A question for the Spartan Harsey Folder owners.

el gigantor

el gigantor

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Yesterday I received my plain jane stonewashed SHF, and I wanted to thank all those you recommended it. This is the first time I’ve spent so much money on a knife, and I have to say it is AWESOME! It fits perfectly in my hand, and I can’t stop smiling when I’m handling it.

The only issue I have is….the one-handed opening is EXTREMELY stiff. I’ve never experienced it before. This is a brand new knife, I have strong hands, and 50% of the time my thumb can’t swing the blade open. I’ve tried pushing the thumb stud at different angles with varying success, but the knife fights me regardless.

Is this a common issue with this model? Will it break in over time? I don’t ever fiddle with knife pivots so I’m really hoping to avoid doing that. I know this is a pretty basic problem to have, but like I said I’m in uncharted territory here. Any input would be great!
 
Mine was like that and it did lighten up a lot with use. I believe it’s an issue with leverage due to the location of the thumb stud. My SHF is smooth but still a little stiff to open but definitely easier than when NIB. Try a little oil and different angles to push it out. Sitting watching a movie and working the action will speed up the break in process.
 
Mine was difficult at first, but after about 400 or so openings and closings, it smoothed out to the point that it flicks open easily, and is drop-shut. This is the only bronze-bushing knife I've ever had or even held that does that, and the pivot is where it's supposed to be, not loose in the slightest. My CRKs I've owned for years and opened thousands of times couldn't dream of being as smooth as my SHFs are.

Also, actually look at your hand when opening the knife to be sure you aren't inadvertently applying pressure to the lock bar when opening. I've had that issue before, and had to learn to adjust how I held the knife when opening it.
 
unwisefool said:
Have you tried pushing straight up along the frame? I know people have had a similar issue with the Umnumzaan.
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IMO this is the only correct way of opening frame lock via thumb stud - pushing straight up.
‘As the others mentioned, it’s important not to press on the lock bar when opening. I have a habit to feel for the clip and grasp there, on the frame, staying away from the lock bar. I’ve seen very few lock bars that don’t have this issue, that’s why I usually prefer either internal lock bars, or liner locks but this is just me.
‘Those are beautiful knives anyway, I think this is just a new knife issue and will loosen up with more use.
 
Mine has a strong detent, it took a little while for it to get easier. Yes, they’re stiff at first, but once you establish a detent track on the blade it will become smoother.
‘Welcome to the world of tight tolerance knives ! !!!
 
Echoing the others who have said make sure you’re not putting pressure on the lockbar and sliding upwards, but with one additional note: the SHF has a divot in the scale that directs your thumb in the direction it’s supposed to go. Should ease up after a couple dozen openings.

Also, if you’re not used to framelocks and/or strong detents sometimes it just takes time to get your thumb used to it.
 
Mine was very stiff as well when I received it. After struggling past the initial 'break in period' with not much luck, I made a quick pivot adjustment loosening it up just a tiny bit. With this bit of adjustment the action is now perfect. Was able to achieve without negatively affecting centering or introducing any blade play.
 
mine isn't like this. it has a strong solid detent but moves open easily and smoothly.

said already but move fingers off lockbar....dont even let them sit with no pressure on it....see if that helps at all.
 
Probably requires some break in period like most Medfords. Once that achieved, you can spydieflick flick that sucker. Mine is an older gen tho

120-D3-EB4-126-E-4290-A2-ED-9808-CB2-A001-C.gif
 
Yup, what he said. ^^^. My first SHF was a brand new Northwest Coast Edition in S45VN that wasn't horribly resistant to opening, but was a bit on the stiff side at first. Like others found, the more I opened and closed it, the easier and smoother it became. My second was an older PJ in S35. I was the third owner and it was about the smoothest, easiest opening knife I'd handled. After a year or so, the new one's pretty much caught up with its older brother and they're both a joy to handle and use. Of course, none of this is real without at least one pic...

dbz277N.jpg
 
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They certainly smooth out with use and quickly too I might add; the newest one I have has been in use for about a month and I can now middle finger flick it with ease.

Just takes a bit of time.
 
BTTLBRN said:
They sure do, not sure if you can call them a “sleeper” hit or not; they definitely have a following, but a major player in their respective price point for sure.

https://imgur.com/a/nzx0YKz

https://imgur.com/a/iSsUHrJ
Click to expand...

I saw when you posted that Runes & Staves in the EDC thread, and was glad to see another. These are fairly uncommon, and they don't come up for sale often! Excellent knife, one of the top five I own, I'd say.
 
unwisefool said:
Have you tried pushing straight up along the frame? I know people have had a similar issue with the Umnumzaan.
Click to expand...
I came here to say this, because it's the same issue with my Gerber Harsey AirFrame. You have to push the thumb stud *up*, not *out*. If you push out, it's damn near impossible to open the knife, but if you push up, it opens easily. The AirFrame has nearly identical geometry to the Spartan, which is really just a modern, upgraded AirFrame.
 
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