Southard Rant

[seber]

First let me say that I've been carrying Spydercos for thirty five years and have loved almost every one. The only exception was one with AUS8 steel. Everything I read said this was the best yet and I really like drop points. I had read that the clip was less than great. That is an unbelievable understatement. If you buy this knife make sure you get an aftermarket clip at the same time. Otherwise you will be patching pants. At best you must use two hands to clip this in your pocket. One to shove and one to keep the fabric stretched to prevent poking a hole. It is really lazy at flipping and for me it fails to lock more often than not. No I don't hold the lock bar. Also the lock is very stiff. This may be a function of the frame lock. I was expecting more like a liner lock so that might just be the nature of the beast. Anyway I've figured out that I can use my forefinger instead of thumb. I sent the knife back to Spyderco to see if they would find a problem. Where I am located everything is done by mail. The nearest Spyderco dealer is three hours away. The warranty department sent it back having found no problem. They did sharpen it unfortunately. I had already profiled the edge properly to where it would split a hair. When it came back it wouldn't even cut paper. All in all I would give the knife an F and the warranty service a D. At least they turned it around quickly. I will continue to carry Spydercos but not this one.

[araneae]

Sorry to hear that, mine is a factory second and flips and locks up fine and I have no issues with the clip. Not every design is right for every user, your F is a lot of people's A+.

[SG89]

Maybe you could give the upcoming Advocate a try

[farnorthdan]

Sorry to hear seber, which one did you get the brown or black. I too hated the clip on mine and replaced it right away. Also welcome to the forum.

[Liquid Cobra]

The only issue I ever had with mine was the clip getting stuck in my couch. I'm sorry to hear that it was a disappointment for you. Sounds like you have lots of other options though! Welcome to the forum.

[bearfacedkiller]

Welcome to the forum. :)

I don't carry my Southard either but that is because of the thick blade stock for the grind and the asymmetric scales poking at my OCD. I also don't care for flippers that much. Not every knife is for every person. My advice, sell it and move on. I'll probably sell mine at some point. It just sits and collects dust. It really is too bad. It is a beautiful design. The blade fits in the handle so well. When I fondle it there are so many things I like about it but when put to use it falls towards the bottom of my rotation.

[Evil D]

Bummer. I did use a Dremel to round off the tip of the clip on mine but otherwise I think it works fine. Maybe I just wear thinner jeans. The only time mine has ever failed to flip was when I unintentionally put pressure on the lock bar. Overall it's one of the nicest knives I've ever owned.

https://youtu.be/Jq7emRTRiEs

[WorkingEdge]

Yup, we all have our preferences. I like mine so much, bought two, original clip and all.
Maybe you can share which models you do like. So many to choose from!

[Spook410]

While mine has always flipped open easily and the lock works perfectly I don't use mine as an EDC. I prefer lighter knives for that purpose. That being said I often use it when working around the house and yard. It's a solid, sturdy knife in a good steel that fits my hand well. Still, like the man said, not all designs are for all people so you take the loss selling and move on. Suggestion: PM2 in S110V.

[curlyhairedboy]

I've noticed a tendency for some Southard models to have earlier-than-normal detent ball wear. Mine was pretty flat, so recently I swapped in a ceramic detent that better fit into the dimple on the blade. Now it flips super well!

[kwakster]

@curlyhairedboy: where did you buy that ceramic detent ball if i may ask ?
Someone i know has exactly this problem, as his detent ball is almost worn down flush with the titanium.
He very much loves his knife & the CTS-204P steel.

[curlyhairedboy]

Toss me a pm, I'll see if I can dig up the link.

[kwakster]

BTW: this is how the Southard detent looks at the moment:

[mb1]

Welcome to the forum Seber.

[tripscheck'em]

Frame-lock flippers are a strange design, they're usually very tight from the factory and wear in slowly, so the flipping can require you to also flick your wrist a little to help the blade out. You're probably like me and don't like frame-locks. Gotta do your research before you lay down $200.

[curlyhairedboy]

BTW: this is how the Southard detent looks at the moment:

yeah, that's pretty worn. You can push it out from the other side with a small nail, just make sure you place the scale on top of a giving surface, like a rubber mat or piece of balsa wood. Then I used a small C-clamp to fit the new ceramic detent. I placed it just a little more than halfway in.

[seber]

Thought I should update this. I got an email from christi asking that I give them another shot at fixing this but it had already been back three times according to Spyderco's own records so I didn't feel they even had the ability to solve the problem. I took it apart myself and found huge burrs from machining that were never removed. After polishing those, the knife now opens properly. I also received an email from Kelly Williams, sales mgr., requesting another shot at it. I commend the management for their efforts but think some shakeup in repair might still be in order.