Will my Manix 2 loosen up?

I got my gf a manix LW couple years ago. It was very stiff to open and the lock was near impossible to pull back on. I could barely unlock it and my gf couldnt at all. I loosened the pivot a skosh and while there is the tiniest bit of blade play now it falls and swings smooth and free. As for the stiff lock, I pulled back on it best I could and jammed a bunch of toothpicks through the opening and let it sit on a shelf like that for a couple days. I checked it each day and now its much easier to pull back on. Not as easy as an axis lock but way easier than it was.
 
No its still a solid lock up. I just wanted to keep that spring compressed so it wasnt so damn hard to pull back on. When say it was hard I mean hard. I could barely pull back on it myself and it would leave dents in my finger tips. Much better now.
 
It should loosen up over time if you play with it a lot. But I've also noticed that your muscles in your pointer finger and thumb will get accustomed to it thus making it easier as well.
 
Nice, I don't believe mine is that stiff, but I might still try it for a lot less time, see if I can get it a little easier to operate.
 
Yeah, I've been doing that as much as I can recently. Been my main edc lately. That might be it, I'm mostly used to flippers, so my fingers definitely aren't accustomed to the action needed to operate the Ball Bearing Lock.
 
Here is how to fix it, if you're a little adventurous:

I had the same problem with my Manix 2 XL, and it was bad enough that I was about to sell the knife. Being one to always try to fix things myself, I decided to do just that. I disassembled the knife, and cut about 1-2 coils off the spring. I forget exactly how many, but it wasn't more than 2. It is now perfect. I've had it for almost two years since then, and have never had an issue with locking or anything else. It is now much more comparable to an Axis lock in spring pressure and ease of closing.

I also thought about finding a smaller spring to replace the factory one with. That would be an option if you don't like the idea of chopping the factory one. The factory one is just too long and too strong, in my opinion.
 
Also, as far as Steelhead's recommendation goes, this may not apply, but I was always told that (at least with magazine springs in guns), that leaving a spring compressed does NOT change its force. It's cycling the spring repeatedly that will do that. So I don't think compressing it for any length of time will loosen it up.
 
That is quite adventurous! Haha. If I feel I haven't reached a desirable looseness on the spring for long enough, this might come into play. Definitely a last resort for me, though. Happy to know it does work though, so will be done if I feel it needs to be!
 
Alfazulu said:
Also, as far as Steelhead's recommendation goes, this may not apply, but I was always told that (at least with magazine springs in guns), that leaving a spring compressed does NOT change its force. It's cycling the spring repeatedly that will do that. So I don't think compressing it for any length of time will loosen it up.
Click to expand...

If compressing it doesn't change its force how does using it over time loosen it up? all i know is i jammed a bunch of toothpicks in it and left it that way for a few days and it was way easier to open after that.
 
Just some of my experiences recently

Purchased two blue LW Manix 2 BD1
One has perfect centering and the other is close to perfect.
Neither one swings open freely, new from the box

Purchased two S100V G10 Blurple Manix 2
One had slightly off center blade centering, which did not swing open freely.
Other one had a perfectly centered blade and swung out freely without any breaking in.

Thought I'd share.
 
steelhead seeker said:
I got my gf a manix LW couple years ago. It was very stiff to open and the lock was near impossible to pull back on. I could barely unlock it and my gf couldnt at all. I loosened the pivot a skosh and while there is the tiniest bit of blade play now it falls and swings smooth and free. As for the stiff lock, I pulled back on it best I could and jammed a bunch of toothpicks through the opening and let it sit on a shelf like that for a couple days. I checked it each day and now its much easier to pull back on. Not as easy as an axis lock but way easier than it was.
Click to expand...
This suggestion is THE BEST answer for hard to pull back releases. I did the same thing with a Triad Lock on a Cold steel Knife and it made even that, easier. Thanks for reminding me about the decompress technique.
 
A small drop of oil is your friend in this case.
I'm a bit biased because my Manix 2 is one of my favorite knives that I own. When I got mine (G10 + DLC coated, S30V blade), the only thing I wasn't super happy with is how wide the closed blade is. Just takes up a lot of pocket room. But now that I've adjusted/adapted, it's my favorite.
The lock was a little bit stiff when I got it, but with use, fidgeting, and a little bit of oil, it's loosened up well. If you like the knife, it's worth trying to adjust it a little.
 
I'm posting on this ancient thread with the hope it may help people who find their Manix 2 lock to be insanely stiff.

I have three Manix 2s: S110v lightweight, Maxamet lightweight, and Cruwear G10 (DLT purple), all purchased "new" or "LNIB". The first two have locks that are much stiffer than any Benchmade axis lock I've ever tried, but still perfectly usable. I actually prefer the stronger-feeling locks on those Manix 2 lightweights over Benchmade axis.

But the lock on my Cruwear G10 was a thumb-shredder. I opened/closed it maybe 100x/day for a couple weeks with almost no improvement. So I bought a titanium ball cage to see if that would help. When I removed the original plastic ball cage, I saw the stem was bent. Dunno if it was like that before removal or if somehow I damaged it taking it out.

After installing the titanium ball cage, the lock feels pretty similar to the two lightweight models. Spring (still the original) feels maybe 20% stronger than those, but the action of the lock is now much smoother (no lubrication, simply swapped parts).

After reading a bunch of "manix 2 sticky lock" threads on various forums, I was initially unsure if I was dealing with a break-in issue or a bad part. I'm now pretty sure it was a bad part. Maybe it would have "broken in" after thousands of cycles, but it was literally tearing skin off my thumb in the process. So to people dealing with what feels like a similarly resistant lock on a G10 Manix 2, you may be able to fix it with a replacement titanium or aluminum ball cage.
 
I've had broken Omega springs after only a year or so. My Manix 2 has been going strong for 9 years as of March. No fears the spring will break. It took a lot ("like a LOT" to quote Chappelle) of fidgeting with it before it became really smooth.
 
I had a Manix 2 that was almost impossible to close without using a screwdriver or other metal implement. I sold it cheap to a friend who repairs stuff for a living--mostly heavy machinery, but also knives from time to time. He eventually got it to where it was usable.

There was also a Cara Cara that could not be closed without a screwdriver.

On the other hand, I have a couple Para 3s that would drop open and closed out of the box.

Out of well over 100 Benchmades, I have never encountered one that was hard to close.
 
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