Let's get hyped for the Amalgam!

[Texan42]

Very cool, just bought one for $149 with today's ebay coupon.

A question on the detent mod: why not just increase the lock strength a little ?

Just wondering. Thanks,

Roland.

which coupon? I tried the 15% sporting goods code....wouldn't let me.

[ferider]

Very cool, just bought one for $149 with today's ebay coupon.

A question on the detent mod: why not just increase the lock strength a little ?

Just wondering. Thanks,

Roland.

which coupon? I tried the 15% sporting goods code....wouldn't let me.

Search for 163400558114 in Sporting Goods.

[shunsui]

A question on the detent mod: why not just increase the lock strength a little ?

Just wondering. Thanks,

Roland.

My skill set is better at filing to fit. My experiences with bending things have been mostly iffy.

The compression lock on my Amalgam looked a little more fully engaged than my Para2's, so I felt they probably bent the lock bar at the factory as far as I'd want to push it.

Plus I wanted a stronger detent than just good enough.

M0DiFiEDZ's approach of engaging the detent ball deeper into the detent hole seemed the better solution for a significantly stronger detent.

I could be wrong though, you might get great results bending.

[radiopej]

My Amalgam arrived today. Overall, I love it. The design is just beautiful. The detente is even weaker than I had expected, which affects flipping. I'm still not sure how I feel about it - it's kind of fun opening it by waving it, but at the same time, I usually prefer knowing it's closed unless I expressly want it open. It also makes flipping less reliable. I'm going to wait a while and then consider playing with the detente hole. Perhaps I'm just spoiled from ZT flippers, which is their niche. I've never had a flipper that could also open via thumb hole, so the tuning issues mentioned above might apply. It flicks open quite well with a middle finger, though I find the hole is a little too small for my thumb to do it comfortably when coupled with the weaker detent. Works perfectly as a slow-opening thumb hole though. The flipper hitting your finger while closing is a thing, but it's definitely a thing that is only problematic while I adjust - coming from frame lock flippers, I forget to move it out of the way in time. Give it a day and it'll be automatic.

It cuts cardboard and paper very well, and has shaved my arm easily. I had it delivered to my office, so I can't really test it on much more. When I get home I'm going to disassemble, polish the track, add some oil and replace the clip with an MXG. All up, this is a pretty **** good knife for initial impressions. The only issues seem to have been in translation for mass production, and even then they provide some benefits. I think it is pretty clear that Spyderco prioritises the traditional and flick opening methods on this knife first, with the flipper as an added bonus. That's not a bad thing - as Brian pointed out, it makes it smoother and you can still open it with a little bit of wrist flick. I think seeing it that way makes me a bit happier about it, though I still think the US version of this knife (Sprint run?) would just kill the need for a custom. Brian Lai has designed the groundwork for my perfect knife.

[curlyhairedboy]

Also, there's a pretty big difference in approaches to detents between Golden and Taichung. Even among hole-opening-only models, (compare the sage 5 to the para 3 for instance), Taichung detents are considerably softer.

[Liquid Cobra]

Ok folks, I’m either off to buy an amalgam tomorrow or I’m not. I could literally go either way here, II’m on the fence and can’t decide. The knife has a lot going for it but something is telling me not to get it. I think it’s the weak detent, but that honestly seems like a silly reason not to try it out. I haven’t been this conflicted about a Spyderco in a long time. Help!

[gundamaniac]

How about making a list of pros and cons as you currently perceive them?

[Texan42]

Ok folks, I’m either off to buy an amalgam tomorrow or I’m not. I could literally go either way here, II’m on the fence and can’t decide. The knife has a lot going for it but something is telling me not to get it. I think it’s the weak detent, but that honestly seems like a silly reason not to try it out. I haven’t been this conflicted about a Spyderco in a long time. Help!

go you local shop and flip it a few times, see how you like it. The more I've flipped mine the more I've noticed that the compression lock is a hot spot while doing so.....my finger lands on the edge of the lock with every flip.

[curlyhairedboy]

How about making a list of pros and cons as you currently perceive them?

and then you can rank those pros and cons by importance! :D

[Liquid Cobra]

How about making a list of pros and cons as you currently perceive them?

The only con I can see is the weak detent. Brian, are you on Instagram?

[Texan42]

I carried this knife today...carries very well for it's size, forgot it was in my pocket. The more I flip it the better it seems to feel..

[curlyhairedboy]

One thing I especially enjoy about the Amalgam is how well it flips for a comparatively weak detent. The amount of detent strength needed to reliably flip in all positions is still pretty light!

[gundamaniac]

How about making a list of pros and cons as you currently perceive them?

The only con I can see is the weak detent. Brian, are you on Instagram?

Hi Liquid Cobra, yes I am (gundam.maniac), though I'm mainly just on to follow others.

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you're having a good holiday, and, since this is a knife forum, enjoying whatever knife you happen to be carrying today :D

[curlyhairedboy]

I feel like I'll be carrying mine again soon :)

[holeshot]

Well, I finally got around to grinding off the flipper with my new table grinder Santa brought me. For me it has made a big difference. The knife now opens and closes like a my PM2s. For me the flipper just got in the way and with the nicely sized Spydie hole unnecessary. :) I’d attach a pic but since I got a new iPad I haven’t beeen able to so. :mad: Yes, I’m a Luddite. :o

[Zatx]

Well, I finally got around to grinding off the flipper with my new table grinder Santa brought me. For me it has made a big difference. The knife now opens and closes like a my PM2s. For me the flipper just got in the way and with the nicely sized Spydie hole unnecessary. :) I’d attach a pic but since I got a new iPad I haven’t beeen able to so. :mad: Yes, I’m a Luddite. :o

Please figure out how to post some images, please! I was just about to make a post asking if anyone has ground off the flipper tab yet because that is my plan when I get one (fellow PM2 thumb-flipper here)!

[gundamaniac]

Once you've figured out how to post the pictures, I'd also be interested in seeing your mod, holeshot. It's been fun so far hearing about the functional mods people are making like increasing the spring force and widening the detent hole, as well as seeing more visible changes like deep carry clips (and flipper deletes once you post pictures).

[Liquid Cobra]

Well, I finally got around to grinding off the flipper with my new table grinder Santa brought me. For me it has made a big difference. The knife now opens and closes like a my PM2s. For me the flipper just got in the way and with the nicely sized Spydie hole unnecessary. :) I’d attach a pic but since I got a new iPad I haven’t beeen able to so. :mad: Yes, I’m a Luddite. :o

I sent you an email.

[Liquid Cobra]

Holeshot sent me some pictures of his mod. Since I’m using Imgur I can only post one picture a day, so I had to combine both photos into one. Thanks for sending it to me.

[holeshot]

Holeshot sent me some pictures of his mod. Since I’m using Imgur I can only post one picture a day, so I had to combine both photos into one. Thanks for sending it to me.

Thanks for your help! I used a 60 grit wheel to grind off most of the flipper until it was just above the left and right scales. I then opened the knife with the blade facing away and ground until the tab was just below the scales. I then used a Dremmel wheel to saw off about an 1/8 inch of the tab by the elbow where the tip of the screwdriver is pointing as seen in the right pic. This did the trick and now the blade opens and closes with no interference from what’s left of the flipper tab. For me it now feels like a PM2 with a more utilitarian blade shape. If you are not going to remove the blade before grinding, go SLOWLY and check how it feels to you during the process. :)