S&M Baby Sunfish Question (Problem?)

JAB

JAB

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Hey Guys,

I just picked up a crimson bone Baby Sunfish from Schatt and Morgan (one of the '09 models) and the pull/snap is almost non-existent. It feels like there is almost no resistance upon opening or closing the master blade and the pen blade is only very slightly snappier which is a far cry from any other Schatt that I've owned or had experience with. I would go so far as to say that they are noticeably lighter than my CS Half Moon Trapper - in fact, I can pinch the sunfish open using only two fingers.

Now, before I contacted the company, I just wanted to make sure that this is not something that is inherent in the design of this particular pattern (of course, I can't recall any canoes being quite this light...).

TIA,
Jason

P.S. Aside from this the knife is gorgeous and I'll get a pic up later.

ETA - Here ya go - some quick and dirties:

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You may want to search to verify, but toe nails, sunfish, and such generally have lighter snap than you may be used to. I have a fight'n rooster fatty that is a nail breaker, to open, and produces some sweat beads on my forehead when closing. With that fat blade on the closing cycle, I feel like I am holding alligator jaws open and trying to keep my fingers on my hand connected once it snaps shut. So, my take is, there should be light spring tension, but not non existent. Do not listen to me however, wait for an expert opinion. If it is unpleasant to you, you may want to send it back given the dealer or S and M have that policy.
 
This is a brand new run and most people probably haven't had a chance to handle one yet. But you are completely right in that they have produced them with a very tame backspring. I think they were eavesdropping on everybody complaining about their neighbors (GEC) tight backsprings and decided to go the other way on this pattern.

I have noticed that if you oil them real good and work the oil in, they are really a nice retreat from the typical nail-breakers coming out today. But if a hard pop is something you are looking for, these new S&M baby sunfish are probably not the pattern for you. If you want Queen to adjust that particular one for you then you should send it to them asap; they are out to please.

Mike Latham
CollectorKnives.Net
 
2004 S&M wildcat Driller (a big honking sleeveboard/toenail) Scares the you know what outta people when they have to close it, its somewhere between gator and bear trap!:eek: I'm used to it but it is a bit scary.
Hard to say if yours is intentional or a defect
ivan
 
While my crimson bone Baby Sunfish from Schatt and Morgan has the lightest snap of all my Queen brand knives it's only barely noticeable. My baby Sunfish has to me perfect walk and talk, and more then enough snap! I would call someone at Queen and inquire about it.
 
Thanks Mike - I was pretty surprised at first but the more I handled it and thought about it the more I figured that was probably the case; I just wanted to make sure that I didn't get a "bad" one (especially since I really like the pattern and was planning on ordering another eventually - either the golden bone that you have on your site or the laser engraved Dan Burke model). I think I'll go ahead and drop it in my pocket for a few days and see if I can live with it as is and, if not, I'll give Queen a call.

Thanks again guys!
Jason
 
More than the snap, I'm wondering how resistant it is to closing accidentally -- does it start to close when you give the back of the tip of the blade a rather modest bump? If so, send it back for adjustment. A proper sunfish should have cam/rounded end tangs, which will bring the snap down to reasonable levels, but there should still be a noticeable snap - it'll just happen somewhat closer to the handle, where you're far less likely to still have assorted body parts in the way.
 
^^It closes very smoothly and slowly - much like you describe. The closing action is very predictable and I'm not at all worried about it snapping shut on my fingers; my concern was more with the perceived lack of resistance when opening/closing the blades. It could very well be that there isn't a problem at all and that I'm just not used to a knife with this type of action.
 
Did I understand right that they are bringing out some new crimson bone baby sunfish? Mine is the older F&W series.
 
Peter Parker said:
Did I understand right that they are bringing out some new crimson bone baby sunfish? Mine is the older F&W series.
Click to expand...

Yup, mine is the newer one with the model number and "2009" etched on the pen blade.
 
this worries me being that i just bought one on auction. i hope it's tight. only one way to find out. i will get back as to the snappiness of the one i receive when it arrives.
 
One of the GEC vendors has a note about the sunfish pattern stating they don't have the same snap for safety reasons. I think it says the pivot is made differently. Probably so no one loses a finger in the guillotine.
 
i dont have a baby sunfish but i do have a S&M wildcat driller (sleeveboard Elephant toenail) Big knife that snaps shut like a bear trap:eek: Combined with the size of the blade it scares people... F&F on my Schatt is perfect:thumbup:
Hopefully yours will be the same, post photos too
gene
 
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