I can attest the pull and snap on my 97 is very light...maybe a 4 pretty much the same as my 43.I don’t need it to be a nail breaker or a gator but a knife this size deserves to have SOME spring to it.
Being a novice knife guy and a curious creature, what is objectionable to a lighter pull?...…. In my simple way of thinking as long as the knife goes into the various detents, or stops, and I have the strength to move it there, I am as happy as a pig in XXXX...……. I'm failing to see why more pull is desirable?...…. I have the Cherry and the Autumn Gold 97's and the Gabon Ebony is on the way..... I'm tickled to death with the way they actuate...…
Ebony 97 paid for. Will ship after Mike receives them from GEC. After experiencing the light pull of the 43s I have, I am not expecting anything stronger with the 97. My pioneer bone 43 took a bit of work to get it to close properly.
Have you ever been going about the business of cutting stuff and accidently bumped the spine of the knife against another object? Soft springs are not a good thing... especially on a big knife, IMHO.
If the knife is not used for much more than opening mail or slicing printer paper, it's not really an issue.