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Gritty PM2

R

rushane

Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
131
I just about sold my PM2 after getting it and having it open like there was grit in the pivot. I think it was one of those 'this knife is so great, get it, you won't be disappointed' situations where you get the knife and you're totally disappointed. Add to the fact that I picked up a cheap Zancudo for $29 the same week that is a great knife.

I took apart the PM2 and cleaned out the pivot and bushings. Put it back together and no change. Still gritty.

I stripped it down again determined to find what the issue was. I inspected everything in the pivot and didn't see anything that jumped out at me. I then looked at the detent ball and ran my finger over it. Grit and drag. Now, I couldn't get a close enough look to see if the ball rotates in a socket or if it acts as a slide. So, I don't know if it wasn't rotating, or if it just had some grit stuck to it. Either way, I worked my fingernail over it like you would on a stuck ball point pen. I felt something give, and it was suddenly smooth. Put it all back together and bam! I suddenly start to understand why people like the knife so much.

So I'm going to carry it for a week and make a choice after that. It really is super smooth now and feels like what I expected from a $100.
 
Sorry to hear you aren't happy with it. Maybe you can find something else thwt will be more to your liking. Sounds like you already have it seems. A lot of people think knives are made and assembled in super sterile environments by technicians in HazMat suits. The reality is that they are made in metal work shops, the complete opposite of sterile. On a $100 knife though it's really not a big deal to have some grit, it can be remedied as you found out (if you know where to look and what to clean). On a $1K custom, that is a different matter.
 
RevDevil said:
Sorry to hear you aren't happy with it. Maybe you can find something else thwt will be more to your liking. Sounds like you already have it seems. A lot of people think knives are made and assembled in super sterile environments by technicians in HazMat suits. The reality is that they are made in metal work shops, the complete opposite of sterile. On a $100 knife though it's really not a big deal to have some grit, it can be remedied as you found out (if you know where to look and what to clean). On a $1K custom, that is a different matter.
Click to expand...

I get the point you're making, but I'd argue the knife should function as the company intended out of the box regardless if the knife is $29 or $100, HazMat suit not included!

Maybe I came across wrong, as I feel like I've offended you. I'll try again and be less wordy: if you have an issue with drag and grit on your PM2, check the detent ball. That's all I wanted to say.

The way you write, you make me feel like I kicked your dog.
 
My first PM2 had this issue. I disassembled it, cleaned it, then flitzed it like a mad man. Make sure the detent and ball don't have any burs or dirt on/in them either. This fixed mine 100%.

Or you could always send it to Spyderco? Also, I recommend CLP if you're not eating food with the knife.
 
RevDevil said:
On a $100 knife though it's really not a big deal to have some grit, it can be remedied as you found out (if you know where to look and what to clean). On a $1K custom, that is a different matter.
Click to expand...

I know what you're saying, but I think anything north of $75ish should be smooth. Heck, my Endura and Delica are buttery smooth, and they're very affordable. In fact, they came smoother than my PM2 did, but as I mentioned, some elbow grease made said PM2 like class.
 
My S90V Para 2 was gritty like that. I washed that thing is some very hot soapy water (Dawn dish soap), letting it soak for over an hour while changing the water a couple times. I worked the pivot and it released a lot of small gunk. After it was dried out it was notably smoother, and a small dab of oil get it as close to perfect as I could ask for. I've seen a couple pictures of Para2 with pinched washers, that was one contributing factor to the rough feeling action.
 
Your reaction to the PM2 is pretty much the same as my reaction when a several million dollar item of industrial equipment goes on line and spits out grinder dust, fabrication debris, and welding slag for the first month or so of operation. My instinct is to pick up the phone and scream, but the hardware gets made in a factory and it would cost a lot more if we insisted that the manufacturing happen under grit and debris free conditions. Grit in the equipment is harder to accept when you run across a vendor that keeps things tidier and you wish that every article was delivered in a similar condition. I'm trying to learn to accept spotless hardware as a gift rather than a right.
That said a knife is a whole lot easier to clean than a three story distillation tower!
 
Back in the early 1990's my Dad's friend bought a new Ferrari F40 and brought it by my parents house. I came over to see it, and got to drive it. Talk about quality control. The floors in the drivers and passenger area were carbon fiber and had green glue/adhesive on the joints and looked like a child applied it. The dash was covered in what looked like microfiber cloth and had a bubble in it where it was not glued down correctly. There were tool scuffs etc on the engine and exhaust.

It was very hand made looking.......and not in a good way. Ferrari sent a tech to fix the dash, but that was all they would do. Basically, not much is perfect.
 
Fancier said:
Your reaction to the PM2 is pretty much the same as my reaction when a several million dollar item of industrial equipment goes on line and spits out grinder dust, fabrication debris, and welding slag for the first month or so of operation. My instinct is to pick up the phone and scream, but the hardware gets made in a factory and it would cost a lot more if we insisted that the manufacturing happen under grit and debris free conditions. Grit in the equipment is harder to accept when you run across a vendor that keeps things tidier and you wish that every article was delivered in a similar condition. I'm trying to learn to accept spotless hardware as a gift rather than a right.
That said a knife is a whole lot easier to clean than a three story distillation tower!
Click to expand...

No, there is a difference. I never felt like picking up the phone and screaming at Spyderco, nor did I come to the forum and say what a crappy company they are. I was merely a bit put-off that a $100 knife felt the way it did, tried to fix it myself, eventually did fix it myself, then told others how I fixed it so that they too could do the same if needed. Please understand that at no time was I kicking or screaming or making regrettable phone calls.

Way off topic at this point, but a good conversation to have anyways as long as we all agree to remain civil. First off, do note that I really like Spyderco and that I'm currently trying to get them into use with my unit here at work, precisely because I do like them so much. I don't think that changes my opinion though. So, let's have the conversation and be civil!

The industrial equipment you mentioned, I would say that at the million dollar level price tag, I'd expect it to not have welding slag in it. But, not knowing the particulars and maybe that's fine and normal, maybe that's acceptable. But for seven figures plus? Maybe they need more expertise in their manufacturing process.

I have purchased a truck that was built in a manufacturing plant of course, not a laboratory, and I did expect it to function properly. It lived up to my expectations, and I wasn't shocked at all. Vehicle functions as advertised. Awesome.

My PM2 is my highest end knife per MSRP. I had heard so much about the quality of Spyderco (I have owned two other Spydies but only for a short period of time), I think I expected too much with the responses I've got here, as I'm starting to understand that this is normal and expected with Spyderco. When the PM2 came out of the box and felt terrible, I was just kind of upset with how much money I had spent. Never went off and started kicking things or making phone calls, more of a "huh, well this sucks".

But! Maybe I do expect to much. I don't think I do, but if it's this widely acceptable, then I'm likely the outlier.

I'll be honest though: off the top of my head, I can't think of anything else I own that I have to take apart immediately after purchasing to fix and make acceptable, or return to the manufacturer so that they can do it. Down the line after some significant usage, sure that's understandable. But immediately after delivery?
 
No hard feelings, I'm not out to create any problems. Your cleanliness issue resonated with some of my professional frustrations. Perhaps I shared too much. ;)
I'm glad that you cleaned your knife and are now happy with it. I'm sorry that you took it apart to clean it since that encourages others to do the same.
Perhaps we need to sticky a post that says "If your knife is gritty wash it, dry it, and lube it. If that doesn't work please seek the assistance of the distributor or the factory. If you feel obligated to take your knife apart to clean it you proceed at your own risk." I think that covers the topic pretty nicely. It always seems to have done so in the past. :thumbup:
 
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