Manix 2 XL - Ball Lock Too Stiff - Hints?

[olywa]

Springs actually do lose strength through repeated compression and release. Leaving them compressed or released for extended time periods has much less effect. Think of the springs in your pistol mags. New mags can be pretty hard to load on the last couple of rounds, but they definitely loosen up over time as you put many rounds through them. In additon, it is generally acknowledged that magazines stored fully loaded for extended periods lose very little spring strength.

I have a black g10 and a tranluscent blue LW and the g10 model had a much stiffer spring when new. However they are both pretty comfortable at this point after many hundreds (thousands?) of compression and release cycles, and I have heavily calloused thumbs and index fingers as a result. :-)

[Bloody Fingerz]

I have 5x manix 2’s. My advice is if your fingers are sore switch to another knife style for a couple days, like a pm2. When you have healed up you might find the knife is easier to manipulate than you remember. Give it a couple days of couch flicking and it will be fine.

[cnm123]

I cut 1 coil off the spring and it didn't really do anything, so I thought about it and realized on mine it was lock stick.
I could feel the ball bearing catching. Mine had a very slight lip/ramp to the edge of the blade tang right where the ball contacts. I lightly took a Lansky fine diamond hone to that area and just flattened it out then the ultra fine to polish. (I did the same to the upper back spacer/spring enclosure).
It only took literally 15-20 passes to smooth it out. It looks like it could be done without taking it apart if you have a flat needle file that can fit between the liners.
The difference is amazing. I can unlock now w/ just my thumb and the action is just butter.
Sorry no pics.

[vivi]

here's a video I shot showing my DLC Manix XL. This is how all of my CBBL knives have gotten after a month or two of breaking in, including a few XL's, 2 mini manix 2's, and a Pikal.

https://www.sendvid.com/8dhexi74

[zeus]

I changed out the stock spring for three lighter springs that I rolled together. I can open and close the Manix with out touching the blade.