Review Spyderco Para 3 Ceramic detent Ball Replacement

Interesting project.

Forgive my ignorance but are the ceramic detent balls somehow better than the standard ones?

Serious question as I recently acquired a Para 3 myself and this intrigues me.

Is the new detent ball held in place by the Loctite?
 
I was wondering the same thing? Do you actually notice a difference? Also, bearings in the pic, you didn't put bearings on a para 3 did you?
 
Railsplitter said:
Forgive my ignorance but are the ceramic detent balls somehow better than the standard ones?


Is the new detent ball held in place by the Loctite?
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Spyderco has been doing a slow CQI on the Manix 2 adding a Ceramic Ball bearing for the main lock. The Salt Paramilitary 2 has ceramic detent as well for rust resistance. Most high end folders use ceramic over steel stock as it’s harder material which resists deformation better. Over time with multiple blade cycles the steel will wear and get a flat spot. Especially knives without ball ramp on blade. I also like to tinker with my users adjusting lock bar, add better bearings if equipped, Polish washers, add detent ramp, smooth scales, etc! The ball is press fit and easily changed.

elevator man said:
I was wondering the same thing? Do you actually notice a difference? Also, bearings in the pic, you didn't put bearings on a para 3 did you?
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You’ll notice a difference if your knife has a worn deformed detent ball….usually takes a while. The bearings in picture are for a ZT and Hinderer! I’ve changed to skiff bearings on Domino, Amalgam, And Smock with fantastic results.
 
DA170 said:
Spyderco has been doing a slow CQI on the Manix 2 adding a Ceramic Ball bearing for the main lock. The Salt Paramilitary 2 has ceramic detent as well for rust resistance. Most high end folders use ceramic over steel stock as it’s harder material which resists deformation better. Over time with multiple blade cycles the steel will wear and get a flat spot. Especially knives without ball ramp on blade. I also like to tinker with my users adjusting lock bar, add better bearings if equipped, Polish washers, add detent ramp, smooth scales, etc! The ball is press fit and easily changed.


You’ll notice a difference if your knife has a worn deformed detent ball….usually takes a while.
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Thanks very much. I appreciate knowing this. I’ve been flicking my Para 3 open a lot since I got it for both practice and for fun.

Fortunately, I can flick it open now without giving it much thought. That’s the way I prefer to open it and it comes second nature to me now. Now that I know this I think I will put another drop of lubricant in there. Then stop playing with it and just use it as needed.
 
@ 21:55 Eric talks about ongoing ceramic detent ball (and main ball on Manix 2) upgrades to lineup!
 
I know on watches the use of a ceramic bearing is to keep detents from wearing out but also it sounds so much smoother when it is on the bezel a la Tudor watches. When I feel more comfortable taking a knife apart I want to go for a ceramic ball bearing.
 
IMG_6449.jpegIMG_6454.jpegIMG_6443.jpegIMG_6455.jpegGot around to the OG Military today and the 2mm ceramic ball fit perfectly! My phone had a hard time focusing but you can see a small flat spot had formed on the original steel detent. Interesting that this knife had less pocket time than the above Para 3 and the ball had more wear!IMG_6478.jpeg
Edit: picture of added detent ball ramp
 
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DA170 said:
View attachment 2770904View attachment 2770905View attachment 2770906View attachment 2770907 Interesting that this knife had less pocket time than the above Para 3 and the ball had more wear!
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Interesting indeed. I don’t like to tinker with my knives because more often than not, I will mess something up. Sometimes I take the chance and come out glad that I did. Other times, not so much.

What exactly happens when the detent ball wears a flat spot? Does the detent become weaker or perhaps inoperative?
 
Railsplitter said:
What exactly happens when the detent ball wears a flat spot? Does the detent become weaker or perhaps inoperative?
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I’ve never had a knife wear a detent ball to the point where I could tell. I’m assuming the opening would become gritty and blade would shake open easily. That being said, I’ve adjusted the “detent” strength on Taichung models( Caribbean, GB2, Smock, etc) by slightly enlarging the hole on the blade. The OG military probably had more deformation than the Para 3 from lack of detent ball ramp and more lock bar tension.
I like to mess with my users so I’m embarking on this project to change to ceramic, but if it was a systemic problem with Spyderco knives you’d hear more about it. Of course Spyderco is doing a rolling change to ceramic on some of their products…so who knows!
 
DA170 said:
I’ve never had a knife wear a detent ball to the point where I could tell. I’m assuming the opening would become gritty and blade would shake open easily. That being said, I’ve adjusted the “detent” strength on Taichung models( Caribbean, GB2, Smock, etc) by slightly enlarging the hole on the blade. The OG military probably had more deformation than the Para 3 from lack of detent ball ramp and more lock bar tension.
I like to mess with my users so I’m embarking on this project to change to ceramic, but if it was a systemic problem with Spyderco knives you’d hear more about it. Of course Spyderco is doing a rolling change to ceramic on some of their products…so who knows!
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Thanks very much!
 
Just added new scale to Domino so while it was apart I checked the detent ball, definitely showed signs of wear. Taking off lock bar insert was easy enough for changing out ball to ceramic. Knife is smooth with skiffs and detent is dialed perfectly.
IMG_7603.jpegIMG_7729.jpegIMG_7954.jpegIMG_7955.jpeg
 
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