Spyderco Forums

Woodpuppy wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:42 pm

Guess it will be interesting to compare notes.

And photos.

I'm starting to think I have too many knives :rolleyes: ...intended on carrying this today and for whatever reason grabbed my 20CV PM2 when I got to my display stand. I don't think I even looked at it!

Mine arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon. I must say, I'm less than impressed with the overall fit and finish. This is my first Italian-made Spydie, so I have nothing else from the Maniago factory to compare with, but this Urban easily has the worst f&f of all my Spydercos, inclusive of Chinese-made. That's not to say it's terrible, but compared with my only other Slip-it, the UKPK, this Urban is an inferior knife..

Out of the box, the first thing I noticed was that the wire clip on my Urban had a significant curve (warp) to it. I was able to bend this back into place, so not a huge deal, but still, I question how it was allowed to leave the factory like that..

Mine did also have some of the blemishes that others have mentioned.. the not-crisp jimping, the unfinished looking Spydie hole, etc.

The action on my sample is also VERY stiff, especially compared with my UKPK. It's not necessarily un-smooth, it just takes quite a bit more effort to open and close one handed. It is not a problem two-handed. I hope this loosens up over time.

On the positive side, the grinds on my piece are reasonably good and it is definitely sharp out of the box. The FRN is well-done, though not as grippy as my UKPK, and I like the color. The ergos are pretty great for a small, pocket and legal friendly blade. I'm also looking forward to trying out AEB-L and the Urban seems as good a platform for it as any.

Gripes aside, I still don't think this Urban is in any way a "bad" knife. All of these things are superficial and none impact the usefulness of the Urban as a cutting tool. In fact, If I had bought this knife from any other manufacturer, with no prior interaction with the company, I would probably be quite pleased with it. However, having now owned a number of Spydercos.. and being generally VERY impressed by them.. the out of the box f&f on this just leaves me thinking "meh" when compared with what I know Spyderco is capable of. That said, I intend on using this knife as a knife, not locking it away in a safe somewhere.. as a user, there really isn't much to complain about here..

Well said Rick, I completely agree. I actually took mine apart last night as mine was a bit stiffer than I like, as well as feeling slightly gritty. Cleaned it up and it is much smoother now, right on par with my HH UKPK. Well worth the 5 minutes of work!

If I had paid $100+ for this knife, I would have been pretty disappointed. But, as you said...this knife will be a user and for $65, I don't see a problem with that. It's not even a fancy knife, can't imagine locking it away will even bring it some kind of crazy profit in the future!

Pretty upset with myself for forgetting mine at home today when it was right in front of my face :o

SF Native wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:34 am

archangel wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:06 am

SF Native wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2019 3:36 pm

archangel wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2019 12:06 pm

In stock at BladeHQ. At least it looks like that...

Ordered. Thanks Michael.
This one joining your unique collection?

I'm struggling with an empty bank account. On the other hand I'd hate to miss this opportunity. Need to talk to my wifey...

I think you have time. I bet these can be found 6 months from now.

Well... I jumped the gun.

Now I need to sell the N690Co Urban that I own.

And buy a Roadie. :D

UrbanMoose wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:16 pm

Where did you order them? :eek:
[/quote]

Here:
http://com2you-biwak.de/

But they are out of stock now... :o
[/quote]


Ugh, the price... But hey, no wait and no struggle with tax & customs - good for you!

I took on the struggle...

As stated earlier i think my Urban is a well build piece. Maybe i am not judging it the right way and don't see the shortcomings?

I have uploaded a few photo's so you can judge for yourself. Hope that if you have one (or more) coming in the mail you will be reassured of the possible build quality. Strange that the build quality is not always the same and up to par. Still think thats weird in a production batch.

The tang and the spacer fit nicely.



The clip is positioned well.



Nothing wrong with the FRN. Nicely moulded.




I am curious about your opinions.

Ordered one from BHQ

Ordered one from DLT.

Danvp wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 12:59 pm

As stated earlier i think my Urban is a well build piece. Maybe i am not judging it the right way and don't see the shortcomings?

I have uploaded a few photo's so you can judge for yourself. Hope that if you have one (or more) coming in the mail you will be reassured of the possible build quality. Strange that the build quality is not always the same and up to par. Still think thats weird in a production batch.

The tang and the spacer fit nicely.

The clip is positioned well.

Nothing wrong with the FRN. Nicely moulded.

I am curious about your opinions.

I had no issues with mine. I’m quite pleased.

archangel wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:50 am

UrbanMoose wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:16 pm

Where did you order them? :eek:

Here:
http://com2you-biwak.de/

But they are out of stock now... :o
[/quote]


Ugh, the price... But hey, no wait and no struggle with tax & customs - good for you!

I took on the struggle...
[/quote]

Yeah, the price was a bit salty in comparison, but I was impatient and these seemed to be getting snapped up as soon as they showed in stock. As I'm the guy that suggested a coyote brown Urban in the first place, I was damned if I was going to risk missing out :cool:

Hope yours gets through hassle-free.

Danvp wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 12:59 pm

As stated earlier i think my Urban is a well build piece. Maybe i am not judging it the right way and don't see the shortcomings?

I have uploaded a few photo's so you can judge for yourself. Hope that if you have one (or more) coming in the mail you will be reassured of the possible build quality. Strange that the build quality is not always the same and up to par. Still think thats weird in a production batch.

The tang and the spacer fit nicely.



The clip is positioned well.



Nothing wrong with the FRN. Nicely moulded.




I am curious about your opinions.

Thanks for the photos. I think if mine are as ok as yours f&f wise, and the tip is sufficiently below the scales when closed, I'll be happy.

Danvp wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 12:59 pm

As stated earlier i think my Urban is a well build piece. Maybe i am not judging it the right way and don't see the shortcomings?

I have uploaded a few photo's so you can judge for yourself. Hope that if you have one (or more) coming in the mail you will be reassured of the possible build quality. Strange that the build quality is not always the same and up to par. Still think thats weird in a production batch.

The tang and the spacer fit nicely.



The clip is positioned well.



Nothing wrong with the FRN. Nicely moulded.




I am curious about your opinions.

It looks fine to me. I am thinking a few got past QC that should not have and we are hearing about it. Everyone else seems happy with the way theirs turned out.

That is a handsome knife, BTW.

Anybody else think that this knife should come with the shorter pocket clip like the Dragonfly? Not a big deal, but to me seems like it could be a better fit. Regardless, can't wait to carry mine and give it a try tomorrow!

May do some cutting with it and my Manix 2 in 52100 steel and see if I can see the similarities or differences in the steels.

Received mine yesterday (thanks, TQK!).

Overall F&F is good. The action is tight, compared to either my UKPK or my K390 Urban, but I think this will loosen thorough use. To my eye, jimping looks fine (perhaps not Taichung or Golden good, but not bad at all). Tip sits low enough in the scales, but not as deep as on my K390 version. Interface between backspace and blade is acceptable. I will be knocking the edge off of the Spydie hole.

I took mine apart and polished the blade and back spacer, which helped smooth it out some. Definitely a keeper for me.

Oh, and I also used it to break down cardboard this morning (recycle day). Worked great! :)

Spyderco Slippie Group Photo:


After polishing:


Jimping, compared to K390:


Tip depth:


ETA: The backspacer interface on AEB-L vs K390:

Mine arrived today after a bit of a journey: Italy > USA > France > UK!

It’s not a show piece, but I have Ti knives for bling!

I had let go my Elmax and K390 versions, so can’t compare direct, but those differences are surprising. It does have a proper half stop now, though.

Thanks Cap'n for the excellent array of photos. Got my two today :D

If I was to nit -pick:
Both mine came with the slight burr in the hole as described earlier in the thread, the jimping and overall f&f is functional but not as refined as on the Elmax version. The tips sit a little higher than I would like when closed (no biggy as the kicks have space to be reduced down when needed).

However,

Both came hair-popping sharp. Blade centering is good, blade grinds are nice and even, and the 'lock-up is very firm (which I like). The true 90* half-stop is an improvement on the Elmax.

The colour is in my opinion the best Spyderco have offered the Urban in, making it my favourite FRN Spyderco of all time. A Spyderco I can actually carry on every occasion, not just special ones :D :D :D
Now let's see how the AEB-L compares to Elmax. Which do you guys think will perform betterlonger term? :p



(I always take the pocket clip off my user )




Notice the slight burr in the hole on the brown one and the rounded kick on the green one?



The above two photos compare the half-stop placement angles on the AEB-L and the Elmax...



Thanks Spyderco. I'm loving life just now. Xmas has come early for me this year.

I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of you guy's thoughts....

I've no excuse to buy another edc now until the release of the Ti bolstered, stag (or wood) handled UKPK :rolleyes: :p :D :spyder:

Got mine today and the fit and finish are fine. No issues with the jimping or the point being proud of the liners when closed. The grind is fairly even with a nice toothy and sharp edge. I have no experience with AEB-L on a folder but do have a few small fixed blades with that steel and I like to keep them toothy as well since they're used mostly outdoors to cut rope, small branches, and whatnot where that extra bite is appreciated.

Well, today I brought mine to work and used it a bit. Cut some cardboard, packaging tape and some banding. To my surprise...and disappointment, the blade has a few scratches on it. Not as bad as SUS410 scratches on laminated blades, but still a few fine scratches. I didn't expect that with this steel.

Mine arrived. Same as others. Jimping is ok. Maybe not as clean as the k390, but you really have to look. Little burr in the hole. Tip a little higher than the k390. Stiff action. Got some oil on it and working it has helped. Uneven grind and sharper near the tip.
So it’s good to go. Color is nice. Clip is good. nice fit at blade to spring. Spring is crisp.