Nirvana RE-incarnated

[Frunkey]

Hello everyone,

At the risk of upsetting some people, I'm going to discuss my Nirvana.

Let's be clear, I absolutely LOVE the Nirvana. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I have admired Peter Rassenti's work for some time, but can't afford his customs now. But the Nirvana was quite attainable. I always carry my knives and I liked it so much I made a YouTube Review of it:

https://youtu.be/Iwjwrwi-cYM

In my humble opinion, there are 2 major problems with the knife as it came from the factory:

1) The lock stick is both unrelenting and unforgivable. My knife STILL has problems after 3+months. This needs better lockup geometry AND a steel lockbar insert. I'm sorry, but it's true.

2) The blade finish causes the highly corrosion-resistant S90V to rust. My knife developed rust spots after just a few weeks of carry, and I knew it would only progress further.

In my searching, I found the BladeForums thread by MaxFactor on the Nirvana regrind (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showt ... a-reground).

After seeing his picture, I was hooked :eek:

So, I sent my Nirvana to Razor Edge Knives (http://www.razoredgeknives.com) for a custom regrind of the blade and removal of the finish. I have made a YouTube review of the new blade and submit it for your review:

https://youtu.be/ERs2SqDjrcY



I want to present this to the community for open discussion, and perhaps thoughts from Sal about producing a knife like this in the future. Perhaps a Spyderco in-house integral design??

What I really want is to thank Spyderco for creating this awesome product which has allowed me to have all this fun! :spyder:

- Frank

[farnorthdan]

I think that looks real good Frank, noticeably lighter blade now I'm sure. Probably one of the only things I don't like about mine is how heavy it feels at the blade. Mine also has a weak detent, still considering sending it in to have that adjusted if possible.

[ABX2011]

It's unfortunate but not unheard of that a new, complex model has teething problems. I'd be surprised if Spyderco isn't already working on addressing the corrosion and lock stick issues.
It sounds like it's also poorly balanced so maybe they will change the grind as well. I'd like to see an almost full height flat grind. That way you get the thinness and lightness of the flat grind with the aesthetic appeal of a saber grind - the contrast of the flat with the bevel.

[Cogito]

I can't believe that so many people here are cool with paying $400+ for a knife that doesn't arrive in perfect condition.

I was mad when my $50 Dog tag arrived as dull as a butter knife. I would be livid if that happened with a Nirvana.

[PaleMoon]

That Nirvana is a beauty, Frank. I would agree with you, it's very surprising to see Spyderco go with such an unusual blade finish on such an expensive model, and I hope they limit its use in future releases. Never been a fan of beadblast and acid finish... Maybe I'd consider a Kiku Matsuda-style finish, but that's about it.

[Molle Ninja]

I'm glad you're happy with the results you're achieving.

If it were me, I think I'd just return it to the seller if I dropped this much coin on a production knife and it had the lock stick that this model seems to have. Of course a latent issue like the blade rust is a different issue.

Yikes.

[Evil D]

Well, I'm with you on the regrind at least. If there's one thing besides the price that kept me from buying one, it's the grind. But, just some food for thought...

1. Lock stick aside, they can't put a steel lock insert into this knife because they can't get inside it to screw them in. I suppose they could have been screwed in from the outside by drilling holes through the outside of the lock bar, but that would have ruined the looks of the knife and there would be countless people complaining about that.

2. I don't see what the blade finish has to do with causing rust? Because it's stonewashed?

[dplafoll]

I gotta say, my lock stick was gone in maybe two weeks. All I did was clean the lock face of excess pivot lube, and that got rid of most of it. Then I kept some graphite on it until it broke in, and now it's perfectly fine and opens almost no differently than my Mantra.
Between the lock stick and the corrosion, I'd have said send it to W&R before the regrind but I don't think they'd be able to do much now. :p

I do agree with the idea that it would be better with a FFG. I personally like the stonewashed finish; at least it's not bead-blasted which would be even worse. Does anyone know if these are acid treated before the stonewash?

[The Deacon]

I'd imagine fitting a steel lockbar insert to a one piece handle would probably be difficult, if not impossible. At least without ruining the clean look of the handle by having the screw heads on the outside.

As for the rest, I firmly believe that once you purchase something, it's yours to do with as you please. The results may, or may not, be pleasing to the eyes of others, but the only opinion that really matters is that of the owner. Personally, I'm a huge fan of full flat grinds so your mods work for me.

[Brock O Lee]

Good call on the regrind! I definitely prefer your FFG over the original with the stone-washed/bead-blasted (?) finish.

[hoimin]

Re: lockbar inserts on integrals

Jason Guthrie (custom maker and huge Spyderco fan from South Africa) has a very cool solution that might work in an integral.

Re: regrind

Beautiful

[NickShabazz]

Man, this is beautiful. Well done there Doc. If all the Nirvanas looked like that, I'd still have mine.

[mb1]

Sweet looking regrind. That blade looks like a slightly shorter Southfork blade now. I like it.

[napalmfriday]

Personally, I like the factory grind quite a lot and I've been very happy with the quality and performance of my Nirvana. For me, the grind (as is) sets it apart from the rest of the pack in yet another way.
With that said, the work that you had done looks phenomenal as well. Thanks for sharing your videos and thoughts man.

[Frunkey]

I think that looks real good Frank, noticeably lighter blade now I'm sure. Probably one of the only things I don't like about mine is how heavy it feels at the blade. Mine also has a weak detent, still considering sending it in to have that adjusted if possible.

I love the new feeling of the knife, much more EDC friendly. Mine had a strong detent at first, but I took it apart and reassembled and it was weaker. Check blade centering for detent adjustments.

[Frunkey]

It's unfortunate but not unheard of that a new, complex model has teething problems. I'd be surprised if Spyderco isn't already working on addressing the corrosion and lock stick issues.
It sounds like it's also poorly balanced so maybe they will change the grind as well. I'd like to see an almost full height flat grind. That way you get the thinness and lightness of the flat grind with the aesthetic appeal of a saber grind - the contrast of the flat with the bevel.

I know they have heard the community and will address this on their next models. My favorite thing about :spyder: is the CQI. This is not truly a FFG, but does still have the top swedge, check out the details in the video!

[Frunkey]

I can't believe that so many people here are cool with paying $400+ for a knife that doesn't arrive in perfect condition.

I was mad when my $50 Dog tag arrived as dull as a butter knife. I would be livid if that happened with a Nirvana.

I am upset, but not mad. I understand that this knife in particular is more of a proof of concept or technical showcase. That being said, there are certainly some areas for improvement. I'm happy top pay the price if :spyder: continues to improve their products as a result.

[Frunkey]

That Nirvana is a beauty, Frank. I would agree with you, it's very surprising to see Spyderco go with such an unusual blade finish on such an expensive model, and I hope they limit its use in future releases. Never been a fan of beadblast and acid finish... Maybe I'd consider a Kiku Matsuda-style finish, but that's about it.

Thanks! I can't stop staring into the grind lines :D Really happy with the satin finish on this one now too. They should never re-create this finish, ever.

[Frunkey]

I'm glad you're happy with the results you're achieving.

If it were me, I think I'd just return it to the seller if I dropped this much coin on a production knife and it had the lock stick that this model seems to have. Of course a latent issue like the blade rust is a different issue.

Yikes.

Like I posted earlier, I'm happy to pay the price if :spyder: keeps improving their techniques. I want to present this knife in an open and honest way and show why I thought it needed improvements. But the lock geometry is so bad, I can see the titanium wearing away at the point of contact. It is just not perfectly executed, but for some reason, I adore the knife. It's almost like these flaws give it a character I can't deny. Like that girlfriend you know is bad for you but you keep going back anyway :cool:

[Frunkey]

Well, I'm with you on the regrind at least. If there's one thing besides the price that kept me from buying one, it's the grind. But, just some food for thought...

1. Lock stick aside, they can't put a steel lock insert into this knife because they can't get inside it to screw them in. I suppose they could have been screwed in from the outside by drilling holes through the outside of the lock bar, but that would have ruined the looks of the knife and there would be countless people complaining about that.

2. I don't see what the blade finish has to do with causing rust? Because it's stonewashed?

1) They ABSOLUTELY could have put a lockbar insert in this knife with no problem. I'll reference the CKF Tegral and Rike knives as examples of integrals with LBI's Even if it were screwed in from the outside, they should have done it. Surely, they knew the lockstick was an issue prior to production.

2) Blade finish was acid stonewash (I think..it was definitely NOT a simple stonewash). Acid removes the flat, hardened steel surface that you get with a mirror or satin finish, even a simple stonewash. This creates surface irregularities in which dirt/water/**** can get collected and cause rust even if you clean your blade. S90V shouldn't rust on me ever. I really take care of my blades, and clean and oil them well.