New Military tough to open ; have others found this to be the case as well ?

[chipdouglas]

I've just purchased a new Military and the opening proves difficult - how difficult you ask ? It'd be impossible to flick it open. I tried loosening the pivot screw, with only marginal improvement, plus it started to get side to side blade play. My other Military is WAY smoother than this.

I'm returning the knife, yet I'd like to know if this happened to a significant number of forumites too ?

[Prospero]

I have an M390 Millie that's the same way.

[xceptnl]

I have had some stiff knives, but never that I wasn't able to flick open. It was probably a good call to send it back.

[NoFair]

I have an M390 Millie that's the same way.

You should send it to me for proper disposal :D It is a pretty simple design so it should be easily fixed if you take it apart..

[chipdouglas]

You should send it to me for proper disposal :D It is a pretty simple design so it should be easily fixed if you take it apart..

Thanks for the kind offer, but I'll just return it - I like your sense of humour though :)

[CrimsonTideShooter]

I have 5 M390 millies, and one of them had this exact issue. If you tightened it barely, to the point that the play was gone - the knife became a two hand opener. Loosen the pivot just enough for the blade to move meant massive blade play.

I tried to trouble shoot this to locate the issue and I narrowed it down to one of both of the liners being out of spec. Either they are very slightly warped, or the pivot hole is very slightly off. I don't know for sure, but I do know the liners are the culprit.

I can switch any blade into the problem handle, and I get the exact same issue. This is after a complete disassembly and reassembly using varying amounts of torque on key screws to see if it made a difference.


Bottom line, you're not going to fix it on your own. I'd send it in and let the crew fix it up for you. You'll get it back good as new!

[chipdouglas]

I have 5 M390 millies, and one of them had this exact issue. If you tightened it barely, to the point that the play was gone - the knife became a two hand opener. Loosen the pivot just enough for the blade to move meant massive blade play.

I tried to trouble shoot this to locate the issue and I narrowed it down to one of both of the liners being out of spec. Either they are very slightly warped, or the pivot hole is very slightly off. I don't know for sure, but I do know the liners are the culprit.

I can switch any blade into the problem handle, and I get the exact same issue. This is after a complete disassembly and reassembly using varying amounts of torque on key screws to see if it made a difference.


Bottom line, you're not going to fix it on your own. I'd send it in and let the crew fix it up for you. You'll get it back good as new!

Very relevant post - thanks a lot for sharing your experience with this issue.

[The Deacon]

How old is your other Military, Chip? I ask because I own several, of different vintages, and the older ones are far easier to open than the newer. I have a 2000 Forum Military that would be considered a gravity knife by the standard set by one New York court years back - a blade that can be opened by a simple flick of the wrist, as when dealing cards. I have a couple early CF Sprint models that, while they don't open quite that easily, can be opened with a hard flick of the wrist. A somewhat later camo Military requires a full arm snap to open, and my lefty won't even open with that.

I suspect Spyderco may be torn between the folks who get upset if their knife's blade doesn't fly open with a flick of the wrist and the risk of having their knives declared to be "flick knives" when shipped overseas and has increased opening resistance.

[chipdouglas]

How old is your other Military, Chip? I ask because I own several, of different vintages, and the older ones are far easier to open than the newer. I have a 2000 Forum Military that would be considered a gravity knife by the standard set by one New York court years back - a blade that can be opened by a simple flick of the wrist, as when dealing cards. I have a couple early CF Sprint models that, while they don't open quite that easily, can be opened with a hard flick of the wrist. A somewhat later camo Military requires a full arm snap to open, and my lefty won't even open with that.

I suspect Spyderco may be torn between the folks who get upset if their knife's blade doesn't fly open with a flick of the wrist and the risk of having their knives declared to be "flick knives" when shipped overseas and has increased opening resistance.

My other Military (orange) is probably two years old. While it has what I consider to be a decent detent, the opening is significantly smoother than the one I received this morning.

[Cheddarnut]

How old is your other Military, Chip? I ask because I own several, of different vintages, and the older ones are far easier to open than the newer. I have a 2000 Forum Military that would be considered a gravity knife by the standard set by one New York court years back - a blade that can be opened by a simple flick of the wrist, as when dealing cards. I have a couple early CF Sprint models that, while they don't open quite that easily, can be opened with a hard flick of the wrist. A somewhat later camo Military requires a full arm snap to open, and my lefty won't even open with that.

I suspect Spyderco may be torn between the folks who get upset if their knife's blade doesn't fly open with a flick of the wrist and the risk of having their knives declared to be "flick knives" when shipped overseas and has increased opening resistance.

if this were true, wouldn't the resistance be consistent across the board? CTS says only only of the five he has does that, sounds more like QC to me.

[chipdouglas]

I too would lean towards a likely QC issue.

[CrimsonTideShooter]

I mistakenly thought this only pertained to the M390 Millies.

I've owned close to 30 Military's in all different flavors. A very small percentage of those had this issue, but the ones that did have it were all pretty much the same. I've only had a few out of those nearly 30 pieces that were like this. But like I said before they all behaved the same way.

No biggy though. Golden can work it out in no time.

[The Deacon]

if this were true, wouldn't the resistance be consistent across the board? CTS says only only of the five he has does that, sounds more like QC to me.

Guess it depends on several things. First, would be the degree of consistency you'd expect. Personally, I'd expect a relatively wide range. As an example: I have about 100 Kiwis. I've never used a trigger scale on any of them, but I'd say that the most difficult to open would require twice as many "ounces of pull" to open as the easiest.

The other whether you equate chipdouglas' "impossible to flick open" with CTS's "becomes a two hand opener". I don't.

None of that is to say his knife does not have a QC issue, only Spyderco can determine that.

[Cheddarnut]

Guess it depends on several things. First, would be the degree of consistency you'd expect. Personally, I'd expect a relatively wide range. As an example: I have about 100 Kiwis. I've never used a trigger scale on any of them, but I'd say that the most difficult to open would require twice as many "ounces of pull" to open as the easiest.

The other whether you equate chipdouglas' "impossible to flick open" with CTS's "becomes a two hand opener". I don't.

None of that is to say his knife does not have a QC issue, only Spyderco can determine that.

i suppose at the end of the day if the knife opens and cuts, and thats what it was designed to do, its within normal spec. "Opening Like Butta" is not on the QC checklist, AFAIK :)

[Prospero]

You should send it to me for proper disposal :D It is a pretty simple design so it should be easily fixed if you take it apart..

No problem...I'll just have to charge you $300 for shipping to Norway. :D

[chipdouglas]

Incidentally, I wish that Mili would open as smoothly as my Manix 2 - love the Manix 2 !

[DunninLA]

i suppose at the end of the day if the knife opens and cuts, and thats what it was designed to do, its within normal spec. "Opening Like Butta" is not on the QC checklist, AFAIK :)

I suppose. Just as getting from point A to point B in a car is the same whether the car has good shocks, or blown shocks... you get there either way. But with the blown shocks your back sure does hurt upon arrival.

[chuck_roxas45]

I suppose. Just as getting from point A to point B in a car is the same whether the car has good shocks, or blown shocks... you get there either way. But with the blown shocks your back sure does hurt upon arrival.

Not at all, because blown shocks are not "within specs".

[NoFair]

No problem...I'll just have to charge you $300 for shipping to Norway. :D

Thank God I have a US address as well :p Probably better to have Spyderco look at it

[The Mastiff]

If I received a military out of the box able to be "flicked open" I'd send it back for repair. It's not designed to be a flick knife and I wouldn't want a 4 inch savagely sharp blade opening at any time except when I want it opened. One of the worst cuts I had ( not intentional stabbings I mean) came from a liner lock that was loose enough to be "flicked open" working itself open in my pants pocket. It got me in a store when I was standing in line waiting to pay for gas. I had blood spurting out of my finger, filling up my pocket then soaking through while I was trying to pay for gas and get out of the place. I didn't want to terrorize the other customers or the cashier. I did get a paper towel around it for the drive home.

The pivot just needed to be re tightened on that benchmade "panther" but I went back to lockbacks after that, usually carrying Millies and others in belt pouches with my Endura in the pocket.