Manix 2 LW 110V hard to open and close.

[HarleyXJGuy]

So the wife bought me a Manix 2 for Fathers Day and I got to play with it a little before having to put it back in the box till the 21st.

Never had a lock so hard to disengage before. I can do it but it takes both my thumb and index finger and a still pull. Nothing like any of my other Spydies.

Is this normal?

[Holzfaeller]

I have always used both my thumb and forefinger to disengage the locks on my Manix 2 and Manix 2 LW. I find it assuring that I won't unintentionally disengage the lock during use.

[Ankerson]

It will break in over time. :)

[3rdGenRigger]

They are definitely stiff...perfectly normal. It should loosen to the point where you can operate it one handed, but with some effort and only if you have decent calluses on your thumb for repeated opening and closing. I still find it easiest to use both thumb and forefinger on mine.

[videorecipes]

i had the same issue with my manix 2 s110v. the good news is that they really do break in beautifully over time. the ball bearing has to grind a slight groove in the lock ramp of the blade tang. once that happens, it'll be very smooth. to speed up the process, i opened the blade fully and inverted the knife so that the sharpened edge was pointing to the sky. once in that position, i used one hand to hold the handle and one hand to repeatedly disengage and re-engage the lock without actually closing the knife. you'll feel a click both ways -- the click of the ball bearing moving over the ramp into locked position and the click of the ball bearing clearing the ramp into unlocked position. after doing that about 300-400 times, my manix 2 is very comfortable to open and close with one hand (using index and thumb, of course).

WARNING: you may want to tape up the sharpened edge when performing this break-in technique; that s110v will show your fingers/toes NO MERCY if you loose your grip and the blade closes or slips out of your hands.

[PayneTrain]

Yeah it's normal. It won't "break in" as much as a pair of jeans might, but I suppose it does relax a little. While mine is a little more comfortable to use, I still can't do it with one finger like a bolt or axis lock. So maybe it's not even breaking in, maybe I've just gotten used to it.

[Evil D]

It's all varying tolerances. Mine has been pretty soft compared to my G10 versions, and I can unlock it with just my thumb and have been since it was brand new. I got lucky, or possibly some would say mine is too loose...just depends on how you look at it. Consider that I do have pretty strong fingers though, and I don't and wouldn't want to regularly use just my thumb to unlock it, I always use two fingers just out of muscle memory.

[dreadpirate]

I have a Manix 2 LW in S110V, and my son also has one in BD1 steel. Mine came out of the box loose as a goose - and my son's is stiff. It will wear in, and I would say give it a hot soapy water batch to wash away all material that may have stuck to it during manufacture. You can also back off the screws just a touch on each side of the pivot.

That beings said - I doubt it will wear in to the point where it flies freely. If that bothers you - then if it were me, I would return it.

[Johnnie1801]

Hi Harley, like the others say just keep using the knife and it will get better. I've had mine since last December and now it's very smooth indeed and I can close it with just my thumb. I have never touched the pivot screws.

Enjoy your new knife and your great wife :)

[bdblue]

The Manix 2 has a pretty strong spring and does require thumb and finger to operate.
I have 2 Manix 2's that I bought used and 2 that I bought used. The 2 new ones and one of the used ones all operate the same- they are smooth but do require a good amount of force to operate. The 4th one has a tiny bit of stickiness that requires a little bit more force to operate. Once the friction of the stickiness is overcome then this one operates just like the others.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Thanks for the info gang.

Didn't get a chance to try it before the wife took it to no play with it till Father's Day jail but can it be flicked?

[swigert]

Normal. It will get easier. I think we go into the cbbl lock and expect an axis lock and they definitely perform different.

[spyderg]

My Cru-wear Manix 2 was stiff at first, but with use the spring eased up a bit, but more importantly my hand got used to to motion, fingers get calloused and stronger in the new motion and positioning of the knife in hand becomes second nature so the combination of factors makes it a very easy knife to manipulate. I find the stiffness of releasing the lock inspires confidence in the knife when in use, ( definately no accidental disengagement) . Flicking is incredibly easy, I can do it with my off hand, which has limited movement thanks to a pretty bad injury a while back.

[Evil D]

Thanks for the info gang.

Didn't get a chance to try it before the wife took it to no play with it till Father's Day jail but can it be flicked?

Never held a Manix that I couldn't flick. My DLC Manix was really tight in the lock but would still flick. Even with a super strong spring pressure, the only contact on the blade while opening is a ball bearing so with some lube it should still open quite smooth. The detent on these knives does tend to be pretty strong but once you apply enough force to overcome it the blade should fly open of you're any good at flicking.

[senorsquare]

I've had a few Manix 2's pass through my collection and it has been a mixed bag as far at the stiffness/smoothness goes. The first Manix 2LW I purchased had a very stiff deployment and it was super difficult to disengage the lock. Most of the others have been very smooth with flickable deployment and fairly light lock springs that were easy to disengage.

If it's BNIB from a dealer you might see if you can send it back and exchange it for one that's easier to operate.

[HarleyXJGuy]

No need to send it back. It is stiff but not something that is unusable.

So the 110V model is pinned but I know some of you have figured out a way to put on some G 10 or Wood scales. Would love to see them and hear how you did it.

[Evil D]

No need to send it back. It is stiff but not something that is unusable.

So the 110V model is pinned but I know some of you have figured out a way to put on some G 10 or Wood scales. Would love to see them and hear how you did it.

You basically need a complete G10 donor knife for the handle/liners/lock/etc and will just be swapping the 110 blade into the G10 hardware. There's no easy way to take apart the LW, the pins need drilled out, but you can find hardware to put it back together after you drill them out, though I can't help you with where to find that hardware....PM Madrookie, he was the first one here to make it happen and his LW now has a S30V blade in it and is still fully functional.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... =madrookie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JoeKansas]

My Manix 2 LW 110V is the same. It needs to break in or you just need to get used to it. Either way that's not going to happen sitting in the box until Fathers day. Your wife is obviously a very intelligent woman, based on this gift purchase . Show her this thread and ask her for some daily break in/practice time with your new Manix. Then on Fathers day you can immediately start carrying your new knife safely. :D Joe.

[HarleyXJGuy]

No need to send it back. It is stiff but not something that is unusable.

So the 110V model is pinned but I know some of you have figured out a way to put on some G 10 or Wood scales. Would love to see them and hear how you did it.

You basically need a complete G10 donor knife for the handle/liners/lock/etc and will just be swapping the 110 blade into the G10 hardware. There's no easy way to take apart the LW, the pins need drilled out, but you can find hardware to put it back together after you drill them out, though I can't help you with where to find that hardware....PM Madrookie, he was the first one here to make it happen and his LW now has a S30V blade in it and is still fully functional.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... =madrookie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the link ED.

Will try and talk Mad Rookie into doing one for me.