Thoughts on weak springs

[Oldy]

I just recieved a 15 barlow from the last run and find the overall fit and finish quite good but the spring strength not so much.the 15 I just recieved has a pull that is a 2 at best,I much prefer a 5-6 but settle for a 4 these days,but a 2 just makes me lack confidence. I'm wondering if this is a trend based off more buyers asking for it or is it something else.i also wonder what a 2 becomes after a few years of use,because I can't help but think they become even weaker.

 

[ZHoovie]

I don't have a #15 but a 2 pull sounds odd to me. I would think they would have more than that. I'm guessing you already flushed the joint out & put fresh oil in it? It could be just a bad spring or binding up where the spring doesn't go back up all the way?... I honestly don't know, 2 sounds too low to me though

 

[mrknife]

no, 15 pulls have been going down the toilet since the 2018 run. the 2021 run was ehhhhh at best. i wonder if its the spring heat treatment because I have modded 15s from various years that maintained their pulls. i had a clip swapped into a 21 cocobolo and its walk and talk is anemic

 

[ZHoovie]

no, 15 pulls have been going down the toilet since the 2018 run. the 2021 run was ehhhhh at best. i wonder if its the spring heat treatment because I have modded 15s from various years that maintained their pulls. i had a clip swapped into a 21 cocobolo and its walk and talk is anemic

Really? They're that weak? I wouldn't have thought that.

 

[mrknife]

Really? They're that weak? I wouldn't have thought that.

14 pulls got seriously weak too, compared to the famous 2018 run. everything was great about that years releases for me, down to the rendezvous sfas. i dare say, 2018 might have been the zenith for gec pull strength on certain models

 

[Oldy]

Wish they were all like 78's

 

[afishhunter]

i also wonder what a 2 becomes after a few years of use,because I can't help but think they become even weaker.

The Buck 301 and 303 are known for ... "soft" ... pulls ... around a "3" to no more than "3.5" is my guess.
The pulls on the 2014 standard 301 I have, have not changed, as far as I can tell.

 

[Getting older]

The Buck 301 and 303 are known for ... "soft" ... pulls ... around a "3" to no more than "3.5" is my guess.
The pulls on the 2014 standard 301 I have, have not changed, as far as I can tell.

Mine is still consistent soft spring but no problems in 10 years with my 301

 

[Tyson A Wright]

My 303 is a pretty good 5 pull, but it's one of the Camillus-made 303s from the 1980s. The name 303 had been used for some very different knives.

 

[Oldy]

The 303 British was a popular hunting rifle up here in canada,heavy but cheap.

 

[oldmanwilly]

I don't have any #15s, in fact most of my GEC's fall in the 4-6 range in snappiness, which I rather enjoy. Strange that one pattern is experiencing this issue.

My Buck 301 is probably has the softest pull off any slipjoint I frequently carry (3 for the main clip, with 4-5 for the sheepfoot and spey).

On the other end of the spectrum, I have a #73 that started out at an 8 and has softened up to an ornery 7. It's still my favorite GEC.

I would find anything less than 3 to be unacceptable and try to find a way to return or exchange it. At that point I'd rather just carry an Opinel.

 

[knarfeng]

The first in-house made slipjoints Buck made were the 700 series. On the first run they made, the heat treat on the springs was off and a lot of customers got knives with springs that broke. (I was one such customer.) Buck replaced those knives, of course. The next run of 700's had a correct temper on the springs. Mine runs about a 5 out of 10.

But, to my knowledge Buck has run the 300 series springs on the soft side since the get-go in ~1985. (The 300 series knives sold before that were made by Camillus.) I have Buck 300 Series knives from the 90's, and they also have the soft springs. Whether there is an actual connection between that first 700 run and the subsequent soft springs, I can't swear to. But, that's always been my theory for why the 300 series has soft springs.

 

[Will Power]

Shocked to hear this, is it evidence of GEC aiming at collector market rather than users?

Snap on my 15 Barlows from previous years always very satisfying. On the other hand, if the pull snap is weak I don't think it will get weaker in time as there's little resistance. The opposite should be true of heavy pulls which will tame down a bit with frequent use, you will hopefully find this out when you receive the 73 I sent you....

In the meantime, the 15 non Barlow you sent me as the trade has excellent pull/snap and I'm very pleased with it.

Thanks, Will

 

[black mamba]

Pretty coco on that one, Will. My Richie, #15 from the latest run, has solid 5 pull with excellent snap.

 

[Boattale]

I've got no problem with the Buck springs. I've got a Camillus electrician's knife with a backspring that is a true nail breaker. It's like an 11 pull. I should send it to glennbad to get that taken care of but just haven't gotten around to doing that. So tell me, what's the issue with a pull like Buck 301?

 

[CVamberbonehead]

I actually like softer springs, why make the knife harder to open? It will close on you either way if you do something stupid, but weaker springs let you open the knife better.

 

[JohnDF]

I had two #66 Stockman knives. The pull on the secondary blades were notoriously weak.
I ended up selling both of them way too cheap... I can't abide by weak pulls,

 

[Boattale]

I had two #66 Stockman knives. The pull on the secondary blades were notoriously weak.
I ended up selling both of them way too cheap... I can't abide by weak pulls,

Why? Honest question.

 

[JohnDF]

Why? Honest question.

If the pull is weak, it's not made to proper specs... as far as I'm concerned.
It is akin to liner gaps, off-centered blades, poorly insetted shields, I just don't feel it's fit n finished properly.

 

[mrknife]

Shocked to hear this, is it evidence of GEC aiming at collector market rather than users?

Snap on my 15 Barlows from previous years always very satisfying. On the other hand, if the pull snap is weak I don't think it will get weaker in time as there's little resistance. The opposite should be true of heavy pulls which will tame down a bit with frequent use, you will hopefully find this out when you receive the 73 I sent you....

In the meantime, the 15 non Barlow you sent me as the trade has excellent pull/snap and I'm very pleased with it.

Thanks, Will

Glad to see you managed one!!