Disappointed with my first Spyderco knife

[SpeedHoles]

That is sad to hear!

Does it appear the blade is warped, or the FRN?

Wish it were easier for you to resolve a quality/warranty issue, because that really is part of the great experience of owning a Spyderco; their customer service!
They are solid, no doubt, and would do whatever they can so results like this can be taken care of... but Amazon probably makes this a little tough.

I too have honestly been a little disappointed with my black clips, but I usually do the same and polish them, or replace with a deep carry clip if the knife didn't come with a wire clip.

And if you check out their edge-u-cation, Spyderco actually recommends removing the clip screws and loc-titing once you find your preferred carry position.


Your username appears to be Nihonjin, do you by chance reside in Nippon? My wife is from Osaka and I used to live in Hikone-shi. Maybe if you're travelling through Nagoya, try to swing by Seki city! :)

You made me take a closer look and it seems that the FRN is kind of uneven. I went ahead and tried to twist the entire handle and now it is slightly better.

As for the clip and screws, I have actually made a comment about it. I think is it being approved. But basically, I do not like the shipping time after I have to pay for $5 international shipping. I believe the screws already came with blue loctite, but it still has play.

Unfortunately, I do not reside in Japan. However, it is on the top of my list for places that I must visit before I die.

Yes, I have noticed a few of my knives don't really have blade centering issues like it might first appear, but more like a handle that is twisted. Some handles almost need to be loosened, then retightened with a proper torque sequence to prevent winding up or twisting and being tightened that way. Might take some "convincing" to straighten it though.

...with all of that explained, could argue it shouldn't have to be done that way, but it is what it is. Sometimes a lemon exists among cherries. Sorry to see you start off with a sour taste in your mouth.

And yes, please do travel Japan, it is immensely beautiful with contrast between nature and city, and also a deep history.
Reminds me... I have much other travelling I want to do as well! So many places to see, so little budget and time...


Best of luck with your Delica, and hopefully you get an opportunity to try some other Spyderco flavors in the future!

[Hoshikaze]

That is sad to hear!

Does it appear the blade is warped, or the FRN?

Wish it were easier for you to resolve a quality/warranty issue, because that really is part of the great experience of owning a Spyderco; their customer service!
They are solid, no doubt, and would do whatever they can so results like this can be taken care of... but Amazon probably makes this a little tough.

I too have honestly been a little disappointed with my black clips, but I usually do the same and polish them, or replace with a deep carry clip if the knife didn't come with a wire clip.

And if you check out their edge-u-cation, Spyderco actually recommends removing the clip screws and loc-titing once you find your preferred carry position.


Your username appears to be Nihonjin, do you by chance reside in Nippon? My wife is from Osaka and I used to live in Hikone-shi. Maybe if you're travelling through Nagoya, try to swing by Seki city! :)

You made me take a closer look and it seems that the FRN is kind of uneven. I went ahead and tried to twist the entire handle and now it is slightly better.

As for the clip and screws, I have actually made a comment about it. I think is it being approved. But basically, I do not like the shipping time after I have to pay for $5 international shipping. I believe the screws already came with blue loctite, but it still has play.

Unfortunately, I do not reside in Japan. However, it is on the top of my list for places that I must visit before I die.

Yes, I have noticed a few of my knives don't really have blade centering issues like it might first appear, but more like a handle that is twisted. Some handles almost need to be loosened, then retightened with a proper torque sequence to prevent winding up or twisting and being tightened that way. Might take some "convincing" to straighten it though.

...with all of that explained, could argue it shouldn't have to be done that way, but it is what it is. Sometimes a lemon exists among cherries. Sorry to see you start off with a sour taste in your mouth.

And yes, please do travel Japan, it is immensely beautiful with contrast between nature and city, and also a deep history.
Reminds me... I have much other travelling I want to do as well! So many places to see, so little budget and time...


Best of luck with your Delica, and hopefully you get an opportunity to try some other Spyderco flavors in the future!

I take it that I just paid 60 bucks for a sharp piece of VG-10. No biggie. Just wished they shipped the clips for free like Benchmade, because at the price point, I may as well be looking at some after market clips that will arrive much faster.

I would try other Spydercos in the future, but at this point in time, it is safe to say that my next few purchases will not be a Spyderco.

[The Mastiff]

I would try other Spydercos in the future, but at this point in time, it is safe to say that my next few purchases will not be a Spyderco.

Spydercos are not for everybody. Good luck and hopefully you will find a high performance knife that suits you better. No matter how nice your San Re Mu looks it will never satisfy the steel junkies and darksiders of the world so maybe as your needs or interests change we will see you again.

In the mean time there are still many things of interest here at the forum. Keep an eye out for topics of interest. It's a pretty great group of people and when we squabble amongst ourselves like a family we work things out. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here to tap into. I've had a knife hobby and now collection going on over 40 years and I learn things most every day here.

By the way, welcome to our other "mastiff" here. Good luck and hopefully you won't get blamed when I get in trouble. :)

Joe

[Hoshikaze]

I would try other Spydercos in the future, but at this point in time, it is safe to say that my next few purchases will not be a Spyderco.

Spydercos are not for everybody. Good luck and hopefully you will find a high performance knife that suits you better. No matter how nice your San Re Mu looks it will never satisfy the steel junkies and darksiders of the world so maybe as your needs or interests change we will see you again.

In the mean time there are still many things of interest here at the forum. Keep an eye out for topics of interest. It's a pretty great group of people and when we squabble amongst ourselves like a family we work things out. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here to tap into. I've had a knife hobby and now collection going on over 40 years and I learn things most every day here.

By the way, welcome to our other "mastiff" here. Good luck and hopefully you won't get blamed when I get in trouble. :)

Joe

Well, I have no problems with the Delica functionally. It still locks up solid, opens smooth although I cannot flick it. Great ergos and jimping on the thumb ramp is really good. People weren't kidding that Spyderco has the best jimping in the business.

However, I have issues with the fit and finish. I thought it was expected of the Delica to have some issues as it seems to be an "entry-level knife" for most people. From where I live, if I were to ship this Delica to Spyderco in its original box and have it protected nicely with tracking, I might as well buy another Delica. Can't do anything about the clip as it is their policy to have their customers pay for a replacement. So I have to learn my lesson the hard way.

That being said, I'm really thankful that everyone here is so friendly. I would be lying if part of the reason why I will not buy a Spyderco in the near future is due to this bad experience. But for now, I would also like to try other brands.

[flatearth]

well this is most interesting...

I'm a long time lurker, but after seeing this, I thought I'd share.
I bought a few delica4s from amazon back in december, just like the OP.
One in blue and one in orange.
And one in green, but that was back in july 2014...

Anywho, when I first received the blue delica4, it looked absolutely horrible, as bad or worse as the picture in the first post.
The entire liner/handle appeared to be bent. Either the holes are slightly off and causing the entire assembly to twist or the liner/handles are indeed bent... I'm not sure which.
Fast forward to end of January when I remembered to contact amazon CSR who authorized a late replacement.
I received the replacement blue delica4 in about a week and to my disappointment, found that the replacement blue delica4 was also bent, but not as horribly as the original.
This is when I compared the blue delica4 to my other 2014 purchased delica4s and found that they were all slightly bent (in the same direction).
Here are some quick dirty photos I just took...

blue delica4


green delica4


orange delica4


for fun, here is my old, original delica4

the old delica4 is straighter, and I've carried it and taken it apart a number of times over 8 years now

also, here is the clip on the old delica4 (after using for 8 or so years)

I haven't carried the 2014 delica4s, so I don't know if they changed the paint application or perhaps a cheaper quality clip itself, I'm not sure.

So, what does this mean? The blue delica4 (recently produced ones) is more bent than the other colors?
I don't really know, heh, but it does not (or rather did not) deter me from buying more spydercos...
The delica4 is one of my favorite designs so I can kind of look past the QC issues (if there is an actual issue).
It feels great in the hand, opens and closes easy with either left/right hand, and once it's broken in, it flicks open pretty **** fast.
But if none of that applies to the OP, then maybe this is a good thing in the long run, because you will definitely save your wallet :)

Also, if you're still somewhat interested in spyderco knives, check out the native5 FRN and the manix2 light weight models.
They're similar in size (relatively) to the delica4, priced a little higher (right now lowest I see is $73 for native5 and $68 for manix2 at knifeworks), but made in the USA with (at least to me) better QC. The manix2 is really great deal IMO, for such a great knife.
I wish there were more interesting FRN models to choose from.

[Archimedes]

Hey Hoshikaze. How about you mosey along. I can't even fill a bag of groceries for what you paid for that knife. You are being trivial. It looks like you have thousands of dollars in all that computer equipment in the back round of your Delica pictures. Plus, the camera you took the pictures with. Please spare the sob stories about "no money" for a tourist. I wish you the best on your journey.

[flatearth]

Hey Hoshikaze. How about you mosey along. I can't even fill a bag of groceries for what you paid for that knife. You are being trivial. It looks like you have thousands of dollars in all that computer equipment in the back round of your Delica pictures. Plus, the camera you took the pictures with. Please spare the sob stories about "no money" for a tourist. I wish you the best on your journey.

well, that escalated quickly...

[Hoshikaze]

Hey Hoshikaze. How about you mosey along. I can't even fill a bag of groceries for what you paid for that knife. You are being trivial. It looks like you have thousands of dollars in all that computer equipment in the back round of your Delica pictures. Plus, the camera you took the pictures with. Please spare the sob stories about "no money" for a tourist. I wish you the best on your journey.

You can say that I am being cheap, but I have saved my hard earned money to get a first good knife and I decided it would be a Spyderco Delica 4. Are you telling me that such fit and finish is expected of it? If so, I'll move on.

Also, you cannot compare money spent on computers to knives. In the first place, do you even know me? The computer is a 3 year old laptop that came free when I recontracted my internet line. Also, the camera I used to take pictures with is my phone. Both of these you can argue are necessities in this modern world. How about I tell you, if you can afford a house, what is a full on custom by Hinderer to you?

It is not that I have no money. I choose to spend it wisely. If a default factory clip costs me $10.95 and it takes almost a month to ship, I can choose to look at other options such as an aftermarket clip that would cost slightly more and arrive faster.

[Johnnie1801]

Hey Hoshi and welcome to the forum.

I'm guessing with a little care you could probably fix the knife yourself. I'd start by disassembling the knife and see what is going on (if any parts are bent etc). I'm guessing that the handle screws on your knife might be too tight or something. I know if the screws at the back of the handle are too tight then it can affect blade centering. When your knife is disassembled it should look like this



As for the frn, you can always smooth it out with some sandpaper, maybe start with a bit of 400 grit then go to 600 grit. Just take your time.

If you tighten the pocket clip correctly with a torx bit then it shouldn't move when you press it.

[MattM68]

Back when I first got my Delica, I hated carrying it because the clip would move side to side, then the screws would come loose. After a couple weeks I took the screws out, put some loctite on them, tightened down the clip, and it hasn't moved at all since. That's been the case on a few of my knives. I also lightly sanded the back spacer, making it perfectly flush.

Matt

[gaj999]

I've got a VG-10 Centofante 4 that's got some weird smudging/oxidation/patina look to the blade and it won't polish off. Not that I worked very hard at it. Maybe that's why it was a second. :D I didn't see any other reason for it. It cuts and works just fine.

Gordon

[Doc Dan]

Try opening the blade to the locked position. Then, tighten the scale screws, especially the front one (not the pivot), the one next to the lock button. When you close your blade it will likely be centered.

[Hoshikaze]

Hey Hoshi and welcome to the forum.

I'm guessing with a little care you could probably fix the knife yourself. I'd start by disassembling the knife and see what is going on (if any parts are bent etc). I'm guessing that the handle screws on your knife might be too tight or something. I know if the screws at the back of the handle are too tight then it can affect blade centering. When your knife is disassembled it should look like this



As for the frn, you can always smooth it out with some sandpaper, maybe start with a bit of 400 grit then go to 600 grit. Just take your time.

If you tighten the pocket clip correctly with a torx bit then it shouldn't move when you press it.

Thank you everyone! I have found the source of the problem. The notch on backspacer was not flush with one side of the scale. Fortunately, the notch wasn't too damaged.



It was a real pain to get it back in, but I finally did it. Now the blade is more centered and the backspacer is actually flush without needing any sanding. I cannot believe they let such a lemon out of Seki.

As for the clip, I will procure some Loctite and have it remedied.

Once again, thank you to everyone who helped out, except for that one person who was being a jerk and talking crap.

EDIT: Johnnie, did you take apart your Delica just for this? If so, thank you very much!

[Archimedes]

Hey Hoshikaze. How about you mosey along. I can't even fill a bag of groceries for what you paid for that knife. You are being trivial. It looks like you have thousands of dollars in all that computer equipment in the back round of your Delica pictures. Plus, the camera you took the pictures with. Please spare the sob stories about "no money" for a tourist. I wish you the best on your journey.

You can say that I am being cheap, but I have saved my hard earned money to get a first good knife and I decided it would be a Spyderco Delica 4. Are you telling me that such fit and finish is expected of it? If so, I'll move on.

Also, you cannot compare money spent on computers to knives. In the first place, do you even know me? The computer is a 3 year old laptop that came free when I recontracted my internet line. Also, the camera I used to take pictures with is my phone. Both of these you can argue are necessities in this modern world. How about I tell you, if you can afford a house, what is a full on custom by Hinderer to you?

It is not that I have no money. I choose to spend it wisely. If a default factory clip costs me $10.95 and it takes almost a month to ship, I can choose to look at other options such as an aftermarket clip that would cost slightly more and arrive faster.

Maybe, I am a bit harsh. But, I read the thread, and you come hear and complain about a perceived poor quality knife. Many offer you solutions. No solutions work for you so you complain about a perceived poor quality knife and say you won't buy anymore Spydercos. So nice people keep offering you solutions and you keep complaining. I don't know it just seems kind of silly to me. Solve problems, have a positive attitude and carry on.

[swigert]

Hey Hoshi and welcome to the forum.

I'm guessing with a little care you could probably fix the knife yourself. I'd start by disassembling the knife and see what is going on (if any parts are bent etc). I'm guessing that the handle screws on your knife might be too tight or something. I know if the screws at the back of the handle are too tight then it can affect blade centering. When your knife is disassembled it should look like this



As for the frn, you can always smooth it out with some sandpaper, maybe start with a bit of 400 grit then go to 600 grit. Just take your time.

If you tighten the pocket clip correctly with a torx bit then it shouldn't move when you press it.

Thank you everyone! I have found the source of the problem. The notch on backspacer was not flush with one side of the scale. Fortunately, the notch wasn't too damaged.



It was a real pain to get it back in, but I finally did it. Now the blade is more centered and the backspacer is actually flush without needing any sanding. I cannot believe they let such a lemon out of Seki.

As for the clip, I will procure some Loctite and have it remedied.

Once again, thank you to everyone who helped out, except for that one person who was being a jerk and talking crap.

EDIT: Johnnie, did you take apart your Delica just for this? If so, thank you very much!

Hopefully you are willing to give spyderco another chance...

[gbelleh]

Archimedes' comments were unnecessary, and uncalled for, and not typical of the behavior here. You don't need to justify your purchase of anything, and you're always welcome here at the forum, whether you have good or bad comments.

Glad you were able to improve your Delica. Unfortunately with all companies, lemons do occasionally get out. It's always bad to receive one, especially as your first example. But I hope you will try Spyderco again. I own many brands of knives in many price ranges, and I find Spyderco's quality to be consistently high, and the best value by far.

[Hoshikaze]

No solutions work for you so you complain about a perceived poor quality knife and say you won't buy anymore Spydercos.

I did not say I will not buy any more Spydercos. I'll be completely honest about it, this issue did put a dent in my impression of Spyderco. My next few purchases will be something else mainly because I want to try other brands.

So nice people keep offering you solutions and you keep complaining. I don't know it just seems kind of silly to me. Solve problems, have a positive attitude and carry on.

I apologise if I complained too much. But I am stating facts that to ship the Delica back from where I live, it will cost me another Delica. It is also a fact that paying $5 international shipping is as slow as buying things that have free shipping out of China.

I did read all the other comments and I have finally found the best solution. I am happy with this resolution, but disappointed that such a knife came out of one of Spyderco's factory

Then again, if you have not offered any advice, I do not think you are in any position to crticise me. I would not hold it against the other good-hearted people if they were to criticise me on that.

Hope you have a good day.

Hopefully you are willing to give spyderco another chance...

I will, just let me find a way to put a lanyard on a Yojimbo 2. :)

[Donut]

You can color me surprised that ALL of the finish from your Delica clip wore off. I've carried some of my Enduras for a long time and they have a chip or two in the coating.

A blade that is ground thin is going to be tougher to keep straight.

It would probably bother me if I noticed those things, but I'm glad I don't look that closely.


I'm glad you were able to remedy most of your problems.

[Hoshikaze]

You can color me surprised that ALL of the finish from your Delica clip wore off. I've carried some of my Enduras for a long time and they have a chip or two in the coating.

A blade that is ground thin is going to be tougher to keep straight.

It would probably bother me if I noticed those things, but I'm glad I don't look that closely.


I'm glad you were able to remedy most of your problems.

Not all the paint wore off, I sanded it all off and made do with it.

I did hear that the wear would be bad, but I did not foresee that it would be this bad. It is a shame as I would really have preferred the black clip.

[Archimedes]

I gave you some of the best advice you will ever get.