SageII not the great opener it once was

[RayseM]

:grumpy: My pretty new Sage II was at first a super slick opener, especially compared to my tried and true Endura with the lock back.
The ease of blade deployment of the Sage II was a revelation to me after years with the Endura.

Now it's starting to drag. I would prefer not to take it apart but what is going on? Has been a weekday EDC for a few months. I've blown out any
pocket lint or shop dust and so it is clean and not obviously obstructed. It does still open easier than the Endura but my Chokwe is laughing.
My instinct is to lubricate but I'm guessing that the wrong juice or graphite powder could gum up the works even more.

Any advice? Thanks for chiming in.

 

[Clanton]

Clean it good with hot soapy water and then blow it out and a little drop of your favorite oil.

 

[Surfingringo]

Sounds like you've got a bit of something up in the pivot. I'd follow Clantons advice. This happens often with my salts and that usually does the trick. Once I had to loosen the pivot just a bit to create enough space to flush out whatever was in there.

 

[RayseM]

OK - I was just looking for permission to wash and oil . Any good word about graphite or it it too abrasive?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[skyhorse]

I don't think graphite would disperse into the tight areas like oil would.

 

[spketch]

Just go easy on the oil and make sure to keep both sides of the blade/lock interface clean and dry.
Before you bother washing and re-lubing, try a tiny drop of oil on the detent ball. That usually needs attention more than the pivot in my experience.

 

[Brock O Lee]

try a tiny drop of oil on the detent ball.

+1, this made a big difference on my Ti Military

 

[Redmasta]

Dish soap, hot water and an old tooth brush. Any knife I carry for over a month usually needs a quick wash.

 

[MatthewSB]

OK - I was just looking for permission to wash and oil . Any good word about graphite or it it too abrasive?

Thanks for the replies.

There are lubricants that evaporate, leaving behind Teflon, or something, that will keep it slick.

Breakfree CLP is good for that.

Other oils, that stay wet forever, attract crud and hold it places that it should not be.

 

[RayseM]

Dish soap, hot water and an old tooth brush. Any knife I carry for over a month usually needs a quick wash.

I never needed to fuss with the Endura and it was a real hard used tool. I'm surprised that the Sage II is so finicky. A clean and a lube has loosened it up though - nearly back - but not quite as new. Teflon spray it is!

 

[Honed_Edge]

I have daily carried a Sage 2 about 98% of the time for about two years. I used some spray lube w/ PTFE (Teflon) when I first got the knife. I don't know if the spray is responsible for what I'm going to say next, highly doubt it. The only "maintenance" it's ever seen is showers in which I use it to....... shave! I just dry it off externally, blow it out with my mouth and pocket it. It needs basically no love at all. I feel it has only improved over time.

Every knife is different, sorry yours needs a bit more TLC.

 

[pnsxyr]

IMO, a detail strip is going to give the best results. There is likely gunk built up in areas that cannot be reached otherwise.

Like a Sebenza, it's a very easy process.

Usage of an actual grease makes operation very smooth and tends to extend service intervals. I use ST DuPont Extreme Fluoro on almost all of my knives and it makes knives smoother than even when factory new and it's a much smoother open than from anything that is liquid IMO. I find ensuring there is grease on both sides of the washers, on the outer portion of the pivot that makes contact with the blade, and a super-small-tiny amount on the ball, the area of the blade that makes contact with the locking bar, and (sometimes) the area on the stop pin where the blade makes contact gives super smooth operation that lasts for a long time.

 

[RayseM]

ST DuPont Extreme Fluoro I'll look for it. Thanks.

 

[CRH]

Frog lube around here for guns and knives. Oh, and clean the dang lint out of your pockets more often than not! An ounce of prevention, as the saying goes...