a small amount that you can't feel it, but they all have some clearance between the parts. If they didn't, they wouldn't fold.

Would that it were so. I can tolerate it in lockbacks, but am a bit bummed right now that my K04 Utility kitchen knife has started to show vertical play.

[carrot]

My Caly3 has slight vertical play. I almost never notice it in daily use. It still feels solid.

[MAT888]

As OutchThatSharp allready mentioned sometimes there is a solution that helps for pinned blades.
Stick a razorblade /thin metal strip between the frn handle and the pivot bolt.
Tap it with a hammer and retract the razor.
Sometimes this works.

For fixed blades sometimes heathing the knive for some time helps . Metal expands when heated. Frn might be molded thight when heated too. But not to long off coarse. Like they do on kydex.

[markg]

Both of my Tasman Salts have some play (actually a fair amount of play). It seems all my trainers do too.

If it is a SD/MBC knife, I don't care. I can see how it is a bit annoying for a work knife. As has been pointed out, the knife will be OK. So I would say just use the knife, and realize it still works and I think you will re-wire your perceptions.

[cgjones]

Would that it were so. I can tolerate it in lockbacks, but am a bit bummed right now that my K04 Utility kitchen knife has started to show vertical play.

I swear that my Santoku has a bit of horizontal play. I always chalk it up to my imagination.

[Jazz]

My Rescue 79mm has a bit and I'm sure others do too, but I accually expect it in lockbacks. Just the way it is most of the time. I use the heck out of my Rescue at work and don't even notice it. I wish it were solid, but it honestly doesn't bother me. Just don't let it bug you - you might go bald or something
( I'm going bald, so I can say that if I want to ).

- best wishes, Jazz.

[Bolster]

I'm in Spydutch's corner, except I am not trying to get accustomed to play. I really dislike vertical play in a folder. Yes, I know it's normal. Yes, it's the nature of the beast. And I really, really dislike it anyway. I have lots of knives that don't have play, or very minimal play...why can't they all be like that? Answer, they can be. It's OK to have high standards. I tend to get rid of knives that have more than just a skootch of vertical play.

[Agent Starling]

The knives need to have some play so they can "breathe"...

[ozspyder]

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy ???

Lucy for me I am a light user of my Spydies. No perceivable play in any direction for all my folders. Well, the Salt I which I abuse the most is getting nice and easy to open. Hopefully no play will develop in the near future otherwise I will be very 'un-dull' as per the above idiom.

Cheers
Dan

[spydutch]

The knives need to have some play so they can "breathe"...

Got to remember this one Agent Starling . Nice one.

There goes a lot of my last bit of annoyance



Thanks very much for the replies so far you all.

You're really a big help

[spydutch]

My Rescue 79mm has a bit and I'm sure others do too, but I accually expect it in lockbacks. Just the way it is most of the time. I use the heck out of my Rescue at work and don't even notice it. I wish it were solid, but it honestly doesn't bother me. Just don't let it bug you - you might go bald or something
( I'm going bald, so I can say that if I want to ).

- best wishes, Jazz.

I'm shaving my head on purpose Jazz

[krazichinaman]

My caly3 in g10 PE has about half a MM of blade play. It does annoy me a bit since its my only higher end spyderco. I just dont understand how this knife can have play while my D4wave has 0 blade play .
________
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[Simple Man]

My old EDC , the SS E4 had enough vertical play to be on the borderline of concerning me, but it never had any lock-up or security issues so I used it w/ abandon and had no problems.

My new EDC, the G-10 E4 has just the slightest bit, just enough for the lock to seat wall and I am real pleased with how it feels. Still no lock issues so far.

Oddly enough, the EII before that locks up tighter than either one, and I have never experienced a FRN Spydie that had any play.

[Franco G]

I do not accept that it should be a certain blade play in lockback folders because it is simply not true.

Some time ago a discussion were going about a blade play in Fällkniven U2 folder (jap. SGPS supersteel). The answer from Peter (the owner of Fällkniven) was:

All folders for sale thru dealers are made at factories. Every factory are dealing with spec's that is - within certain limitations, the knife is acceptable at the price it is given.

This means that a very cheap model will never offer firm and 100 % well made functions. From a very expensive model your demands are higher, of course.

Like all manufacturers, we had the possibility to decide upon the overall quality level for the U2 model and we stated that this folder should work as a EDC, offering a very good blade, a firm, reliable lock and an adjustable lateral play. Regarding the axial play, we decided to allow a little play for being able to keep the low price. This play will never affect the safety and as well will never harm the handling of the folder.

We had the possibility to from the very start state that this folder should be 100 % perfect with regards to ALL specifications but that would have lead to a very high price and, compared to the handle material, it wouldn't match very well.

So, the U2 is a good folder sold at a very attractive price. You cannot find a folder equipped with a laminate powder steel blade at this price, I'm sure.

You will always find samples of any cheap or expensive folder which is better in any aspect compared to the U2 but if you add all qualities, including the price, I'm quite sure that the U2 is superior in its price range, like all other Fallkniven models.

With regards to the number of U2 we have sold, I find that the U2 is having a fail percentage of 0.4 % so, it seems like this product is well made.

Buying from a internet dealer is in general much cheaper than buying from your local store. The risk you take is that you cannot check the products before you buy it - and that's up to you.

So, don't look at the price only...

Peter

See the whole discussion at http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/sh...hp?tid/768854/

I think it is very fair and honest reply.

I read that Sebenza has no blade play after 10 years of usage. "Should I buy a Sebenza if I want no blade play?" - I asked here. "Yes" - one of our forumites from Holland answered to me. So, I did it. Really, no blade play.

To be honest, my ZDP-189 Calypso jr. has absolutely no blade play. However, a CF Caly 3 (the expensive one) has a very slight blade play. Not quite acceptable for that price range.

My Wegner jr. (ATS-34 blade, liner lock) is incredible. Whatever I do, absolutely no blade play, the only liner lock I completely trust! So it is really possible to have no blade play!

I always think about guns in the same range price like high end knives and, imagine, a 'blade' play there. And guns are really more complicated compared to knives.

Franco

[Bolster]

I do not accept that it should be a certain blade play in lockback folders because it is simply not true...To be honest, my ZDP-189 Calypso jr. has absolutely no blade play. However, a CF Caly 3 (the expensive one) has a very slight blade play. Not quite acceptable for that price range...Franco

I agree 100% with Franco. High end knives with blade play are just plain flat-out unacceptable. There is no good reason to try to get used to it.

Most my Spydies are pretty good. Worst blade play I ever had on a Spydie was on a mini Persian (of which I own several). Sent it back to Spyderco for a fix, and it came back just as loose as when I sent it in...so perhaps play is not "fixable," I don't know. So that one got relegated to eBay a year ago. I lost a few $$ on it, but neither does it annoy me anymore, which is a good bargain in my book. The buyer was pleased as punch, didn't bother him at all. Thank goodness there are more "tolerant" people out there than I.

My other favorite knife company, Queen, has much more serious play problems. With them, it's luck-of-the-draw, and you end up re-selling a high percentage of them if you are strict about tolerances, as I am.

[jaislandboy]

yup, I have to agree w/Franco as well.....I have a U2 btw, and it did have a hair of vertical play (less than 1mm) but an excellent knife this led me to buy a zytel TK3....the most vertical play I've had w/ a Clipit is my Manix (maybe 1-2mm) and a Navigator2 ....the Navigator2 was sent to STR for the micarta scales and Steve removed the play...I think one black pe Delica 4 has a trace of vertical play too but the majority of my Clipits (70 something) have no play imo...the linerlocks typically having zero play, like the Tenacious But at a certain pricepoint, like over $150 -175+ street prices, I typically "demand"/expect better tolerances and perceptable vertical play would disturb me... enough to return it.