Wenger SI soft closing on bottle opener

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Hello all!  First time poster from a small island that some claim to be China.  I have gotten the alox bug but have just now picked up my first one- a Wenger SI. It is rather great!  Vic has official retail outlets here but the prices are nuts, full retail plus 20%. Crazy.

I was able to find the SI on the local equivalent of fleabay for a reasonable price which is great. I also have 4 red cadets and a camo oht on order when I visit the US during the lunar New Years festival.  I might have to line up a farmer too (and maybe a mini farmer if I can swing the $58).

My question is this- I noticed the bottle opener does not have any snap on the closing on the SI. Is this normal?  It is fine on the open, but on the closing it goes halfway then a soft close on the way down. The can opener is snapalicious. Is this ok or a defective item?

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One more piece of info- when the can opener is half open, the bottle opener snaps shut. When the can opener is closed the closing of the bottle opener is soft (no snap and you can feel the folding). Any thoughts?  Bum spring? Oil issue!

[sawman]

It couldn't hurt to try adding some oil and see if that improves the situation 

[dks]

One more piece of info- when the can opener is half open, the bottle opener snaps shut.

That is because you are tensing the spring making it stronger. If the problem is not a weak spring then, as suggested some oil and cleaning may help. I have a few, used ones, like this but they function OK, even without the nice snap.  Sometimes the liners get squashed for one reason or other, squeezing the blades, thus increasing the friction and making it harder to snap nicely.

[space cowboy]

My SI tools all snap open & shut fine. I have a Climber that does the same as your SI. It is annoying but, otherwise works just fine.

[stressmaster5000]

Could be a cleaning issue only on the end that is giving the problem. Try cleaning the EDGE of the spring as it opens . Sometimes there is sticky crud there that can cause a slow closing snap.

If it is not clear what I mean, do this. Open the tool up partially and watch the spring as it moves out and look at the edges of it for crud or other debris. I usually scrape it clear with a wooden toothpick or a razor blade depending on how bad it is.

Another trick I heard of but have yet to use is dental floss in the joint of the tool. Good Luck

[AimlessWanderer]

Generally when I've had a similar problem it's been gunk between the springs or springs and liners as mentioned above, but sometimes gunk where the action of the tang against the spring is as the tang or spring get an unhealthy coating. Cleaning is the option for both - hot water being the key.

The brass pins will expand (very) slightly more than the rest which might just give a little extra wiggle room for the nasties to come out between the springs (or that's what I tell myself anyway  ). Drying on a radiator so the tool is still warm will make it easier to then make sure the oil gets everywhere it should. Oil and work the oil in, then re oil. Following stressmasters guide to looking between the springs, make sure is getting well in there. If in doubt open a tool so the spring is slightly flexed out then oil both sides and then work in.

My Rangergrip 90 needed this treatment, and even though there is some daylight between the springs when held up to a light, a nice tidy blob of oil on the pivot wasn't enough, and I had to really work the oil into the pliers to get them behaving something like they should. It's much better now though

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Hot water seemed to have done the trick. It is getting snappier for sure. The knife seems to be from July 2011 based on the box, and the weather here is super hot and super humid, perhaps some of the oil oxidized and gummed it up.

Also, just ordered a farmer from felinevet!

Thanks and cheers

[magentus]

WOW - An SI and a Farmer - Nice start to your collection!