now i get the tri-ad cant unlock complaints

jbmonkey

jbmonkey

sure sure
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have dozens of them different models different years never an issue.

grabbed a couple old stock lone star hunters and mackinac hunters sitting at a reputable dealer.

once opened, could not be unlocked. bar pressed to scales still locked. moved thumb to top to get more push, still locked. pushed on edge of table no go. took apart and unlocked all of them and could see the problem. 3 examples all with the same issue. lock cant be raised above cutout of blade without pushing bar below the scales. i was able to do it sometimes with digging my thumb in deep in the slot but hard to do consistently and not exactly easy. i didnt check the spring bar to see if its put of line and making it harder to do what i just said. so i still have to check that.

so a defect in manufacturing tolerances. so now if i cant figure out a way to solve it easier, im gonna have to remove steel on the liners to allow the lockbar to be disegaged enough to unlock.

weird problem ive never seen in a triad before in any other model.

i would return them but i took them apart to unlock them. id also send back to cold steel but being discontinued and i like these models. also i like projects sometimes.
 
jbmonkey said:
have dozens of them different models different years never an issue.

grabbed a couple old stock lone star hunters and mackinac hunters sitting at a reputable dealer.

once opened, could not be unlocked. bar pressed to scales still locked. moved thumb to top to get more push, still locked. pushed on edge of table no go. took apart and unlocked all of them and could see the problem. 3 examples all with the same issue. lock cant be raised above cutout of blade without pushing bar below the scales. i was able to do it sometimes with digging my thumb in deep in the slot but hard to do consistently and not exactly easy. i didnt check the spring bar to see if its put of line and making it harder to do what i just said. so i still have to check that.

so a defect in manufacturing tolerances. so now if i cant figure out a way to solve it easier, im gonna have to remove steel on the liners to allow the lockbar to be disegaged enough to unlock.

weird problem ive never seen in a triad before in any other model.

i would return them but i took them apart to unlock them. id also send back to cold steel but being discontinued and i like these models. also i like projects sometimes.
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I am not sure but what you are experiencing might be different from the usual complaints about the triad being difficult to unlock. I remember the Spartan in particular was notorious for being difficult to unlock. Usually pushing the lock with the corner of a table would do the trick though. This implies that whatever the reason the Spartan was having with unlocking it was still possible to unlock. So the tooth on the lockbar might have been too long but the table corner usually did the trick.

It sounds to me like what you are experiencing is a straight up defect. If you can't unlock it because the tooth doesn't clear the lock when fully depressed that is a whole different animal. While stiff the usual triads could be unlocked without disassembly.
 
Lapedog said:
I am not sure but what you are experiencing might be different from the usual complaints about the triad being difficult to unlock. I remember the Spartan in particular was notorious for being difficult to unlock. Usually pushing the lock with the corner of a table would do the trick though. This implies that whatever the reason the Spartan was having with unlocking it was still possible to unlock. So the tooth on the lockbar might have been too long but the table corner usually did the trick.

It sounds to me like what you are experiencing is a straight up defect. If you can't unlock it because the tooth doesn't clear the lock when fully depressed that is a whole different animal. While stiff the usual triads could be unlocked without disassembly.
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true. my title is more of a how many others have seen this issue. i never really understood complaints of unlocking as ive never seen one like these 3. wonder if there are others, just not explaining it enough?

yeah table corner trick wouldnt work. even a corner is too thick to get below the scales. i can only do it if i squeeze my thumb bone down into the slot between the scales. maybe a mm or less but enough to make it very difficult and unpleasant.

the spring is very strong as well making it extra hard. so maybe its out of place and making it harder to disengage as well. ill have to check that on these 3 i have.

if thats a no go ill be removing scale material to allow the lockbar to be pushed deeper easier and see if that solves it. ill update when i get done solving the issue.
 
That is weird. I've never before heard of the issue you're describing with Cold Steel TriAd or any back lock.
 
AF said:
That is weird. I've never before heard of the issue you're describing with Cold Steel TriAd or any back lock.
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yeah me neither after over a dozen of them until these three. trust me i never believed any talk of hard to unlock it until now. mine are about impossible, not just hard.

there is a thread on this board back years ago on this same issue on these two model knives. got to be a bad tolerance batch. ill get it solved after i mod them. like them too much to just give up on them.

update edit part.....was able to unlock with a thinner corner of a different table than i tried before.
 
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Two models that were most difficult to unlock for me were the Mackinac Hunter and the XL Counter Point. Had to press against corner edge of table even to this day. At least they won't accidentally fold closed on my fingers!
 
jb, you could probably also file just a smidge off the bottom of the lock bar (red) on each knife for the same result. It might be easier than trying to grind down and refinish the thumb depressions in the frames.

triad.jpg
 
Yeah, this is a straight up defect, not the same issue as guys with lady hands finding it hard to unlock a standard tri-ad.
 
This past week I split my thumb tip working in the cold. I began to appreciate the difficulty of closing some of my CS triads with one hand as closing these knives with that thumb tip while reaching for the thumb stud with my finger pto close the knife with one hand was hard because it made my injury worse. Could still close the knives with one hand using another part of the thumb and the side of my leg. But I found out that I was preferring my Manix 2 and PM2 for work/edc the last few days due to the discomfort using the triad lock. Defintely feel that making the triad locks somewhat easier to disengage will be an improvement. I hate to think of myself as having “lady hands”, but things change as time goes by. Things could be worse. :rolleyes:;)
Will start carrying my Lawman and Recon1 again in a week.
 
guess i should update for those who google search and find this thread...

first mackinac....checked spring was in the right spot no issue there. left open 90 degree for a week i guess its been. still very hard to close, but can be done wedging my thumb down into the groove. spring is a bit softer now. so calling that one done and useable now.

lone star. same process ooen 90 degree a week or so spring checked for position..... but still no way to close without wedging deep into groove. spring still way to stiff. this one im gonna file the edge. G. Scott H.'s idea. otherwise cant unlock or use really.

the other 2 i got of each model..havent put through any process yet.
 
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