Anyone buy a Tuff today?

Does the Tuff use phosphor bronze washers? Has anyone disassembled the knife and tried to polish/lube it and see if it becomes more manageable to open?
 
austonh said:
Does the Tuff use phosphor bronze washers? Has anyone disassembled the knife and tried to polish/lube it and see if it becomes more manageable to open?
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Yes ituses phosphor broze washers.

Iv actually taken it apart 3 times, it helps a bit to put lube..but not much. Dont get me wrong I can flick it open but it takes effort.

Im thinking that the blade hole (where the piviot goes) could use some polishing? Ill try it out and keep everyone posted
 
Got mine today, and you guys weren't kidding on the hard to open. I have been trying to break it in. Like any hard use knife, I suppose they needed to make it a bit stiffer than normal. Keep us posted if you figure out a way to make it smoother. I was gonna try sanding the washers, but I didn't have fine enough sandpaper. I have a feeling if you get those smoothed up, the knife will open a bit easier.
 
rickdarris2004 said:
Got mine today, and you guys weren't kidding on the hard to open. I have been trying to break it in. Like any hard use knife, I suppose they needed to make it a bit stiffer than normal. Keep us posted if you figure out a way to make it smoother. I was gonna try sanding the washers, but I didn't have fine enough sandpaper. I have a feeling if you get those smoothed up, the knife will open a bit easier.
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I havent sanded the washers yet, I did though strop them (green compound). Didnt really feel like sanding it just yet. Iv sandded on 3000 grit (sebenza) and its worked perfectly before.

It is breaking in though guys, its still tough, but I think that in time it will become easier. Ill keep everyone posted and if I got time tomorrow ill sand it down a bit
 
Ok..just did it.

Didnt really help ( not that I could feel), I sanded using 2000 grit, then mirror polished the washers. Relubed it, still feels the same. If theres a difference its not one that can be felt.

Edit: Ok, flicking it a couple more times I do notice a difference. I think its important to distinguish between initiating the knife (ie a detent issue) vs actual smoothness (more of a washer issue). In terms of smoothness yes it is smoother. But by no means did it affect the detent (ofcourse), so it is still hard to "flick" the knife initially since the detent is strong. But the knife is smooth.

Iv been reading on how to weaken a detent and so far the methods iv come across are very extreme/require lots of skill and tools.

I think it will eventually be alright once I give it a couple more hundred flicks.

In other news: the 3v on it is spectacular.
 
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rickdarris2004 said:
Looks like this one just needs good ol fashion break in time then... Still a great piece from Spyderco!
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Yeah def one of my favourites from them, it will break in nicely hopefully. Do the washer thing if you feel like it isnt smooth once the blade is initated
 
When taking it apart, do you notice that the lock bar shoots over quite a ways passed the amount it would bend over when locking the blade open? Meaning, does it seem like the lock bar is bent way over so there is a lot of spring tension on the lock bar? Not only would this make the detent stronger, but it would also press on the blade enough that it might make it harder to open and less smooth. I know the steel lock bar insert doubles as a lock bar stabilizer so you can't over-extend it, but you can take that off and maybe bend it the opposite way a little bit in order to reverse some of the spring tension on the lock. You don't want to bend it over so much that it barely locks the knife open, but it doesn't need to be bent too much passed the spot where it locks up with the blade tang.

I'm thinking Spyderco may have bent the shit out of these lock bars to make the detent strong and to make the lock clack open with authority. They would have done this to make the knife feel more sturdy and all that, which is great, but it could be the explanation for the stiff opening. Something is the explanation for it, after all. I'm sure with a knife called the "Tuff", they realized they were subjecting themselves to a lot of scrutiny if it didn't live up, so they probably didn't want to take any chances by making the knife too smooth.
 
look at the lock bar lenght, it's shorter than usual for a reasn, the strong spring tension is a design feature, i doubt it will change with break in.
 
I must've cycled mine a couple hundred times & it definitely got smoother.I was able to do a spyder drop with it this morning.It's breaking in just fine by me.
You have to remember the PB washers are self lubricating,so the more you cycle it,the smoother it will get.This has been my experience with every framelock(RIL) I've had.
 
JTR357 said:
You have to remember the PB washers are self lubricating,so the more you cycle it,the smoother it will get.
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If I understand you right, I don't think that's quite correct. Self lubricating in this case just means slick, not that what's rubbed off by friction further reduces friction.

Gollnick said:
The term "self-lubricating" when used to describe Phosphor bronze is a bit misleading. There's no lubricant involved. It's not as if there's somehow oil inside the metal that comes out over time. Different materials are simply slipperier than others. Phosphor bronze just happens to be way on the slippery slide of that scale.
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As you open it more and more, the washers will get worn to match the surface of the steel there, so maybe that's what you're feeling. Also if you don't adjust the pivot and repeatedly open/close it, it's similar to if you did loosen the pivot because the washers get thinner as material is worn off them. And finally, it polishes the blade, which has a significant impact in the smoothness.
 
Mine arrived today. This thing is a BEAST. It feels super solid. I am not the biggest fan of the large choil, but I didn't care enough to not buy the knife. I would have rather had more of that 3V edge. I also want to thank Spyderco for the 4-way clip. I have been carrying the military variants a lot lately and moved the clip on the Tuff to match.

The opening is stiff, but I am just coming off the PM2 which is glass smooth.

Lastly, it comes shaving sharp!
 
I got mine a couple days ago and it is getting smoother and easier to open. Part of it is just getting passed the soreness of my fingers, but it is definitely loosening up the more I open and close it. However, I took it apart and polished to washers and also bent the lock bar back just a little bit so there's just enough room for it to lock up. I don't think the lock will wear over very much but if it does, it won't quite fully engage. If this happens and I get a little lock rock, it is easy enough to just bend it over a little more. The combination of reducing some of the spring tension on the lock and polishing the washers has made it quite a bit easier to open. Before, I couldn't even come close to middle finger flicking it. I could put every bit of strength I had into it and not break the detent, but now I can flick it. Thumb flicking it is actually harder because you need to give it a little wrist at this point, but at least it's possible now. I can also spydie drop it pretty easily now, and it was very difficult before. So it's definitely much better. I still need to fix one little thing that bothers me, which is a problem with all Taichung Spyderco's, and that's that the thumb hole is very sharp. Not a big deal and an easy fix. I thought the knife was cool at first, but now it's starting to feel like it's "mine" and I am liking it a lot. So unique and cool and sturdy as hell.
 
BTW, just flicked this thing both ways with relative ease. Getting easier and easier. Also, I have to say that the "shoppe" that I got this from did do a good job. I know I was bothered by the fact that they took several days to ship it but they included lolly-pops and a Spyderco 2012 catalog. Also, the man himself who runs the business responded to my notes on the order by including a business card that he wrote "perfect QC" on, because I asked them to inspect it and give me a "good one" (although all Taichung Spyderco's are perfect). So that was a bonus as well and I'm more happy about the experience with this shop now.
 
Glad said shoppe came through for you. Let us know if it continues to get easier to open or not. Thanks!
 
A.Dragg said:
BTW, just flicked this thing both ways with relative ease. Getting easier and easier. Also, I have to say that the "shoppe" that I got this from did do a good job. I know I was bothered by the fact that they took several days to ship it but they included lolly-pops and a Spyderco 2012 catalog. Also, the man himself who runs the business responded to my notes on the order by including a business card that he wrote "perfect QC" on, because I asked them to inspect it and give me a "good one" (although all Taichung Spyderco's are perfect). So that was a bonus as well and I'm more happy about the experience with this shop now.
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They must love you more. All I got was a perfect knife, but that was all I asked for. Mine seems like it is getting easier to open or maybe my fingers are just getting Tuff.
 
I have the same experience as JTR. It is getting broken in with use. Mine was a two hander the first time or two I opened it but it is fine now and has been for a while. I don't mind a tight knife in this class. It's a tool designed for long life. I never did have any of the bad experiences like some wrote about with broken nails and such. I just used a two handed opening a couple of times and it's fine now.

If it was a self defense or gentleman's folder I might be concerned but it's a extra heavy duty cutting folder so I like the bank vault like feeling it gives.

Joe
 
Interestung post:

Ed Schempp said:
I've been carrying the Tuff for about a week now and have found that it is easier to open than when new but it is still harder than most of my Spydercos. I have found that I have adapted to the knife quite nicely. It will be difficult to open because it has more lock pressure than most blades. It is an attribute of having a folder this heavy and durable. The Lock bar is shorter and it has more tension on the lock than most framelocks. This knife was built to be harder, stronger, and more durable than regular knives. I'm afraid that you will have a harder time opening the knife at its best broke in state, that is the nature of this folder...Take care...Ed
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