One problem I had with many Bucklites is after a lot of use they don't snap shut on their own so well. I wasn't sure if the spring got weaker or maybe the plastic handle got rough or what.
I got an old 426 from ebay recently and it was especially bad. I could pull the blade out almost 3/4" without it closing on its own. I cleaned it various ways (hot water, soaps, alcohol) even though the knife did not appear dirty at all, and did not stick towards the opened position, and oiled it with no effect. I noticed the handle was kind of squeezed together like it warped inward over time. A 444 I have used a lot, which also has weak closing, also had squeezed-in handles, though harder to see than the 426. I suspected the handle was squeezing the blade just enough to keep the blade stationary during the last, and weakest, part of closing.
I could temporarily fix it by jamming some dimes into the handle for several minutes, running hot water on it, then removing them. Then it would snap closed and the blade didn't stick at all. But it only took about 30 seconds for the handle to return to its former state. I finally did a permanent fix by jamming the dimes back in and dunking the handle in boiling water. 100 degrees is only about half of the melting point for most thermoplastics, but apparently enough to make it flexible under pressure.
I have not seen this problem with Gerber or Spyderco knives. Perhaps the glass-filled plastic prevents it?
I got an old 426 from ebay recently and it was especially bad. I could pull the blade out almost 3/4" without it closing on its own. I cleaned it various ways (hot water, soaps, alcohol) even though the knife did not appear dirty at all, and did not stick towards the opened position, and oiled it with no effect. I noticed the handle was kind of squeezed together like it warped inward over time. A 444 I have used a lot, which also has weak closing, also had squeezed-in handles, though harder to see than the 426. I suspected the handle was squeezing the blade just enough to keep the blade stationary during the last, and weakest, part of closing.
I could temporarily fix it by jamming some dimes into the handle for several minutes, running hot water on it, then removing them. Then it would snap closed and the blade didn't stick at all. But it only took about 30 seconds for the handle to return to its former state. I finally did a permanent fix by jamming the dimes back in and dunking the handle in boiling water. 100 degrees is only about half of the melting point for most thermoplastics, but apparently enough to make it flexible under pressure.
I have not seen this problem with Gerber or Spyderco knives. Perhaps the glass-filled plastic prevents it?
