Important Clarifications

[Ankerson]

I don't make a habit of taking my folders apart so it doesn't really matter to me.

If they really get dirty I deep sink them, let them dry and them spray them down with WD-40 and wipe off the excess.

[Water Bug]

I think some of us may be over reacting just a bit and one of us may be impossible to please.

+1

Kristi and Mike explained things extremely well and quite clearly.

Thanks, Kristi and Mike, for your posts, and many thanks to Sal and the Spyderco Crew for all you do!

[26.2Madness]

Tazkristi:

You need to re-read your own warranty. Your explanation contradicts your warranty. If you need a refresher, here is the clause in question as stated on your website and in the paperwork accompanying my knives:

"Spyderco’s warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse, misuse, loss, improper handling, alterations, accident, neglect, disassembly, or improper sharpening."

According to your warranty, disassembly only voids the warranty if damage is caused by the disassembly. No where in your written warranty does it say that merely taking the knife apart voids it.

I expect Spyderco to honor all terms of the warranty in place when I purchased by knives.

I am trying to figure out why the hostility towards your faithful Sypderco customers. I am now seriously concidering returning my CF Stretch that I am expecting to receive this coming Wednesday.

A.S.

[ChrisR]

The way I read Kristi's post doesn't really contradict the warranty wording much. She basically said that the warranty would be void if they could see that the knife had been disassembled but that all claims would be treated fairly. I don't know about you but if I took a knife apart and just cleaned it and put it back together I doubt anyone could tell that I had done it ... because I wouldn't damage anything. :)

What must really annoy the guys and girls at Spyderco is to be sent a knife that's obviously been stripped down many times with mangled screws or where parts have been forced back together incorrectly and then they'd never know if the fault was caused by some abuse or not

[nozh2002]

Tazkristi:

You need to re-read your own warranty. Your explanation contradicts your warranty. If you need a refresher, here is the clause in question as stated on your website and in the paperwork accompanying my knives:

"Spyderco’s warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse, misuse, loss, improper handling, alterations, accident, neglect, disassembly, or improper sharpening."

According to your warranty, disassembly only voids the warranty if damage is caused by the disassembly. No where in your written warranty does it say that merely taking the knife apart voids it.

I expect Spyderco to honor all terms of the warranty in place when I purchased by knives.

I am trying to figure out why the hostility towards your faithful Sypderco customers. I am now seriously concidering returning my CF Stretch that I am expecting to receive this coming Wednesday.

A.S.

Ha!

I guess this wording make much more sense. I just see same warranty in paperwork I have with my knives - to me it is legal obligations.

I guess this was made by layers and I guess Spyderco has to dismiss this statement made by Tazkristi.

It is legal department who suppose to do interpretations - "Important Clarifications" like this - not CS. I rather see CS focusing on satisfying customers...

Great finding 26.2Madness! You just save Spyderco a lot of money on potential law suites.

Thanks, Vassili.

[HistoricalMan]

Tazkristi:
According to your warranty, disassembly only voids the warranty if damage is caused by the disassembly. No where in your written warranty does it say that merely taking the knife apart voids it.

I believe Kristi is talking about knives that are sent to the Warranty and Repair department at Spyderco; she mentions it in the first sentence of her second paragraph.

If you're sending in a knife to the Warranty and Repair department, chances are you're seeking a repair of some kind. As such, if a member of the W&R team discovers that you've disassembled the knife, they can't guarantee that your actions didn't bring about a need for repair in the first place, thus voiding the warranty.

[MLR]

lots of overreactions to kristis statement going on here.

all she was trying to do was to avoid having all of the "mod talk" that goes on in the forum from being held against spyderco if a customer had his warranty rejected "for something i learned on the spyderco forum."

it's a CYA move for spyderco, not a restatement of the warranty. now carry on and be glad kristi isn't, instead, closing threads that relate to "mods"

[rycen]

Is is that hard to read between the lines?

[Franciscomv]

I'm pretty sure a knife that's been disassembled for routine maintenance would be serviced under warranty. These clarifications are probably just to deal with people who wreck their knives and then intend to have them repaired for free. My limited experience with Spyderco's CS has been quite good so far, it doesn't seem like the kind of company that would try to weasel away from replacing a damaged part hiding behind some warranty technicality (although the recent G-clip thread got me a bit worried).

There are other good companies that have similar warnings in their warranty texts but never fully enforce them. Victorinox, for instance, will pretty much fix or replace anything. No matter how you damaged the knife. I guess at their volume it's easier to just mail a new SAK than worry about what the user did wrong.

I do love warranties that make no exceptions, like ESEE's which actually covers cutting the knife in half with a flame cutter. But if the company has a history of being fair to its customers and standing behind their products.

However, if these new policy is going to be enforced, then some of Spyderco's knife descriptions should be altered. For example, the Delica 4 description says " Both models [Delica 4 and Endura 4] now have screw construction making cleaning and adjusting easier.". Customers should probably be alerted that taking advantage of this new ease of cleaning will void their warranty.

[Blerv]

Some people like to work on their own cars too. I have attempted to void the powertrain warranty on a few cars in the past. Some people care more than others and some are more qualified to do the job.

The people who are untrained, high maintenance, and cheap shouldn't touch their knives (or cars). The free lunch pass won't work :) .

Also, from a quick look at the parts kit it's a value for people who want to refurb their own knife rather than pay for Spyderco to replace the same parts or buy a new knife. I'd just rather buy a new Delica but opinions do vary.

Note: I didn't read the three pages and am more disappointed with some responses than the topic.

Flirt with the letter of the law and see if interpretation shows mercy, simple as that. I've seen pity shown to out of warranty car owners but never think it's anything but pity. At best it's generosity and good marketing to give undeserved perks.

If you can work on knives the warranty was likely never a concern. If you can't it's prob best to practice on vrappy knives. :p

[Blerv]

Ha!

I guess this wording make much more sense. I just see same warranty in paperwork I have with my knives - to me it is legal obligations.

I guess this was made by layers and I guess Spyderco has to dismiss this statement made by Tazkristi.

It is legal department who suppose to do interpretations - "Important Clarifications" like this - not CS. I rather see CS focusing on satisfying customers...

Great finding 26.2Madness! You just save Spyderco a lot of money on potential law suites.

Thanks, Vassili.

It's not like they could ever change policy :) .

Do you know how much attorneys cost compared to production folders?

[nozh2002]

...There are other good companies that have similar warnings in their warranty texts but never fully enforce them...

In case of spyderco it is clearly stated:

"Spyderco’s warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse, misuse, loss, improper handling, alterations, accident, neglect, disassembly, or improper sharpening."

So this "Important Clarifications" - that disassembling void warranty contradict this printed statement from paper I have with every Spyderco knife.

So it should sounds like - "Do not disassemble your knife, if you do not know how to do this, because if you damage it this way - it will not be covered by warranty".

Which I 100% agreed.

In Benchmade Warranty it is directly stated:

"Do not use your new knife as a screwdriver, prybar, chisel or punch. Do not throw your knife or use it for any purpose other than cutting. Do not disassemble your knife. Do not sharpen your knife on a power grinding wheel. Any of these acts will void your Warranty."

I toke it from their website - I do not buying BM for qute a while.

So I would say if Spyderco stand behind it's own printed warranty - I am perfectly fine with this.

Now this new - " Important Clarifications" need to be clarified.

Is it new warranty policy? Why lowering Spyderco standards?

Thanks, Vassili.

[Blerv]

Tazkristi:

You need to re-read your own warranty. Your explanation contradicts your warranty. If you need a refresher, here is the clause in question as stated on your website and in the paperwork accompanying my knives:

"Spyderco’s warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse, misuse, loss, improper handling, alterations, accident, neglect, disassembly, or improper sharpening."

According to your warranty, disassembly only voids the warranty if damage is caused by the disassembly. No where in your written warranty does it say that merely taking the knife apart voids it.

I expect Spyderco to honor all terms of the warranty in place when I purchased by knives.

I am trying to figure out why the hostility towards your faithful Sypderco customers. I am now seriously concidering returning my CF Stretch that I am expecting to receive this coming Wednesday.

A.S.

Sorry but ", disassembly" means it's independant and is listed with the rest of the factors.

There is no invisible speculation clause in that paragraph.

[TBob]

Thanks Kristi and Mike for your clarification to the errant forum posts. It's always best to get the straight scoop from the source.

With no disrespect meant to anyone in particular, I think that the word-parsing has carried folks afield. Spyderco has a clear warranty and I have found them to be more than fair in its implementation. We can all "what if" the subject until the electrons spin down to maximum entropy, but that (by definition) doesn't add light to the subject.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems to me that some folks have attempted to take advantage of the good folks in Golden, CO. The reasonable warranty protects both the company and the typical consumer. Disassembling almost anything I own will void its warranty. Why should a precision-manufactured Spyderco knife be any different?

As for cleaning, I recommend trying Otis 085 Ultra Bore or Special Forces Dry Lube, Gunzilla, or some similar high-quality firearm cleaner/lube. Spraying and/or soaking the affected knife parts with/in these, perhaps with some assistance from a compressed air can and/or running water, will surely cure what ails a folding knife, mud and salt water included. I've found that their penetrating and cleaning properties obviate the need for disassembly. YMMV, but it's worth a try.

[araneae]

Are there still any of the usual forum alarmists/dissidents/malcontents/whiners that we're waiting on to chime in here? :rolleyes:

[Blerv]

What if I had to disassemble my knife to construct a make-shift fishing pole while on a deserted island? Would the warranty still be in-tact upon my rescue?

I'm looking into boycotting along with other abandoned island goers if so.

[markg]

Tazkristi:

You need to re-read your own warranty. Your explanation contradicts your warranty. If you need a refresher, here is the clause in question as stated on your website and in the paperwork accompanying my knives:

"Spyderco’s warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse, misuse, loss, improper handling, alterations, accident, neglect, disassembly, or improper sharpening."

According to your warranty, disassembly only voids the warranty if damage is caused by the disassembly. No where in your written warranty does it say that merely taking the knife apart voids it.

I expect Spyderco to honor all terms of the warranty in place when I purchased by knives.

I am trying to figure out why the hostility towards your faithful Sypderco customers. I am now seriously concidering returning my CF Stretch that I am expecting to receive this coming Wednesday.

A.S.

This is standard operating procedure for almost all production knife companies. Some companies even go so far as to make knives that cannot be disassembled by the ELU (Microtech, Leatherman are examples). More often than not, what happens is a knife owner takes their knife apart, and then cannot reassemble the knife, sending in pieces to the manufacture for reassembly. This is a drain on WR and repair services, especially if they are covering the cost of the work.

Also between the clause you note, and the clause that states "attempted repairs by any other source than Spyderco voids the warranty" pretty much covers the issue. In other words I would not want to be fighting the issue in court.

[nozh2002]

Also between the clause you note, and the clause that states "attempted repairs by any other source than Spyderco voids the warranty" pretty much covers the issue.

I doubt anybody will challenge Spyderco in court.

But there is no : "attempted repairs by any other source than Spyderco voids the warranty" in warranty printed.

Thanks, Vassili.

[whkento]

Geez, I'm shocked by some of the reactions to Kristi's well-intended post. :confused:

I've cleaned my knives plenty of times without having to disassemble them. As previously mentioned, any number of quality firearm cleaners/lubes will do the job very well.

Also, if you have ever met the folks in Golden, you would know that they are some of the highest-caliber people you could ever know. They have no intention of ripping anyone off or of even treating anyone in a less than positive manner.

All the best,

Kento :)

[nozh2002]

Geez, I'm shocked by some of the reactions to Kristi's well-intended post. :confused:

I've cleaned my knives plenty of times without having to disassemble them. As previously mentioned, any number of quality firearm cleaners/lubes will do the job very well.

Also, if you have ever met the folks in Golden, you would know that they are some of the highest-caliber people you could ever know. They have no intention of ripping anyone off or of even treating anyone in a less than positive manner.

All the best,

Kento :)

Did you actually dip your knife into mud or saltwater or sand dust? This is critical point, because if you don't - then you point perfectly valid. But if you really dip it the way I did sometimes - I do not believe you clean them by sprayng.

I disassemble my knife and wipe dirt and sand from pivot area and I am absolutely positive that this is impossible to do without disassembling.

So are you talking about same experience I had or ti is about casual collection maintenance?

Thanks, Vassili.