at some point, Ludwig added a small black rubber grommet/washer to the p85's. I assume it was for this reason. it does help with the problem. I had the part number at one time. will have to do some digging around for it.

mike

There's a real divided camp in Ludwigland over the P-85. Some (like me) have owned multiple Ludwig snares with P-85s and have never had a bad experience. Others report loosening, binding, lack of smoothness, etc. I suspect some of those reports are due to the admittedly fragile throwoff lever being bent somewhere along the road, and loosening is probably due to some lack of precision in tapping threads along the way. The grommet that Mike mentions might help, but a different strainer might help even more. A lot of folks like the P-86 as a direct replacement.

When I pick up any snare with a P-85 I spend time with it before buying to check for a knob that turns a bit too freely, or a lever that binds at any point of travel, and I keep them dust-free and protected in cases. I don't seem to have problems, but YMMV.