Shaman Set Up

[FeistyKat]

Hi, all-

My Shaman S30V arrived yesterday.

What a great knife, the size & weight is PERFECT. Beautiful. I'm trying to fall in love with the stone washed blade, but it hasn't happened yet.

Are there standard procedures to follow for a new knife?

The action on my Shaman is very stiff: when I release the compression lock, the blade doesn't budge.

I've been flicking it open/closed but it doesn't seem to be loosening up. I'm used to Spyderco blades dropping on my finger and that ain't happening.

Do I need to loosen the pivot screw?

[Larry_Mott]

You could back the pivot screw out a fraction of a turn at the time and see what happens. Don't induce blade play though. I have long since come to the conclusion that most stuff except pre-worn jeans and shabby-chic furniture aren't instant gratification, but takes some running in before reaching peak performance.
Then there are people who disassemble out of the box knives and claim to 'tune' them. In practice, all they do is artificially wear them in (IMHO)

[Marulaghost]

I'd honestly recommend a bit of lube on both sides of the pivot. if you have a thin enough lubricant then application should be easy

[JuPaul]

I would tweak the pivot a tiny bit. Like a quarter of a turn on one side, then the other, and repeat, checking for any play in the blade after each turn. Hopefully you find that sweet spot with the action you want without causing any wobble in the blade.

Edit: I agree with Larry that sometimes a knife just needs breaking in, but in every Shaman I have bought, out of the box, when the lock was disengaged, the blade would drop all or most of the way shut. So if yours won't budge, I feel like the pivot is a bit too tight.

[Evil D]

My Cruwear Shaman was the exact opposite...it might be the best out of the box pivot action I've experienced next to the latest CQI Military. If the blade won't drop shut, the pivot has to be tightened too much, the blade on these knives has so much mass it should drop shut with no problem. I would try a couple small drops of lube first and then resort to adjusting the pivot if necessary. Just be mindful of how much you adjust or you'll create blade play, very small adjustments made a difference. Alternatively you can also just use the knife, over time they tend to loosen up and it might fall right into where you want it.

[kennethsime]

For context, my Para 3 LW wouldn't drop shut when I got it. It would flick out, but not drop shut. I added some lube, but didn't bother adjusting the pivot. It's been a month or two now, and it's pretty much broken in. It'll drop shut 9 times out of 10, and feels "like a Para 3."

I did adjust the pivot on my Native 5 LW, because it wouldn't flick out or drop shut. Very different action on this knife, and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I can reliably open and close one-handed at least.

If I am adjusting the pivot, I like to loosen it up, get some lube on each side of the pivot, apply purple loctite to each pivot screw, then tighten fully. By fully, I mean twist gently until the screw stops turning on it's own. This is usually a little tighter than drop-shut, but it'll break in nicely and be very secure.

[sal]

Hi Kat,

I would suggest just using it for a while before making any adjustments.

sal

[curlyhairedboy]

Seconding the suggestion to use it for a bit. Fresh Shamans can take a little time to break in, but once they do, they're incredible.

[TomAiello]

If you want it to feel as smooth as possible during the "break in period" you can put some good light oil on the pivot. Personally, I just oil and use, and basically never adjust the pivot at all.

[blues]

If you want it to feel as smooth as possible during the "break in period" you can put some good light oil on the pivot. Personally, I just oil and use, and basically never adjust the pivot at all.

Ditto. I have several that fall closed. Others that don't.

I lube the pivot as a matter of course upon receipt and move on. I really am not concerned as they all open and close smoothly either way.

To each his or her own. Give me a well constructed knife with a well ground blade of excellent steel and I'm satisfied.

[BLJace]

Have to agree with "using it some before adjusting". Give it a couple weeks. That sounds like a long time, but it's really not. A lot of my knives have been perfect right out of the box. Others have taken a couple weeks to break in. Some I HAVE had to make adjustments to. It's best to wait to make sure you have to make those adjustments though.

I've found though, that if you make adjustments prematurely. You're going to be making them constantly unless you want to apply some locktite. Then any further adjustments are going to be "work". IMO it's best to wear in a knife, make the adjustments to make it "perfect" then locktite it all down.

[Mr Blonde]

I echo the previous comments to work with the knife as is for a while. I feel an improvement in the action in most if not all my spydies after a few weeks of use.