Is this normal spyderhole finish? [Seki city quality]

[nerdlock]

Hi guys, just purchased Lil Temperance 3. Thing wasn't cheap in Europe.

...Action is worse for now than in any knife from Spyderco I have.

....

Hi Michal,

I think there's really nothing you can do with the action of the LT3, I'm afraid... I really cannot remember where exactly but it was stated somewhere that the compression lock on these particular models weren't that smooth compared to Goldens and Taichungs.

I know this, because I've had two LT3's, and no matter how much I clean and lube the PB washers, it just doesn't drop shut as other comp locks. All other aspects of the knife, I like very much especially the chamfering on the g10 handles - completely blows away the PM2s and P3s in terms of grip comfort.

Edit: also for what it's worth, getting this with additional shipping from forwarders and sales taxes, wasn't exactly cheap also on my side of the world. Still a great knife despite the flaws.

[skeeg11]

Naturally when someone posits an issue such as this, then one must go through their entire Spyderco inventory and check it out. The only ones with a polished hole were my Taiwanese SpydieChef and Chinese S35VN Resilience. Hmmmmmmmm.......not a functional issue at all, but it does show who's paying attention to detail. I do really like my S35VN Resilience BTW. Do I like it more because it has a polished hole? Maybe not, but it is nice to know.

[BornIn1500]

Nice design, very comfortable, but finish is meh... Action is worse for now than in any knife from Spyderco I have.

I have an LT3. The action will never be "drop shut" on this model. You'll always need a firm shake to close the blade or you need to use 2 hands. As far as the inside of the hole, mine looks the same as yours but I've never looked at it until now. I can't imagine caring about it so much that it would make me send it back. It doesn't affect anything and it's only noticeable if you take a magnifying glass to it. This topic makes me think about one of Vivi's recent posts...

[Michal O]

You guys must understand that I don't demand spyderhole to be perfectly polished, it's nice on Taichung models I have, but it can have more harsh finish like some Spydercos I had years ago from Seki. They had very matte finish after sharp drill, but uniform. This one has worse texture after drill which was dull. And you can feel it with fingernail. Probably fixable thing after few minutes with dremel and abrasive cutter but that's not the point at $216.

[Halfneck]

My Lil'Temp 3 opening hole looks the same. Action is stiff compared to some other compression lock Spydercos I have but open & closes just fine with normal thumb pressure. Lock-up is tight with no movement.

[Michal O]

Mine is opening easily, only closing action is annoying. I had more smooth backlocks from Seki.

[Brock O Lee]

I’ve seen very rough and unfinished laser-cut (?) Spydieholes, especially on Japanese models like the Endura family. It may be the norm to keep costs down on these models, but it still detracts from the perceived quality IMO.

It is easy to fix yourself though. Wrap sandpaper around a wooden dowel and sand the inside of the hole. Deburr the sharp edges afterwards to avoid cuts.

[Brotherscinc0]

Uh...so what?

I will say that $211 in USA for that knife is a little steep but pretty much ALL spydercos are overpriced from when I started collecting about 10 years ago

[nerdlock]

Looked at my LT3 earlier and that's what I found. Really not that clear on the pics but the finish is relatively rough compared to others. But honestly, after having this knife for many years, I really didn't notice it at all until this post. I would suggest to the OP to just keep the knife and use it as intended. It's still a great, beefy, small knife despite the flawed action and I'm looking forward to Sal's LW version of this (hopefully with better comp lock action).

[tactikool]

Mine looks very much like the OP. I didn’t notice it until this thread. Still doesn’t bother me. I’m just a sucker for the design. The action and fit/finish are ok with me.

[ZrowsN1s]

The ridges in the spydie-hole are for peeling carrots.

[JSumm]

If you guys stare at the hole too long you are going to be transported to another dimension.

[embry386]

I don’t think the OP is referring to the sharpness of the hole, but to the rough unfinished interior of the hole.

Going back and rereading, I see you are correct. My bad. I think I was conflating the two issues in my mind, because all my knives that have the one issue also have the other, and they have the same fix.

You guys must understand that I don't demand spyderhole to be perfectly polished, it's nice on Taichung models I have, but it can have more harsh finish like some Spydercos I had years ago from Seki. They had very matte finish after sharp drill, but uniform. This one has worse texture after drill which was dull. And you can feel it with fingernail. Probably fixable thing after few minutes with dremel and abrasive cutter but that's not the point at $216.

Yeah, the lack of attention to detail in Seki is annoying, especially when there are other Spyderco factories producing knives at similar price points without these minor issues. My new Endela Wharncliffe's opening hole was just about sharp enough on the inside to cut my finger. That said, I enjoy everything else about my spydies far too much to send them back over such an easily fixable problem, but I can definitely see how people might make a different decision there.

Hope everything works out for you, whether that means returning and buying a new model or modifying the one you have. Good luck!

[embry386]

accidental double post

[Michal O]

Mine looks very much like the OP. I didn’t notice it until this thread. Still doesn’t bother me. I’m just a sucker for the design. The action and fit/finish are ok with me.

I wonder why Spyderco is ok with such qc in Seki. If it's budget frn knife ok, but for that price?

[ZrowsN1s]

I don't know, everyone complains about prices as it is. I've seen plenty of 'I wont pay that much for FRN'. Even more so for Seki G-10, especially with inflation.

So hypothetically, lets say smoothing and polishing that bit of the hole will take 'x' amount of time/work for each knife made.

What would you rather have, a more expensive knife with a perfectly smooth and polished spydie hole... or should we keep the prices and the spydie hole the same as they have been?

A sincere question. Maybe it costs 50 cents more a knife. Maybe 5$.

Are you willing to pay more?

Do you think should Spyderco or Seki should just absorb that cost? What if they can't or won't?

We always want more models faster too, what about the extra time involved?

Are you willing to wait longer?

I guess what I'm asking is, is this something that's worth taking the extra time, cost and effort to do?

[Michal O]

My point is I would feel bad personally to ask $200 for thing with such unfinished detail, when others do it right. Also I had Endura 4, thing was 70% cheaper, and spyderhole was not that bad at all. You can find plenty budget models from Spyderco, made in Seki, where it's just right. So it's about QC or that one manufacturer who was making Lil Temperance 3.

[RamZar]

Since the finish of the hole bothers you so much on the Lil’ Temperance and you’ve had great experience with Taichung I suggest you return it and get a Taichung. Taichung is my personal subjective favorite as well.

[Michal O]

Yes, I should buy Watu instead. Still can do it. I'll give myself few days to think about LT3.

[sal]

I think you should send it back and get what pleases you.

sal