edge hitting the lockback spring

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
Messages
8,968
I noticed that a portion of the edge on my new U2 was reflecting light. Funny, because I've cut almost nothing but hair and paper, and it was one of the sharper knives OOB that I have received. Well, it was a quick fix with the Spyderco ultrafine and leather strop. I could feel that the edge had rolled slightly, and could hear it on the ceramic rod. Then, I close the knife, open it, and the reflection is there again. I look at the spring inside the handle, and there's a line down the middle of it. :grumpy: I just shot an email off to the retailer, to see if I can get a replacement. I really like the feel and looks of this knife, too.

I also had an Okapi with a blade that would bump the brass pin in the handle, have you had similar?
 
I suppose I could make a quip about your having aquired rare French versions of the knives in question (alluding to the Laguiole knives propensity to have knife edge to spring contact).

But it appears you have simply had misfortune.

If the retailer fails to rectify the problem, I suspect Fallkniven will.
 
I'm hoping to swap it out without shipping to Sweden. The retailer told me they wouldn't replace after 30 days... the shipping notice was sent to me by email on 7/31. Today is 8/12:confused:
 
Well, there goes that. The knife still has the factory oil at the pivot, but it's 'used.' Nevermind that it has a defect.
 
That sucks. Thats why I like to buy from AG Russell; he stands behind anything he sells ( to the original owenr)

It sounds like the kick was ground off a little too much. You could try either peening the kick or cutting a snug fitting piece of shim stock to fit against the spring where the kick hits to raise the blade edge slightly. It doesn't take much at the kick to raise the edge further out,
 
Don't even attempt to fix it. Send it back either to the dealer, or the factory if necessary. This sort of thing is unacceptable on a $10 knife, let alone a U2.
 
It's kinda like wondering if the light goes off when you shut the refrigerator door, meaning I wonder if I can let the blade drop shut on it's own power or should I ease it down to avoid the edge whacking against the backspring. Only the maker knows if the kick is tall enough to protect the edge yet low enough to prevent the knife tip from protruding from the handle. It's things like that that keep me up at night.
 
I read all these posts about people complaining that their knife isn't sharp NIB, or has a stain on the blade, or doesn't open smoothly and it just doesn't register on my aggravation meter at all anymore. This is on the other hand is seethingly unacceptable. Unfortunately I'll bet lots of owners might not even notice :eek: If the dealer doesn't make it right, I do hope that Fallkniven does.

+1 on buying from A.G. Russell, a class act for sure :thumbup:
 
I'm suprised Fallkniven doesn't have some U.S. based center for warranty work. Fallkniven had been trying for a larger U.S. presence.
 
Send it back to fallkniven, it's unacceptable for a knife of higher quality, the only knife i have noticed this in was my first knife, it was a cheap peice of crap with steel more softer than my 80y/o grandma's bones.
 
It is really stupid to step in and defend a competitor when their customer is pissed at them. That said, I really like a knife to have as much blade as the handle can hold and some times the design causes the problem at hand. If the man carrying the knife likes that feature he will take the trouble to close the blade with care. The other danswer is to sharpen away the edge until it no longer impacts the spring.

Now that I have the services of Phil Gibbs this is not a problem, we have both the wide blade and the unblimished edge in all of our new designs. I like the attitude of those who brought my name into this thread.

I guess I will have to take a look at the Swedish outfit.
 
The blade doesn't have a kick, the bottom of the ricasso area is flush with the edge. Not only that, but it was ground slightly where the kick should be. The blade would need to rise about an 1/8" before the tip clears the handle, so I'm not sure why the grinding was done.

I can close the knife carefully, but the edge would just end up damaged again at some point while the knife sits in my pocket.

Also, this is a highly alloyed stainless at 62 HRC. I like to sharpen, but it would take some work to move the edge up, and I don't like to waste steel either.
 
With all due respect, A.G. Russell, I think that's simply way too much to ask of a customer.

Let's think if it were the opposite problem. Imagine if, when fully closed, the blade tip sat above the handle maybe 1/16" of an inch. Is there anybody around here that would go bragging about how well made said knife was? Even a non knife nut would look at it and say something was wrong. Yet hardheart has no less a significant problem. Sure, fixing it oneself shows a certain amount of pluckiness. But a $50+ knife simply should not suffer from this problem. And Fallkniven needs to know this, if only to be made aware of the situation.
 
fixed it myself, I think. Ground off the edge with a belt sander and resharpened with my bench stones. I snapped the blade shut a few times and gave it a little squeeze while closed. I don't think I'll be ordering from this particular online store of buying any more Fallkniven folders. A few too many options out there to have any concerns about service after the sale.
 
Glad you got it fixed.
Snapping the blade closed can actually cause the spring to retreat under the impact and allow the blade further in to touch metal--don't do it.
If you have to do it then a good sharpen is the best solution (as you found).
To me this is on a par with knives that come less sharp than I want. (Hint--every knife I've ever bought except my Charles May Fire Ant.)
Greg
 
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