Techno 2 - did I catch a lemon

[aicolainen]

I’ve been considering the techno 2 since before it was released, but things happened that moved it down the priority list.

The other day, one popped up on the (local) secondary market, and I decided to give it a try.
I’ve never tried one before, but my first impression was that the lockbar tension is weaker than one would expect.

Since I don’t have any other sample to compare it to, I didn’t know what to make of it, but then I got the idea to watch Nick Shabazz’s disassembly video. And from what I can see, the lockbar on his sample stands much prouder from the scale after disassembly. On my knife it doesn’t even stand clear of the scale.

What do you think? And if it’s weaker than intended, can anything be done to restore the tension?

[aicolainen]

Oh, and to clarify: by lemon, I’m not trying to find anyone to blame. It’s impossible for me to know if it came like this from the factory or if the lockbar was over manipulated by the previous owner.

Just trying to figure out if it is indeed not as it should, and if anything can be done about it

[pantagana23]

When it's assembled, how far does the lock go?
From what I see, there is no problem here.
Maybe it was not locking enough for the previous owner, so they pushed it a bit more, and then it could be a problem, since it went to plastic deformation.
Anyway, titanium can take quite some plastic deformation before it snaps, so this should not be a problem.

[aicolainen]

When it's assembled, how far does the lock go?
From what I see, there is no problem here.
Maybe it was not locking enough for the previous owner, so they pushed it a bit more, and then it could be a problem, since it went to plastic deformation.
Anyway, titanium can take quite some plastic deformation before it snaps, so this should not be a problem.

Thanks for replying.
Now, there isn’t necessarily a problem here. The lockup seems solid enough to be safe, there’s no lock stick, centering is spot on and so on. In fact, everything else about the knife seems fine. My biggest concern is that it will open in my pocket as a consequence of the weak lockbar tension and hence a weak blade retention.

Edit: now with picture :)

[nerdlock]

Sorry for the blurry pics, it's evening here and I'm just about to turn my self in for the night when I read your post. Here's mine, I don't find myself having any trouble with the lockup or retention.





Do you mean it's easy to open? Some Taichungs really have a weak detent. But my Slysz's so far hasn't presented me with a problem with the tension, detent or lockup.

[BG-ThatsMe]

It sounds like you are saying that the detent is weaker than you prefer.

Is the detent ball sinking deep enough into the hole of the blade when closed?

If the tension to lock the knife is sufficient, but the blade opens too easily, then it might be time to look at the how deep the ball sits in the blade.

[awa54]

Weak retention can also be caused by a worn detent ball, they're replaceable if you're mechanically inclined and you can upgrade to a ceramic ball to prevent the issue from recurring.

[Doc Dan]

That sounds like a weak detent for sure.

This is a good reason for a Titanium Lil Native back lock @Sal Glesser. :D

[aicolainen]

Yes, it seems sufficiently locked. I haven't put a lot of force on it, but that's not really realistic either. I do attribute the sufficient lockup more to the lock face geometry than the tension though. My SpydieChef has much more tension on the lockbar, but a rather shallow lock up combined with geometry at the lock face that doesn't match up very well, so I can quite easily disengage the lock by applying pressure to the spine. Based on that anecdotal data point I don't think tension is the most important variable for a good lock up.

I did take the knife apart to clean the detent ball and pit that it goes into, whatever that's called, thinking that it could improve things, but there is no discernible difference. If I go to the office tomorrow, I could try to measure how deeply the detent ball seats into the pit, the calipers I have at home aren't precise enough produce any numbers worth mentioning.

Tried to snap a screenshot from Mr. Shabazz's video, to get a side by side comparison. Obviously not a scientifically approach, but there appears to be a noticeable difference.
Mr. Shabazz's review sample:


My knife: