manix 2 ball replacement

S

savagelh

Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
196
I'm seriously considering the manix 2 for my next purchase. Just wondering if anyone has ever replaced the ball lock with something else like a cnc machined piece or anything. The only thing I don't like about the knife is the clear plastic/polymer ball. I could live with it but I'd like to see it rplaced with something a little more esthetically pleasing.
 
The ball is steel in a plastic holder. the ball is the critical part of the lock against the blade, you could change the lock to a 1 piece design in metal I suppose, but I doubt it would work as smoothly. The plastic holder would not be a simple part to reproduce exactly in metal, but perhaps if you had access to a 3D printer that could work in metal, and a good 3D scanner...
 
I imagine that that little piece of plastic would be quite troublesome to replace. I don't see why you'd need to replace it, anyway - it doesn't seem to be a load bearing part as the steel ball bearing is what contacts the blade and the handle, and it's not uncomfortable or obtrusive at all as far as I can tell. :confused:
 
The polymer cage is self lubricating. If you change it to metal, you'd add drag. The ball rotates, spreading wear over it's entire surface. Turning the ball and cage into a single unit would eliminate that benefit. Either way, you increase weight, which makes the lock easier to bounce. In short, no benefits, aside from Luddite appeal.

Paul
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My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
I also think that unless you are prepared to get the dimensions very exactly correct down to very small tolerances, you'd have potentially very serious safety issues...as in, questionable lockup.

Dorito Monk said:
I imagine that that little piece of plastic would be quite troublesome to replace. I don't see why you'd need to replace it, anyway - it doesn't seem to be a load bearing part as the steel ball bearing is what contacts the blade and the handle, and it's not uncomfortable or obtrusive at all as far as I can tell. :confused:
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I don't know if you've seen the Manix 2 in real life, but I found the plastic cage to be much less objectionable than in pictures. Originally, I had thought it was going to be an eyesore. After actually owning one, however, I ended up liking the plastic cage. It feels great and doesn't look cheap like it does in pictures. You may end up finding that it isn't half as bad as you thought.
 
Would it be possible to remove the plastic cage and just have the exposed ball like on the Dodo?
 
I still can't understand why some don't trust Spyderco on the design of the caged ball lock.

I can attest that the design is good having owned and/or own as many as 8 Manix2's.

It works and it works well.
 
the plastic is not so bad, looks better in person and its hard as a rock you would not guess it to be plastic if it wasnt clear, still not a locking system i will personaly buy agin.
 
It would be wiser to leave the knife as is. I'll agree that it would tempting to have a Ti cage rather than a polymer, but.... If and Until Eric and Sal decide to change it to that, it's going to be fine the way it is.
 
RevDevil said:
It would be wiser to leave the knife as is. I'll agree that it would tempting to have a Ti cage rather than a polymer, but.... If and Until Eric and Sal decide to change it to that, it's going to be fine the way it is.
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Agree - and using metal would probably double the cost of the knife...with polymer, they make the mold once and they're done. With a metal part, you have to make the part every time, and it's not a simple part, and I suspect it is very tolerance-sensitive.
 
J.Mattson said:
I disagree, the caged lock is IMO much easier to use then its predecessor.
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+1. The D'Allara was a great knife (if a bit wide in the pocket) but suffered from the need to dig my thumbnail into the ball to release the lock.
 
the first ball bearing lock is quite a pain to operate. i'm thinking about getting a pair of custom scales for my dodo and have the ball's opening machined larger, i can't get my (large calused) fingers inside this thing, i have to press them very hard to conform the hole. very annoying especialy on such a nice design.
 
I guess you could take the ball lock out, add another washer, tighten the pivot real tight and use it for a friction folder.

Removing the cage leaves the ball too small to reach, or even to stay in the knife. Making the ball larger results in a wider knife when closed, one of the most common complaints on the D'Allara. Replacing the injection molded high-tech polymer carrier with a precision machined metal replacement would probably cost as much as the knife to get a piece machined to the necessary tolerances.

Sal, Eric and the rest of the engineering crew spent a couple of years working out the lock as it exists. I'd be willing to bet there is a good reason for every dimension, contour and material in it.
 
yablanowitz said:
Sal, Eric and the rest of the engineering crew spent a couple of years working out the lock as it exists. I'd be willing to bet there is a good reason for every dimension, contour and material in it.
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True. Have to wonder though, if the choice of clear was a wise one. A large part of me thinks there'd be a lot less forum angst and material snobbery if it were sliver grey, or black so that it wasn't as obvious it's not metal.

Paul
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My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
The Deacon said:
True. Have to wonder though, if the choice of clear was a wise one. A large part of me thinks there'd be a lot less forum angst and material snobbery if it were sliver grey, or black so that it wasn't as obvious it's not metal.

Paul


I totally agree Paul.
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