Lockback Wiggle

S

stoffi

Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
967
Hi,

I like all of my Spydercos, but all of them are lockbacks and the wiggle back and forth (not sideways) drives me nuts. Liner locks don't wiggle as much. Some of my Spydies wiggle more than others, but they all wiggle more and more over time. The more I carve wood or otherwise subject them to moderate resistance, the worse it gets.

Question: is there a way to fix the wiggle or "give" which these lockbacks inherently have? What do you guys do?
 
SOL comes to mind.

I suppose a new lockback could be fitted, or you could add some material to the lockback and fit it.

Maybe one of the rebuild kits is available?
 
I mean that my:

*Police ATS-55 wiggled a bit
*Police Stainless wiggled a lot
*Police3 wiggles very little, but wiggles nonetheless
*Lava actually does not wiggle at all
*Manix wiggles a lot
*Cricket, which is liner locked doesn't wiggle at all
*Caly Jr. VG-10 wiggles like Beyonce
*Caly Jr. ZDP-189 wiggles very little

I haven't used them very much at all, so I'm beginning to think that lockbacks inherently have a bit of wiggle, depending of the fit. So, what do you guys do specifically to fix this?
 
Some amount of wiggle is inherit based on the design in general. Are the knives new from a reputable dealer? I'm sure someone will chime in soon with some detailed info.
 
I don't understand why so many seem to accept blade play in lockbacks. Blade play is not acceptable no matter what the locking mechanism. Stoffi, I don't know how to fix the problem you have, perhaps sending them for warranty repair? Buying from reputable dealers and returning defective knives are good steps to avoid future problems.
 
stoffi said:
...

I haven't used them very much at all, so I'm beginning to think that lockbacks inherently have a bit of wiggle, depending of the fit. So, what do you guys do specifically to fix this?
Click to expand...

Well, Sal has mentioned some very small amount of "wiggle" is common with lockbacks and from my experience it is so. Personally, I avoid lockbacks for this and other reasons.

However, if the "wiggle" is too much, send the knife back to the maker to fix it.

BTW - Nice collection there.
 
well, my one lockback (a delica 4) locks up very nicely. it *could* have some wiggle, but you would have to tug the hell out of the blade to feel it. in any acceptable amount of examination it is perfectly fine, and I cant feel anything when its being used
 
My delica is rock solid, my fresh out of the box endura has 1-1.5mm of wiggle, G-10 endura I had even after factory replacement had around 2mm of wiggle, 440v native that has been well used has 3+mm of wiggle and will fail under stress.

I was told by sal that because of the expense it would not be practical to custom fitting each lock. the cost of every lockback would probably double.

It would still be nice to have a understanding of how to fit a lockback though, so adjustments could be made if possible.
 
orthogonal1 said:
Well, Sal has mentioned some very small amount of "wiggle" is common with lockbacks and from my experience it is so. Personally, I avoid lockbacks for this and other reasons.

However, if the "wiggle" is too much, send the knife back to the maker to fix it.

BTW - Nice collection there.
Click to expand...

It seems like a Spyderco thing.
There are other brands without the wiggle and not all Spydercos wiggle.
 
Hmm... yeah, as I suspected. Thanks guys. However, I'm not going to send them back. I knew what I was getting myself into when I bought them. I was just wondering if there was a good solution, i.e. a modification (applying spacer or whatnot) that could be done.
 
You really shouldn't have lots of play. I have seen that in some cheaper knives, but my Spydercos are tight. Perhaps in cheaper knives - you might expect this.
I would use a good knife lubricant in the mechanism - and I would not use a lockback for carving. I'd get a set of carving knives or make my own - any lock mechanism is going to suffer if you use it hard.
I had a Queen that was not tight and sent it back to the manufacturer. They fixed it, but it took some time.
 
Cisco and Arty, unfortunately, Spyderco has stated that up/down wiggle in lockbacks is acceptable and not covered by warranty. This is not the case for other manufacturers. If you hand pick a spyderco lockback, you can readily find them tight and they will stay that way until the lock wears. If you buy on-line from a legitimate dealer, most have a satisfaction guarenteed policy and will replace it with one that has no wiggle.
 
Yes, a tiny amount of wiggle seems to be the norm based on my experience. I have no problem with it. If you don't like it, you should avoid lockbacks.
 
with a $70 dollar knife a little wiggle is going to be there,sometimes you can trade and get some that lock up tight,so there it is,for a knife with 0 play the sebbs is on top but look at the price tag,i have several mills,and 1 para that lock up tight and they are not leaving my nest.............
 
I'm not sure if you are talking about vertical or horizontal? I think the OP is talking about vertical and maybe some others about horizontal? Most of mine I can feel a very slight movement but don't actually see any movement in the blade. I can't imagine having 2-3 mm of play. Is that vertical and at the tip of the knife, knifenut?

I don't think a small amount of vertical play is a big deal, especially when the head honcho at Spyderco says it is normal. I know if it effected lockup and there was even a small chance of failure he wouldn't be putting them on the street.

I have never been able to tell a knife has blade play, vertical or horizontal, when actually using it. The only way I know is by wiggling the blade with my fingers. If I can't feel it when I use it then it is ok with me. It sounds like the people who say any play is unacceptable need to stick to custom makers, and even then I bet quite a few have some type of play.

When you have a pivot that has to move and rotate, then you have to expect to find the type of movement you don't want also. I would say you are pretty lucky not to have any blade play in a knife that is easy to open.
 
What I meant by "wiggle" was in the lockback mechanism, i.e. that wiggle goes edge to spine, not sideways. For instance, if I'm cutting some rope, right before the knives start cutting, the blade gives a little. I hate it when folders do that. I use mostly fixed blade knives because of that phenomenon. The more I subject my lockback folders to rope-cutting or whittling/carving, the more they wiggle back and forth (in the direction of the cut).
 
Most of my lock backs have a tiny bit of movement. Looking at the ones I have handy, Delica 4, Endura 4, Kiwi, Salt 1, and Native FRN. They all have perceptible movement up and down. The Delica is the worst with about 0.3mm of movement and the Endura has slightly less with 0.2mm. The rest are to small to be measurable by hand.

The Delica has seen the most amount of use so that makes sense. The rest are fairly new. Overall, I'd say that's pretty good.
 
Last edited:
I have the wiggle you are talking about in my paramilitary and it bugs me. It is like the compression lock has some movement when the blade is moved toward the front of the handle. I don't think the lock would fail but it does bother me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top