Do Spyderco Knives Have No Flaws?

[Dutchman]

If someone has a knife with a flaw - real or perceived - are these topics kept off this forum?
My searching through forum history seems to only find enthusiastic supporters with much praise for the brand.
I'd like to join that party but feel these topics are heavily filtered.
Or - maybe I'm wrong?

[TazKristi]

Hi, Dutchman:
I can't speak to what your search results were but I can absolutely say that we do not filter or block any posts on our forum that abide by our forum rules - none of which require a positive spin on posts. We actively welcome feedback of all kinds on our products. We do strive to build the best possible knives and we've worked very hard over the past 40+ years to earn the reputation that we have. We're very proud of our products but if we make a mistake, we'll own the responsibility for that mistake. We also strive to conduct our business in a fair and proper manner with as much transparency as is possible.

Perhaps your concerns are because your posts have been moderated? We moderate new members for a period of time/posts as a tool to help keep spam off of our forum. Unfortunately, spam is a real issue and spammers are getting sneakier all the time. We have a very special community here and we do all that we can to ensure the safety of our members as well as keeping the forum an enjoyable (not always positive but not laced with spam either) place to visit. If the practice of moderating posts isn't part of your concern, please do elaborate on your concerns. We're happy to address them.

With all of that in mind, I'm moving your thread to our General Discussion area. You'll get a much larger response there than our Restricted Models area.

Welcome to our forum. We hope you enjoy your time with us.

Kristi

[wrdwrght]

Flaws? Quite a few, actually, but Spyderco has been remarkably fast yet careful to correct them.

Early Chaparrals had crap in the pivot (a production flaw), flippers had bearing failures (a design flaw), to name two examples.

Found flaws don’t seem to persist. Corrections are made in materials and actual production; any flawed knife gets corrected by the Warranty & Repair Department.

We may be fanboys here, but we’re also whiners.

[vivi]

If you search my post history you'll find times I've mentioned flaws. My Manix XL was gritty when it was new, my Ark had a sheath with poor retention, etc.

Spyderco isn't perfect. But they are very, very good at what they do, and they take customer feedback seriously.

[Evil D]

There are lots of us fanboys that love everything but I think what doesn't go over well is blatant bashing on something when 1) No contact or effort has been made to contact Spyderco to give them the chance to make it right, or 2) unrealistic expectations are clearly obvious or 3) people are obviously just trolling for the sake of trolling. We get lots of all three.

[The Deacon]

Given that you posted this in Restricted Items, am guessing that's the only place you looked. If you'd come here, you'd have found at least two threads on the first page about flaws, real or perceived. Don't recall any ever being removed and, if any were ever edited, it would have been to remove overly colorful language. And yes, like any item made by humans, Spyderco knives occasionally have flaws. In the 16 years I've been collecting Spydercos I've had to return three or four myself for warranty service, but I own over 500.

Restricted gets very little traffic and you're the first person i can recall posting about an issue with an Autonomy. That could mean one of three things. You could be the first person to have an issue with one. Or, up to now, anyone with an issue had contacted Spyderco, sent the knife back, and resolved the issue without visiting this forum. Or, there's a thread in Restricted that I never read.

[500Nitro]

There are lots of us fanboys that love everything but I think what doesn't go over well is blatant bashing on something when 1) No contact or effort has been made to contact Spyderco to give them the chance to make it right, or 2) unrealistic expectations are clearly obviously or 3) people are obviously just trolling for the sake of trolling. We get lots of all three.

Well said

Or blame the knife / manufacturer when the tool used was incorrect and buggered the screws.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Yep I praise compare and complain about what I would like to see all the time. Some members get a bit testy and defensive of a favored model, but for the most part everything is equally accepted here.

[Tucson Tom]

The dirty truth is that we are all carefully monitored, and at the end of the year if we haven't said anything bad, we get a certificate that can be redeemed for a free donut at the donut shop of our choice.

This reminds me of a 3 stooges skit. Curly says, "vise? I have no vice! I am as pure as the driven snow!"
Mo then says, "yeah, but you drifted." and hits him in the head.

Seriously though, the "silver footprints" rule may not be an official forum rule, but the idea is that we don't say bad things about other makers. Saying bad things about Spyderco is completely legit and encouraged insofar as it has some basis in truth. Others have already elaborated on this.

[Pelagic]

If someone has a knife with a flaw - real or perceived - are these topics kept off this forum?
My searching through forum history seems to only find enthusiastic supporters with much praise for the brand.
I'd like to join that party but feel these topics are heavily filtered.
Or - maybe I'm wrong?

Let 'er rip, tater chip! I call it like it is.

[JacksonKnives]

There are worse things said here and there in YouTube comments and on other forums, but I have no doubt that more total complaints about problem knives show up here than anywhere else public. The pushback from Spyderco loyalists is usually "if you have a problem, talk to Spyderco warranty, they'll take care of you" rather than "if you have a problem you're crazy."
People who want to do things with their knives that aren't covered by warranty terms make the biggest noise, and they're the people (I'm one of them) who spend the most time talking about knives in the web. Flame wars do happen here over contentious issues, but the civility is much higher and I don't think I've ever seen any ban-worthy behavior.

[Sumdumguy]

I have only had a handful of minor issues, all solved with a bit of cleaning and lubrication(gritty action).

I have 100% faith that if I ever experience an actual issue, the crew at Spyderco will make it right.

[cycleguy]

I suspect they (Spyderco company/staff) care enough about their customers to hear you out and try to resolve the problem in a favorable way. I recommend you discuss directly with them. I'm sure they are all for constructive criticism. If it is for no other reason than to bash the company I'd hope someone would delete so I don't have to waste my time with it.

I'd ask the question "Are you perfect"? "Are we all perfect"? Which is an obvious no! But what you're willing to do about it when you're not really shows character or lack of it.

CG

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Sal listens and makes the products better he appreciates the input, he regularly participates here in the forums and has said as much himself.

I am very impressed by this, admitidly a fan boy, My Lady is not and even she is impressed by Sal’s participation. Great products, Great owners and management.

[rossco599]

I thought this too when I came here (less than a year) but haven't seen any threads mia. The pinned post of shipping of internal parts probably has some complaints.

[spyderg]

They definitely don’t filter criticism here. They actually seem to welcome it! Spyderco listens to their customers, and makes improvements based on feedback. Sure, most of us here are fanboys, and girls, so you’ll see a lot of praise but at the same time we are a very critical bunch who want perfection from our favourite brand. Go to any discussion thread and you’ll find a lot of comments on how we’d like to see a knife improved upon. You’ll likely see a few comments like “I’d get one if...” or “ I just wish it had...” and then quite often Sal himself chimes in with a “welcome to the forum” to let everyone know they’re paying attention and sometimes he’ll sneak in a comment about “they’re looking into it” or “it’s in the works”. Sometimes he’ll request further info or feedback or make a suggestion.
You should definitely join the party but be prepared, if you start off here posting just criticism, you’ll likely be met with a strong defence of whatever knife is in question. Often what one person sees as a flaw is a feature to another person. Finger choils are a good example, some here can’t live without one while others can’t stand losing precious edge length to them.

[Daveho]

Lots of negs being thrown around-
Look at my bitching about the mantra, that thing still fires me up but ultimately in the world of things I consume, spyderco is pretty good in their practices.

[Wartstein]

Hi Dutchman,

I just read your other threads where you describe issues you had with your Autonomy... these threads you posted BEFORE this one, and, I mean, Spyderco did not redact, block or remove YOUR critical posts, so I do not fully understand how you came to think they would do so generally?
Furthermore, they replied to your critics by asking you to send the knife in so they could make it right.

I was a long time occasional lurker, but active on this forum only for a few month now, and I can remember more than one post or thread where people complained about issues they had or even expressed that they thought other makers would do things better than Spyderco.
That was always accepted, adressed and discussed in a good manner imho.

And as much as I like Spyderco, I myself have no problems to admit that of course they are not totally flawless all the time - who is?
I had a Delica exchanged by the dealer cause the centering was not to my liking.
One of my Enduras has an uneven grind, which does not bother me, but if it would, I am sure Spyderco would take care of it.

Just my honest opinion, and if I'd feel different (more negative) I'd have no problem to say so, even though Spyderco is by far my favorite knifemaker

EDIT: Just read your original post once more. Sorry, I guess I did misunderstood it the first time: You meant, if FORUM-MEMBERS hesitate tp post negative experiences, NOT if Spyderco would block or supress those.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Spyderco Knives have zero flaws. Zero problems. From my own experience, I am convinced that they are the perfect and peak of knives that can be made with Bulk Technology. The only flaws are that we cannot yet make knives with the next level of technology, such as ceramic blades that are shatter proof. But that is not a flaw in Spyderco.

I would challenge anyone and everyone to show me a single flaw in Spyderco. Call me a "fan" but I have yet to discover any flaw in Spyderco.

Are there other grands I like? Yes. But Spyderco is king of knives. I like Classic Japanese and Portugese Navaja knives, as people on here know. And I would like to see Spyderco create an entire line of knives in that style but with their trademarked features and materials. I love Spyderco.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

A related question is this: How do you define a flaw? For example, say you purchase a Spyderco knife and you discover that the handle or blade does not exactly match what you wanted or thought it would be. That is not an actual error or flaw, that is just personal taste, and can be changed.

Do I wish Spyderco offered customizations? Yes. Do I understand that they cannot at this time do that? Yes. That is not a flaw.