Is my Etched Dragonfly 'normal'?

V

VigilantGuardian

Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Messages
53
Hello all,

I just received my new Etched Dragonfly in the mail from New Graham yesterday. The knife looks beautiful and I am very happy with the etching on the handle. (I really like the solid feel of Stainless Steel handles, but the slipperiness and fingerprints drive me crazy.) I ended up with one of the collector club knives... number 085V. The knife was NIB although I must mention that the blade was smudged up and the knife didn't have the plastic sleeve on it that all the other Spydercos I've ever purchased have been in.

My only real complaint is that the pivot seems excessively tight. Ideally, I like my knives to open smoothly with a reassuring 'click' when they lock. The Dragonfly I just received kind of 'drags' as it is opened. It doesn't feel grainy, but just too tight. It is tight enough that the lock spring doesn't take over closing until the blade is within maybe half of a centimeter from fully closed. In contrast, my Pearl & Abalone Kiwi closes itself when the tip is within about 2 1/2 inches from its final (closed) resting place.

My questions are:

-Have the collector's club members noticed the same thing with their Etched Dragonflys, or is my knife defective (for lack of a better word):confused:

-If this is a common/normal trait for the Etched Dragonflys, what suggestions might you have for achieving a smoother action?

Thanks,

Philip :)
 
I've heard similar comments about some of the newer D'flys. Several folks have mentioned them being a little tight. And I had a similar thing with a new Navigator 2 that I recently bought. The best solution I've found for loosening them up is repeated opening and closing. This "polishes" the metal parts that are in contact with each other and before too long you'll have a smooth operator.
 
The old SS Dragonflies were tight, too. I've owned two.
Just gave my girlfriend an etched D'fly yesterday, and it also requires a lot more force to open than any other models I've owned, including SS handled ones. Opening is smooth, and I have no complaints, but "tight" is indeed normal in my experience.
 
I have a CC# model. Seems normal in my case. Impossible to judge yours over the net. One possible explanation is you are used to any form of liner lock. Such locks will feel "less tight" or "more smooth" than a brand new back lock.

Spray WD-40 in the pivot. Work it in for a few minutes by opening and closing knife. Then wash with hot water and liquid soap, along with an old tooth brush to scrub. Afterwards dry with hair dryer, or canned air (assuming you don't have a motorized air pump). Then lube with lube of choice. Work in new lube, by again opening and closing. Feel free to watch the boob tube for a bit while doing this. It should feel much better after that spa treatment. Backlocks often come "stiffer" than liner locks.
 
Hey Guys,

I just got back to my computer after being away for the weekend... Thanks for all of your responses. I figured I would probably just have to use it for a while to smooth out the action.

The only Spydercos I've owned have all been back-locks, not counting my Firebyrd. It sounds like it has been fairly common for the SS D'flys to be quite stiff. Overall I am very pleased with the knife. When I purchased it, I planned on using it as a money and ID clip for when I don't feel like carrying a wallet. It has served its purpose well so far.

I was originally planning on buying the latest version of the S30V Military. I had about $120.00 to spend and I wanted to try out G10 and a liner lock, but I instead decided to go with the Etched D'fly and a 204 Sharpmaker.

I figured that it was silly to continue buying new knives without a method for sharpening them. I have owned a Lansky sharpening system for years but didn't want to use it on any of my longer blades.

Anyway, thanks again for your responses...

~Philip~
 
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