Your Manly Wasp. I have a question about it.

M

Morthawt

Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
60
Hi guys. I bought a Manly Wasp in S90V from heinnie in the UK and I love it. I saw a video review which disturbed me about a possible issue with them. So I checked into mine and it seems mine is impervious to what the YouTuber found on his.

If you open the knife, ready for use, then look on the inside area where the blade rests when closed, the centre area where the screw is, does yours look rounded or does yours look flat like it was sliced off inside? If it is rounded, when you close your knife and press on the blade (while closed) towards the tip, does the blade compress? The smooth one I have seen does compress and with force damages the cutting edge. Whereas the flat cut-off looking one has almost no play when pressing down on the blade when closed and nor does the edge contact that screw area, since there is metal removed from the area.

I am interested in your Manly Wasp knives and which design yours is? Also I see some S90V markings in different places on various Wasp knives I have seen. Mine is on the opposite side as the logo but in the same place and I can see it when the knife is closed, a small S90V. I am wondering if these markings are an indicator of if the problem exists, maybe ones made at a certain factory have a problem?
 
It sounds like the video reviewer is creating a problem that didn't exist, or doesn't understand slip joints.
If the blade doesn't hit when closing on its own then there is no problem.
Pushing down on the blade (while closed) is creating a problem that didn't exist. It's normal to be able to push a slip joint's blade farther because you are then pushing down the spring. This doesn't happen if it is built with a stop pin.
When closed, don't push the blade beyond where it stops on it own.
Problem solved.

Edit to add: My s90v markings are on the tang opposite the logo. Maybe Manly made a change, at some point.
 
Well it has been damaging peoples blades all over youtube. What with all the stops in the blade it is very easy to put too much force on the blade when closing or the force it's self gradually ding the blade. Clearly they must have changed because I have compared the insides of mine with his and the design is different and the problem does not exist at all in mine.

Here is a link with an image of mine and a still image from a video of the problematic one. The flat one first is perfect. https://imgur.com/gallery/XGGo25n
 
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Mine is fine, purchased direct from Manly (although Heinnie is excellent, of course.) Not sure why anybody would force the blade further in; it’s possible to do but requires definite force: not something that would just ‘happen’ in normal carry.

Oh, and my S90V marking is not visible when the knife is closed, but is on the tang, as in post #2.
 
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My s90v wasp had a chip in the blade when I opened the box. I sharpened it and the problem hasn't resurfaced.
 
Not that it has anything to do with this particular model but I do have one slilpjoint (Lagiole) that I don't carry much because the blade contacts the backspacer and dulls one particular spot on the blade. I need to see if sharpening it out a couple times solves the problem... or not.
 
Mikel_24 said:
Not that it has anything to do with this particular model but I do have one slilpjoint (Lagiole) that I don't carry much because the blade contacts the backspacer and dulls one particular spot on the blade. I need to see if sharpening it out a couple times solves the problem... or not.
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I have the same issue with my Laguiole.
 
shaztec said:
My s90v wasp had a chip in the blade when I opened the box. I sharpened it and the problem hasn't resurfaced.
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When you look on the inner side, is it flat and ground down like mine in the first image or is it rounded? If it already came with a chip, I would check if I were you because you may need a replacement. Clearly this is a known issue, I believe, else why would some Wasp's have a design that is made in such a way as to prevent it while others suffer from the issue due to the design.
 
Morthawt does your's actually have the problem when closing on it's own spring power or are you just worried about it?
It doesn't mater what shape that center hump is as long as it's not to high.
I currently have two the first was Purchased 05/27/2018, so it is a very early release. The second was purchased 08/16/2018. Both have the round hump over the center screw and neither has a problem denting the blade. If there was a problem, I would guess it has been corrected. Maybe a change in the kicks dimensions, who knows.

I close the knife either on my thigh or two handed and just let the blade fall shut on it's own. I don't apply additional force to a closed blade causing it to hit the spring.
I'm not saying there was never a problem but I would have no worries about buying a third Wasp.

I still wonder why YouTuber "Hugo Danner" was pressing down with three fingers. He should know better than to do that. Was he doing that and unknowingly causing his own problem?
Quoting Morthawt "The smooth one I have seen does compress and with force damages the cutting edge."
Then don't apply force to a closed blade, closed is closed it won't close anymore.
wIXfFmQ.jpg

I have used the heck out of the black one. It's a primary carry. the chip in the handle and the paint stain that didn't fully clean off prove it.
JOhYfmU.jpg
 
Mine does not have the problem. I am just trying to figure out if it was a bad batch or what. Manly Canada sent that guy his and mine came from Heinnie in the UK and who knows which Manly supplied them but mine is great and his is not.

As to why he was pressing down, this was after someone contacted him saying they have seen several people's reviews on Youtube with the same problem in the same place on the blade every time. So he investigated and found out the problem. Him pressing it on camera is to demonstrate the issue. With all the stops it is easy to put enough force to have a momentary dink against the metal area of the screw part.

Which brings me to the screw area. It is raised too high, too close to the blade. Mine has that part sliced off thus increasing the gap between the blade edge and the metal from the back spring. But it's not only that on mine, as I cannot press it like he can, so they must have in addition to slicing that area, they must have done something else to improve that.

I am not sure if this whole thing is a defect or an unintentional flaw that was resolved or what is going on. But that kind of thing should never happen with any knife. Someone can make the argument all day that "who presses like that" but the point is through use it can happen and when it does it damages the knife. It should not self-damage from closing too hard, leaning up against something while it's in your pocket being pressed against something else in your pocket or who knows what circumstance. So, since mine is perfectly fine in this regard, there inlies my curiosity as to what the actual issue is in terms of early models design flaw, a weird batch problem etc.
 
Is it really that difficult to gently close the knife? Or don’t, who cares. These are first world problems. Use the sh@$ out of it and don’t worry about it.
 
It's possible to design a slipjoint that can snap shut and not hit the back spring or not move when you press down on the spine when closed, or move a little only if you press hard. There's more than one way to "skin that cat."
 
True, but appearently this ain’t one of them. If that’s important to you then move on to a different design.
 
brownshoe said:
It's possible to design a slipjoint that can snap shut and not hit the back spring or not move when you press down on the spine when closed, or move a little only if you press hard. There's more than one way to "skin that cat."
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For example having a fixed area around the pivot point so that when it closes it contacts with that fixed area and refuses to go any further, maybe? I am happy with how my Wasp is currently engineered but I have to say that if I had one exhibiting easy inadvertant movement causing that blade chipping I would want to send it back. So I am feeling much better knowing that this was noticed and addressed.
 
jstrange said:
True, but appearently this ain’t one of them. If that’s important to you then move on to a different design.
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I think its important in all slipjoints.

It's a sign of quality design and does not cost more money.

My $20 Douk Douk, my 1972 bought Victoinox, my 1984 Pioneer, and my 21st century Case Bose knives all do not touch the back spring when snapped closed or pushed. If a slipjoint chips upon closing or when carried loose in the pocket, IMHO it's flawed. The Manly is supposed to be "modern" with a supersteel at $75 but my 1920s designed Douk Douk is a better design allbeit in a common carbon steel.
 
brownshoe said:
I think its important in all slipjoints.

It's a sign of quality design and does not cost more money.

My $20 Douk Douk, my 1972 bought Victoinox, my 1984 Pioneer, and my 21st century Case Bose knives all do not touch the back spring when snapped closed or pushed. If a slipjoint chips upon closing or when carried loose in the pocket, IMHO it's flawed. The Manly is supposed to be "modern" with a supersteel at $75 but my 1920s designed Douk Douk is a better design allbeit in a common carbon steel.
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Owning, as I do, both a Douk Douk and a Manly Wasp, I can assure you that the Manly Wasp is a better design and a better knife than the Douk Douk. Between the Douk Douk and the older, German, Mercator K55K [1860's design], I'd take the Mercator every time, by the way. We seem have one example thus far of somebody on YouTube with a problem, and he has made multiple videos about it, in the way that people on YouTube tend to do for some strange reason. The popularity of the Manly Wasp is growing among BF members, and it's fair to say that if the problem was endemic or even common, this is the place you'd be reading about it.
 
Not one example. One cited example. Most of the ones I have seen have been in foreign languages. But I just went looking and saw another one:

Damage incurred in the same place.

Here's another one in the early stages prior to it being repeatedly worsened:

There are likely more, possible with the larger blade length split joint knife (I do not know the name) but I don't feel like trying to go finding them out. The point is now we have 3 total that I have cited where the blade has been incurring damage at the same location, some really badly from repeated blows and some less badly damaged but still it will negatively impact cutting performance.

This said, as I have stated either here or another thread it seems Manly have become aware of it and took steps to try and mitigate the issue by grinding the insides of the back spring, possibly making the spring tension tighter. A Manly person already said about the grinding, so clearly this was a significant enough issue that they decided to alter the design to help prevent the issue. If it were legitimately a non-issue and all slip joints have it, they would not waste their time changing the design. So, I stick with my original thought that a) I am happy that Manly have taken steps to halt/minimise the problem occurring and b) if I bought a Manly slip joint that had that level of movement and a rounded area I would send it back.

I will still recommend Manly knives.
 
Morthawt said:
Not one example. One cited example. Most of the ones I have seen have been in foreign languages. But I just went looking and saw another one:

Damage incurred in the same place.

Here's another one in the early stages prior to it being repeatedly worsened:

There are likely more, possible with the larger blade length split joint knife (I do not know the name) but I don't feel like trying to go finding them out. The point is now we have 3 total that I have cited where the blade has been incurring damage at the same location, some really badly from repeated blows and some less badly damaged but still it will negatively impact cutting performance.

This said, as I have stated either here or another thread it seems Manly have become aware of it and took steps to try and mitigate the issue by grinding the insides of the back spring, possibly making the spring tension tighter. A Manly person already said about the grinding, so clearly this was a significant enough issue that they decided to alter the design to help prevent the issue. If it were legitimately a non-issue and all slip joints have it, they would not waste their time changing the design. So, I stick with my original thought that a) I am happy that Manly have taken steps to halt/minimise the problem occurring and b) if I bought a Manly slip joint that had that level of movement and a rounded area I would send it back.

I will still recommend Manly knives.
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Okay, that's three. Thank you. I have the larger Manly slip joint, it's called the 'Comrade' - it also functions perfectly. Can't say as I've ever tried to push the blade beyond closed, as there is precisely zero reason for me to try. Here they are together, both excellent knives at an excellent price:

8peuCGs.jpg


If you order from Heinnie, as I often do, it's maybe worth keeping in mind that pre-Brexit you can order direct from Manly in Sofia with no customs charges...
 
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