Cold Steel Recon 1 / Tri-Ad lock issues ?

K

Kubo

Joined
Jun 4, 2019
Messages
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Hey all, I got myself a brand new Recon 1 spear point in S35VN a few days ago. I absolutely love everything about this knife. However, it has a small lock issue from time to time and I'm not sure whether it's a defect or it's how the Tri-Ad lock operates. Sometimes when I open the knife, the "spine" doesn't click all the way in, it's protruding like 2mm from the scales. The blade is still locked in strong though, no play at all. When that happens, it's also kind of hard and rough to disengage and it also doesn't close as smoothly. Also when I press the "spine/button" and don't fold the knife, just leave it in open and release the button again, it stays protruding too. Anyone else had this issue ? Or is it normal ?
Pics:
4BHjhHd_d.jpg
 
Kubo said:
Hey all, I got myself a brand new Recon 1 spear point in S35VN a few days ago. I absolutely love everything about this knife. However, it has a small lock issue from time to time and I'm not sure whether it's a defect or it's how the Tri-Ad lock operates. Sometimes when I open the knife, the "spine" doesn't click all the way in, it's protruding like 2mm from the scales. The blade is still locked in strong though, no play at all. When that happens, it's also kind of hard and rough to disengage and it also doesn't close as smoothly. Also when I press the "spine/button" and don't fold the knife, just leave it in open and release the button again, it stays protruding too. Anyone else had this issue ? Or is it normal ?
Pics:
4BHjhHd_d.jpg
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I have seen that happen when opening softly, as opposed to really flicking it open hard. I suspect it will wear in and improve with use...wouldn't worry about it.
 
I've seen the lock hang up before and I once sent a knife into warranty and they fixed it. Nowadays I think I could fix it myself.
I'd suggest cycling it and if it doesn't resolve after awhile then send it in for repair.
BTW, there's a Cold Steel sub forum which would be the best place for a thread like yours.
 
I had an AK 47 that did that and it never went away. My lawman broke in and it went away. Id use it hard for a while and see what happens.
 
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While I don’t think it will be a problem in use, for me personally I’d send it in.

It doesn’t seem to be functioning correctly, and as with any tool it may be in your best interest to just have it repaired.
 
I’ve had one that did that for a while. It eventually wore in and worked fine.

I had one other triad that did that once, but it turned out there was a ball of lint stuck in the works. After that was cleaned out it worked as normal.
 
Unless there is lint or dirt in the lock , that's a new one for me . :confused:

Most common and vexing Tri-ad problem for me is lock stick . Sometimes bad enough to require using a table edge or tool to push in the release . :(

But even those all "worked in" with lube and repeated opening and closing . Once fully broken in , a very strong and reliable lock . :cool::thumbsup:

Unless you got a great bargain price or can't return for a replacement for some other reason , it might save you some time and trouble to try again .
 
If I received a brand new knife that did that I would send it back immediately. You should not have to “break it in”. Unless of course it came with a warning that you might have to break in the knife before it operates as it should :confused:
 
Definitely check to see if something is stuck in the recess the lock bar engages with in the blade tang.

If there’s nothing there, chances are the milling is off and the lockbar is galling against the blade tang - which would explain the added difficulty of disengaging the lock.

Whether or not it would wear in over time is entirely dependent on what is preventing it from fully seating. I would return it as defective if it isn’t a debris issue.
 
jlauffer said:
I have seen that happen when opening softly, as opposed to really flicking it open hard. I suspect it will wear in and improve with use...wouldn't worry about it.
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Beat me to it. Firm deployment should stop that from happening. If I open my Recon 1 manually (rarely), it can sometimes do this. I close it, then flick it open with the thumbstuds and it "seats" with a firm thwack, and this doesn't happen.
 
Thanks for the valuable input guys. I ended up returning the knife. Not because of the lock issue but because after some more use and reconsideration I went from loving the knife to actually pretty much disliking everything about it. If that makes any sense lol.
 
Kubo said:
Thanks for the valuable input guys. I ended up returning the knife. Not because of the lock issue but because after some more use and reconsideration I went from loving the knife to actually pretty much disliking everything about it. If that makes any sense lol.
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Sorry to hear that, and a bit surprised. CS is pretty polarizing, but seems like the Recon 1 is the one CS knife that most really like. Hope you'll give the Tri-Ad another try, as they offer a wide variety and you may find something else that you really like.
 
jlauffer said:
Sorry to hear that, and a bit surprised. CS is pretty polarizing, but seems like the Recon 1 is the one CS knife that most really like. Hope you'll give the Tri-Ad another try, as they offer a wide variety and you may find something else that you really like.
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It is an extremely well done knife but it just seems like the things that make it 'great' and are praised by others make no sense for me. And these are the features that also make it very expensive (for where I live). So it's like I'm paying extra for features that are downsides for me. I'm talking about these features:
1. The premium s35vn steel- great edge retention but at the expense of toughness and very hard to sharpen. Ease of sharpening and toughness are much more valuable features than edge retention for me. These are actually much better in budget steels like 420HC or AUS8.
2. The Tri-Ad lock- insanely strong and reliable, no doubt. But it is still a pretty complicated mechanism and it can be very problematic if dirt, sand, fat, blood, food (or even lint) etc gets in there. I much prefer simple mechanisms, especially the frame lock which is still as strong as I'll ever need but extremely simple and easy to maintain.

Also, what I just straight up dislike about the knife is the handle. For me, it's terrible, it's the worst handle I've ever 'handled' in my life. The finger cut outs are the worst part of it, but overall it just feel so wrong in my hand (I have big hands) like I'd rather have a random stick from the ground for a handle. But again, it's all purely my opinion and if others like it then great for them :thumbsup:

Hope it makes sense :D
 
I agree with you about ease of sharpening and toughness being priorities. But I love my Recon 1 and my SR1.
 
Different strokes for different folks. I think the Ultimate Hunter has the best ergos.
 
Kubo said:
It is an extremely well done knife but it just seems like the things that make it 'great' and are praised by others make no sense for me. And these are the features that also make it very expensive (for where I live). So it's like I'm paying extra for features that are downsides for me. I'm talking about these features:
1. The premium s35vn steel- great edge retention but at the expense of toughness and very hard to sharpen. Ease of sharpening and toughness are much more valuable features than edge retention for me. These are actually much better in budget steels like 420HC or AUS8.
2. The Tri-Ad lock- insanely strong and reliable, no doubt. But it is still a pretty complicated mechanism and it can be very problematic if dirt, sand, fat, blood, food (or even lint) etc gets in there. I much prefer simple mechanisms, especially the frame lock which is still as strong as I'll ever need but extremely simple and easy to maintain.

Also, what I just straight up dislike about the knife is the handle. For me, it's terrible, it's the worst handle I've ever 'handled' in my life. The finger cut outs are the worst part of it, but overall it just feel so wrong in my hand (I have big hands) like I'd rather have a random stick from the ground for a handle. But again, it's all purely my opinion and if others like it then great for them :thumbsup:

Hope it makes sense :D
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I have the same feelings about the handle of the Recon 1. The finger cut outs, the flattishness of the handle, not very ergonomical for my hands.
It seems to be an extremely popular knife.
But I prefer the Voyager Large Clip Point by far . Night and day difference to me.
And I like the flat grind of the Voyager also a lot. Though sabre grind is also nice.

But the Tri-Ad Lock is awesome. Cannot say anything other than that.
I did some crazy tests with the Voyager. Hammer involved as well.
You can trust it. It's a near fixed blade as a folder can be.
 
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