Hey Chinook Fans & Owners

SharpBits

SharpBits

Gold Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
5,841
I just got my Chinook today! :cool: But...:( there's a problem. The blade has some up and down play. On closer inspection it looks like there is rough finish work on the back of the blade where it contacts the lock. The lock face shows the same rough finish. There are a lot of tool marks on the blade also. The blade also contacts the liners when closed. Really unlike any other of my ever growing collection of Spydercos. Do other Chinooks have same or similar flaws or is mine the one that slipped by?
I really like my knife despite it's flaws. Can the blade play be adjusted away or do I need to send it back home to Golden? The tool marks don't really bother me as this is a user.

SB (torn between loving this knife :D :D or wanting to send it back :eek: :grumpy:
 
I have a pair of Chinooks (one is soon going bye-bye on a trade for an Ayoob, 'tho...), and both of these Chinooks lock-up very tightly, but there is a very SLIGHT amount of "blade-play" in both. However, this IS normal for this knife, and lockbacks in general. Also, I don't notice the other problems with my pair that you find in yours; The blade on both line-up well, and no rough toolmarks.

Keep the knife, and you'll grow to love it.:).
 
While I am not sure this is normal, my Chinook has the same slight up and down play in the open position.
I'm not too worried at this point because it seems to be non-problematic.
The lock on the Chinook is probably one of the stoutest I've ever encountered in any lockback.
 
Many of my lockbacks have a little bit of up-and-down play: it's sort of the nature of the beast. My Chinook had some play when I first bought it, but that's completely gone now, for several possible reasons. For what it's worth, Sal has stated before that the strongest lockback design is engineered to have some vertical play in it.

The problem with the blade rubbing the liner is hard to solve; there's just not much clearance there. Tightening the pivot joint can help though, as it centers the blade more. (Tightening the pivot joint can also help with up-and-down play for some reason.) You may have to make the Chinook's pivot a bit tighter than on other knives, but I think you should be able to get to a point where you can still open the blade relatively easily, yet it doesn't grind against the liner. Even with a tight pivot though, putting just a small amount of lateral pressure on the blade while opening it can make it contact the liner, at least on my knife.
 
Thanks for the replies!

When I wrote "send it back to Golden" I meant for repair/rework NOT for forever! I love this thing!

I have not tried to adjust the pivot, so I will do so when I get off-line. It may just be enough. Good info on the lock-back design and Sal's input on the design. The lock does seem to be very, very strong. Makes a wicked CLICK when engaged. Sorta a knife version of the 12 gauge slide rack!

Hey Glockman, it's getting real hard to stay ahead of you in the Spydie races! I ordered my Ayoob a few days back and I'm still waiting. Can't figure out why I resisted Spydercos for so long...

BTW, does anyone have the Boye Dent on their Chinooks?

-SB
 
The release notch on the Chinook is small enough that Sal (or James) decided that the Boye Dent was unneccesary. I agree :)

By the way, mine also has a bit of vertical play. I had to lock-tite my pivot because it kept loosening on me. Now it's perfect!
 
Originally posted by SharpBits
...Hey Glockman, it's getting real hard to stay ahead of you in the Spydie races! I ordered my Ayoob a few days back and I'm still waiting. Can't figure out why I resisted Spydercos for so long...

BTW, does anyone have the Boye Dent on their Chinooks?

-SB
Click to expand...

After I receive the (serrated) Ayoob, I think that I'm going to make a pit-stop in this "race", to wait for Spyderco to come-out with a "Lefty" Chinook.:D.

BTW...I don't think that a "Boye dent" on the Chinook would work, since (at least on the pair that I have) the lock has to be pressed-in fairly deeply in-order to un-lock the blade, and the "dent" might prevent this from happening.
 
My Chinook would not be closable if a Boye dent was there. I have to depress the lock almost to the point where it entirely dissapears into the scales before the lock disengages.
I love the idea of the Boye dent on lockbacks but on the Chinook it wouldn't fly. Well, on my sample anyway.;)
 
Sal has said that some vertical play is inherent in the mechanics of the Chinook's lock: it has to have some open tolerances for its size/strength, IIRC.
 
Thanks everyone for their input!

I tightened the pivot on my Chinook and the it greatly reduced the vertical play. It also seemed to align the blade better between the liners, so I'm happy.

On a closer look, you are all correct...The Boye dent is not needed on the Chinook. I just thought that it was put on all new Spydies. I thought I might have gotten old stock.

The Ayoob is the last Spyderco for me until the new Wenger and ATR(?) come out. :D

-SB
 
Yeah, my Chinook has a smidgen of play, but not enough to worry with in my opinion. Worried me at first, then I got to piddlin and saw that its just the design, so I quit worrying and now spend my time trying to destroy it :D I have lotsa work in that vein, its one hefty knife.
 
Mine also has a little bit of vertical play, tightening the knife up eliminated the teeny bit of side-to-side play that existed. I'm relieved to hear it's inherent in the design.
 
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