Swift issues - solved or better not to risk it?

[ThePeacent]

Hi everybody. I know there's been at least two or three threads on this subject already, but it's been a while since then and I haven't really understood the problem, and if it was solved.
I have the next Swift I at a very nice price available. I want to buy it but I am hesitant about the spring snapping and the assist system breaking on me on the near future or with use.

[video]http://vid1314.photobucket.com/albums/t562/ThePeacent/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/VID-20161205-WA0020_zpswqrch5p1.mp4[/video]

I know the Swift II and newer batches have an additional safety measure and a system to avoid the lockbar or spring bar snap, but I'd like to know if Stiletto's and Gary's folders were lemons, or it was a design flaw from the original Switch design, which this you see is.

Thanks everyone and have a nice day!

 

[insta9ves]

Hey man, I'm one of the unlucky folks that reported broken lockbar spring. I purchased 2 swifts and both of them had the lockbar spring broken after certain amount of opening/closing.
One of the replacements i got also suffered the same issue. So i had sent in my Swift II 3 separate times already. The other one is not broken yet simply because i stopped using/playing with it that much.

Obviously i had a lot of phone conversations with CS rep about this and i was told that this is due spring temper issue. I have seen 2 new Swift II with the manual safety and both of them use the exact same spring as the older version. The difference is that the newer liner has different color(both have bronze purple hue to it) suggesting that they were tempered differently.

IMO, spring temper issue or not, this is an inherently flawed design. See my take apart picture below, you only have a small piece of spring pushing up against one side of the triad lock bar, instead of pushing against the entire width of the lock bar like the normal triad lock spring do. Also the spring is taller than its thickness, which provides a lot of tension but can snap easily. Imagine bending a card on its thin side vs on its wide side, where it will more likely to tear.

Another problem is that unlike other assisted knives that can still lock when their spring broke. This knife has 2 springs, one for blade deployment(which is strong and will unlikely break), and another to lock the blade, which is the weak part. When it fails, it fails catastrophically. So you are either gonna have a perfectly functioning knife or a completely useless one(unless you are ok with friction folders). This is why I wouldn't bring this knife with me if i can only have one and i need something i can depend on. You could hit the jackpot and have the lock spring snap on you when you really need to use it.

I think too many compromises had been made to make this an assisted knife. It would have been a perfect knife for me if it's built like a manual triad folder. The blade shape and the handle ergo is just perfect.

 

[Jimislash]

Well, bummer. Now I am afraid of my Swift.

 

[ThePeacent]

Thanks, folks!
Appreciate your answers, I finally pulled the trigger (price was a steal) but I just hope it doesn't fail me on the near future. if it does, there's always CS out there to send it back. It's my first serious AO folder and I want to give a opportunity to my favorite brand to surprise me again!