Paramilitary 2 disappointment...Suggestions?

B

bushati

Joined
Nov 6, 2013
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New to the board but I thought I'd ask you guys on what my options are.

I recently got my para-2 and right of the box noticed the blade was not as fluid in opening as on most of the vids I've seen. I knew that if I disassembled it, it would void the warranty but I went ahead anyway thinking I would just lube it and that's that.

Upon disassembling the knife I discovered that one of the bushings had slight dents in it. I removed the little pivot cylinder and noticed that there was a very tiny piece of metal sticking out where the bushing is rested on and where that cylinder sits on. I'm guessing its a little piece left over from the drilling or machining. I attached a pic and circled in red. The pics are crappy cellphone pics but hopefully you guys can make it out.

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Anyway I shaved that little piece off with some 1500 grit paper and also ran the washer on the paper to maybe get rid of the slights bumps. From the looks of it though it does not look perfectly flat like the other one. I lubed the knife and put it back together but it doesn't seem much better. There is side to side blade play and the only way to eliminate that would be to tighten the screws to a point where it is difficult to get the blade out.

Oh and if things weren't already crappy enough the blade is not centered and I had noticed that from opening the package but thought I'd get it right by playing with the screws. It sucks to have come across one that leaves you so disappointed when there are so many good reviews on this knife.

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Let me know what you guys think and where I should take it from here.

Thanks,
Chris
 
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Was it new? Are you sure its legit? The PM2 is their flagship knife, usually they're [not perfect] but atlease way better than that. With it having so many problems there's got to be some reason you took it apart instead of sending it in, even with the $25 shipping...

If you can't return/exchange it to the seller I would send it in to W&R anyway, or atlease email Charlynn and ask her to send you a new set of washers, something's wrong with that on. Its their best seller for a reason and your issues aren't normal, if I were you I wouldn't be hatin' on PM2's yet, that's a horrible specimen to base your judgment.

For future purchases- if it was brand new when you got it the best corse of action would of been either return/exchange it or if that wasnt an option I bet a week of flipping it to break it in would of fixed the smoothness issue you complained of, pretty common for spyderco (and pretty much everything else) to need a little break in period before they're perfect, the freshly machined metal surfaces need to mate with eachother, tolerances are tight but its not a spaceship part, its a mass produced machined tool.
 
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Well, such things happen. I've bought 3 knives from Spyderco so far, 2 of them have had some sort of slight defect. I've learned to live with it.

My Military has a few dings and gouges, it came off center, and wasn't very smooth to open. But I've used it a lot, and fixed some of the slight issues. In a way, the defects made me feel more inclined to use it.

Your knife sounds like it may have some more serious issues, so contacting Spyderco would probably be the best course of action. If they refuse to warranty it, there are other ways of fixing it.
 
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Maybe they won't fix it under warranty....but will they fix it if you pay? I have no idea but worth a phone call to find out. Lesson to be learned always send in for warranty before trying to fix yourself. May cost ya a few bucks....but at least you learned something from it. That's the way I try to look at things like this...silver lining and all.;)
 
Second the response. Its a great knive one u get it "dialed in" the pivot has to adjusted by adjusting a few screw but one u find the sweet spot it's a great knive, love mine. I also had so polish my washers and hit it with some nano lube. Hope u get it all worked out. Its a great blade :)
 
Yeah it was new and it's legit. I took it apart thinking a thorough clean and lube would make it open like they're expected to. Obviously after seeing the internal problem other things made sense.

Well when you consider the wait time and that fact that the $25 would bring the cost of this knife over $200 for me, I disassembled it.

I'm not judging or hatin, just disappointed.
 
I received my PM2 brand new in the box, a couple of days ago. It has the dlc coating. I was disappointed that when I tried to flip the blade out, using my thumb on the blade hole, it DID NOT come out smoothly and lock in place. I oiled the joint, loosened the pivot screw and worked the blade back and forth to wear the coating. It works smoother, but when I move the blade out with my thumb, it does not fully extend. I flick my wrist and the blade locks in place. That works for me. Maybe with more opening/closing, it will loosen up?...
 
You could file the burr on the liner, and buff the washer. May not be perfect, but I'm positive it'll help.
 
i was really leaning towards picking up a pm2 but now with this issue and few others i've read, i don't know which way to go. :confused: i say this because i'm not a fan of the axis lock so i wouldn't get the benchmade but now the issues with the pm2. :confused:
 
I had the same off center blade just like yours. I talked to Charlynn who said lay the knife flat on the table clip side up and press on the side of the blade, straight down. But Be Careful! It seems like you'd want to go the other way but she was right. It worked a little bit but didn't make it perfect.
She said they try that first when they get one in at the factory.
Hope it helps.
 
There's always been problems when manufacturing the pm2. My buddy worked at spyderco and said they had all sorts of problems. He said probably 2 out of 10 are scraped. No one believes me, but I had a direct source and asked questions frequently. They have a .005" tolerance that they have to hold during production. The lock face is machined to 7º.. just some things I know. Before he left he was going to give me prints on a pm2 scale so I could make em by the masses at my old shop.
 
Spyderco is a great knife company with wonderful customer service.

An email to them will more than likely pay off.
 
You should have returned it immediately. The Spyderco Chaparral 2 was one of only two knives I had to return immediately upon receiving.

Considering Spydercos 'quirky' warranty, I'm not sure what they will do considering not only did you disassemble it but you also attempted to fix it yourself. Trying to fix/modify the knife yourself is the main reason why Spyderco voids warranties for disassembly.

Let us know how it works out for you.
 
Sharpnessis said:
I had the same off center blade just like yours. I talked to Charlynn who said lay the knife flat on the table clip side up and press on the side of the blade, straight down. But Be Careful! It seems like you'd want to go the other way but she was right. It worked a little bit but didn't make it perfect.
She said they try that first when they get one in at the factory.
Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

You're kidding us, right? Spyderco's CS told you to do this? To a brand new knife?

Send it in and politely ask for a replacement.
 
I received my PM2 black/black last Thursday. I adjusted the pivot and moved the pocket clip. It's my first PM2 and definitely won't be my last.
 
My PM2 had a nasty lump of metal on the liner that was marring the washer. I stoned it down and now it works great. Details here.
 
SPXTrader said:
You're kidding us, right? Spyderco's CS told you to do this? To a brand new knife?

Send it in and politely ask for a replacement.
Click to expand...

I kid you not! It actually worked, a little. I think I still may send it in. I'm on the fence. Maybe I'm too ocd about centering?
 
I've gotten two PM2's now, it's the only knife I have doubles of, and they're both great. One is quite a bit stiffer than the other, but both are centered perfectly, and are smooth as butter without me adding any oil or adjusting the pivot.
 
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