Wenoka Squeeze-Lock problem...

[jagfish]

The plastic locking inserts on the sides of my newish Wenoka Squeeze Lock Titanium have begun to stick inside the handle. The result of these inserts not snaping back out is that they do not engage the plastic sheath securely, and the knife has fallen out once in teh water. I was at first all excited when I thought I had found anothe poor soul's titanium knife. Then I checked my sheath and found out I was the poor soul!

At first, I thought it may be some salt buildup within the insert recess of the handle, but have soaked and washed it quite thoroughly. It still sticks, and seems to be gettig worse with time.

Anyone else have any similar issues with the Wenoka squeeze lock mechanizm? If so, any fixes that have worked?

JAG

 

[msdiver04]

The plastic locking inserts on the sides of my newish Wenoka Squeeze Lock Titanium have begun to stick inside the handle. The result of these inserts not snaping back out is that they do not engage the plastic sheath securely, and the knife has fallen out once in teh water. I was at first all excited when I thought I had found anothe poor soul's titanium knife. Then I checked my sheath and found out I was the poor soul!

At first, I thought it may be some salt buildup within the insert recess of the handle, but have soaked and washed it quite thoroughly. It still sticks, and seems to be gettig worse with time.

Anyone else have any similar issues with the Wenoka squeeze lock mechanizm? If so, any fixes that have worked?

JAG

I'm so glad I read this.....I was just looking online to buy one because it's a


tester's choice in Scuba Diving Magazine.......i've changed my mind.....do you think it's worth getting titanium? thanks...polly

 

[opiniongirl]

Actually, these knives are usually quite good - try a spritz of silicone spray, or better yet, take it to your dealer - they're usually very good with replacing stuff.

As for titanium - IMO, it's a "luxury" thing - the advantage being less rust (but this can be easily prevented on steel knives by coating the blade in a thin layer of silicone grease and proper rinsing and drying.

They are also lighter...

If these two factors make sense to you - go for it - but if you could use the price difference elsewhere, I would think this upgrade is pretty low on the priority scale..

 

[Green_Manelishi]

The plastic locking inserts on the sides of my newish Wenoka Squeeze Lock Titanium have begun to stick inside the handle. The result of these inserts not snaping back out is that they do not engage the plastic sheath securely, and the knife has fallen out once in teh water. I was at first all excited when I thought I had found anothe poor soul's titanium knife. Then I checked my sheath and found out I was the poor soul!

At first, I thought it may be some salt buildup within the insert recess of the handle, but have soaked and washed it quite thoroughly. It still sticks, and seems to be gettig worse with time.

Anyone else have any similar issues with the Wenoka squeeze lock mechanizm? If so, any fixes that have worked?

JAG

A better solution is a sheath/knife combination that does not rely on a fancy-schmancy mechanism to retain the knife.

 

[SubMariner]

The plastic locking inserts on the sides of my newish Wenoka Squeeze Lock Titanium have begun to stick inside the handle. The result of these inserts not snaping back out is that they do not engage the plastic sheath securely, and the knife has fallen out once in teh water. I was at first all excited when I thought I had found anothe poor soul's titanium knife. Then I checked my sheath and found out I was the poor soul!

At first, I thought it may be some salt buildup within the insert recess of the handle, but have soaked and washed it quite thoroughly. It still sticks, and seems to be gettig worse with time.

Anyone else have any similar issues with the Wenoka squeeze lock mechanizm? If so, any fixes that have worked?

JAG

Both our new Wenoka squeeze-locks developed an unnerving tendancy NOT to lock in the shealth while we were on vacation in Bonaire. All they needed was a good cleaning to get the sand/grit/salt out of them. You have to make sure that you are almost literally digging out ALL the crap from in between the tabs; simply soaking them won't do the trick.

OTOH they DO seem to be good knives with a decent shealth system. You just have to keep them clean.

Just my $0.02's worth,

 

[DiveMaven]

We've found the same things with our Wenoka Squeeze-locks. After we soak them, we take a toothbrush to them to make sure that everything is cleaned out. My husband has the titanium version and I have the stainless....and to me there's no difference except that I'm more diligent about the care of mine. One reason we chose these knives was that the sheaths can be easily attached to our BC's. Neither of us like the leg or arm banding to carry a knife, so the BC mount was a big consideration for us. Looking back, we're very happy with our choices.

 

[stoddu]

I took my new squeeze lock knife on the boat trip for my AOW class. I assembled my tank, BCD and regulator and attached the knife and stowed the gear in the rack. When I came back to don the gear for the dive, I found my knife laying on the deck. I put the knife back in the sheath and as I was standing on the dive step about to enter the water, the knife fell out again spiralling to the bottom. Luckily the assisting instructor was able to dive down and find it on the bottom. I have a 6" loop of elastic shock cord attached to the handle for a lanyard and we looped that araound the point of the sheath to hold the knife in for the rest of the dive. After returning home, I examined the knife and found that the spring return didn't seem very strong. I told my dive shop about it next time I was in and they told me to bring it in to exchange it, so I did. The spring return on the new knife is much better, although I haven't used it in the water yet.

 

[Stirling]

I have just decided to carry an Oceanic Arrow knife (to replace another knife that was less suitable for various reasons), but noticed that it comes with a push-button release on the plastic sheath that comes with it. I don't trust such things to release when I want them to release, or to hold when I want them to hold. I like plain old friction, instead. So I have decided that I will travel with it in the plastic sheath to keep track of it in my dive bag, but will carry it in a plain sewn nylon sheath on the waist belt. I'm looking for exactly the right size of sewn nylon sheath (I have a couple of extras available but neither is a perfect fit for this knife).

 

[abpat]

The plastic locking inserts on the sides of my newish Wenoka Squeeze Lock Titanium have begun to stick inside the handle. The result of these inserts not snaping back out is that they do not engage the plastic sheath securely, and the knife has fallen out once in teh water. I was at first all excited when I thought I had found anothe poor soul's titanium knife. Then I checked my sheath and found out I was the poor soul!

At first, I thought it may be some salt buildup within the insert recess of the handle, but have soaked and washed it quite thoroughly. It still sticks, and seems to be gettig worse with time.

Anyone else have any similar issues with the Wenoka squeeze lock mechanizm? If so, any fixes that have worked?

JAG

Its a great knife with an easy fix to the poor locking system. Purchase a 4" to 5" thin, looped bungee cord. Attach the cord through the hole at the bottom of the handle. While sheathed, pull cord down and hook over the tip of the sheath. This will secure the knife. The blade is easily removed. Give it a try.

 

[MNJoe]

I have found my Wenoka squeeze lock 3 times now. It is so old hat that I don't even get excited anymore. I am amazed that I have found it everytime before I knew I lost it. I cleaned the grit out of the squeeze levers and it has helped. I know one thing, when I finally don't find it after losing it, I will not get another one.