Tight Caly3.5 - worth bothering with?

-F1 · #1

I just bought my first Caly3.5. It's a decent little knife, but I have a couple issues with it.

First--and I know this isn't important--is the clip. It's the same style clip as on the Manix2 Lightweight, but on the M2L I had, the clip looked... Uh... nice. On my new Caly3.5, the clip is dull, sort of "miscolored" and rather ugly. It also has a couple tiny indentations in it, which make it more ugly. I know this doesn't really matter. Is this just how the Caly3.5s are? If so, fine with me.

More importantly... The pivot on the Caly3.5 is rather stiff, and it's entirely because of the backlock. If I depress the lock as much as I can, the pivot moves very easily. But in normal use, it's so tight I literally cannot flick it open, and one-hand closing is difficult. Again, is this normal? I know about the soap/alcohol and compressed air routines, but I don't want to mess with this knife if I just happened to get a dud and will be returning it anyway.

It's not "just how backlocks are". I have 3 Stretches that are smooth as can be, and they were like that right out of the box. And the Caly3.5 costs about twice as much, so...

PanChango · #2

There aren't any brass washers on the Cali. The liners contact the blade at the pivot. It will smooth up over time. I have been carrying one for just over a year now and it is a great knife that fits a lot of blade in the handle. I don't flick it. I don't remember how the pocket clip looked when new. It is a bit banged up now.

Enjoy.

chuck_roxas45 · #3

PanChango wrote:There aren't any brass washers on the Cali. The liners contact the blade at the pivot. It will smooth up over time. I have been carrying one for just over a year now and it is a great knife that fits a lot of blade in the handle. I don't flick it. I don't remember how the pocket clip looked when new. It is a bit banged up now.

Enjoy.

Yes, I don't flick my Caly too.

dsmegst · #4

It's typical for back locks to start a little stiff. It will smooth out in time so no worries there. I don't have a LW M2 so I can't compare but I've always like the finish on my Caly3.5 clip. It's not shiny so it doesn't attract attention and I prefer how sandblasted look wears compared to a polished one.

I always laughed at stories of TSA confiscating pocket knives until I had a complete brain fart and they took my SB Caly 3.5 from me. That particular knife was my favorite and I miss it. The worst part is it's pretty close to impossible to replace it.

I wish you better luck with yours.

-F1 · #5

Thanks for the replies. Indeed, I guess the clip is just meant to be that way.

Like I said, though, if I depress the lock, the blade swings really easily. The pivot itself is great. It's just the lock that makes it tight.

I guess I'm just used to my Stretches. I'll hold off on lubing it to accelerate wear-in.

Thanks again.

Blerv · #6

Well lubed and worked it should get much smoother. With the tight tolerances it will just take a bit longer.

The low-ride clip is always a tad more yellow. Not sure why but I think it's been heat treated differently.

The Deacon · #7

While lockbacks tend to offer more resistance than most other locks, in the case of the Calys it's more "how Moki midlocks are" than how lockbacks in general are. Moki builds tight knives. They're generally quite smooth, but they do require more effort to open than midlocks built by Spyderco's other makers. Some of us love them for it, since there's just about zero chance of a Moki midlock opening by accident or being declared a gravity knife, but those who think "flickability" is a virtue generally dislike them.

-F1 · #8

Wow--it was all about the lube. I must have received this knife absolutely dry. After simply adding a little lube, it works great. It flicks well, and closes easily. I've never had this issue with other Spydercos.

One thing I don't care for about this knife is that for one-handed closing, I have to be really careful to keep my index finger really high on the choil, or else the blade can hit it. This simply isn't an issue with the Stretch or Para2. Other than that, I like it quite a bit.

Mahmer09 · #9

-F1 wrote:Wow--it was all about the lube. I must have received this knife absolutely dry. After simply adding a little lube, it works great. It flicks well, and closes easily. I've never had this issue with other Spydercos.

One thing I don't care for about this knife is that for one-handed closing, I have to be really careful to keep my index finger really high on the choil, or else the blade can hit it. This simply isn't an issue with the Stretch or Para2. Other than that, I like it quite a bit.

How do you like it compared to PM2? I am trying to figure out my collection needs/wants/desires, I'm new. The blade lengths seem similar. Do you have a need for both knives or is about collecting/using something a little different?

Invective · #10

Mahmer09 wrote:How do you like it compared to PM2? I am trying to figure out my collection needs/wants/desires, I'm new. The blade lengths seem similar. Do you have a need for both knives or is about collecting/using something a little different?

For me, the Para1 (don't have a Para2 but for all intents and purposes, I will consider them about the same) is a much harder use knife than the Caly3.5. It just feels a lot more solid and the blade also feels stouter, especially at the tip. I ended up trading the Para1 actually, as I felt I wasn't using it as hard as I could and the Caly3.5 took care of all the tasks I used the Para for in the kitchen. I had more fun with the Para (I felt comfortable chopping chicken bones with the Para :P but the Caly3.5 I am more hesitant to use like that) but couldn't justify keeping it. My two cents.

-F1 · #11

Mahmer09 wrote:How do you like it compared to PM2? I am trying to figure out my collection needs/wants/desires, I'm new. The blade lengths seem similar. Do you have a need for both knives or is about collecting/using something a little different?

No, I absolutely did not need the Caly3.5. I just wanted it, to be honest. I like having a choice when I go to grab a knife to carry around or use.

But between the two, I think I'd take the Para2, mainly because of the issue I mentioned in my post above regarding one-handed closing. I prefer the backlock of the Caly3.5, but I prefer the clip on the Para2. The closed size of the Caly3.5 is much more compact, though.

Actually, considering all the many knives I've owned (and returned), I still pretty strongly favor the Stretch, in all its forms. Everyone has their own tastes, but for me the Stretch is "it".

linuxology · #12

backlocks are stiffer. More than likely nothing wrong with it. Caly 3.5 is a great knife and is probably my favorite as it is a true slicer. I don't flip mine either.