Spyderco P'kal lock wear

[jylong_away]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this has been posted before, as I can't use the search function. Apologies in advance if it has!

I have a couple of Spyderco P'kals and now a new trainer. I've noticed that after about a year, the ball bearing lock seems to have much less 'spring' in it than when I first got it, and doesn't lock as strongly. It also doesn't exhert as much pressure on the blade to keep it in the closed position. This was a lot more obvious when I got the new trainer and compared it.

Has anyone else had similar issues, and is there any way to tweak it, or is the only solution petitioning spyderco for a new spring? Thanks.

 

[redneckone]

My P'kal is used every day and I have not had a similar problem. Sounds like a week spring. I would call Spyderco W&R and discuss it with them.

 

[jylong_away]

Figured it out! It wasn't that the spring was weak. Apparently there's a 'secondary' spring inside the ball bearing lock in the hole where the plastic 'stem' of the ball bearing encasement fits in. It seems to engage the tip of the stem, giving it much more force.

This piece is missing in the unit that has a loose lock. I have another p'kal which is tight, and has this spring. Experimented a bit and this seems to make a huge difference. It's a tiny, much stiffer, black spring that isn't normally visible.

I'm not sure if they incorproated this later on, as my first unit was a little earlier in the production line, or if it was just a missing piece from QC issues. Have mailed Spyderco CS and hope they can send out one soon.