Forum Knife Action Problems??

[BigGrove]

Yeah I’m thinking I’m gonna send it back. I really don’t want to have to adjustments on a brand new knife to make it function properly. I’m pretty pissed off about it to be honest! My two other PM2 knives worked perfect right out of the box and have continued to work perfect!

Seems like not much quality control went into this Forum Knife PM2. I’m extremely disappointed at the inconvenience of this all.

Off the top of my head, less than 1/2 of the compression lock Spydercos I've purchased have had that drop-shut action you seem to be looking for. Frankly, I don't think Spyderco is trying to adjust them to that specification during assembly. Most likely there is an acceptable tolerance range which can vary just by who is putting it together.

That said, I've had one that was exactly as you described. Action was not great out of the box and got worse the more it was opened and closed. I did exactly what others suggested: took it apart, gave it a good cleaning with 99% alcohol, lubed and adjusted. After that it was perfect. Now, in the unlikely event you were to open it up and discover that the washers were defective or there was some other quality/build issue then yes return it for warranty. Spyderco will definitely make it right. It isn't anything to get so angry over. Like any mass-produced product there can be issues which I'm sure Spyderco does everything they reasonably can to prevent.

If you don't already own a high-quality set of torx drivers, get some. Since your new here I don't know what your expectations are but a quality folding knife will need maintenance, sharpening and adjustment to keep it in top condition.

[Sharp Guy]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I've never seen where Spyderco has advertised that one-handed closing was a feature of any of their knives.

[TkoK83Spy]

Pat, we know there are some that prefer the ocd fidget spinnery aspect of a knife over the actual purpose of a knife! Not accusing the OP of this, but it's been seen many times before. Kind of baffles me, who wants to continually play with something that can cause you serious harm.

[brainfriction]

Kind of baffles me, who wants to continually play with something that can cause you serious harm.

That's part of the fun. Livin' on the edge, baby!

[Sharp Guy]

Pat, we know there are some that prefer the ocd fidget spinnery aspect of a knife over the actual purpose of a knife! Not accusing the OP of this, but it's been seen many times before. Kind of baffles me, who wants to continually play with something that can cause you serious harm.

Don't get me wrong, I'm one who definitely prefers to be able to close my PM2's and Para 3's one-handed. But to say the knife doesn't work properly is wrong. The knife does work as it should whether the action allows the blade to free drop or not. There are some who don't like they're PM2s to free drop closed. I don't see them complaining. I prefer my PM2s to fall closed when I push the lock. If it doesn't, I make a fairly easy adjustment to correct. Sometimes it takes a little fiddling around with the stop pin or scale screws but usually it's an easy pivot adjustment. The Digicam/DLC PM2 I bought for my son took a little work to get the action just right. I didn't complain or send it back. I just made some adjustments and it was fine. My son loves the knife.

[TkoK83Spy]

Kind of baffles me, who wants to continually play with something that can cause you serious harm.

That's part of the fun. Livin' on the edge, baby!

Literally, hahaha :p

[dsvirsky]

It's already been said, but bears repeating: flippers notwithstanding, neither flicking open nor the blade dropping freely when the lock is depressed, are functions intrinsic to the proper operation of a knife.

[gundamaniac]

When I have a knife with action I find less than ideal, the first thing I try is adding a drop of lube on each side of the pivot and to the detent without disassembly. I didn't see it mentioned anywhere if you tried this already, but maybe I didn't read carefully enough.

I have a Mantra 2 that, out of the box, flipped very nicely, but the more I flipped it over the next couple of days the worse the action got. I mean, it got to the point where I'd flip it and the blade would maybe open halfway, and there was an audible squeaking sound when I used two hands to rotate the blade back and forth. It just took a bit of lube on the detent track to get it flipping smoothly again. No disassembly, no messing with the pivot, just a little bit of lube to sort out the action.

[Mike51772]

Thank you all for the feedback. I’m going to try some drops of 3-IN-ONE General Purpose Oil without disassembling and see if that helps. Since I really like the dark grey G10 handle with the Spyder inlays on each side I want to keep the knife. I’m thinking if I send it back to Spyderco to exchange for another one, I’ll just get another one with similar issue. So if oiling it and slightly adjusting pivot doesn’t do the trick.......I’m gonna send it to a guy that I’ve had tune up and sharpen my other PM2’s in the past. He does a great job. Thanks!

[Crux]

Putting oil in like that will gum it up in short order. Good luck.

[The Mastiff]

I question the wisdom of telling less experienced forumites to make adjustments to knives especially ones not even properly cleaned, lubed and broken in. It's their business if and when they do but recommending it as a first action should be avoided.

Joe

[BigGrove]

I question the wisdom of telling less experienced forumites to make adjustments to knives especially ones not even properly cleaned, lubed and broken in. It's their business if and when they do but recommending it as a first action should be avoided.

Joe

So what is your recommendation?

[anycal]

Just like any hobby, you get a spectrum of participants. There are those to whom this may be their first screw construction knife. On the opposite side, you have those who can take one apart in their sleep.

At some point, if so inclined, you have to start somewhere. Is a $150 knife a place to do that? That is up to the individual to decide.

[Zatx]

Yeah I expect things that are Brand New to work properly WITHOUT first requiring ‘adjustment maintenance’ to do so! Like my Camo S30V PM2 and my Bento Box M390 PM2 did! You shouldn’t have to get up to $400+ on a knife to expect that! $160 is plenty of money to spend and reasonably expect the knife to show up without terrible action! Not just ‘less than perfect’ or not ideal action.......terrible action!

Nobody is really disagreeing with you, but we're just saying that it's such an easy fix that there isn't a reason to raise a stink about it or send it back. That's all. I personally like adjusting my knives and get them to my liking. I don't have a single knife that I haven't made at least a minor tweak to. Different strokes for different folks!

Actually, I'll disagree with him.

He sights his displeasure at the fact that the knife doesn't open according to his preferences, but from everything we have seen, the knife does work properly from a function standpoint. I don't remember seeing anyone at Spyderco say the PM2 should have a free-dropping blade, and if it doesn't, it is out of spec.

[Mike51772]

If you read my posts....well if you read just a bit carefully and possess reasonable comprehension skills......you’ll see that I did NOT say the knife should be a “free dropper” otherwise it’s defevtice. I said the knife had extremely poor action! Barely opens all the way with an extremely strong thumb or middle finger flick. Makes a very gritty/scratchy sound when opening. Releasing the knife from the factory not free dropping.....is one thing, and not a problem. Releasing one with action that is this poor is something else entirely and in my opinion, not acceptable!

[TazKristi]

If you read my posts....well if you read just a bit carefully and possess reasonable comprehension skills......you’ll see that I did NOT say the knife should be a “free dropper” otherwise it’s defevtice. I said the knife had extremely poor action! Barely opens all the way with an extremely strong thumb or middle finger flick. Makes a very gritty/scratchy sound when opening. Releasing the knife from the factory not free dropping.....is one thing, and not a problem. Releasing one with action that is this poor is something else entirely and in my opinion, not acceptable!

Hi, Mike:
I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment and the issue you're experiencing with your new Para Military 2. I would suggest that you send it to us either for an exchange with our outlet store or for evaluation in our Warranty & Repair department.

I can understand your frustration and trust that you know our intent is not to frustrate our customers. Knives are made by people and although our crew strives to build the best knife - with every knife - they are human and from time to time mistakes do happen. We've been around for a while and we have a strong reputation for making things right for a reason. If you give our crew a chance, we'll make it right with you too.

Kristi

[ABX2011]

Did you ever try lubing the detent ball?

[Extra330SC]

If you read my posts....well if you read just a bit carefully and possess reasonable comprehension skills......you’ll see that I did NOT say the knife should be a “free dropper” otherwise it’s defevtice. I said the knife had extremely poor action! Barely opens all the way with an extremely strong thumb or middle finger flick. Makes a very gritty/scratchy sound when opening. Releasing the knife from the factory not free dropping.....is one thing, and not a problem. Releasing one with action that is this poor is something else entirely and in my opinion, not acceptable!

Hi, Mike:
I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment and the issue you're experiencing with your new Para Military 2. I would suggest that you send it to us either for an exchange with our outlet store or for evaluation in our Warranty & Repair department.

I can understand your frustration and trust that you know our intent is not to frustrate our customers. Knives are made by people and although our crew strives to build the best knife - with every knife - they are human and from time to time mistakes do happen. We've been around for a while and we have a strong reputation for making things right for a reason. If you give our crew a chance, we'll make it right with you too.

Kristi

Don't get much better then this offer!! ^^^
Hope everything works out and your forum knife gives many years of service ! It really is a nice piece.

James

[setldown]

Don't get much better then this offer!! ^^^
Hope everything works out and your forum knife gives many years of service ! It really is a nice piece.

James
[/quote]

That offer has been on the table since the moment he received the knife. :D