Got a new Para2. Some thoughts, but overall happy.

Seanifred

Seanifred

Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
627
Hey Sydercommunity

Recently got my hands on a CF/S90V Para 2 in a partial trade. And, since I got the M390 Para 2, I can't help but compare the two.

The M390 knife came as perfect as I would expect a production knife to come:
centered
no blade play
good smooth lock engagement/disengagement
sharp
etc.

the only complaint I have about it is that the grind was a little bit off, so the tip was not nearly as sharp as the belly portion of the blade. but thats no biggie.

That sort of raised my hopes for the s90v blade, so while it is an awesome blade, i only had one concern. I do like the knife though:
blade was perfect centered
no blade play
CF was not as grippy as the G10, but that I think is a good thing
blade swings freely, good thing
sharp as anything

the only thing, the lock sticks.
NOW, i am NOT looking to make you guys angry because YES i did a search on how to get rid of the stickiness.

None of it worked, so i figured I would let it work itself in: mate the liner to the tang.
I figure this should take a little longer since it is steel on steel and no titanium.
My fingers hurt but I think it will get there with time.

All things considered, I guess I prefer a lock that stick than a lock that is slippery.

Again, I DID do a search for remedies and tried all that I found, So i think the ultimate answer is to use it or get used to it.

Awesome knife though, it may have just ended my search for the perfect edc. (should I be happy or sad about that?) haha
 
If all else fails with the sticky lock, take it apart and use one of the sharpmaker stones to smooth out and deburr the lock bar. Go light and easy and test it frequently so that you don't overdo anything.
 
is this something that spyderco cs would take care of? i am not interested in voiding my warranty
 
I wouldn't tweak the lock interface with anything. One you remove the metal, you can't add it. Yes it would totally void the warranty and potentially ruin the knife. You can try to send it into Spyderco, it may or may not be "within spec". If it is, then you just have to break it in.
 
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I've done the graphite trick and it helped a little. but i think that would also prolong natural break in. we'll just see how it pans out. overall, i am happy with the knife.
 
Seanifred said:
I've done the graphite trick and it helped a little. but i think that would also prolong natural break in. we'll just see how it pans out. overall, i am happy with the knife.
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Both of mine (S90V) were a little sticky, but nothing that would merit the use of pliers or anything. The blue M390 variant is much easier to release than any previous versions though. Overall, it is a great knife.
 
+1 ^10 :rolleyes:

RevDevil said:
I wouldn't tweak the lock interfact with anything. One you remove the metal, you can't add it. Yes it would totally void the warranty and potentially ruin the knife. You can try to send it into Spyderco, it may or may not be "within spec". If it is, then you just have to break it in.
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RevDevil said:
Both of mine (S90V) were a little sticky, but nothing that would merit the use of pliers or anything. The blue M390 variant is much easier to release than any previous versions though. Overall, it is a great knife.
Click to expand...

i agree 100%

my finger is a bit sore from playing around with the knife for a day or two. But I can already kind of feel it getting better (might be just in my head). But yes, the m390 knife swings closed.

I love both, and am happy with both.
 
I've now got quite a few P2s. I have to say that the ones that are sticky (and not all of them are) don't seem to be getting any less sticky. I did manage to improve a couple of them by disassembling them (warranty warning) and putting them back together paying a lot of attention to how tight the pivot and stop pin screws were. Overall, the knife is just so good that I long ago stopped worrying about it, though. :)

One small mystery is why none of my P1s stick...
 
I use Lucas Assembly Lube on my knives' pivots. I just got the M390 Para and noticed a slightly sticky lock so I took a cotton-swab and put some Lube on it and swabbed the lock-bar-side of the stop-pin and the inside of the lock-bar opening in the tang. It's about 95% better (still slight stick when I really open it hard, but I don't do that except in testing to see if it would stick).
 
is it true than any lubrication of the interface will slow breakin time? it is not super uncomfortable, but i do not like the clicking.

i have gotten an email back from spyderco. they say to send it in. i would like that to be a last option as i am not a fan of the 2-3 week turnaround.
 
In theory, yes, it would slow any break-in. OTOH, I haven't found that the stickiness goes away or even improves much with use. I have a much-cycled S90V sprint that is as sticky as the day I got it when they first shipped (and that one has not responded to tweaking screw tension, either). As I said, the P2 is good enough that I just put up with it - it's an inconvenience rather than a problem. However, you could easily feel differently.

Seanifred said:
is it true than any lubrication of the interface will slow breakin time? it is not super uncomfortable, but i do not like the clicking.

i have gotten an email back from spyderco. they say to send it in. i would like that to be a last option as i am not a fan of the 2-3 week turnaround.
Click to expand...
 
yeah, i don't know if its getting better or if my index finger is getting stronger, but it doesn't bother me much. it was just so much different from the m390 knife, so it surprised me. and, like i said before, id rather the lock stick a little than be slippery and disengage (even though I'm fairly sure that would never happen). it is a fantastic knife, and the clicking kind of gives it a little character when in use i think.
 
A couple of my Para's came with sticky locks including the CF version. After a while they got better and are now perfect. I'd agree with everyone that said to leave it alone and especially not to take it apart. Just keep on clicking it shut and it will smooth out.

Congratulations on owning both. They're special knives and I personally feel fortunate to have them as well.
 
Seanifred said:
yeah, i don't know if its getting better or if my index finger is getting stronger, but it doesn't bother me much. it was just so much different from the m390 knife, so it surprised me. and, like i said before, id rather the lock stick a little than be slippery and disengage (even though I'm fairly sure that would never happen). it is a fantastic knife, and the clicking kind of gives it a little character when in use i think.
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The cool thing about the compression lock is that its design lends itself to not failing just because of slick surfaces (as long as it's engaging as far as the lock-bar is thick or more). It's like TriAd or Axis lock in that it puts a solid piece of steel in between the blade-tang and a solid part of the back of the liners/frame (as opposed to liner/frame locks that rely on the surface of the lock-bar against the tang alone to stop it from closing).
 
Mine is smooth and no lock sticking but it has developed some side-to-side blade play. Still a nice knife and it does see a lot of use.
 
Every Para2 that I have ever handled has had a sticky lock. You are not alone.

No it's not a big deal. It let's you know that it's locked up tight.

:)
 
This is just the way it should be IMO. If the locking liner digs in so hard between the tang and the stop pin that it clicks when you disengage the lock (if this is the kind of issue you're talking about), that only reassures me that the lock is secure. Mine "clicks" too, but I don't have any problems closing the knife. Worse would be if it disengages so easily that it feels like it would fail under negative pressure.
 
I don't want to sound like a fanboy, but I like that the lock is just a bit sticky. I don't mind putting a little bit of effort into unlocking it when I know the benefit is that it's highly unlikely to unlock itself while I'm using it.
 
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