Spyderco Forums

So for the last month or so, the Tuff has been my go to yard working knife. I felt that since this knife was touted as a folding fixed blade tank, it could quite easily take care of the mundane garden tasks I had outside.

One of these tasks I use a folding knife for occasionally is delimbing these small cherry trees we have in the yard. I use the sticks for fetch with my 120 lb great dane pitbull mix Lola (i find that I need to use hardwood otherwise she destroys the stick before she can get it back to me.) I do not consider this "hard use," I have done the same task countless times with my Pm2, and even with my fluted military with no issues.

The limbs I was chopping are less than 1" in diameter, and the Tuff usually just blasts right through them in a couple strokes. I chop downward in a "v" to remove chips faster, letting the blade fall with gravity and the weight of my arm and little more force. One chop went sort of deep and got the blade stuck, so I went to pull up on it to get it out, and the lock folded . I though I had accidentally disengaged the lock, so I relocked it again, and pushed on the spine... it folded again, quite easily... I also noticed the lock disengages MUCH easier compared to how it used to hurt my thumb when I first got it, its like night and day. Id say the lockbar has about 25% the pressure behind it it used to. Man, I really wish they had gone with a rotoblock with this design, then I wouldnt be scared to use it again... I guess its my Lionspy/bowie for garden work from now on...

Im wondering if I got a knife out of spec or somerthing, because it seems to me this knife should handle that task and much more with ease, without any fear of the lock folding on me... So I fear its off to the spyder spa to see if there is anything they can do, but I figured Id share my experience here first. Boy am I glad I wasnt able to take this one apart!

Just goes to show you, not everything will live up to the hype!

^WHOA< Post #1000, thats crazy!

Whoa, another case of spewing negativity in public, before giving anyone with authority the chance to inspect the knife, and determine whether it was defective or not.

I guess the thing about hype is that beyond the manufacturer's control it can be blown up out of proportion by fans. So the manufacturer now has to make a product to live up to it? Then when the product fails doing something that the fan thinks it's supposed to do b/c of the hype, it's a bad design. I'm not talking about your specific instance, but rather your comments on hype and things failing the hype.

In your specific case I would definitely contact Spyderco so they can determine if the knife failed.

Somebody cue the people complaining about how hard the knife is to open/unlock/etc. Insert "i told ya so" here.

There are always flukes in production; it's the unfortunate consequence of life not being perfect. There is also a chance the person on the other end is clearly abusing the tool (not for me to determine even if I had pics).

I would send it in. Let them figure out what's going on.

My condolences.

I don't own a Tuff, but my only thought would be to make sure the locking surfaces are clean. I supposed it's possible some foreign matter got in there and is interfering with the lock. If not, send it in.

I have heard this story so many times with frame locks lol In my opinion it is just not a good locking mechanism for hard use.

Different knife but same experience. My Sage 2 operated in the same manner. It was similar to the tension on a slip it. It seemed the RIL would have solid contact but the angle of the face where the lock bar engaged the tang was angled to allow it to slip off with the slightest pressure.

Good news is that the new one sent to me by Spyderco has been absolutely solid and I have never encountered this in any other RIL's or liner locks on spyderco knives.

It happens, sucks to be out the shipping and insurance but I have found only this one returnable issue in all of my spydies.

Let us know how it turns out.

thelock wrote:I have heard this story so many times with frame locks lol In my opinion it is just not a good locking mechanism for hard use.

I'm guessing there are some folks who would disagree with that (as a general statement). Chris Reeves, Mick Strider, Ernest Emerson, Ed Schempp, etc.

Whenever I cut limbs with a saw, I'm always amazed at how well they work, maybe because it's a saw for crying out loud! Right tool for the job.

My Military is a liner lock and it has no problem devouring 1 inch branches in my back yard. Of course, i'm not chopping with it either.

WireEdge Roger wrote:Whenever I cut limbs with a saw, I'm always amazed at how well they work, maybe because it's a saw for crying out loud! Right tool for the job.

My thoughts exactly as I read the original poster's intro. Also, I don't care what the lock and/or folding knife is, chopping or hacking is crazy. At least use a fixed blade or the right tool for chopping. Past luck with doing that does not guarantee success in the future.

WireEdge Roger wrote:Whenever I cut limbs with a saw, I'm always amazed at how well they work, maybe because it's a saw for crying out loud! Right tool for the job.

What would you consider then as hard work for a knife thats marketed as "a hard use knife built like a tank"?

Folders are NOT meant for chopping...
Why spend lotsa cash on a knife, and then proceed to see it can break?
There are cheaper and more efficient tools to chop branches and limbs...

Chopping? With a framelock?

DCDesigns wrote:So for the last month or so, the Tuff has been my go to yard working knife. I felt that since this knife was touted as a folding fixed blade tank, it could quite easily take care of the mundane garden tasks I had outside.

One of these tasks I use a folding knife for occasionally is delimbing these small cherry trees we have in the yard. I use the sticks for fetch with my 120 lb great dane pitbull mix Lola (i find that I need to use hardwood otherwise she destroys the stick before she can get it back to me.) I do not consider this "hard use," I have done the same task countless times with my Pm2, and even with my fluted military with no issues.

The limbs I was chopping are less than 1" in diameter, and the Tuff usually just blasts right through them in a couple strokes. I chop downward in a "v" to remove chips faster, letting the blade fall with gravity and the weight of my arm and little more force. One chop went sort of deep and got the blade stuck, so I went to pull up on it to get it out, and the lock folded . I though I had accidentally disengaged the lock, so I relocked it again, and pushed on the spine... it folded again, quite easily... I also noticed the lock disengages MUCH easier compared to how it used to hurt my thumb when I first got it, its like night and day. Id say the lockbar has about 25% the pressure behind it it used to. Man, I really wish they had gone with a rotoblock with this design, then I wouldnt be scared to use it again... I guess its my Lionspy/bowie for garden work from now on...

Im wondering if I got a knife out of spec or somerthing, because it seems to me this knife should handle that task and much more with ease, without any fear of the lock folding on me... So I fear its off to the spyder spa to see if there is anything they can do, but I figured Id share my experience here first. Boy am I glad I wasnt able to take this one apart!

Just goes to show you, not everything will live up to the hype!

Sounds like it got out of spec so it's best to send it in.

IG-88 wrote:What would you consider then as hard work for a knife thats marketed as "a hard use knife built like a tank"?

Can you please point out where Spyderco has said that it's a hard use knife built like a tank. This is the description from the website:

The Schempp Tuff is one knife that truly lives up to its name. Its stout CPM 3V blade is mated to a handle featuring a G-10 scale and stainless liner on one side and a sold titanium scale on the other. An oversized pivot and a Chris Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L.) with a hardened steel insert ensure superior strength and increased wear resistance, while its dimpled texture and four-position clip provide exceptional grip and ease of carry.

Whoa, another case of spewing negativity in public, before giving anyone with authority the chance to inspect the knife, and determine whether it was defective or not.

spewing negativity in public? Listen buddy, i have done no such thing. I merely said the un-sensationalized events of what happened when my own personal Tuff failed. If you cant stand someone saying anything negative, that is your issue.