getting manix 2 smooth

[weaponwh]

got a new manix 2 and its pretty tight, to get it smoother, so the blade will drop freely once the lock is disengaged, do i just continue open/close or i should put some lube near bushing?

[maliboy67]

I just picked one up yesterday, the display model was very smooth but my new one was not. I didn't loosen the pivot, just a few drops of super lube and it is very smooth now.

[murphjd25]

Keep playing with it. Mine is super smooth now that it's broken in.

[SG89]

Keep it stored with the blade slightly open for a few days and it will fall freely when the lock is disengaged.

[Big Nick]

What does storing it with the blade slightly open do?
I might give this a go :-)

[SG89]

It puts tension on the spring and makes it not as stiff.

[Big Nick]

Righto. . .I shall give that a whirl :-)

Ta muchly!!!

[Doc Dan]

My XL's lock is still very hard to use because of the spring pressure. No matter what I try the blade will not fall free and the lock is a two hand affair (and I have large, muscular hands!). I have tried lubing the knife. I have tried keeping it open. I do not know what else to do at this point.

[DougC-3]

My XL's lock is still very hard to use because of the spring pressure. No matter what I try the blade will not fall free and the lock is a two hand affair (and I have large, muscular hands!). I have tried lubing the knife. I have tried keeping it open. I do not know what else to do at this point.

I've had one XL, a CF S90V, which had to have the pivot loosened and had to be manipulated many times to work smoothly. All the others have fallen easily by gravity. The ones I've had with stiff springs always loosened up after two or three days of opening and closing. Other than that, I wouldn't know what to do. I guess the shipping cost from your place to Golden would be pretty prohibitive. Let us know how it works out.

[weaponwh]

so I lose the torx a bit and drop some lube, its losing now, but don't really like the idea of lose screw at pivot, ill try open/close, and store half open see what happen.

[Evil D]

Hmm...I've always regarded the Manix 2 as one of the smoothest knives in the catalog because of the lock, so this is new to me. Lets clarify something though.. When you say "smooth", I think about how the action in the pivot feels, not the force it takes to move the blade. So, in this way, is the pivot smooth or are you saying the action is "tight"?

I ask because the potential solutions could be different depending on which one it is. If the pivot isn't smooth, then loosening the pivot may not make a difference, if say there was something gritty in the pivot making it rough. But, if the action is just tight, then yeah loosening the pivot some will free it up some. Adding lube may also help.

As far as a tight pivot goes, there is some break in with any knife and the only way you can speed that up is by using the knife or fiddling with it a lot. My Manix 2 Lightweight wouldn't fall shut with gravity when I first got it. I thought maybe it was just how the Lightweight's are vs. the G10 models. One of the first things I did with that knife was make 2000 cuts through double wall corrugated box just to see how the steel held up (S110V). After all that cutting, the pivot had loosened up enough that the blade would fall freely. So, maybe you just need to go out and cut up some stuff, lean on it a bit, put it through its paces. It never hurts to put a drop of decent oil in a pivot, but honestly these knives are pretty smooth with no lube at all. You can also fine tune the pivot screws to get the blade to drop freely without having a loose pivot that will allow side to side play. It's a tedious thing to dial in just right, but when you get it there it's worth the effort. If you go this route, I'd recommend first removing the screw and adding a little blue loctite to the threads before you do, so that when you do get it where you want it, the screw will stay put.

[Sharp Guy]

Hmm...I've always regarded the Manix 2 as one of the smoothest knives in the catalog because of the lock, so this is new to me. Lets clarify something though.. When you say "smooth", I think about how the action in the pivot feels, not the force it takes to move the blade. So, in this way, is the pivot smooth or are you saying the action is "tight"?

I ask because the potential solutions could be different depending on which one it is. If the pivot isn't smooth, then loosening the pivot may not make a difference, if say there was something gritty in the pivot making it rough. But, if the action is just tight, then yeah loosening the pivot some will free it up some. Adding lube may also help.

As far as a tight pivot goes, there is some break in with any knife and the only way you can speed that up is by using the knife or fiddling with it a lot. My Manix 2 Lightweight wouldn't fall shut with gravity when I first got it. I thought maybe it was just how the Lightweight's are vs. the G10 models. One of the first things I did with that knife was make 2000 cuts through double wall corrugated box just to see how the steel held up (S110V). After all that cutting, the pivot had loosened up enough that the blade would fall freely. So, maybe you just need to go out and cut up some stuff, lean on it a bit, put it through its paces. It never hurts to put a drop of decent oil in a pivot, but honestly these knives are pretty smooth with no lube at all. You can also fine tune the pivot screws to get the blade to drop freely without having a loose pivot that will allow side to side play. It's a tedious thing to dial in just right, but when you get it there it's worth the effort. If you go this route, I'd recommend first removing the screw and adding a little blue loctite to the threads before you do, so that when you do get it where you want it, the screw will stay put.

^+1 A friend sold me a like new Manix 2 G10 and it's incredible how freely the blade moves. I just bought a user Manix 2 LW and that's no slouch either in terms of smoothness. I'm pretty sure you're right on and the OP just needs to give that knife some work and it'll be smooth as glass in no time.

[darr3n]

Evil D is dead on here. Blue loctite is the key to making sure perfectly adjusted, slightly loosened pivot screws don't back out from use.

[weaponwh]

Hmm...I've always regarded the Manix 2 as one of the smoothest knives in the catalog because of the lock, so this is new to me. Lets clarify something though.. When you say "smooth", I think about how the action in the pivot feels, not the force it takes to move the blade. So, in this way, is the pivot smooth or are you saying the action is "tight"?

I ask because the potential solutions could be different depending on which one it is. If the pivot isn't smooth, then loosening the pivot may not make a difference, if say there was something gritty in the pivot making it rough. But, if the action is just tight, then yeah loosening the pivot some will free it up some. Adding lube may also help.

As far as a tight pivot goes, there is some break in with any knife and the only way you can speed that up is by using the knife or fiddling with it a lot. My Manix 2 Lightweight wouldn't fall shut with gravity when I first got it. I thought maybe it was just how the Lightweight's are vs. the G10 models. One of the first things I did with that knife was make 2000 cuts through double wall corrugated box just to see how the steel held up (S110V). After all that cutting, the pivot had loosened up enough that the blade would fall freely. So, maybe you just need to go out and cut up some stuff, lean on it a bit, put it through its paces. It never hurts to put a drop of decent oil in a pivot, but honestly these knives are pretty smooth with no lube at all. You can also fine tune the pivot screws to get the blade to drop freely without having a loose pivot that will allow side to side play. It's a tedious thing to dial in just right, but when you get it there it's worth the effort. If you go this route, I'd recommend first removing the screw and adding a little blue loctite to the threads before you do, so that when you do get it where you want it, the screw will stay put.

would I meant is tight, when the pivot screw is tight down, I couldn't open it fully by flipping the spydy hole use my thumb, and when the lock is disengaged the blade doesn't drop at all. To lose some tightness I have to lose the pivot screw by half turn each side. I try flip more, see what happens. but I had some other spyderco product that was not near tight as this when purchase new. so far already flip about thousand time, still a bit tight, gonna do more work on it see if I can get it losen up abit.

[v8r]

I have owned almost a dozen variations of the Manix 2. Some were smooth, and others are not. I don't think it's a spring tension issue. I believe it is more of how the backspacer is laser cut, and ball ramp design on newer models. Some are very rough where the lock ball slides when opening and closing. I have had to polish/smooth where the ball rides on a few of mine (similar to a trigger job on a firearm). This helps tremendously, but most definitely voids the warranty.
The ramp on the tang of the blade has been redesigned at some point as well. There is a slight kick up on the very backside of the ramp. This causes them to be slightly more hitchy when unlocking the blade on newer models, but probably aids in keeping the blade locked open.
Of all the Manix 2 variations I have owned the early variations are the smoothest (clear ball cage models) due to the ball ramp being flat.
I guess Spyderco saw fit to add the kick to the ball ramp to pacify all the Spine whackers in the YouTube world. For my uses I prefer the older models that have a smoother operating lock with no hitch.

[Evil D]

would I meant is tight, when the pivot screw is tight down, I couldn't open it fully by flipping the spydy hole use my thumb, and when the lock is disengaged the blade doesn't drop at all. To lose some tightness I have to lose the pivot screw by half turn each side. I try flip more, see what happens. but I had some other spyderco product that was not near tight as this when purchase new. so far already flip about thousand time, still a bit tight, gonna do more work on it see if I can get it losen up abit.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Remember that these knives are assembled by a human being, and after putting together who knows how many knives that day, the person who put those screws in may have just turned them a little more snug than the previous knives. This isn't a defect or anything like that, this is why the pivot is adjustable. Some people actually think that having the blade drop freely is unsafe since it's a sharp blade swinging around uncontrollably (and to some degree I completely agree with that, as I have cut myself plenty times because of it). Most Spyderco knives have pivots that can be tightened down to the point that the blade will not move at all, so the range of adjustment is pretty wide. This is to allow wear to happen and to still be able to adjust the pivot to remove blade play.

[palonej]

On a new knife id rather try a little lube then open and close a lot before I adjust the pivot.
I like them to break in naturally. If it is still tight after that then adjust pivot......just small turns!
Don't give up on it bro!! It is a great knife!!
Joe

[Evil D]

On a new knife id rather try a little lube then open and close a lot before I adjust the pivot.
I like them to break in naturally. If it is still tight after that then adjust pivot......just small turns!
Don't give up on it bro!! It is a great knife!!
Joe

Same here. I've learned that a tight knife will always loosen up with use, and often times if you adjust the pivot right away, after you use it for a month or two you'll find it develops a bit of side to side play and now the pivot needs to be adjusted a little tighter to get rid of it.

[maliboy67]

I've had my Manix2 g10 for 4 days now and it will fall freely with the lock held back. All I did was apply some super lube and use it for the last few days.

[weaponwh]

guess ill play with knife for few weeks to see what happen.

oh how long typically ppl need to sharp s110v steel before its sharp again.