Hi Dunc
Have you received the Spirit from repair yet, i sent you a pt. I have a Spirit that has the same problem.
If you hold the thumb over the plier spring you can feel some play up and down closing and opening the handles, when the plier is fully open it is locked tight and well so it does not seem to affect the use of the tool. Looks to be on other Spirit owners in the world to.......more or less play.
Not sure if this is a fault... still one can not help wondering?
All the clicking noice is on mine.......as it is on models that has no play
NM