Trying the ball bearing lock

Artfully Martial

Artfully Martial

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
4,761
Got two new spydercos in yesterday, the dodo and d`allara drop point....very exciting...look for brief reviews later.

C80GPBK.jpg


sc82pbk2.jpg
 
When I tried the Ball bearing lock I didnt like it to much. It was very hard to disengage the lock using 1 finger and would be near impossible to do with any kind of oil or slick substance on your fingers. I find myself attracted more and more to the dodo everyday but i just dont like the ball bearing lock.
 
My fingers are XXL. I wear a size 13.5 ring (just under an inch). I don't have trouble unlocking the Ball Bearing lock.

My daughter has small hands and she has no trouble unlocking the lock either. :confused:
 
All I can say is that I have the D'Allara DP and I love it. I have carried it everyday since I got it a couple of months ago. Very smooth action!
DSCN5306_edited-1.jpg

Ron
 
Man, you should have got a blue Dodo!! Way cooler, in my opinion. I wouldnt trade mine for anything. Wait, let me re-phrase that: I wouldnt trade it for anything of similar value... :D
 
I like black. A lot.

Well, the first thing I have to say about the ball bearing lock is that it's no axis lock.

It's definitely much harder to disengage than the axis lock, and unlike the axis lock, as far as I can tell, it can't be disengaged with one finger.

But it's not without advantages also. The most obvious one is that ball bearing locks look cool. I love how it looks. I hope it doesn't scratch easily.

In a struggle, it would be much harder for an opponent to disengage than the axis lock, from the sd perspective.

There's a lot less area for stuff and water to get trapped in as opposed to the axis lock.

I've been told that the coil spring is tougher than the omega spring. I've got no idea about that, but, I guess we'll see. My axis locks all work fine, so it hasn't been an issue.

Conversely, the axis lock has two springs for the ball bearing lock's one spring. I think someone mentioned a ball bearing lock with two springs. Maybe there's something I'm not seeing on mine.

My axis lock occasionally got stuck on loose threads in my jeans, that was annoying. Won't happen with the ball bearing lock.

Will write more later
 
Artfully Martial said:
It's definitely much harder to disengage than the axis lock, and unlike the axis lock, as far as I can tell, it can't be disengaged with one finger.
Click to expand...
I use one finger to disengage the lock. Practice will develop your muscle memory.

I prefer the Stud Lock to the Ball Bearing and Axis Lock.
 
Hi AM,

All of the ball bearing locks use 2 coil springs. On the Dallara & Dodo, there is one inside the other on the shaft, and on the P'kal, there is one on the shaft and the 2nd one at the base of the shaft.

The "ball bearing holder" on the P'kal is easier to unlock due to the "ears" on the holder.

Hope that helps.

sal
 
Yeah, I was wondering about that...for what it's worth, I'm really enjoying my new ball bearing locks and my new spydercos. The dodo is an especially big hit with me.

Good to know there's a second spring backin me up.
 
Sal beat me to it. Look real close and you will see 2 springs on the BB locks.

Ron
 
I have the D'Allara 2 DP, and I LOVE it!! Fantastic knife!! I love the ball bearing lock.
 
Seems to me the ball bearing lock is the absolutley most secure lock of all. If that ball is in place where is it supposed to be with blade open, there is no way it can close unless you pull the ball back. No way. It is simple and secure. That is the elegance of the ball lock.
 
I definitely put it in the same league. For strength/reliability, I actually imagine it'll have a slight edge on the axis lock. I just see fewer worst case scenario esque problems with the ball bearing lock. Also, water shouldn't hang around in the lock area like can be done with omega springs. It's a nice exposed space. If it DOES rust, you're going to see it.

I'm curious if springs can be made with H1.
 
The cool thing about the dual coil springs is that if you open it just right, you can hear a *zing*. Very :cool: .
 
I don't hear anything especially cool with the d`allara, but if I flick the dodo, it sounds like that sweet air slicing movie sound.

Oh, reviews are up now. Added these to the ultimate spyderco rundown (just copies of the reviews for now, will cut them down later) for the spyderco n00bs too.
 
I have been lookin at the Dodo plain edge for a while and could never pull the trigger on one.. I like it but the ball lock is hard for my fingers, maybe the D'allara or Poliwog will be better fro me.
 
I don't know about corrosion resistance, but that should be easy enough to take care of on a spring. But the coil spring is commonly more reliable than an omega spring. Buy a cheap ballpen (like the basic Parker) and just click it. I must be doing that a few hundred times per day. The mechanics were out in time, but I have never seen a broken spring in a ballpoint pen.
 
Is the pocket clip on the D'Allara Drop Point revesible for lefties?

I check and Spyderco's website doesn't say.
 
Just checked, and it looks like the clip is left/right reversable on both the d`allara and dodo. Truly ambidextrous knives.

On another note, it's looking like the ball bearing suffers some minor scuffing from my constant flickage. That's too bad, as the ball bearing looks so cool new. On the plus side, I can't notice the scratches from a normal viewing distance, and I can't imagine a ball bearing would be difficult to replace if it bothered me that much.

Go ahead and order a D`allara, it's not one of my favorite knives ever, but I do think it's the best knife value ever.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top