Today we have 3-4 shops posting availability of Stretch 2 with V-Toku2. They are finally in the pipeline. I ordered mine from KW this morning,,, now out of stock. Regards, FK
My Stretch 2 V-Toku2 arrived today. Very comfortable handle design,,, excellent QC, fit and finish great, well centered blade, factory sharp edge overall well done. I find very little difference with in hand comfort between Stretch 1 & 2 models. I do prefer the blade shape on Stretch 1. One noticeable problem with the new knife is the tension spring on the lockbar,,, it takes 2x-3x the amount of force/pressure to disengage and release compared to my 3 other Stretch 1 knives. Very annoying when required to use excessive thumb pressure. The lockbar appears to be identical to the Endura 4 and tomorrow I will use an older Endura 4 with easier opening and swap out the leaf springs. Regards, FK
SMKW (who I preordered this from, again, on 1/4/18) is also now showing them in stock but I've received no notification of shipping for my pre-order as of yet. I really hope there is not a backspring issue across the board with this Sprint...
Interesting...I also just got a Stretch sprint and the lock bar tension is typical (medium)...sounds like you might have a bad one?
I have a couple stretches, it's not my favorite design, but I prefer to the Endura when we're talking big knives. Don't know if I want to spring for this one now or just grab a Delica second hand
Ordered the Stretch from BHQ an hour ago. It's taken an early lead in the first Spyderco for 2019 race.
IMO I don't see the big deal with a strong spring on the lock bar. I think its important to remember the ultimate tasks of the stretch: hunting folder. Quartering up game likely in the dark with a headlamp for light having both hands occupied, a stronger lock bar is a plus. While its unlikely I'll somehow disengage it, Murphy's law says otherwise and possibly being miles away in the back country or on the back 40 I'd rather not have it be an issue. I understand a large portion of buyers are likely collectors or looking for another rare EDC knife. I think the knife fits the bill for any of those task. If your looking to EDC it the spring may loosen over time or with the application of oil. Truely I have no idea as most of you will likely forget more than I know about knives and the inner workings. And for those who are putting it in the safe, why does it really matter? I recieved mine today and cant wait to run it in the field. The lock bar is stiff but still very manageable to operate. I'd like to see a more round butt or bobtailed on the grip handle but other than that thrilled with the initial impressions.
It’s relative. I have a Delica 4 with a lock spring so stiff it was essentially unusable until I benchtopped it. (I know I could’ve sent it back, but it was a fun project.). My other D4 was perfect, so there’s some variability in production.
I like to carry folding knives I can easily open and close one handed. Stretch with a midpoint positioned lock release and a choil that drops comfortably safe on your finger is a great option for a lock back that fits the bill. I don’t think a strong spring is a deal breaker but if it’s a real PITA then it’ll get old quickly.
The spring bar tension is NOT even an issue, at all. You can easily bend it **slightly** in or out to your liking, use two pairs of pliers.
If I had a bench vice, I would have eased the tension of the lockspring a bit (I was worried about control with a two-pliars method). But without one, I decided to put a gentle radius on blade tang. My fix came out functionally awesome, but I got impatient (repeated reassemble/disassemble of the Delica is PITA) and now the lock release lever sits a tiny bit proud of the scales when closed. [I’m happy with it though, and had a blast messing with it] If you try DIY, whatever method you use, go slow and check you work frequently.
My Stretch is rusting like CRAZY...I cleaned the oil off of and rubbed a lemon half on it all over (just like I did with the Endura) to get the patina started, I got the clouding as expected but also got lots of RED rust along the bevel. I cleaned and dried it, gave it a BKF scrub and then took the stones to it (which I planned to anyway), now I have a grey lower portion with a gleaming bevel that I have to clean rust spots off daily...not sure what’s up.
