Ikuchi

[Sumdumguy]

This one was made to have LC200N.

So was the Kapara...

...

LC200N everything!!!

[MichaelScott]

I had one of the original Ikuchis when they first came out. I had zero issues with opening the blade or with the tip being exposed. If I lightly around my finger up and down the spine of the blade closed there was no issue. However if I pressed down pretty hard I could feel the tip which is an unusual thing to do.

My experience was that it took a little time to learn how to manipulate the wheel, not long, and after I did it was extremely quick and easy to open the knife with my index finger. An outstanding design and I miss mine.

[Rinzler]

This one was made to have LC200N.

So was the Kapara...
...
LC200N everything!!

I'm holding out in hopes of something different, like lc200n.

[archangel]

Funny thing is: put the Ikuchi next to the Smock - they're like brothers, quite close brothers I might add! And they come from different designers. :)

I love them both, sincerely! Best buys of the last 12 months!

Look, they even like to cuddle! :)

[Karl_H]

I received my Ikuchi today.

I am mostly happy with the knife, but there are a few issues:
- As received, it was impossible to flip the blade open. I had to add lubricant to be able to use the flipper, reliably. I can now flip it open reliably, but it uncomfortable.
- Disengaging the compression lock is difficult. In my opinion, the spring tension is too strong, given the relatively small surface area that you have to push against the liner.

Has anyone made modifications to the detent or compression lock that are worth sharing?

In particular, I was thinking about reducing the spring tension by either grinding down the liner (make it thinner at the pivot point) or plastically deforming the liner (bending it away from the blade).

[Karl_H]

Update:

After spending a few days with the knife, I can now consistently open it with my right hand (but not my left). In fact, I am now sometimes unintentionally slow rolling and partially flipping the blade. My girlfriend cannot flip it open with her forefinger, so I think neuromuscular adaptation / recruitment is the main reason why opening has gotten easier for me.

Releasing the lock is still harder / more painful than I feel it should be. I have actually started using my teeth to release the compression lock to avoid The painful experience of using my fingers.

I really hope that Spyderco and Paul can refine the design of the detent and lock to make this easier / non-painful to open and close, right out of the box. This is mostly a great design and I am worried that it will be discontinued, unless these issues are fixed (and I think they are fixable).

My suggestions for further improvement:
- Make the blade stock thicker, to improve friction and reduce point pressure on the finger tips.
- Thin out the liners and enlarge the detent ball/socket to reduce the force needed to disengage the lock, OR
- Glue a thin textured g10 slab to the metal finger tab to improve friction reduce point pressure on the finger tips.

[brj]

Having a more textured handle increases a lot the ease of deployment, so maybe this could be an idea for Spyderco to consider in future iterations / sprint runs? Plain G10 or whatever would make sense cost-wise.

[curlyhairedboy]

Those are classy scales!

[Rinzler]

Having a more textured handle increases a lot the ease of deployment, so maybe this could be an idea for Spyderco to consider in future iterations / sprint runs? Plain G10 or whatever would make sense cost-wise.

Where'd you find those scales?

[brj]

Custom job by Cuscadi, they have excellent workmanship and even better communications

[BD44]

Okay so I received the C.Q.I. version last week and I was extremely disappointed with how near impossible it was to flip open without getting blisters on my finger, so I ended up modifying it a bit and it now flips open with ease so I wanted to share with you guys.

I took the knife apart and bent the compression lock as much as I could in the other direction, then stuck a thin screwdriver to hold it in place for around 10-15min. I then lubricated it with nano-oil 5 weight and put it back together, and now it’s effortless to flip, still has a strong lock up and drops shut beautifully.
The knife did not “break in” with use and was still extremely hard to flip open so this was my last resort, and I’m very glad I tried it.

If you do try this modification though just make sure to not bend the compression lock too much or for too long, or else you will make the detent too weak and mess up the knife completely.

[WRB]

I had the exact same experience. My fingertip was on fire after just a few flicks so something had to change.

I first took it apart and cleaned/lubed it to see if that would help. No dice. After that, I decided to bend the lock bar to relieve some pressure.

I actually went too far on the first try so I then had to bend it back a bit, which was easier said than done when trying not to mar anything and keep it all pristine. Luckily I had some Knipex flat-jawed pliers that made things easier. Once I got that dialed in everything was good to go.

After that, the knife works like a dream. I’m flicking it just for fun now, whereas before I wouldn’t have flicked it open more than a few times a day (all my finger could take!).

It’s a great design and a really fun knife when the action is right.

[bcoutlander]

I wonder if Spyderco made another manufacturing change on these. I had an Ikuchi that I traded away to a friend and then I realized I was missing it too much so I ordered another one. The second one I ordered came in and it flips open a lot easier than my other one. I had my friend bring his over and we compared side by side and the newer one does flip easier than the 6 month old one. The date code on my new one is FT which I believe is June of this year.

[Abyss_Fish]

This one was made to have LC200N.

So was the Kapara...

...

LC200N everything!!!

this guy gets it

[Karl_H]

I wonder if Spyderco made another manufacturing change on these. I had an Ikuchi that I traded away to a friend and then I realized I was missing it too much so I ordered another one. The second one I ordered came in and it flips open a lot easier than my other one. I had my friend bring his over and we compared side by side and the newer one does flip easier than the 6 month old one. The date code on my new one is FT which I believe is June of this year.

Hopefully, someone else can confirm what, if any, manufacturing changes were made. Is the main difference the spring tension a detent on the lock bar?

[WRB]

The date code on my new one is FT which I believe is June of this year.

The date code on mine is FT, and it was way too tight.

[odomandr]

I got one Friday that was a bit of a bear at first. Gave me a blister on the finger almost. I tried to clean and lubricate it but that slowed it down too much. I cleaned it and didn't lube it and it was much better. I had to tune the detent from both sides to get it to drop and flip open with the compression open. I had to callus my finger a bit too and teach my brain to flick it with my pinky finger ACTUALLY out of the path of the blade.....I've probably opened and closed it over a 100 times over this weekend and it is starting to partially deploy controllably and it really flies open when I do it right. Still have some unintentional partial deployment but the knife is really starting to feel nice in my hand. Shame it has such hit or miss detent or that it's an uncommon enough fine motor skill to need some practice. My finger is about numb to it too

[FLMarine]

Any idea when the Ikuchi is going to be back in stock on Spyderco? I like to order from the site and was just about to pull the trigger on this when it went out of stock. This and the next Mule are on my buy list.

[SGR1971]

Full jeans Ibluchi!







This is navy terotuff material and bronze anodized titanium screws. It really does feel like fabric!

Where did you get the screws and scales? I’m not trying to copy you, but I just ordered a Ikuchi and can’t find scales or screws.

[curlyhairedboy]

Full jeans Ibluchi!







This is navy terotuff material and bronze anodized titanium screws. It really does feel like fabric!

Where did you get the screws and scales? I’m not trying to copy you, but I just ordered a Ikuchi and can’t find scales or screws.

bladeswelove had the screws, karbidize for the scales.