Dodo - how strong is the lock?

S

swingshot

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May 19, 2003
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*search was somewhat inconclusive*


Thinking about picking up a Dodo for EDC...


but have heard some people voice concerns about the lock...


does it have a high failure rate? Is it something that was resolved at some point in the lifespan of the knife?

Advice/comments would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Have been carrying one PE and one SE for about 2 years with no problems. And I USE my knives. I believe the problems were early in production and have been corrected. Sal could explain this better than I. Bigk6
 
My Dodo is rock solid. I've got no concerns about the bb lock. It doesn't have the long track record to judge by like the axis lock, but people have tested it very thoroughly nonetheless. Someone was reallllly abusive with their d`allara dp (which has a bb lock) and took a lot of photos and it did just fine. Search for a d`allara review somewhere.
 
From what I have heard on various forums and from friends that have carried them, they are pretty tough little knives. I wouldnt mind carrying one at all actually. From time to time, when at NGK, i flirt with the idea of getting one but always end up getting something bigger.
 
The very first Dodos could have a slight problem; a bit of lock geometry was changed and no problems since then.
 
I like mine, and I am carrying it today.

IIRC it has been discontinued, so it might be a good idea to snag one while you can.
 
I think the ball bearing lock is one of the best locks ever. I heard that the very early ones sometimes had problems but I think it was corrected long ago. Like was already said they were discontinued so grab one quick if you're thinking about it. Here's a couple of old pics of my modified Dodo.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/456828.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/img/456829.jpg

I really love this knife! I need to get a couple more of them before they dry up also.

Take care. Heath
 
FWIW, I had two that had locks that would fail with light hand pressure. One cut the living daylights out of me and lopped about a 1/2" of the end of my finger off. Sent it in and a handpicked second one was sent to me, same problem. This was a couple of years ago and I'm assuming the problem was fixed. It's too bad because that made me REALLY gun shy of the Dodo, and it is by far my favorite Spyderco. :(
 
Chiro75 said:
FWIW, I had two that had locks that would fail with light hand pressure. One cut the living daylights out of me and lopped about a 1/2" of the end of my finger off. Sent it in and a handpicked second one was sent to me, same problem. This was a couple of years ago and I'm assuming the problem was fixed. :(
Click to expand...

Holy cow, the Dodo seriously bit you that bad?!! I mean, a half inch is quite a bit o finger! Was it like that from the beginning, or did the lock fail after using it for a while?

I just got a Dodo in the mail today... and now you've got me worried! :confused: However, first impression out of the box is that the lock is ROCK SOLID. No blade play whatsoever. I hope mine holds up, because I really dig this bird.

(bird as in dodo bird, not byrd bird)
 
The lock issue is the only thing that ever kept me from getting a Dodo. Not that it's a widespread problem or anything. It's just that all the reports of failures I recall seemed to be that the lock was rock solid. Until it wasn't. Life is just too short to play that game.
 
I was using a sort of pinch grip in which the fleshy end of my ring finger was overlapping the space the blade closes into. It collapsed and closed and the rest is history. What I found with that knife is that it would have a nice satisfying "click" open and "locked", but even slight pressure on the blade would begin pushing the ball out of the channel. I could either collapse the lock with light, sustained pressure or with heavier, shorter pressure. I suspect this was one of the earliest Dodo's, as there were "several" (means different things, depending who you ask) that had the same problem. The replacement wasn't much better, though, which I was disappointed with, but I still hold Spyderco in high regard. I just wish the Dodo hadn't been the knife I had problems with because, as I said, it's my favorite knife.
 
Chiro75 said:
I was using a sort of pinch grip in which the fleshy end of my ring finger was overlapping the space the blade closes into. It collapsed and closed and the rest is history. What I found with that knife is that it would have a nice satisfying "click" open and "locked", but even slight pressure on the blade would begin pushing the ball out of the channel. I could either collapse the lock with light, sustained pressure or with heavier, shorter pressure. I suspect this was one of the earliest Dodo's, as there were "several" (means different things, depending who you ask) that had the same problem. The replacement wasn't much better, though, which I was disappointed with, but I still hold Spyderco in high regard. I just wish the Dodo hadn't been the knife I had problems with because, as I said, it's my favorite knife.
Click to expand...


I Just found that I can easily defeat the lock on my Dodo just by using steady medium to firm pressure. The Lock slowly slides back and then releases. :thumbdn: :thumbdn: I bought this knife less than a year ago, so I doubt it is an early model.
 
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