It's simple. You live in the USA and I live over the ocean. We have a metric system for the thread on the screws here, so the screws just won't fit in. I can find the same-size screws, but the step of the thread would be different. Metric system. Understand?
My bad I forgot that the US doesn't export SAE fasteners. Understand?
You evade the subject. The question was what's the problem for Spyderco to help me out? I'm a customer and I bought a Spyderco knife. I'm ready to pay for the replacement screws and washers. Is it a PROBLEM to help me out?
Why don't Benchmade or Zero Tolerance advise me to look for the parts myself? They just say - sure we are happy to help.
Are they more customer-friendly? Or not so arrogant?
Comrade, we’re flogged this one to death. :)
Do you honestly believe any member here can answer your questions? :confused:
Sorry :) I didn't mean to spread the discussion that long.
Anyways - love my Spydies, especially the Paramilitary 2 and the Military ones.
By the way, one of the reasons to take knives apart is installing custom scales. This guy makes great custom scales, spacers and clips for knives. Instagram link as follows : https://www.instagram.com/aramis_akhmedov/
By the way, one of the reasons to take knives apart is installing custom scales. This guy makes great custom scales, spacers and clips for knives. Instagram link as follows : https://www.instagram.com/aramis_akhmedov/
His scales are amazing and I plan to purchase some sometime. Just have to wait till I slow down buying new knives to upgrade my old ones. :)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Adam
Programs like CQI are why the HUMVEE was a maintenance nightmare before the various branches of the US military finally ditched it. CQI should not be done at the cost of crippling the ability to maintain the knife long term. If I have a blade and handles with plenty of life left in them, but they're rendered useless because a washer, screw, standoff, or similar isn't available then CQI has turned a quality product into something disposable.
For those who wish that spare parts were available, I believe some frustration comes from the argument "If I screw up my knives taking them apart, spyderco shouldn't be responsible for fixing it for free" which I've seen several times (often paraphrased but same idea). This is a blatant strawman, as virtually no one is expecting the parts for free. In this particular scenario, the user would have clearly and knowingly voided the warranty as well by taking apart the knife. Not everyone is a fan of spyderco's warranty policy but most understand why it is in place and are OK with it before making a purchase.
I also think some people are just a bit surprised with the "excuse" (excuse is too harsh of a word but I currently lack a better one) of "it would be too hard keeping up with all the parts" (paraphrased). It almost seems as if manufacturing the knives would be too difficult in the first place. Spyderco has no problem making knives, and knives are made with parts... but the parts are difficult to obtain and keep track of? You see what I mean.
I also don't think bringing up the policies of other companies is disingenuous or irrelevant, nor is it an attempt at bashing spyderco. It's actually one of the first things that came to mind when I read this thread. It's a valid point worth mentioning.
I may be in the minority here, but in general, I use warranties as a last resort. I like being able to fix issues myself if at all possible. In doing so, you don't have to go without your knife as you wait for the shipping and work to be done. It also IMO augments the bond you have with your knife, putting your own touch on it so to speak, truly knowing the knife inside and out, and tweaking little things (like the pivot) perfectly to your liking. I wouldn't want to "bother" (again, too strong of a word but I currently lack a better one) Spyderco for something trivial or insignificant. Something would have to be drastically wrong with the knife for me to send it in, and I am fairly tolerant of imperfections in build quality. But I can't fault anyone for sending their knife in, nor can I fault them for wanting to fix an issue themselves. Customers generally want their $100-200 knife to be virtually perfect out of the box which is completely understandable. It seems that the customer has limited options, which can be a turn off, which is offset by the fact that these situations are uncommon due to spyderco's respectable QC department, but unfortunate nonetheless to those who would be willing to purchase a part and fix an issue themselves.
Spyderco is not obligated to change any policy and i don't feel anyone is suggesting that they are. Spyderco is a private business with the freedom to do as they please. If the amount of money saved by having a policy far outweighs the effect of the number of customers lost, it is wise to have that policy from a business standpoint. But it doesn't mean people won't ask "why?" nor does it mean they will eagerly accept any and all answers to that question. The market sorts everything out. In the end Spyderco cranks out a good product for a good price. Questions may arise in regard to policies and practices. This is not a bad thing and I think it is surprising to some how quickly and passionately these questions are met with opposition.
By the way, one of the reasons to take knives apart is installing custom scales. This guy makes great custom scales, spacers and clips for knives. Instagram link as follows : https://www.instagram.com/aramis_akhmedov/
His scales are amazing and I plan to purchase some sometime. Just have to wait till I slow down buying new knives to upgrade my old ones. :)
I took a quick look on Ali Express at screws, all types. They ship world wide. I see no reason why others would not. Amazon?
When I ship anything expensive I buy insurance. And I read the support terms and conditions before agreeing to buy.
These complaints always assume that one company should imitate another company’s practices. “Acme does it, why doesn’t XYZ do it too?” There are reasons.
I’m with Bloke. All these questions and complaints have been addressed many times. My opinion is that some owners are only willing to badger Spyderco and not accept other alternatives open to them because they want what they want. Perhaps Spyderco will choose to address these complaints. Perhaps not.
Enough said. I am retiring from this topic.
Overheard at the end of the ice age, “We’ve been having such unnatural weather.”
I agree regardless of the supposed reasons not to, a selection of screws, screw posts, pivots, pivot washers should, and could be made available at a low cost, resulting in greater customer satisfaction for those of us that feel confident to do so.
I took a quick look on Ali Express at screws, all types. They ship world wide. I see no reason why others would not. Amazon?
When I ship anything expensive I buy insurance. And I read the support terms and conditions before agreeing to buy.
These complaints always assume that one company should imitate another company’s practices. “Acme does it, why doesn’t XYZ do it too?” There are reasons.
I’m with Bloke. All these questions and complaints have been addressed many times. My opinion is that some owners are only willing to badger Spyderco and not accept other alternatives open to them because they want what they want. Perhaps Spyderco will choose to address these complaints. Perhaps not.
Enough said. I am retiring from this topic.
You're right. Spyderco's support doesn't come anywhere close to what ZT, Kershaw, CRKT, and Benchmade offer. I'll buy better quality US made knives from ZT. I'll buy my inexpensive overseas made knives from Kershaw and CRKT. Benchmade and US made Kershaws can fill in the gap between those two levels. You've made a great argument and convinced me not to buy any more Spyderco knives. Congrats on a job well done.
I'll attempt to bring this back on topic. I have highly corrosive sweat, so I have to take most knives apart to clean them occasionally. Anything with a steel liner where moisture can be trapped between the steel and the scale requires me to disassemble, clean, and reapply a corrosion mitigating product every 3 to 6 months. With liner less knives, or knives with titanium liners I can usually get away with just loosening the pivot, flushing it out fresh water, drying with compressed air, and then re-tightening the pivot with a fresh dab of thread locker. That greatly lengthens the interval between times that the knife needs a deep cleaning to remove stuck on gunk from the pivot.
The point is, I don't have the option not to disassemble my knives if I don't want them to rust. Even using magnetic bit holders, and a soft bench mat with raised edges in a well lighted area, on the very rare occasion a screw or other small part gets lost. I'm not asking Spyderco to give me screws (although it would be nice if they did like several of their competitors do), but I am asking them to sell me screws. If Spyderco won't sell screws (and standoffs and washers), then they should at the very least supply owners with exact sizes so we can source them ourselves.
Under the current system, that's not an option. So, instead of a few dollars to cover the cost of a couple screws (or washers or standoffs) plus postage, we have to send knives in. That requires paying for shipping and insurance both ways, the risk of losing the knife in the mail, the cost of the part, the cost of a factory tech installing part, waiting time for the installation to get through the warranty repair queue, and waiting time on the return shipment after the part install is complete. That's a lot of time, money, and risk that could be eliminated by simply selling users the parts, or even simpler emailing the customer with "Here are the dimensions for that part so you can get a replacement" (from a knife making parts supplier or a specialty hardware supplier like Fastenal).
When I then look at the fact that after the price increase Spyderco is charging the same price or more for equivalent knives that competitors offer with better parts support, I'm seeing a greatly reduced value. Sal and Eric's designs are some of my favorites both in how they look, and how they almost always fit my hand well, but I'm struggling with the value for price.
I'll attempt to bring this back on topic. I have highly corrosive sweat, so I have to take most knives apart to clean them occasionally. Anything with a steel liner where moisture can be trapped between the steel and the scale requires me to disassemble, clean, and reapply a corrosion mitigating product every 3 to 6 months. With liner less knives, or knives with titanium liners I can usually get away with just loosening the pivot, flushing it out fresh water, drying with compressed air, and then re-tightening the pivot with a fresh dab of thread locker. That greatly lengthens the interval between times that the knife needs a deep cleaning to remove stuck on gunk from the pivot.
The point is, I don't have the option not to disassemble my knives if I don't want them to rust. Even using magnetic bit holders, and a soft bench mat with raised edges in a well lighted area, on the very rare occasion a screw or other small part gets lost. I'm not asking Spyderco to give me screws (although it would be nice if they did like several of their competitors do), but I am asking them to sell me screws. If Spyderco won't sell screws (and standoffs and washers), then they should at the very least supply owners with exact sizes so we can source them ourselves.
Under the current system, that's not an option. So, instead of a few dollars to cover the cost of a couple screws (or washers or standoffs) plus postage, we have to send knives in. That requires paying for shipping and insurance both ways, the risk of losing the knife in the mail, the cost of the part, the cost of a factory tech installing part, waiting time for the installation to get through the warranty repair queue, and waiting time on the return shipment after the part install is complete. That's a lot of time, money, and risk that could be eliminated by simply selling users the parts, or even simpler emailing the customer with "Here are the dimensions for that part so you can get a replacement" (from a knife making parts supplier or a specialty hardware supplier like Fastenal).
When I then look at the fact that after the price increase Spyderco is charging the same price or more for equivalent knives that competitors offer with better parts support, I'm seeing a greatly reduced value. Sal and Eric's designs are some of my favorites both in how they look, and how they almost always fit my hand well, but I'm struggling with the value for price.
I am not sure where to post this. I bought a native 5 salt and when I got home to change the pocket clip around the screws would only spin in their socket and wouldn't come loose. I next sent to see if I could take the knife apart and successfully took it apart cleaned if and put it back together. The screws and the metal sleeve they thread into spin inside the FRN when I go back to the clip. I contacted Spyderco via their website and haven't received a response.
Does anyone have any advice while I wait for Spyderco to respond?
