Compression lock longevity?

DaveH

DaveH

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
12,249
I either have owned or tried the following compression lock knives:

Aluminum Salsa (bought new)
Ti Salsa ( 2 of them - bought used )
Lil Temperence ( first production - bought used )
ATR ( Last spring production - New)

In all of these samples, either sooner with the used, or later with the new, they developed a small amount of vertical blade play that was difficult to adjust out by tightening the pivot. You could do it, but it was always a razor thin line between too tight a pivot which made it hard to open, an some play.

The Ti salsa went back for factory adjustment once, the ATR at least twice. I don't really know the history of the used knives, but I saw the same behavior on the new ones too.

My question is this, did I just get a bad sample of 5 knives? Or is this normal, that is a very fine and delicate balance of pivot tightness and blade play?
 
The only compression lock knife that I have is the Lil Temperance. IIRC, mine had some vertical play that I eliminated by polishing the tang ramp. Not really "polishing" it I guess, just smoothing it out a little with some fine sandpaper.

The Lil Temperance also has an eccentric pivot pin, which I accidentally discovered when I took the blade out to work on the tang ramp. Oops! :o Rotating the pin (not the screw that goes into it) makes a dramatic difference in the lockup. I don't know if all compression locks have the eccentric pivot or not.
 
cerulean said:
I don't know if all compression locks have the eccentric pivot or not.
Click to expand...
They don't use eccentric pivot pins any more, seems the machining has quite tight tolerances now.
 
Hi Dave. We appreciate the input.

The compression lock is a relatively new invention and is still being refined. We do have thousands of compression lock pieces out in the field with very good results. Like the Walker Linerlock, it is a difficult lock to build properly. Naturally, like all of our products, we are always refining and evolving the piece.

All of the models you mentioned have undergone numerous improvements over the past runs.

The Compression lock is simple, reliable and very strong. The difficult combination of different angles are being constantly refined.

I believe the Paramilitary is probably the newest and best compression lock at this time by a small margin. But they are all "getting better all the time".

Like the Ball bearing lock, which is also a relatively new invention, it is a developmental process that makes them excellent.

Thanx for your input and support.

sal
 
Lil Temp
Para Military
Ti Salsa
All great knives. All lock up tight. I have great confidence in all.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Dave. We appreciate the input.

The compression lock is a relatively new invention and is still being refined.
<snip>
The Compression lock is simple, reliable and very strong. The difficult combination of different angles are being constantly refined.
<snip>
I believe the Paramilitary is probably the newest and best compression lock at this time by a small margin. But they are all "getting better all the time".
<snip>
Like the Ball bearing lock, which is also a relatively new invention, it is a developmental process that makes them excellent.
sal
Click to expand...

Sal,
Before I go on, I have to say it's always a pleasure having an opportunity to see you comment here on Bladeforums, and also to discuss things back and forth with you. For me, it's like if I could talk with Mr. Cessna about what I love about the Skyhawk! :)

Anyway, I have to differ with you about the compression lock being best exemplified in the Paramilitary. Mine is fine, of course, but I think that the stoutest, sturdiest Spyderco folding knife I have come across yet is my Gunting! When it is open, it feels like it's made of one piece of steel from tip to grip!

While I'm here, let me please make a few comments in the hope that you are always interested in hearing from customers regarding what they prefer to see in your products:

- I love the milled-tang approach to "liner-locking" type knives (compression locks specifically). I have a distaste for the kind that use a ball bearing detente, since I view the insertion of a separate part (the ball) to be a design weakness. (I'm just a stickler that way is all.) I was disappointed to find that despite being a compression lock design, my black aluminum handled Salsas (I bought two, site-unseen) use a ball bearing! It came as a shock, as the other compression lock knives I have (Gunting, ParaMilitary, and two Vesuvius') have milled tangs.

- I reallllly want to see more models -- existing designs, actually -- executed with the ball bearing lock, which so far is my favorite of all! I have a Dodo despite my dislike for any recurve in a blade, because the knife is so innovative. A Dodo with a Salsa-like blade shape would be IDEAL. And if you made the ParaMilitary in a ball-bearing lock, I'd buy three!

- I also love the Vesuvius' shape, but mine has a bit of vertical blade play (both of my two), which is tightened up by opening the knife, then doing a tiny wiggle of the spyderhole to work the spring just a bit farther along the ramp. I note that the Centofante III is a lockback version of one of the most gorgeous knives out there, and I wonder if it will ever be possible to make screwed-together lockbacks, instead of riveted ones. I simply don't like riveted knives anymore, now that I like to be able to take them apart if need be, or just adjust them (the latter being mostly what I have done. I don't make a habit of taking apart knives). Is there something about the nature of a lockback design that precludes manufacturing it with screwed-together scales?

Thanks for viewing my comments, Sal. You and Spyderco are awesome! Big fan here! :)

-Jeffrey
 
Hi Jeffrey.

Thanx for the kind words.

The Salsa's were made with a ball bearing detent because the maker was not confident to make the milled tang.

The "Salsa 2", which is narrower, will have a milled tang.

Ball bearing locks are astill being developed. The newest D'Allara (next year) will be thinner, easier to access the ball and has a dop point blade.

We're working on the assembly question for future FRN models.

Thanx for the input.

sal

-----------------------------------------

"We are all students and we are all teachers"
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Jeffrey.

Thanx for the kind words.

The Salsa's were made with a ball bearing detent because the maker was not confident to make the milled tang.

The "Salsa 2", which is narrower, will have a milled tang.
Click to expand...


Oooh. Can't wait for a Ti Salsa 2 -- it'll make a nice gift for my dad. :)
 
peacefuljeffrey said:
And if you made the ParaMilitary in a ball-bearing lock, I'd buy three!
Click to expand...

I pestered Sal on that one a while ago. Ball bearing lock and no liners. :cool:
 
I have to agree with Peaceful here. Even though I don't have much to complain about the compression lock on the Yo, I like the compression lock of the (older) Lil'T better which is pretty much the best of any lock I have ever seen. I am actually a little bit sorry to see that the design of the compression lock has deviated from that of the Lil'T. Personally, I would be willing to pay a premium for the excentric pivot. IMHO the compression lock on the Lil'T is truely the "ultimate" lock.

With the Yo, I have noticed that the tension on anvil pin (how tightly it pulls the scales together) has an affect on the smoothness of the action, similar to the tension on the pivot. On my Yo it is impossible to tighten the anvil pin all the way which makes it necessary to loctit-en the anvil pin, otherwise the pin starts to rotate in use and thus changes the engagement of the compression lock. The Lil'T obviously doesn't have this problem as the excentric pivot determines the engagement of the lock, not the anvil pin (if I am not mistaken).
 
The comments on the tighness of the pivot and "anvil pin" are interesting, it reinforces my feeling that any non lock back, non axis lock knife needs a pivot bushing (ala the sebenza) or your going to play the tighty/loosy/lock engagement game for the length of time you own the knife.

It's probably not cost effective for inexpensive knives, but I'll probably ignore any knives over $60 unless they have it.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Jeffrey.

The "Salsa 2", which is narrower, will have a milled tang.
Click to expand...

A narrower Salsa, that's what I want. I always found my Salsa to be too broad. Looks almost like a small shovel to me ;)
And BTW, if you're out of aluminium you can use G-10 instead, I can live with that ;)
 
Statement
Spyderco probably has a file on me for destroying or damaging knives and then sending them back. I don't do it on purpose!!! The torx screws subliminally urge me to adjust them, and, then, something bad usually happens.

I've had a total of four Spyers w/ the compression lock- 2 guntings and 2 Lil' T's (Rhino and newer leaf w/S30V). Sent the Rhino T back twice for blade wobble. Spyderco fixed it both times, but the wobble came back.

Leaf Lil' T has been solid from day one, but the bar moves farther and farther to the other side over time.

Question(s)
How far over should the locking bar travel before I send it in?
When is Spyderco going to hire me in the R&D department as "Dr. Destructo"? :D

bob7
 
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