Spyderco Forums

I have been a defender of this issue in the past, but now that I have two of the exact same knives to compare, one factory and one with a modded detent hole (aka stronger detent) it is pretty much a night and day difference in how these knives flip.

The factory knife will flip and it will flip reliably in both button press and light switch firing methods, because the pivot action is so ridiculously smooth and free moving. However, the stronger detent provides a much crisper action and the blade flies open with authority, without making thumb opening so hard that it isn't still pleasant to open via thumb hole. In fact I'd say the detent on the modded knife is still weaker than a standard Military and it could probably stand to be a tad stronger (these are both Sliverax's by the way).

So yeah I guess count me in as a supporter of this issue. I was also comparing my Caribbean to a Military and the difference there is pretty significant so this issue seems more of a Taichung issue than strictly flipper related. I can inertia open my Caribbean but it's quite difficult to get my Military open. Part of that is likely to do with blade mass, but that won't matter to the police when a person gets busted for having a "gravity knife".

What completely baffles me is how strong the detent is on the Southard. Granted, that knife is a frame lock so I'm sure the lock bar action is much stronger which equals a stronger detent action, but they both came from Taichung so the skill is there to make them better.

What color are the screws on your sliverax with the stronger detent? If they're blue, that might one I did

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:16 pm

What color are the screws on your sliverax with the stronger detent? If they're blue, that might one I did

They're standard silver, I got it directly from Paul Alexander.

Main reason I sold my Mantra 3

It wouldn't bother me if all frame/liner/compression locks had stronger detents, flipper or not.

My Sliverax flipped ok but not nearly as well as the flippers I have from other manufacturers. It's way better now that I increased the detent strength. Mantra is much improved to but I fixed the detent ball on that one. My Southard has a very strong detent so no issue with that one. Advocate and Positron have good detents too.

This might be the main reason I'm not into Spyderco flippers.

My ZT 0462 has a really strong detent, and that gives it a really nice, authoritative flip. All the Spyder-flippers I've tried pale in comparison, which makes their flipping feel weak.

The majority of the knives I’ve received from Taichung have weak detents. I fix them myself now and consider it something I’ll have to do on every knife I buy from Taichung. Sort of like when I buy a Para 3, I just accept that I need to swap out the CLIPIT a deep carry one. Or when I buy a PM2, I’ll have to move the clip to tip up. It’s become standard operating procedure.

It’s unfortunate because an otherwise perfect knife can be seen by some as a let down if the detent is weak. The knife market is insanely competitive now so this isn’t really something that should go on much longer. David is right, it’s such an easy thing to correct it doesn’t really make sense for Taichung not to get right.

I’d wager that the majority of the knife world would prefer a knife have a strong detent over a weak one. My BladeHQ M4 Yojimbo 2 for example has the strongest detent I’ve ever seen (Spyderco or any other brand). Is it too strong? Absolutely. Would I prefer an accidental strong detent over a weak one? Absolutely!

Anyway, I hope to see this issue fixed someday.

My positron detente seems fine, but if it were any stronger it would have made closing that much worse. I modded the knife to add a detente ramp which makes closing smooth and easy. I’m not really sure why that was omitted from the design. But if other flippers don’t have that then it could explain why the detentes are weak — they’re making a trade off with the closing force.

I wholeheartedly agree. I’ve never been a fan of the Spydie flippers. I’ve been thinking lately of grinding the flipper tab off my Advocate. I personally think Spyderco should just stop making flippers all together. The opening hole is perfect and the best opening mechanism out there. If they want to do the flipper thing they should take a page out of ZT or Hinderers new Gen 6 playbook. Bigger bearings and a lot stronger detent!!

Did you simply drill the detent hole out slightly deeper? Or increase the spring strength of the liner?

Every knife I have seen out of Taichung has a week detent and it does effect my purchasing decisions. My Southard had a very weak detent. My Sage2 is probably the only one that isn’t easy to wrist flick open.

Pelagic wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 23, 2019 1:45 am

Did you simply drill the detent hole out slightly deeper? Or increase the spring strength of the liner?

spring strength may play a role, but that adds to the friction when opening and closing. What we've noticed on the taichung models is that the detent hole in the blade is smaller than the detent ball on the liner. Ideally you can expand (widen) the hole in the blade so that the diameter of the hole and the ball are closer. However, it's imperative to use a method that preserves the vertical sides of the hole without rounding the edge. That edge is important for building up spring force in your finger or thumb before overcoming it and allowing the blade to move freely.

My method is using a diamond-coated dremel bit that I twirl in between my fingers. It's an operation where you don't want to remove very much material very fast, so I'd never do it with anything powered. Frequent test fittings will allow you to get a detent right where you want it.

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:48 am

Pelagic wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 23, 2019 1:45 am

Did you simply drill the detent hole out slightly deeper? Or increase the spring strength of the liner?

spring strength may play a role, but that adds to the friction when opening and closing. What we've noticed on the taichung models is that the detent hole in the blade is smaller than the detent ball on the liner. Ideally you can expand (widen) the hole in the blade so that the diameter of the hole and the ball are closer. However, it's imperative to use a method that preserves the vertical sides of the hole without rounding the edge. That edge is important for building up spring force in your finger or thumb before overcoming it and allowing the blade to move freely.

My method is using a diamond-coated dremel bit that I twirl in between my fingers. It's an operation where you don't want to remove very much material very fast, so I'd never do it with anything powered. Frequent test fittings will allow you to get a detent right where you want it.

Very interesting! I would like to hear from the other guys adjusting their detention what techniques they use?

I am glad you made this post. One of the main reasons that steer me away from flippers, Spyderco or other, is this very issue.

Also, I do not like the look of the steel flipper sticking out from the handle, that's just a cosmetic issue for me.

Hmm... Didn't realize this was such a widespread issue. The detent on my Positron is horrible. It's my only Spyderco flipper and I've avoided getting more because of it. I might have to fix it now because I love everything else about that knife.

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:48 am

Pelagic wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 23, 2019 1:45 am

Did you simply drill the detent hole out slightly deeper? Or increase the spring strength of the liner?

spring strength may play a role, but that adds to the friction when opening and closing. What we've noticed on the taichung models is that the detent hole in the blade is smaller than the detent ball on the liner. Ideally you can expand (widen) the hole in the blade so that the diameter of the hole and the ball are closer. However, it's imperative to use a method that preserves the vertical sides of the hole without rounding the edge. That edge is important for building up spring force in your finger or thumb before overcoming it and allowing the blade to move freely.

My method is using a diamond-coated dremel bit that I twirl in between my fingers. It's an operation where you don't want to remove very much material very fast, so I'd never do it with anything powered. Frequent test fittings will allow you to get a detent right where you want it.

I know this is older than dirt, but can I ask which dremel bit you use? If you have a part number or even a photo that would be helpful. I’ve seen a couple different suggestions online, but none that seem like they would preserve the 90 degree edges of the detent hole like you said. Which I also thought about and decided would be important before doing any modification. Just got a Sliverax and I love it except that this detent needs work. Thank you!

I use a dental bur like the one pictured. It's much smaller than anything for a dremel tool. The pin vice helps to hold it relatively straight



This set has a few burs that'll like work. I like the pointed ones because they self center in the hole but a small ball one could work too. There's a lot of choices on Amazon

Wokesi 30Pcs Diamond Coated Burs Burrs Set for Jewelry,Glass,Stone,Ceramic,Gemstones Lapidary (BMS-30) https://a.co/d/eNGmR5T

I'm gonna skip the commentary and simply agree with this

I just used the bit on the left in a pin vise to do my caribbeans. Worked perfectly. Take your time and eyeball the fit by hand after each round of turns to see your progress. https://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-p ... 69653.html I plan on doing a couple shamans next.