Common "Flicky-Plier" Problem?

[rdub934]

I am not sure how to best describe this so I will just dive in.

On my MP400 and Octane, after having to bear down pretty heavily (ok, not too heavily for the Octane), the pliers do not open effortlessly anymore. I am not talking about the deployment of the pliers, as they still snap out the same as they ever have. What I am referring to is the actual opening of the jaws. It is almost as if for the first 10% of the range of movement, that a brake is being applied. I can detect no grinding, there is no grittiness to the motion, they just take actual effort to open, as opposed to before, when I could hold the tool horizontally by only the top handle and the bottom handle would fall away allowing the jaws to open. I have cleaned and re-oiled both tools but they both still do it. 

Confusingly enough, occasionally, the MP400 will be good to go again, the problem seemingly corrected on its own. Only for it to start happening again the next time I deploy the pliers. 

I am curious if anyone else has noticed a similar occurrence in their own tools or knows what causes this (I know heavy use, but I mean what is the physical cause of the binding). When it was just my MP400 I didn't think anything of it and just assumed it was specific to my tool or a result of using it to hard, but when it again happened to my Octane I am now wondering if all front deploy Gerbers are prone to this problem.

[NKlamerus]

Have you tried twisting/angling the handles to see if that makes a difference?

[AimlessWanderer]

I can't recall ever experiencing that on any of mine ... 

When you were bearing down heavily on them, were you wire cutting? Is there any deformation there that might be causing them to stick? If yo a quick tidy up with a file might fix it 

[rdub934]

NKlamerus, I have tried angling the handles and sort of twisting them and it doesn't seem to make any difference.

50ft-trad, I was not wire cutting. Just needing to get a grip on something, I can't recall specifically. In the case of the Octane, I was twisting fence clips around a chain-link fence, not really putting much pressure on them at all. Also, the Octane has anvil style cutters so damage to the cutters wouldn't affect the plier operation.

[AimlessWanderer]

It was just a thought ...

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know 

[NKlamerus]

Have you ever cleaned or oiled them?

[rdub934]

Thanks, trad.

I have cleaned and re-oiled them. It made no difference.

Really, the only thing I can imagine is that maybe the pivot area got damaged slightly, or the pivot (rivet?) itself. Like, maybe the hole got slightly warped around the rivet. Is that even possible? Seems hard to imagine that happening just from applying squeezing force to the handles.

[ducttapetech]

I had a MP 600 do this to me. Never did really figure out what it was. Over time it did correct itself. I think it might have been a burr in the pivot itself.

Nate

[gregozedobe]

I have a vague recollection of someone here on MTo describing the same problem with a LM tool. Couldt be either a bit of grit/gunge inside the plier pivot or a slight deformation that binds after harder squeezing on the handles to grip something tightly.  Unfortunately there is no non-destructive way to investigate problems inside peened plier pivots.

[lowtech]

I had a MP 600 do this to me. Never did really figure out what it was. Over time it did correct itself. I think it might have been a burr in the pivot itself.

Nate

I did experience this on a MP 600, too. My EDC MP 600 did not ever do it, no matter how hard I use it. I believe it might be a comnbination of the axis of the plier head and plier handle not being congruent and the plier head being a bit stiff, I have no real explanation, just wanted to emntion I experienced that ,too.

[rdub934]

Thanks for the input, folks. I think I agree lowtech, maybe since most Gerbers are "rattly" they are more prone to this sort of malfunction since the pliers are able to be at slightly different angle than the handles. I never really saw the looseness of Gerbers being a real problem just a personal preference type of deal, but maybe this is one reason in favor of tighter tolerances as found on Leathermans.

I wonder if this is as common of a problem on the tools from other companies?

[Dunc]

I've had a fair few MP400's and I've seen this problem on one of them. It seemed to be caused by the pivot. After gripping down hard on something with the pliers a certain percentage of the opening of the jaws was stiff. Continuis open and closing returned the pliers to normal feel until you gripped something tight again.

[tattoosteve99]

Take a regular graphite pencil and rub over the pivot area. Apply some oil or whatever. Do this a couple times and work it in good. Should work

[PTRSAK]

My MP400 has this problem, I first thought of a burr on the wire cutters but upon examination there is none but that's how it feels. after that first movement the pliers move freely.
Most annoying.

[neillcurrie]

I had it happen with a MP600. I looked at it carefully to see where in the arc of closing the pliers it happened, and it was just when the wire cutter faces moved across each other.
Though there was no apparent damage to either wire cutter, I carefully flattened the faces with a diamond flat rod, until they just passed cleanly.
End of problem in my case.
BTW, you can buy small tubes of graphite almost any place that cuts keys. I've never actually used mine, but it's supposed to be a good dry lubricant, that doesn't hold onto pocket lint, etc.

[David]

As others I've had this problem on the MP600 after hard gripping.

I had it happen with a MP600. I looked at it carefully to see where in the arc of closing the pliers it happened, and it was just when the wire cutter faces moved across each other.
Though there was no apparent damage to either wire cutter, I carefully flattened the faces with a diamond flat rod, until they just passed cleanly.
End of problem in my case.BTW, you can buy small tubes of graphite almost any place that cuts keys. I've never actually used mine, but it's supposed to be a good dry lubricant, that doesn't hold onto pocket lint, etc.

Thanks for the tip.   

[rdub934]

I definitely do not have any burs, nicks, or dents in my cutters - the Octane is anvil-style cutters so even if they were damaged, it would not be causing this issue. Strangely, I have discovered that my MP400 seems to be mostly good to go these days. Only about 1 in 20 times that I deploy the pliers do they exhibit any stickiness. The Octane is still sticky basically all the time, but it is not as bad as it had been - the pliers are much more usable now than they were previously.

[Freaver]

As others I've had this problem on the MP600 after hard gripping.

I had it happen with a MP600. I looked at it carefully to see where in the arc of closing the pliers it happened, and it was just when the wire cutter faces moved across each other.
Though there was no apparent damage to either wire cutter, I carefully flattened the faces with a diamond flat rod, until they just passed cleanly.
End of problem in my case.BTW, you can buy small tubes of graphite almost any place that cuts keys. I've never actually used mine, but it's supposed to be a good dry lubricant, that doesn't hold onto pocket lint, etc.

Thanks for the tip.   

+1. Except I've had this problem since I got my MP600 secondhand - it was in a not too pretty state, so the previous owner might have been a bit rough on it. Gotta try that trick with a diamond rod or file, when I get the chance.

[Cupboard]

I have a vague recollection of someone here on MTo describing the same problem with a LM tool. Couldt be either a bit of grit/gunge inside the plier pivot or a slight deformation that binds after harder squeezing on the handles to grip something tightly.  Unfortunately there is no non-destructive way to investigate problems inside peened plier pivots.

Yes, it's a known problem on the Rebar, particularly when fairly new.
I had one develop it after about a month of use, but then it cleared after about 6 months. You'd apply a lot of force to it then the pivot would seize up.