Strider break in period. Lock rock at first?

Jetlau3111

Jetlau3111

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
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Hey guys,

Just got a brand new Strider SNG, flamed ti and black oxide blade.

I've been flicking it open and closing it .. probably about 100 times now. The knife has lock rock sometimes when not opened forcefully enough.. the lockbar doesn't seem to slide all the way over unless it is opened with a lot of force..

Is this normal and will it fix itself? Do I need to tighten the pivot?

When the knife is snapped open hard, it seems to lock up very tight. However, when opened softly, the lock bar doesn't travel as far and can be pushed (even when gripping in normal grip).. makes a creaking sound.

Please advise.
 
That sounds normal. Just open/close it normally until it breaks in.
 
Some Striders are like that. The knife will break in over time as the lock bar moves and settles with use. Properly opening with enough force will solve minor lock rock before it's fully broken in. If after a lot of use it persists, Strider will fix it for you.
 
I've got a similar...issue...with my SMF. It was VERY tight at first, then it broke in really nice. It was solid as a rock when first bought, and now it has an *almost* unnoticeable amount of side to side blade play when open, and the blade sits *very* slightly to the right when looking from the tip when closed.

The thing that is similar to yours is that if I open it gently, I can push the lock bar a tiny bit more and I too can hear sort of a creaking noise. When flicked open with force, this is not a problem.

It was also absurdly dull when I got it. It's an SMF Tanto; the main edge was serviceable, but the Tanto edge was absolutely useless. I put a zero edge at 60 degrees inclusive on the tip, and a 40 degree inclusive edge on the main cutting edge, and it's just about perfect. Took me about 3 hours to do it though.

I guess I expected a lot more in a $475 knife. Would tightening the pivot help with the first problem(s) I stated?
 
adams-usmc said:
It was also absurdly dull when I got it. It's an SMF Tanto; the main edge was serviceable, but the Tanto edge was absolutely useless. I put a zero edge at 60 degrees inclusive on the tip, and a 40 degree inclusive edge on the main cutting edge, and it's just about perfect. Took me about 3 hours to do it though.

I guess I expected a lot more in a $475 knife. Would tightening the pivot help with the first problem(s) I stated?
Click to expand...

Side to side can be fixed with a pivot adjustment. Sometimes tightening the scale screw closest to the pivot helps as well. I have a SMF Tanto also, mine was in the same condition as yours. I put a hair shaving edge on the tanto portion with a zero grind. I'm guessing it's purposely ground that way to be very durable rather than sharp. I could be wrong though.
 
I'm fact, having played with it a bit more.. I found that the lock bar doesn't engage fully unless I hold the frame with my fingers and open it hard . When I pull blade out a little and flick it with wrist action. There is still lock rock .

Can actually hear it when shaken .

Even when it is locked solid, wiggling the blade sometimes causes the bar to disengage a little and the knife rocks again .

Do you guys think this will stop as the knife settles? Seems dubious but if this is common for stridera let me know
 
From a dedicated Strider FAQ moderated by Mick Strider -

Blade Movement/Lock Rock:
If the blade has side-to-side movement then it is probably due to a loosened pivot bolt…a slight tweak of the pivot should eliminate this.
If the movement is up-and-down then there are a few things to try. First off, when brand new or previously unused the lock wi. ll need some time to break in and take a set… during this break in process some slight lock slippage is possible. You need not fear that the lock will fail but you may be able to feel some movement in the lock if you push down on the blade. Don’t obsess over this right now… just keep using the knife and breaking it in and you should find that the lock play soon disappears.
During this break-in period and later after more use you will often find that cleaning the lock surfaces will also eliminate any kind of slippage. Use a Q-tip or rag dipped in rubbing alcohol to scrub the blade tang's lock face, eliminating any and all build-up that is present. Next take a clean sheet of paper and slide it so that when the knife is open the paper is caught between the lockbar and tang. Push the lockbar over as far as it will go then unlock it... repeat until there is no black residue on the paper. This trick will solve more lock issues than all the other ones combined. Another possibility for lock slippage is a lock bar that does not have enough tension in it. If you ease the knife open and you can then push the lock bar further in after engagement then it may need to be bent a little more to increase it’s tension. This requires you to disassemble the knife and give the lock bar a tweak. If you are not familiar with the proper way of doing this then you should probably send your knife in to SKI and let them adjust it for you… it is a simple procedure but it should only be attempted by someone who is comfortable and competent with this kind of thing. If you give the lock bar too much tension then your knife will be much stiffer to open. If you strip out a screw trying to disassemble/assemble your knife then you will be sending it back to SKI anyway. If you loose any parts you are also SOL.
 
Thanks for the info . I can def push the lock bar over when I ease the knife open . It's kind of disappointing to have to send in a brand new knife . Is this the concensus ? How easy is the fix ? Doesn't sound like it will break in on its own
 
When you push the lockbar does it go all the way over, to 100%? If so then I'd call Strider and explain it to them. Otherwise just let it break in. Some just take a long time.
To alleviate the lock rock you can take a sharpie and put a spot of ink on the blade tang where the lockbar comes in contact. It's not a permanent fix but it will last a little while.
 
Sharpie didn't seem to help .. I'm gonna try breaking it in for a week before sending it back ?
 
Update: I'm fairly certain the lock bar pressure is just too light... Did not want to bend the bar myself so I applied a temporary fix . Wrapped a piece of scotch tape around the ti side stop pin 3 times and cut off the excess . Stopped all lock rock .

This sounds like a temporary solution but maybe it will hold .. I'm surprised by how tight the tolerances must be if this had a drastic effect on lockup
 
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