Spyderco Delica--always play in blade...

S

str8flexed

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Sep 16, 2007
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Is it just me or is it impossible to adjust this knife so that there is no play, but still relatively easy to open? I have a Benchmade 525 (Mini Presidio) and that knife locks up much tighter, I'd say 99% no play, and still swings easily. I can't find that sweet spot with my Delica. I'm supposing that the copper washer is smaller (and the axle is smaller too) so it's more prone to side-to-side deviation..
 
The two FRN I've had, had a tiny bit of side to side, never any up or down, my SS D4 was perfect in all respect, except for the darn reinforced tip. No play in any direction what so ever.
 
"Is it just me or is it impossible to adjust this knife so that there is no play, but still relatively easy to open?"

I guess the question is what you consider "easy to open." I also own the 525 Mini-Presidio and numerous Delicas. There is no comparsion between the two with respect to the easy of doing inertial openings. But if you loosen the pivot screw on the Delica to try and come close to the easy of opening with the Mini-Presidio you're going to get some side-to-side play.

My favorite opening with the Delica is the "marble shoot" opening. It's kind of a hybrid incorporating aspects of an inertial and the thumb opening using the hole in the blade. You combine the two and with the snap rotation of the wrist for the inertial opening you add the flick of the thumb as if you were shooting a marble (if you're old enough to remember shooting marbles).
 
I say who cares about a small amount of side to side blade play.. in FRN I would think you will always get some b/c it's just plastic. Up/down is not good but I could care less about a little side to side. Mine opens with very little wrist action and has a minute amout of side/side.
 
Hawk45 said:
I say who cares about a small amount of side to side blade play.. in FRN I would think you will always get some b/c it's just plastic. Up/down is not good but I could care less about a little side to side. Mine opens with very little wrist action and has a minute amout of side/side.
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Don't forget the FRN models have full SS liners
 
All three of the Delicas I've had have had pretty bad side to side and vertical blade play.

It can't be tightened out, because then the knife won't open.
 
I think the axis allows a little bit less tension in the pivot without blade play because that bar has such high surface area where it touches the blade. Also if you pull the bar back there is nothing rubbing against the blade which is always there with the lockback bar, a liner lock or a frame lock or even the backspring of a slipjoint.
 
p_mcmanis said:
I think the axis allows a little bit less tension in the pivot without blade play because that bar has such high surface area where it touches the blade. Also if you pull the bar back there is nothing rubbing against the blade which is always there with the lockback bar, a liner lock or a frame lock or even the backspring of a slipjoint.
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It may just be a backlock thing. My Tenacious has zero blade play.
 
enderwiggin said:
It may just be a backlock thing. My Tenacious has zero blade play.
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is it as smooth as an axis lock with the bar pulled back? I do not think a folding knife exists that is as smooth as my presidio. I have a military which is one of the smoothest liners Ive ever felt but its not really the same level of "floating on air".
 
I've had two FRN Delicas. Neither had any side to side blade play. Both had minute amounts of vertical blade play.
 
p_mcmanis said:
is it as smooth as an axis lock with the bar pulled back? I do not think a folding knife exists that is as smooth as my presidio. I have a military which is one of the smoothest liners Ive ever felt but its not really the same level of "floating on air".
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What? I'm a fan of axis locks too, but this thread is about blade play on the Delica, not the smoothness of the lock!
 
enderwiggin said:
What? I'm a fan of axis locks too, but this thread is about blade play on the Delica, not the smoothness of the lock!
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We were talking about finding that sweet spot between smooth and perfect lockup and I was asserting the axis lock has the ability to be set with relatively less tension and still have perfect lockup.

In an ideal world all knives would have pivot bushings so you could just crank the pivot down.

my apologies for derailing this thread.
 
I have 2 FRN Delicas, both have vertical and side blade play.
I also have a SS Delica, SS Endura, and a SS Police, SS Navigator, none of them have a bit of blade play.
I'm done with FRN Spydies. Stainless only from now on.
 
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I tried three new Delica's this morning (one wave and two standard). None of them had any side to side or up and down play. These are new as with whatever torque specification they use at the factory. You can do inertial openings with them but your technique has to be very tight (wrist rotation and snap stop) to allow the momentum of these relatively small blades to overcome the tension put on the blade by the pivot screw and lock.
 
My endura 4 does some wiggle when I cut something, but not in other way (I never remember wich is vertical and horizontal.. I mean, how in the hell can you remember that with knife?). Some say it's normal, some whine about it... but Im still using it with confidence.
 
all the FRN spydercos i've had have had up and down and side to side play, not really a huge amount but a noticeable amount. I think it's just a part of the design, the FRN moels are made to a budget as general use knives and so that sort of play is acceptable
 
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