No washers in Caly 3 cf?

S

SuzukiGS750EZ

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Dec 30, 2008
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So, i just got my caly3 carbon fiber today and it was rough. Took it apart, cleaned the lock, blade and inside. Realized, theres no washers! Why? I had to tighten the pivot up pretty tight to get no side to side play in the blade. Threw a drop of oil down in there and sharpened it up, it's mint now, kind of. I think things need to wear together, it's still roughish and not as smooth as my other knives.
 
Do you see any issues with this? I tightened the pivot bolt until no side to side play was felt. I can flick it open and if i depress the lock i can give a slight flick of my wrist to get the blade to move a little to close it. It stops wherever my finger is.
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
So, i just got my caly3 carbon fiber today and it was rough. Took it apart, cleaned the lock, blade and inside. Realized, theres no washers! Why? I had to tighten the pivot up pretty tight to get no side to side play in the blade. Threw a drop of oil down in there and sharpened it up, it's mint now, kind of. I think things need to wear together, it's still roughish and not as smooth as my other knives.
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One of these ?........

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The pinned construction on this knife makes it rather tough to take appart with
out having to re-pin it or change it over to screws when you put it back together.

.
 

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Lockbacks can be stiff when you first get them, and they "break in." I don't know how to rate "flickability" because I don't do that.
 
No washers means much tighter tolerances, and less chance of blade play.:thumbup:
I wish more knives were made that way.
 
Nice pics, Haze!

Yes, the CF Caly is a precision machined frame on tang design. With a little use you should find it one of the smoothest knives you own.
 
Joshua J. said:
No washers means much tighter tolerances, and less chance of blade play.:thumbup:
I wish more knives were made that way.
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:thumbup: I was skeptical at first, but after a couple of years of carry & use, I can say that I like this design just fine. I've taken the blade out of my Caly 3 a couple of times to check it and there was nothing but a little leftover lube from the last session in the pivot. And that's not slicing open envelopes in an office.... it's EDC carry that includes hiking & camping trips and yard work around the house.
 
As has been noted, it seems to work well. Also, in the case of the Caly 3, it makes reinstalling the blade easier if you remove it for cleaning. I suspect other Moki built Spydercos which have steel liners or steel handles use the same "washerless" construction.

Paul
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My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
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I must disagree with the previous posts on this. I have one of these Caly 3 CFs and I must say it has the worst action among all my Spydercos. I was not aware it did not have washers, but that could explain it. I am pretty sure the Native CF has washers but I am away from home right now so I cannot check... It is definitely smoother, though.
 
LorenzoL said:
I must disagree with the previous posts on this. I have one of these Caly 3 CFs and I must say it has the worst action among all my Spydercos.
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+1

I love Spydies, but after owning the the Caly 3, Native, and Stretch, in CF, I won't buy another CF model. The actions weren't smooth. The liners were sharp to my hand, and there were gaps between the liners and backsspacer. The no-washer design also wears an arc in the blade near the pivot.
 
I purchased one new and it was flawless. One of my favorite Spyderco's by far. Smooth action, no blade play, good to go. Perhaps you just got one that slipped by QC.
 
I like the shape, size, and weight of the Caly3, and especially the fact that the blade is narrower than the Sage's. But, like others have said, the action is very tight. My original enthusiasm for this knife has waned significantly due to the scratches that seem to appear so easily on the outer softer layers of the laminated blade, but especially on the scratched tang, which has become an eyesore.

I still think that the shape and size of this knife make it a great EDC, but perhaps the G-10 version is a better choice than the CF with laminated zdp-189...
 
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lava_lamp said:
+1

I love Spydies, but after owning the the Caly 3, Native, and Stretch, in CF, I won't buy another CF model. The actions weren't smooth. The liners were sharp to my hand, and there were gaps between the liners and backsspacer. The no-washer design also wears an arc in the blade near the pivot.
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same problem here, the action is smooth after a few hundred flicks and adjusting the pivot,... have to live with the ugly arc scratch... other than that I love this thing! the weight, the fit and finish on the rest of the knife and the ti wire clip

I was debating between this and the Delica with ZDP, the Caly 3 has carbon scale and laminated ZDP (sweet). The reviews I read were also mostly awesome.

If I have to do it again, I will get the Delica with straight non laminated ZDP blade and throw on a Carbon scale or any of the 2 million different scales out there and probably still cheaper than the Caly 3 (it's on sale for
 
Interesting thread bump from 5 years ago... :p
I have 4 Caly's and a Calypso Jr., and all of them are among the nicest smoothest backlocks I own. Just wash them, lightly lubricate, and dial in pivot preload with some loc-tite, then it only gets better and better from there with use!
 
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