help me with my para 2

T

Talley1013

Joined
Oct 15, 2010
Messages
414
Hey guys. This is my first spyderco post. I have recently fallen in love with spyderco and especially the paramilitary 2. I have owned a few spyderco knives in the past but didn't really appreciate them until I got a sage 1 and a para 2. In fact the para 2 is my current favorite folder and in my opinion just about as close to perfect as a knife can be.

The other day I ordered a black para 2 to go along with my digicam version. The action on the black one isn't nearly as smooth as the digicam. My digicam opens and closes sooooo smoothly and when the lock engages it slams home with a very loud and authoritative "thwack". The black para feels gritty when opening and when the lock engages it doesn't slam home the same way as the other one. When opening/closing it sort of feels like the detent ball is pressing too hard on the tang. I have drenched it with benchmade blue lube and adjusted the pivot but it doesn't help. Although this in no way effects the function of the knife I just like the silky smooth action of my digicam para.

I contacted spyderco and they told me to send it in for evaluation which is what I expected. Is there anything I can do to fix this problem myself? Is this a common problem with the para 2? Have any of you guys had this problem? If you sent it in did it come back smooth as silk? I would prefer to fix the problem myself if at all possible but am willing to send it in if I can be sure that it will come back like my digicam version. This will be my first experience with sending a spyderco in for repair so I dont really know what to expect.

Thanks for the help guys
ET
 
If it was me I'd send it in,they'll fix it right and you wont void the warranty by accidently messing it up.:)
 
Before you go sending it in, have you tried to adjust the tension on the pivot?
 
I tried to adjust the pivot. loosening the pivot doesn't help. It only gives the blade pretty nasty side to side play
 
One of my two PM2's came perfect and the other needed some adjustment before it would perform almost as well as the perfect one.

You could try adjusting the Pivot again but this time in conjunction with also adjusting the two stop pin screws. I find that getting all 4 of those screws in the right balance of adjustment usually makes a huge difference in how the action feels and performs. Even the sound of the lock engaging changed on one of mine when I got the adjustment just right. I would loosen all four screws slightly, then tighten the 2 stop pin screws firmly but not overly tight. Do the same with Pivot screws and see how it feels. Then start playing with the fine adjustment of each of those screws and see if you can get it just right. If you get it right, the blade should also end up very well centered.

Also, don't forget to lube the pivot on both sides with some good lube like Miltec or Tuf-Glide. And finally, try cleaning all the exposed parts you can get at with a Q-tip. I found doing that along with the lube really helped make the action even smoother (after I had it very well adjusted as described above).
 
Last edited:
Well, I didn't find mine had a very "smooth" opening at first but pretty quickly (2-3 weeks playing with it / EDC), it became almost as smooth as my D2 Para1...maybe just give it some time to break in?
 
My Para 2 CF/S90V is just like the one you described. I've tried everything I can think of to adjust it, but nothing works. I think the cause is the tension of the lock bar. It's pushing down on the blade too hard which causes the detent to be extremely strong and the action to be rough. Also, in my case, the lock is very sticky as well.
 
From your description, it's probably nothing that has to be fixed. I've found variations in just about all production models. To me, it sounds like it just needs a break in period. I would lube it (as you have), carry it, and play with the action for a few weeks. My P2 was something like you described, but has smoothed nicely over time.
 
Try loosening both the stop pin screws almost all the way out and EQUALLY tighten them one at a time going from side to side until tight. Made a world of difference in the action on one of my para 2s. I hope this helps. Mine was kinda "stiff" and this helped it out a bunch. I mean yours might just need to be broken in but it might not. Try this stop pin trick it jus might help.
 
Take it outside and clean it out with a generous blast of WD40. Cycle it about 20 times, it should start smoothing out. Take it inside and pull the pivot screw that rotates the easiest, add some blue locktite and reassemble. If this doesn't fix it, strip it all down, it sounds like you've got some dust or gunk in your action.

I've got a black/black Para 2 that had some grit early on but has cleaned out and smoothed out perfectly.
 
mongatu said:
One of my two PM2's came perfect and the other needed some adjustment before it would perform almost as well as the perfect one.

You could try adjusting the Pivot again but this time in conjunction with also adjusting the two stop pin screws. I find that getting all 4 of those screws in the right balance of adjustment usually makes a huge difference in how the action feels and performs. Even the sound of the lock engaging changed on one of mine when I got the adjustment just right. I would loosen all four screws slightly, then tighten the 2 stop pin screws firmly but not overly tight. Do the same with Pivot screws and see how it feels. Then start playing with the fine adjustment of each of those screws and see if you can get it just right. If you get it right, the blade should also end up very well centered.

Also, don't forget to lube the pivot on both sides with some good lube like Miltec or Tuf-Glide. And finally, try cleaning all the exposed parts you can get at with a Q-tip. I found doing that along with the lube really helped make the action even smoother (after I had it very well adjusted as described above).
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did with mine, and now it's perfect.
Lenny
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top