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Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:38 pm
by spinynorman
Hello All,
I recently purchased a new Caribbean, which is a wonderful knife, except for one small but significant problem.
I am left handed, so I went to relocate the pocket clip on the left side of the knife, and found that two of the three clip screws would not engage in the handle holes. They go in all the way, but the screw threads don't engage in the holes. The same screws work fine on the right side.
I have never had this happen before. I can't imagine that the screw holes on one side are either stripped or oversized, or that there is a thickness difference between the two sides, requiring the screws to be longer.
Has anyone else experienced this, with the Caribbean or other model, and is there a simple solution, short of sending it in to CS?
Thanks, Doug
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:49 pm
by Buddafucco
I don't have a good solution for you but, I ran into this on my K390 Stretch2. I was swapped the clip so a left handed friend could test drive it. But the factory screws wouldn't catch on that side. I did find some screws that came with aftermarket clips that worked though.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:31 pm
by spinynorman
Buddafucco wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:49 pm
I don't have a good solution for you but, I ran into this on my K390 Stretch2. I was swapped the clip so a left handed friend could test drive it. But the factory screws wouldn't catch on that side. I did find some screws that came with aftermarket clips that worked though.
Thank you for your reply Beau!! I thought for sure someone would have had this problem before me, confirmed by your experience, but out of 126 views so far, yours is the only reply. Oh well.
So, to follow up, If I screw the clip screws in on the left side
without the clip, all three screws engage properly, which tells me the threads in the handle insert holes aren't stripped, nor are the screw threads. Measuring with a dial caliper, the total handle thickness on the left side of the knife is about .005" more than the right side, and the Caribbean clip steel is about .004" thicker than a "standard" polished Spyderco clip. Adding the handle thickness to the clip thickness gives me about .193", and the threaded length of the screws is about .184".
My conclusion is that the screws are just a tad too short. Can you or anyone else please tell me what size and thread pitch these screws are, and a good source where I might find some that are extra long, maybe around .200" on the threaded part?
Many Thanks!
Doug
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:29 pm
by Manixguy@1994
spinynorman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:31 pm
Buddafucco wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:49 pm
I don't have a good solution for you but, I ran into this on my K390 Stretch2. I was swapped the clip so a left handed friend could test drive it. But the factory screws wouldn't catch on that side. I did find some screws that came with aftermarket clips that worked though.
Thank you for your reply Beau!! I thought for sure someone would have had this problem before me, confirmed by your experience, but out of 126 views so far, yours is the only reply. Oh well.
So, to follow up, If I screw the clip screws in on the left side
without the clip, all three screws engage properly, which tells me the threads in the handle insert holes aren't stripped, nor are the screw threads. Measuring with a dial caliper, the total handle thickness on the left side of the knife is about .005" more than the right side, and the Caribbean clip steel is about .004" thicker than a "standard" polished Spyderco clip. Adding the handle thickness to the clip thickness gives me about .193", and the threaded length of the screws is about .184".
My conclusion is that the screws are just a tad too short. Can you or anyone else please tell me what size and thread pitch these screws are, and a good source where I might find some that are extra long, maybe around .200" on the threaded part?
Many Thanks!
Doug
Another lefty here and this is first time I have ever heard this problem has ever been encountered. I was actually stunned since have bee looking at the Caribbean but this issue sort of turns me away . I was hoping to hear from other members if this a common problem with this model or just a rare production event . MG2
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 7:54 pm
by spinynorman
Manixguy@1994 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:29 pm
Another lefty here and this is first time I have ever heard this problem has ever been encountered. I was actually stunned since have bee looking at the Caribbean but this issue sort of turns me away . I was hoping to hear from other members if this a common problem with this model or just a rare production event . MG2
Hey MG2,
All I can say is that the Caribbean is such a sweet feeling and handsome looking knife, combined with a compression lock, which is sort of left-handed already, a terrifically precise flat ground blade, a beautiful two-tone G10 handle, and very high overall quality, this clip screw thing hasn't turned me away at all, and it shouldn't turn you away either. It's very unlikely that this is a common thing, I've never had it happen before on many other Spyderco knives (what's the plural of Spyderco?) , my handle just might have come out on the high end of the tolerances, and/or maybe the screws I got are on the low end of their tolerances. It's no reflection on the knife itself - it's everything I thought it would be and then some, it's dynamite. I just ordered three long screws on eBay, 1/4", which will be easy to trim, so that'll fix it.
Cheers, Doug
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 12:04 pm
by endura3
Manixguy@1994 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:29 pm
spinynorman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:31 pm
Buddafucco wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:49 pm
I don't have a good solution for you but, I ran into this on my K390 Stretch2. I was swapped the clip so a left handed friend could test drive it. But the factory screws wouldn't catch on that side. I did find some screws that came with aftermarket clips that worked though.
Thank you for your reply Beau!! I thought for sure someone would have had this problem before me, confirmed by your experience, but out of 126 views so far, yours is the only reply. Oh well.
So, to follow up, If I screw the clip screws in on the left side
without the clip, all three screws engage properly, which tells me the threads in the handle insert holes aren't stripped, nor are the screw threads. Measuring with a dial caliper, the total handle thickness on the left side of the knife is about .005" more than the right side, and the Caribbean clip steel is about .004" thicker than a "standard" polished Spyderco clip. Adding the handle thickness to the clip thickness gives me about .193", and the threaded length of the screws is about .184".
My conclusion is that the screws are just a tad too short. Can you or anyone else please tell me what size and thread pitch these screws are, and a good source where I might find some that are extra long, maybe around .200" on the threaded part?
Many Thanks!
Doug
Another lefty here and this is first time I have ever heard this problem has ever been encountered. I was actually stunned since have bee looking at the Caribbean but this issue sort of turns me away . I was hoping to hear from other members if this a common problem with this model or just a rare production event . MG2
I'm a lefty and was able to swap the clip to the other side on my Carribean without issue! Obviously just a sample size of 1, but I'd guess this is more on the side of a rare production event/deviance from specs.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 12:08 pm
by Manixguy@1994
Many thanks for the reply . MG2
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 12:32 pm
by mreagan
Since you asked for experiences, I had a middle body screw come off a new Pacific Salt on my second day of carry and almost no use. When I went to screw it back in, it dropped in the hole and only turned about a 1/4 turn-ish before stopping. I didn't want to strip so, I didn't force it. I have been meaning to call Spyderco, as I haven't carried it since. Not sure what the normal thread contact should be with the body. I don't know how many Spydercos I own, like 20 something. I have had no issues like this before or really with any other knife that I can recall.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 4:07 pm
by JoviAl
Just thinking outside the box here but rather than having to buy new screws or send it to CS, if you need it to work right now a bit of 220 grit silicon carbide paper and a splash of water will make short work of thinning out the scale on the left side just in the spot you need.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2024 2:30 pm
by spinynorman
Okay, back again, I got three new 2-56 x 1/4" screws on eBay, which I thought was the correct screw size for Spyderco clips, but they don't fit through the clip holes or into the handle holes.
The original screws that came with the knife measure .076" major diameter, and the 2-56 screws I got are .085", obviously not right...
So, could someone tell me what the correct screw size is for the Caribbean? I'm guessing they must be metric, but I couldn't get a clear result if entered the .076" o.d. into the interweb to do a reverse search...
Thanks, Doug
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2024 7:43 pm
by Notsurewhy
.078" is 2mm so if it's metric, it's probably an M2 screw. Standard pitches for M2 are .4 and .25, no idea which is correct (if either is correct). If I were guessing I'd probably try finer first (M2-0.25).
Have you talked to customer service?
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2024 12:01 pm
by apollo
Not the same problem but i did had a faulty screw hole in an XL ones. It was a pain to fix!
But it was a one time thing for now.
I do wonder is theyre any quality control for those small details like opposit side clip holes and such ? Because i can imagine it would cost to much to check every tiny detail of every knife.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:04 pm
by DavidNM
If you remove all of the pocket clip screws along with the pocket clip and just drop your new Spyderco into you favorite pants pocket then problem solved.
Not much help I suppose.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:29 am
by spinynorman
Notsurewhy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 27, 2024 7:43 pm
.078" is 2mm so if it's metric, it's probably an M2 screw. Standard pitches for M2 are .4 and .25, no idea which is correct (if either is correct). If I were guessing I'd probably try finer first (M2-0.25).
Have you talked to customer service?
Thank you Notsurewhy, you were right! I ordered a 10-pack of M2 x 6mm button-head black screws from readymaderc.com, who sell parts for drones, and they worked great. They didn't say what thread pitch they were, or the drive, but they were T6. They protrude somewhat inside the handle, but that doesn't bother me, and I can always trim them back if they collect too much pocket lint.
The takeaway seems to be that the factory screws were just a mite too short for my knife. I tried to post two pics, but got an error message saying "file too large".
Cheers, Doug
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:34 pm
by Notsurewhy
spinynorman wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:29 am
Notsurewhy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 27, 2024 7:43 pm
.078" is 2mm so if it's metric, it's probably an M2 screw. Standard pitches for M2 are .4 and .25, no idea which is correct (if either is correct). If I were guessing I'd probably try finer first (M2-0.25).
Have you talked to customer service?
Thank you Notsurewhy, you were right! I ordered a 10-pack of M2 x 6mm button-head black screws from readymaderc.com, who sell parts for drones, and they worked great. They didn't say what thread pitch they were, or the drive, but they were T6. They protrude somewhat inside the handle, but that doesn't bother me, and I can always trim them back if they collect too much pocket lint.
The takeaway seems to be that the factory screws were just a mite too short for my knife. I tried to post two pics, but got an error message saying "file too large".
Cheers, Doug
Glad it worked out for you! Enjoy your knife. The Caribbean is an underrated model imo.
Re: Caribbean Clip Screw Hole Problem
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:56 am
by Pokey
I'm late to the party, and don't know where you live, but I'm surprised no one mentioned that Spyderco will send out replacement clips. Now I know you don't need a clip, but they also send screws and threadlocker with the clips. If you had contacted them they probably would have sent you a bunch of screws, no charge.
https://www.spyderco.com/service-suppor ... ent-clips/
I've swapped the clips from end to end and found that sometimes the screws don't want to play nice, so I've stopped by the SFO and they've generously given me numerous screws to try. It fixed the problem.