Oh man, that grit buildup is exactly what I was worried about with these. @wendy_murphy16, did you try brushing it off with a stiff brush or did it actually start working its way into the mechanism? I had a similar issue with a different brand where the dust caked up around the locking collar and made it stick after a few days of heavy use. That's the kind of thing that makes me hesitant to switch from my old setup even if the fling-off is better.