Paramilitary1 Lock "clicks"

Chris_Himself · #1

It feels like the compression lock "sticks" to the tang producing an audible clicking sound when compressed. As cool as it sounds, is this a product of design or do I need to break it in/send it in.

This is on an NIB circa 2004 Paramilitary I got in a trade. If I could find a way to alleviate the pressure needed to disengage, I would go some length to do it.

So far, it's proven time and time again that I could count my life on this thing so far.

Donut · #2

You could try cleaning it. I have two Para's and they don't stick like you describe.

unit · #3

+1

A basic cleaning and a squirt of lube and I would not expect any "stickiness".

LowTEC · #4

Mine cpmd2 sprint run has been doing the click for years since day one, tried all kinds of imaginable method and still no cure. Even disassemble and polished the lockbar and the hard loud click still exists

Chris_Himself · #5

Yeah it's like the lockbar sticks to the tang. No matter how many times I disengage and reengage it doesn't smooth out and I don't think "polishing" CPM-S30V is going to remove anything worth a change...

I was just wondering if it goes away over some use or I just need to commit and send it in for 2 weeks.

Donut · #6

I will examine my Para closer when I get home from work.

phaust · #7

Try some graphite from a pencil or writing it on with a sharpie where the lock bar contacts the blade.

Chris_Himself · #8

Is this specifically related to circa 2004 models, because it doesn't seem like this affects the Paramilitary 2 and any of the blades lately. I thought this was a feature, but my index finger hurts way too much for this design to make any sense and I'm a starving student so shipping this little guy in would take a toll on my meals for the day... so I'm willing ot try anything

Spyharpy · #9

I have five Paramilitary knives varying from 2004, 2006 and 2007. Of the five, three have locks that release easily, with one taking some effort and one where I have to push and hear the "click" to release it. I did a blade swap on a Chinese Lum and found that the compression locks were very stiff as prior to the change, they were smooth. I could either take a Dremel and shave off a little on the end of the compression lock or grind down just a little of the back of the blade where the compression lock makes contact. I chose to grind down the back of the blade just a hair and that did the trick. If too much is ground down, then some vertical play may develop so you have to know what you're doing.

The Paramilitary that "clicks" on release I'll take apart and grind down the back of the blade to fix it. On the flip side of this, I have a 2004 Paramilitary that has some vertical play. I found that the compression lock doesn't swing inward enough as if I push on it more, the vertical play goes away. I'll take this one apart and bend out the compression lock just a little to achieve the positive engagement.

Keep in mind that taking apart your knife may void the warranty. If you're not up to doing this on your own, just send it in to Spyderco describing the issue and they should take care of it.

Chris_Himself · #10

I'm cool with taking it apart but this kind of thing shouldn't really happen on 140 dollar knives don't you agree? What if I had even paid MSRP for it?

Sigh does anybody know the total costs to sending it in?

Thanks for the help, it seems that I just need to have the lock replaced by one that doesn't stick.

JEFF B · #11

I WOULD NOT advise taking any material off of any liner lock or compression lock,sorry but thats terrible advise.I got my Para 1 two weeks ago,and the action was a little gritty,also the lock was sticky.Use it alot,rinse it out with dish soap and water.A drop of oil in the pivot,and use it some more.Mine is WAY better now.Give it some time.

Spyharpy · #12

JEFF B wrote:I WOULD NOT advise taking any material off of any liner lock or compression lock,sorry but thats terrible advise.I got my Para 1 two weeks ago,and the action was a little gritty,also the lock was sticky.Use it alot,rinse it out with dish soap and water.A drop of oil in the pivot,and use it some more.Mine is WAY better now.Give it some time.

I disagree. Not every single blade or lock will have *exactly* the same cut or grinding on it. Shaving off a hair to fine tune it is not a problem, that is, if that is the cause of the stiffness and you 100% sure of it. If you are guessing that this method may solve the problem, then don't attempt it. I knew exactly what the problem was with my Para and now it's perfect. The lock functions perfectly with no play or stiffness, like it should.

JEFF B · #13

I just think brand new knives need to break in.I would sooner have my lock a little stickey from new,as long as they get better with a little time and mine has.To each their own though.If that has worked for you,thats cool.I would just be afraid to ruin a good knife. I didn't mean to sound as harsh as i may have in my previous post.

Chris_Himself · #14

It's not "sticky" from residue, the metal compression lock liner is physically stuck on the back of the tang until it disconnects making an audible snapping sound

Donut · #15

I don't notice any clicking. The lock bar gets wedged in between the blade and the locking pin. Other than that, nothing.

Water Bug · #16

As I noted in another thread on the same subject, I have Spyderco Militarys and Spyderco Para-Militarys where the locks "stick" and "click" upon release. I also have Militarys and Para-Militarys where they don't "stick" and "click."

I also have liner and frame lock knives by Strider, Chris Reeve, and Emerson where the locks on some "stick" and "click," while others don't.

I accept them for what they are, whether they "stick" and "click" or not, and simply use them and enjoy them.

Evil D · #17

I just ran across this thread...i believe i know the issue with the stiff locks and maybe even why some knives have vertical blade play. Here's my quote from another thread:

Well, i'm now a week into owning and carrying my Para...and i gotta say i'm a changed man..i LOVE this knife. As you put it..for a 3 inch blade this thing is gonna be seriously hard to get out of my pocket. So far none of the ergonomics have bothered me whatsoever.

As for the lock...i will tell you something i found out recently. I noticed on mine that for some reason the pivot screw was pretty loose (so much so that it would push "side to side" through the handle) and i had some side to side play so i snugged it down to my liking, and while i was at it i tightened up the other 2 screws holding the handle together....the next time i opened it, the lock barely engaged the blade at all and was almost impossible to unlock.

Well, turns out that over time with enough repeated openings, that front screw/barrel assembly that the blade hits when opened will BEND and the whole knife/lock/blade break in as one unit...and when i turned that front screw it turned the whole barrel part, which changed where the blade contacted, and threw off the lock. It took me forever to figure this out but i think it's definitely an issue with this lock design.

I was able to turn the barrel part around to where it originally was and my lock works great now...but i wonder how this is going to effect the long term performance of the lock when the blade/lock contact start to wear. If something as simple as stripping one of those screws out happens and i replace it...is it going to upset the whole balance of the lock setup and screw it all up?

Just to revise and add to that, it isn't so much where the blade hits that screw/barrel but rather how the lock bar compresses/wedges between it and the tang of the blade. It's either the blade hitting the bar that makes it bend or the lock compressing into it that makes it bend...either way it's bending and/or "breaking in" to a certain spot, and if it gets spun out of this spot (if you tighten/disassemble/turn) that bar in any way it throws off where the lock engages as well as where the blade rests on the bar and throws off the balance of where the lock bar fits into that wedge area.

I wouldn't advise removing any matierial from the tang to correct any problems...i would suggest trying to spin the screw/barrel that's above the pivot screw around until the lock becomes easier to operate. Even still, mine does seem to stick open and when pressing the lock to disengage it, there's a bit of a click...but to me that's just reassurance that this thing is locked and not going anywhere. I will admit, it's a bit hard on the index finger, but that's probably never going to change with this design.

The good news is, if parts were available, this entire lock assembly could be rebuilt after getting wore out. Even if the tang area had a lot of wear, if a lock/liner section was available with a larger lock tab, and you replaced the bar section, the whole thing could be brought back to life regardless of how much wear is on the blade tang.