Yojimbo 2 Compression Lock Problem!

[Boar-gen]

Hi there!

It's time to ask the experts! One of my Yojimbo 2 S90V knives has a problem with the lock. It was very sticky from day one. So I tried all the tricks and tips I found on this forum but nothing worked. Still so sticky that sometimes I had to press hard with my thumb to get the lock to close.

So I thought that I just use it and it will wear in after a while. After many evenings in front of the TV, flicking my Yojimbo, it got better after a while. The problem is that the liner has worked itself further and further towards the opposite side and now I estimate that liner is at about 55% of the blade width when the blade is locked. And the lock is still sticky! :confused:

My other Yojimbo knives locks at about 25- 30% and all are OK. So now I start to get worried if this problem lock is about to wear out and as a result having the liner 'walk" all the way to the opposite side!? What will happen then? Is this lock about to wear out?

Anyway, the question now is how can I fix this myself? Please observe that I live in Southeast Asia and the cost of sending the knife to Spyderco for repair is about 1/2 the cost of the knife itself! So I am prepared to open the knife and fix it myself, even if that voids the warranty. But can I buy spare parts?

Spyderco Yojimbo 2 is my all-time favorite knife, so this hurts deeply! I really need to fix this. Please help! :confused:

Thanks and Regards,

Boar-gen

[Evil D]

Well, to start let me ask you a question. You mentioned the word "flicking" a few times....does the lock stick if you just open it gently? What I wonder is, if you flick the knife open, that force is allowing the lock tab to wedge further and further into place. It may not necessarily be that it's sticking, but more that it's just being wedged firmly into place. I've handled some assisted open knives that have this problem even with them being frame locks...sometimes those locks wedge into place so firmly that it takes two thumbs to disengage them.

If you find it's still sticking even with a gentle opening, I would try a small bit of grease in the tang notch where the lock engages (and I mean SMALL). The grease should make disengaging the lock easier, but be aware that if you're habitually flicking it open, it could also allow the lock to engage even further.

If you're really desperate, and you accept that shipping and warranty may not be an option, you mentioned that you have another Yojimbo 2...you may try switching the blades and/or lock side liners around from one knife to the other. This could at least balance out the amount that the locks are engaging, and may fix the problem completely.

[Donut]

The only one I ever had trouble with... I traded for one and the lock bar spring strength was too strong. I believe I sent it to the factory and they were able to "bend" some of the strength away, but it was still stronger than the rest of the ones I've used.

It will be a stronger lock, but at the cost of being tougher to use.


Does it take a lot more pressure to release the lock after it is done sticking?

[Boar-gen]

Hi Evil D,

The interesting detail is that the compression lock get even more sticky when I open the blade gently, but not as much if I flick it open. A "liner transplant" is an interesting option... But I started by dissemble the knife and I can be wrong here, but it seems that the area, where the liner is in contact with the blade when locked, is sanded off and doesn't look right. Only a very small point is in contact with the blade and that could explain why the liner has "walked" from bout 25- 30% of the blade width to over 50% in record time! So if I use this liner on another Yojimbo, I probably will get the same problem with that knife.... I basically need a new liner.

Saying that, after I dissembled the knife the lock is not as sticky anymore. So should I worry about the fact that the liner has "walked" past 50% in only 2 weeks time?

I have a total of 12 Spyderco knives with compression locks and this is the only one giving me problems. On my first Yojimbo 2 the liner is still at 25- 30% of the blade width and that knife has been heavily used and flicked open so many times for soon 1 year now and the liner is where it was when the knife was new. So I am rather convinced that I have a liner which is not in a "tip top shape". But is it possible to buy a new locking liner?

Hi Donut,

Actually I don't think the spring is too strong since it feels just like all the other knives. But before I dissembled the knife, I at times had to add so much pressure to get it to close that my thumbs hurt!

Thank you guys for you replies! :)

I just put together the Yojimbo again and now it's just to use the knife and see if the liner continues to walk towards the opposite side or not. Worse case, I guess I have to sacrifice a S30V Yojimbo and use it for spare-parts to "heal" this S90V model.

Thanks and Regards,

Boar-gen

[Evil D]

Well, as a last last last resort, if you get to the point where that liner has moved all the way over and is bottomed out hitting the other side of the scale, the lock tab can be hammered slightly (and I mean slightly) to flatten and widen it out again so it fills more space in the tang. This is a VERY delicate thing to do and you can ruin the knife if you're not careful, so I'd only try it after the lock has worn to the point that it's all the way over.

[Boar-gen]

That's good to know! Thank you Evil D!

Boar-gen

[Razor G43]

My Yojimbo 2 also has lock stick. It is the only spyderco I have bought that had this. Will they fix this at the factory if you send it back?

[James Y]

I'm going a bit off-topic, but I bought a brand new S45VN Para 3 whose compression lock engaged at about 55 to 60% across the blade tang, brand new. There never was any lock stick, though. I always prefer early lockup, but decided to keep the knife anyway. Everything operates perfectly, and so far the liner hasn't moved any further across these past several months. And I would imagine that the mating surface on the blade tang that angles up as the liner moves across it would prevent the liner from traveling 100% across. I could be wrong, though.

Jim

[Cheddarnut]

Hi Boar Gen,
My S90V yojimbo too also has heavy lock stick, which has kept me from carrying it (my S30V yo 2 gets all the pocket time) I think this may have been a common problem with that run of yojimbos, and i want to say that S90V contributes to the issue (someone who actually knows please chime in), i wonder if the dlc brown handled S90V yo 2s had lock stick as well…

[Cheddarnut]

Hi Boar Gen,
My S90V yojimbo 2 also has heavy lock stick, which has kept me from carrying it (my S30V yo 2 gets all the pocket time) I think this may have been a common problem with that run of yojimbos, and i want to say that S90V contributes to the issue (someone who actually knows please chime in), i wonder if the dlc brown handled S90V yo 2s had lock stick as well…

[Cheddarnut]

I flick my submit button, not my knives

[Joshua J.]

This might count as a hot take but technically a lock bar that binds with the blade tang is the best case scenario in terms of security.

It's a twist of irony that knife enthusiasts are always chasing the strongest lock but in the same breath always working to help defeat the function of the lock.
Including myself, I have modified many knives for an easy lock release, but I know I am doing that at my own expense.

If you actually use the knife for utility then a sticky lock is not only acceptable, it should be preferred.

[Evil D]

This might count as a hot take but technically a lock bar that binds with the blade tang is the best case scenario in terms of security.

It's a twist of irony that knife enthusiasts are always chasing the strongest lock but in the same breath always working to help defeat the function of the lock.
Including myself, I have modified many knives for an easy lock release, but I know I am doing that at my own expense.

If you actually use the knife for utility then a sticky lock is not only acceptable, it should be preferred.

Make the lock bank vault secure but I also want to be able to unlock it with a feather.

I'm sure I've said exactly the same thing, a sticky lock is a safer lock. It's less fun to fidget with, but IMO it's far better than the alternative. I had a Military once that had such a bad lock bar engagement that it really never settled in and locked, you could squeeze on the bar in the opened position and it move around on the tang. As such it was incredibly easy to unlock, but you could also just push down on the blade and the bar would slide right off the tang, so it wasn't at all safe.

[mb1]

Try wiping the lock face off. I’ve had sticky issues when there’s oil on the lock face before. Worth a try at least.

[JRinFL]

OP is from 2015. Razor G43 asked a new question on Sunday.