GB2 detent issue?

[CoolBreeze135]

Hey all,
I'm relatively new here (just lurked for a while), and I've only posted a few times. At a total of 6 knives, Spydercos are more well-represented in my folding knife collection than any other brand. Needless to say, I'm a pretty big fan. I just wanted to state up-front that I have nothing but good history with the brand.

I just bought myself a Gayle Bradley 2 after doing a bunch of research. I originally had my eye on a Sebenza, but just couldn't justify the price. I loved the simple yet elegant design, the usability, and the nice hollow grind, but ultimately decided it was well over my budget. The GB2 looked like it could scratch some of the same itches, plus it had a fun new steel to try (never used M4)! After many reviews and a lot of thinking, I went ahead and ordered one. It arrived today and I am very impressed with the design. Ergonomics are great, blade is ground excellently, feels fairly light, and has some of that well-executed simplicity that I was hoping for.

I only have one hang-up: The detent is very weak. Probably the weakest of any knife in my collection. It's weak enough that it's extremely easy to shake the blade out and sometimes it's difficult to get enough resistance to really flick it open without using some wrist. Most importantly (for me), is that I have to pay attention when I close it. I guess that the detent hole must be pretty shallow, because the knife bounces back open (slightly) about 50% of the time that I close the knife (for liner locks, I tend to swing the blade shut by disengaging the lockbar and giving the spine of the blade a little push with my index finger). My collection is mostly comprised of affordable user knives, so I'm not accustomed to incredibly high tolerances. However, I am a bit underwhelmed by this. My sub-$50 liner locks all have better detents.

I am wondering if this is a common issue? I have heard a couple other comments about a weak detent, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to be quite this weak. I'm also wondering if it's as big of a deal as it initially seemed? At this point, I've played with the knife enough that I'm warming up to the weak detent despite being accustomed to a bit more retention. Is it actually a safety concern? This is the first time I've ever wondered if a weak detent could cause the knife to open in-pocket. Is it actually a concern for regular use and carry? Is it just one of the nitpicky things that knife reviewers have given too much attention? I'm just trying to think through this while I consider sending the knife in for warranty. I really don't want to send it away right after it arrived, but I'm also patient enough for the wait (as long as it comes back with a marked improvement). Any past experiences with the Spyderco folks fixing weak detents?

Sorry for the rambling. I'm just on the fence. I could see this becoming one of my favorite folders of all time, so I want to make sure I have a good example. I plan to hang onto it forever, as I bought it as a gift to myself to help celebrate/commemorate a very significant event.

I've flip-flopped several times as I've written this post, but currently leaning in the direction of keeping it and just adjusting to the weak detent unless someone convinces me otherwise.

Thanks for any input!

[anteck7]

I have one of them without that problem. I would exchange it for a new one. If you can't do that send it in for service.

[curlyhairedboy]

Many Taichung models have comparatively weaker detents when compared to Golden models. The GB2 is no different.

If you're okay with voiding your warranty, it's pretty easy to get better detent strength. I'll reiterate - if you want to stay in warranty don't do this yourself, have Spyderco do it.

with that said, a careful inspection of the detent when the knife is closed (usually I'll hold the knife up to a lamp in order to view the light shining through the detent geometry) reveals that the detent bearing in the liner lock does not fully seat into the detent hole in the blade. The bearing's up and down motion in and out of the hole is what provides the detent's resistance to opening (and bias towards closing). If you have less travel up and down, you have less resistance.

The general solution is to increase the width of the detent hole so that the detent bearing seats fully. My preferred method is grabbing a diamond dremel bit and twirling it with my fingers inside the hole. A gradual twirl-reassemble-test-twirl cycle ensures that you do not go past your preferred detent strength.

This is also useful for flippers lacking strong action.

Again, however, this WILL void your warranty, so please do not attempt it if you're uncomfortable with that.