Failing lock on Cara Cara and Manix

[Rob]

Yep, that pretty much describes what I feel and look like at the moment

Cheers, Rob

[lukaszki]

Rob, try to tighten the screw near the lock release of Manix. It should solve the problem. I had similar issue with Chinook II but since both of them have spring tension adjustment (that screw)I fixed it in few seconds...

edit:

ooops

[J Smith]

I just tried it on my Stretch,old model SE R,new PE R,Cara Cara,Military and Walker LW.None of them showed any signs of failure.
On a side note,one of our forklifts got stuck today and we tried pulling it out with a heavy rope I had in the truck.I was really stuck and wieghs 7000 lbs so the rope broke and really tightened up the knots.I used my Sebenza to cut the knots,with the location and toughness of the rope I had a hard grip on the knife and I noticed that the harder I held it the better the lock was holding.This just sold me even more on the frame lock.

[HoB]

I am sorry to hear that your Manix is in such a poor state. Let us know if you can obtain a replacement lockbar!

[Vincent]

I just tried it on my Stretch,old model SE R,new PE R,Cara Cara,Military and Walker LW.None of them showed any signs of failure.
On a side note,one of our forklifts got stuck today and we tried pulling it out with a heavy rope I had in the truck.I was really stuck and wieghs 7000 lbs so the rope broke and really tightened up the knots.I used my Sebenza to cut the knots,with the location and toughness of the rope I had a hard grip on the knife and I noticed that the harder I held it the better the lock was holding.This just sold me even more on the frame lock.

Thats why i wonder why people think they are bad. the harder you use it the better it works.

[DAYWALKER]

Aloha Rob,

I just saw your Caracara video...the first one. It appears as if you are whacking just behind the Comet Hole hump? I have never seen a spine whack done that high on a knife. Strange...

I just tried your way of spine whacking on a Gerber EZout that I retired due to failing on me. I cannot get it to close up on me. However, when I spine whack on the front third of the blade, there it goes!

Okay, I just saw your first Manix video...see, when whacked on the area I normally do my spine whack on, it doesn't close. Then on the third time, you hit the cusp area and it shuts. Also, it appears you are coming down at a 45 "whacking" directly into the blade/lockwell/lockbar junction. Try the test with the knives held horizontally, and hitting only the top third or so of the blade's spine. Ah...but if you can close your byrd with hand pressure alone, there's no need for any further tests.

Have yet to watch your other video though, as perhaps you have already done the spine whack in such a manner. I will check that one out now...

I dunno what to say except God bless my friend :confused:

[skcusloa]

Seeing a broken manix is almost as bad as seeing a pile of guns burning.

[Rob]

Aloha Chad!

I hit both knives on the first third of the blades. What appears to be a whack on the area where the opening hole is located is actually the back of the handle hitting the board because the lock disengaged so quickly that I couldn't stop the downwards motion. Also my my digicam is OK for pictures but sucks with videos. All I can shoot is 320x240 at 15 FPS. That might also explain the impression of "missing" frames at quick motions.

Anyway, the Cara Cara goes into the Kitchen drawer (I don't think I'll need a working lock to slice a cucumber), the Manix is broken (have to wait for Amandas answer) and so I'll EDC my pimped Pride. At least no lock that can fail or break :o

Cheers, Rob

[DAYWALKER]

Aloha Chad!

I hit both knives on the first third of the blades. What appears to be a whack on the area where the opening hole is located is actually the back of the handle hitting the board because the lock disengaged so quickly that I couldn't stop the downwards motion. Also my my digicam is OK for pictures but sucks with videos. All I can shoot is 320x240 at 15 FPS. That might also explain the impression of "missing" frames at quick motions.

Anyway, the Cara Cara goes into the Kitchen drawer (I don't think I'll need a working lock to slice a cucumber), the Manix is broken (have to wait for Amandas answer) and so I'll EDC my pimped Pride. At least no lock that can fail or break :o

Cheers, Rob

Aloha Rob,

No worries...that's the only speed I can film at also. Ya know, we have a saying here for all the druggies who come in and are *tweaked* out...different from the last time we see them. We say they "musta smoked a bad batch." Perhaps your knives were from the same thing?

Either way, I hope all works out well for you my friend.

God bless and take care :cool:

[Chucula]

i feel sorry for you and your manix. the manix is my favorite knife as well. I hope you get a free replacement

[smcfalls13]

I can say one thing, the Compression lock will not fail. The handle would break or the pibot would break. Just a well desighed and strong lock.

Vincent I agree with you, but I'd modify that sentence a little. A properly built compression lock will not fail. I had one in which the lock bar barely cleared the liner of the knife, so if enough pressure was put on the spine of the blade, the lock bar slips off the tang of the blade and disengages.

It doesn't happen every time, and it does so on it's own, I can't duplicate the failure, but it happens periodically. But out of the 7(soon to be 10) comp locks I own, only one has ever exhibited this. I chalk it up to manufacturing defect.

But in the end, I agree with you, it's a solid lock, and I trust it just as much as I trust my lockbacks.

[Andre V]

Reading this thread and one or two others over the past few days has made me a little nervous, particularly about the manix. There seems to be a recuring problem with the manix and cara cara.

I tested my manix now and i am happy to say its fine, i will test my cara cara tonight.

*there is one test i would like to see done. I understand a spine whack is quite an un-ussual scenario to have happen in normal every day use. It places quite a lot of stress on a lock. But what if you where digging into a piece of timber/ making a hole in conveyor belting, or some thing that would apply a lot of pressure on the back of the blade, would the lock then fail?

Maybe, if some of you guys with the knives with failing locks, would be prepared to lose a finger or 2, for the sake of saving other fingers, try doing some tests. :)

[HoB]

A properly built compression lock will not fail. I had one in which the lock bar barely cleared the liner of the knife, so if enough pressure was

This is definitely not a manufacturing defect but simply poor adjustment. It is actually very easily fixed. All the compression locks that I have seen are adjustable for engagement position. The first I do is look were the bar engages. I like to have it on the first third. The comp lock on the newer models have as far as I know excentric anvil pins. You can simply take a torx and rotate them. Sometimes they like to rotate by themselves. In that case you should tighten them and use loctite on them. The older version had excentric pivots (which I vastly prefer). For those you have to pull the pivot out a bit (losening the screw) rotate it and push it back in. They never rotate on their own.

[Jenner 515]

Out of curiosity spine tested my manix 10 times...no closure.

Took out the Renegade and tested that 10 times...not even a little bladeplay.

I'm confident enough in my Spyderco cutting tools

[Rob]

Well in my case it had nothing to do with not being confident enough. After testing the Byrd and seeing it closing at the slightest tap on the spine, I maybe wanted to prove myself that the Manix is better and that there are differences between an under $ 20.-- knife and a knife that costs around $ 120.--.

If I wanted to be sarcastic I could say that there is a difference: The more expensive breaks, the cheaper one just closes :D But that's actually not fair. I still consider the Manix as one of the best (if not THE best knife) from Spyderco ever but nobody's perfect.

After reading some comments here and on BF I found out that I am not the only one who has this problem - but maybe the only one whose lockbar broke as a result of the test. The funny thing is that the lockbar of the Manix is litterally a big chunk of steel compared to the one of the Caly Jr. and this knife showed no effects whatsoever to the spine-whack. I also tested about 10 other knives with a front lock from my collection and they were just fine. No closing, no breaking :rolleyes: so I guess I got a lemon with the Manix.

Well after the incident with the Manix, my opinion is that confidence is good but spine-whacking a knife that you want to use hard could be better. I don't like to know what would have happened if the lockbar broke while cutting something or simply while my fingers were between the handle and the edge.

While being confident in Spyderco products enough to collect them, I think a little scepticism can't hurt either.

Cheers, Rob

[Sundown]

My sentiments exactly! :cool:

Best wishes,
Sundown

[Andre V]

Last night i got whacking. :eek:

No, my spydercos. :)

I am happy to say that all of them(51 :spyder: ) held up fine, even the Bryd knives.

[jaislandboy]

Thanks for posting this thread Rob....sorry to hear that you got a pair-O-lemons....I guess the world IS an imperfect place! :eek: :)

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: I'm eager to hear what Sal, Joyce or Kristi have to say about all this :spyder: