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PM2 side to side play

S

snipa

Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
158
Hi,
I have a problem with a black/satin s30v PM2 that I bought new and the blade has slight side to side play. I have tried multiple times to adjust it out with the pivot screws and stop pin screws, with no luck. It either gets to stiff closing and won't fall close. Or if left the loose the blade wiggles. Any suggestions?
PS the other PM2 I have (cts-204p green) has no blade play side to side and the blade will fall closed awesome and flick open great.
Thanks
 
First, make sure it is authentic. I have had two pass through my hands that were very good copies.
 
I have heard that certain generations of these had this problem. I believe it can be sent in and replaced if it is that noticeable. I would try that first.
 
I don't really have any knives that don't have some slight blade play. Only knives i've had with zero blade play is Cold Steel folders and a Lion Steel SR2A. My DPX HEST has ever so slightly up and down play and my Para 2 has slight side to side play and the others are little worst than those. Neither not even close to being noticable while using. Would not worry about it. If you want absolute zero play get a knife with a Roto Frame lock or Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock.
 
Last edited:
Ulf Krogstad said:
I don't really have any knives that don't have some slight blade play. Only knives i've had with zero blade play is Cold Steel folders and a Lion Steel SR2A. My DPX HEST has ever so slightly up and down play and my Para 2 has slight side to side play and the others are little worst than those. Neither not even close to being noticable while using. Would not worry about it. If you want absolute zero play get a knife with a frame lock or Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock.
Click to expand...

The compression lock does leave some room for play, just by design. Kind of like the Axis lock on Benchmades. My DPx HEST has wiggle here and there, but for really hard work I use the rotary lock. I love that thing.
 
snipa said:
Hi,
I have a problem with a black/satin s30v PM2 that I bought new and the blade has slight side to side play. I have tried multiple times to adjust it out with the pivot screws and stop pin screws, with no luck. It either gets to stiff closing and won't fall close. Or if left the loose the blade wiggles. Any suggestions?
PS the other PM2 I have (cts-204p green) has no blade play side to side and the blade will fall closed awesome and flick open great.
Thanks
Click to expand...

The correct sequence with this knife is to loosen the stop pin screws and adjust the pivot screws so that you have no play and the appropriate degree of ease opening and closing the blade. Then adjust the stop pin screws so they are as tight (which probably won't be very tight) as they can be without changing the opening/closing of the blade. You will probably need loctite on the stop pin screws to keep them from backing out and getting lost.
 
snipa said:
Hi,
I have a problem with a black/satin s30v PM2 that I bought new and the blade has slight side to side play. I have tried multiple times to adjust it out with the pivot screws and stop pin screws, with no luck. It either gets to stiff closing and won't fall close. Or if left the loose the blade wiggles. Any suggestions?
PS the other PM2 I have (cts-204p green) has no blade play side to side and the blade will fall closed awesome and flick open great.
Thanks
Click to expand...

This is my take & suggestions.

While almost all production knives will have some blade play, most can be minimized and practically eliminated. In many cases, disassembly, proper lubrication, and correct reassembly can fix these issues.

When I get a knife with blade play, this is the first thing I do if a simple pivot adjustment does not yield acceptable performance...
  1. Completely disassemble the knife (understand beforehand if this is something you want/can/are willing to do and be sure you know ahead what to do to avoid damage - I only do this once I have the 100% correct tools for the job)
  2. Clean all parts with a toothbrush and hot water with mildly diluted dish soap (the soap is a degreaser and will help remove residue)
  3. Examine the washers closely to ensure they are flat, not bent, smooth, and have no buildup (if they do, this is the problem and the washers need to be refinished or replaced)
  4. Lubricate all friction areas with the appropriate product (I strongly prefer a grease over a liquid)
  5. Apply a product that will stop screws from backing out (optional) (I used VC3 for easier removal and corrosion protection and think it makes a very big difference)
  6. Reassemble the knife without tightly screwing any screws (the knife should not require physical force to reassemble, and if it does, start over)
  7. Progressively tighten the pivot and spacer screws as you would the lugnuts on a spare tire (progressively increase each with similar force)
  8. Stop once you reach a point in which you are happy with how it performs (you may find a need to tighten the spacer screws more than the pivot, but on some knives, this is actually the cause of blade play, so monitor how the tightness of other screws affects opening & play)
  9. Allow the threadlocker to set the advised time before usage
  10. Do a close visual and function check before usage to ensure the work was successful and the knife functions properly



Also note that it is critical to put lubrication in the correct areas where that blade is going to make contact with metal. One place people often miss is lubricating that inner portion of metal inside the drilled pivot hole on the blade. When the knife is lubricated properly, you can tighten the pivot more and you can go longer between servicing. I strongly, strongly believe a good grease such as fluoropolymer grease is much more effective than a liquid lube in getting smoother performance with less blade play.

In some cases, you may also find that putting graphite on top of the blade where the Compression Lock makes contact with the blade will allow the lockup to be a little more solid and less sticky. I generally do not try this until all of the above has been exhausted and failed.

If all of this fails, short of replacing the washers with ones which are ever so slightly thicker (and in some cases, larger and/or thinner), then the question is if the blade play is enough of a problem that you want to send it to Spyderco to have them correct.
 
I have owned 5 different PM2s in the past (don't own any more) but 2 out of 5 had bladeplay. Still a nice knife though
 
I have a PM2 that seemed impossible to adjust at first, but after a half dozen or so tries I finally got it right. It feels like it's on ball bearings, with zero perceptible blade play in any direction, even before it's locked open.

cncpro11 said:
Call Spyderco and ask to speak to a tec.
Or just visit their website, download the form, and follow the instructions.
Click to expand...

They're very hard to get ahold of on the phone, and they'll most likely tell you to send it in anyway.
 
snipa said:
Will do.
What is the steps to sending it in?
Thanks again
Click to expand...

cncpro11 said:
Call Spyderco and ask to speak to a tec.
Or just visit their website, download the form, and follow the instructions.
Click to expand...

This. You can also go to he Spyderco.com website and go to the warranty support page and fill in the form and then proceed to send it in with a a note describe the problem. Details are good, and as always be patient. Bladeshow is right around the corner and they will be pretty busy.
 
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