Humm... There is a lot of variation in the 42's it seems. I have 4, and 1 of them was perfect with closing and opening latch pressure equal. Both requiring a slight pressure on the handles to release the latch. On the others the difference between the open and closed was drastic. The first set of 42's the tang pin was untouched... the second set one tang pin was mushromed to make it open tighter, and one was made smaller (a mark on each side of the pin) so it would be easier to latch open.
I guess there is a tolerance issue
resulting in much needed fitting to get them to open and close with an acceptable amount of pressure. Some are this way and some are the other. Makes one wonder... What is the tolerance issue is.
The cups, the pin locations in the blade, or the handle holes for the torx screw asembly. It has to be on of the above. Something is not right IMHO.
Also If you are used to the old Benchmade flippers... the space between the handles in the open or closed positions is much wider in the 42's.
It's easy to adjust the pressure when closed by CAREFULLY removing material from the "Kick", but the adding or removing of material from the cups or tang pin is a different story.
The old 30's and 45 I have are "jewlery" in comparison. With the open and closed pressures being exactly the same and the fit and finish beyond expectation. Effen amazing!
I have gotten used to the TI feel, and the weight does not bother me anymore. I kinda like it now
Benchmade makes some very nice stuff.
John in NH
[This message has been edited by JohnInNH (edited 10-11-2000).]