New Member: Info, purchases, and other ramblings

[Skinnable]

Hello to all of the Spyderco Forum-Members. It's the new guy in town.

Before the weekend, I'd researched knife-sharpeners to some extent for a specific task. After watching a number of YouTube videos from manufacturers and users, I was most impressed by Sal Glesser's knowledge, enthusiasm, and instruction in the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker DVD. It's awesome to see such passion over what I'd previously felt was a semi-mundane task. After a bit more research, I made the decision to spend my money on the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker.
** (I placed pictures, but didn't show up during preview. Maybe a Moderator-thing. Will substitute links in another post, if need be.)


Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

You're still with me? Awesome - let's keep going. It gets a little crazy further down below.

Okay, full-disclosure here - I tend to be what's affectionately known as frugal. But lately, I've taken some time to "upgrade" on the more utilitarian aspects of practicality. Sure, I'd heard of the company Spyderco before - but, like a Lexus - I didn't see the validity of owning one. Until I happened to see a video of a gentleman during the above research.

*** The Backstory (Setting-the-Hook)

This fellow had a Spyderco Military model. It was okay-looking, and I judged by the size that it would offer the most value to a person like me who uses a knife for a number of tasks. Then again - nothing really convinced me to justify dropping that much cash after researching what they cost. That is, until the guy in the video showed his "second" one.


Spyderco Military Model Carbon Fiber/Titanium - KnifeWorks Exclusive

It was an exclusive to the reseller: KnifeWorks, known as the: Military Model Carbon Fiber/TI Exclusive, #C36CFTI. At that point, I was ready to throw my wallet through the window of this company KnifeWorks. After poking around their website, I never found it. They did have an attractive knife that made me think of something my father would be interested in - which was also an exclusive: Delica 4 FRN Blue Lined w/CPM S90V, #C11FPBKS90V. Called him to ask if he'd be interested, guided him to their website, and shared my opinions on the generic Military model. He said he'd think about it.


Spyderco Delica 4 FRN Blue Lined w/CPM S90V - KnifeWorks Exclusive

Are we good? I've got a few more things to say before the questions. Let's finish - the ending is worth it.

*** KnifeWorks Ability to Close-the-Deal

Yeah, it always happens that way - doesn't it? The minute you find something you'd be willing to spend more than you were planning... it just up and disappears. (Pulled a Keyser Söze on me.) So, I sent a creative message to KnifeWorks last night. You know, to plead my case that I'm a willing participant of letting go of money that I don't particularly want to. And, wouldn't you know it? They responded by asking me to call this morning.

I did - and, had the opportunity to speak with Brandy. (Apparently there are two that work there. I spoke to the other one.) She said they had one left in the building, but it did have some scratches on the back and within the lanyard-hole. The knife was offered for a reduced price, (but, still substantial in my eyes), and, I purchased it... in hopes that Spyderco's warranty would help if I felt it was needed.

*** The Revenge of Being Frugal

So, I felt quite pleased with myself for purchasing my first knife of the "high-quality" caliber. So much, in fact, that I called my father to let him know that I'd found a source for the absolute perfect knife for myself. That's when he said that it sounded great, but he'd purchased the blue Delica model... and, the Military (Blurple) S110V version, as well. He also said how much he'd spent, and I needed to pay the bill before he left to go on his trip on Thursday. (<--Insert horror-movie scream here.)

I know, I know - long thread for my first one, but apparently I've both directly, (and, indirectly), purchased four Spyderco items in a single weekend. So much for being frugal, huh?

*** The Questions x 2 (Drum-roll, please)

1.) If I have to send the Military Carbon-Fiber model in for potential refinishing the back-portion and replacement of the lanyard insert, then how long would it take to receive it back from the manufacturer?
### (A bit anxious to have my first Spyderco in-hand instead of waiting for potential warranty work.)

2.) If I happened to send both the Military Carbon-Fiber model with S90V blade-material and the Military "Blurple" model with S110V blade-material, then could I have the blades swapped by the manufacturer to not void the warranty?
### (Thought it would give me the ability to have a unique item. You know, a point or two for originality.)

Alright, alright... it's like reading a Tolstoy novel, I know. But, if it isn't apparent by now - I'm a bit anxious of the new journey into this popular world. (Feels like I need an applause, a cold beer, or a T-shirt... something.)

Thanks for reading the ramblings of a new member to the family of Spyderco Forum Members.

I hope everyone has an excellent day.

[sal]

Hi Skinnable,

Welcome to our forum and thanx for the interest.

sal

[Freediver]

Welcome to the forum.

To answer #2, no, they will not swap the blades, and doing so will void your warranty.

[TomAiello]

Welcome to the forum!

If you're going to actually use that knife, you don't need to send it in for scratches. You're going to scratch it up using it anyway. Knives with no scratches live in drawers (or safes) and don't get used. If you're a frugal guy, then you want to actually use it, not just collect it.

For what it's worth, I like s90v better than s110v in the Military platform, so I'd keep the s90v right where it started and use the heck out of that knife. I don't own the military in s110v (any more) but I do own that exact s90v variant, and in my opinion it's the nicest military made to date. The only one that competes with it for time in my pocket is the 204p (also a Knifeworks exclusive).

[Tucson Tom]

Interesting first post -- welcome aboard.

First, congratulations on locating the CF/Ti military. To my taste, some cosmetic scratches and a reduced price would be a slam dunk if I was already interested in the knife. My knives are users and will get some of my own scratches soon enough.

Scratches in the lanyard insert -- I can't imagine how that would annoy me, but of course I haven't seen your knife. But you have to ask yourself if you are buying it to put in a display case or to carry and use. Great knife by the way.

When I bought my Tacoma pickup, I went by the next day to pick it up. The guys were biting their nails. They told me some jerk had driven by in the night shooting up cars with a pellet gun and my Tacoma had a couple of dings. I told them that it was a 4x4 and I would be adding plenty of dings soon enough, and if they just would give me a couple of bottles of touch up paint everything was cool. But that is my view of things. They were happy.

Anyway, I think the CF/Ti is just great with S90V and I wouldn't fool with it, but everyone's taste varies.

You certainly get this weeks award for being frugal! Some kinds of trouble come in bursts.

I won't say anything about Spyderco policies, because I just dunno what they will do. They are forever surprising people in good ways, but I am skeptical about the blade swap. Who can say -- you will get an official word from someone if you ask. It never hurts to ask. Me though, I am more of an S90V guy than an S110V guy, so I would leave things as is.

[VooDooChild]

Swap the blades yourself. It will either be fine, or not workout in which case you just swap them back.

[Wartstein]

Welcome to the forum, Skinnable! :)

Can´t help much concerning your questions..

But the Military generally is an excellent choice if you like bigger blades! I am more of a "down to earth" guy I guess, would be totally fine with the "base" S30V model and not mind some scratches on any Millie variant I happened to have, since all my knives are users anyway. But that´s just me.

[w3tnz]

Welcome, as to swapping the blades over, you want to swap the scales not the blades. Keep the liners/locks and hardware with the original blade it came with and you will be fine. If you start mixing and matching locks and blades you could be in trouble. All the best.

Swap the blades yourself. It will either be fine, or not workout in which case you just swap them back.

[Doc Dan]

Hello to all of the Spyderco Forum-Members. It's the new guy in town.

Before the weekend, I'd researched knife-sharpeners to some extent for a specific task. After watching a number of YouTube videos from manufacturers and users, I was most impressed by Sal Glesser's knowledge, enthusiasm, and instruction in the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker DVD. It's awesome to see such passion over what I'd previously felt was a semi-mundane task. After a bit more research, I made the decision to spend my money on the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker.
** (I placed pictures, but didn't show up during preview. Maybe a Moderator-thing. Will substitute links in another post, if need be.)


Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

You're still with me? Awesome - let's keep going. It gets a little crazy further down below.

Okay, full-disclosure here - I tend to be what's affectionately known as frugal. But lately, I've taken some time to "upgrade" on the more utilitarian aspects of practicality. Sure, I'd heard of the company Spyderco before - but, like a Lexus - I didn't see the validity of owning one. Until I happened to see a video of a gentleman during the above research.

*** The Backstory (Setting-the-Hook)

This fellow had a Spyderco Military model. It was okay-looking, and I judged by the size that it would offer the most value to a person like me who uses a knife for a number of tasks. Then again - nothing really convinced me to justify dropping that much cash after researching what they cost. That is, until the guy in the video showed his "second" one.


Spyderco Military Model Carbon Fiber/Titanium - KnifeWorks Exclusive

It was an exclusive to the reseller: KnifeWorks, known as the: Military Model Carbon Fiber/TI Exclusive, #C36CFTI. At that point, I was ready to throw my wallet through the window of this company KnifeWorks. After poking around their website, I never found it. They did have an attractive knife that made me think of something my father would be interested in - which was also an exclusive: Delica 4 FRN Blue Lined w/CPM S90V, #C11FPBKS90V. Called him to ask if he'd be interested, guided him to their website, and shared my opinions on the generic Military model. He said he'd think about it.


Spyderco Delica 4 FRN Blue Lined w/CPM S90V - KnifeWorks Exclusive

Are we good? I've got a few more things to say before the questions. Let's finish - the ending is worth it.

*** KnifeWorks Ability to Close-the-Deal

Yeah, it always happens that way - doesn't it? The minute you find something you'd be willing to spend more than you were planning... it just up and disappears. (Pulled a Keyser Söze on me.) So, I sent a creative message to KnifeWorks last night. You know, to plead my case that I'm a willing participant of letting go of money that I don't particularly want to. And, wouldn't you know it? They responded by asking me to call this morning.

I did - and, had the opportunity to speak with Brandy. (Apparently there are two that work there. I spoke to the other one.) She said they had one left in the building, but it did have some scratches on the back and within the lanyard-hole. The knife was offered for a reduced price, (but, still substantial in my eyes), and, I purchased it... in hopes that Spyderco's warranty would help if I felt it was needed.

*** The Revenge of Being Frugal

So, I felt quite pleased with myself for purchasing my first knife of the "high-quality" caliber. So much, in fact, that I called my father to let him know that I'd found a source for the absolute perfect knife for myself. That's when he said that it sounded great, but he'd purchased the blue Delica model... and, the Military (Blurple) S110V version, as well. He also said how much he'd spent, and I needed to pay the bill before he left to go on his trip on Thursday. (<--Insert horror-movie scream here.)

I know, I know - long thread for my first one, but apparently I've both directly, (and, indirectly), purchased four Spyderco items in a single weekend. So much for being frugal, huh?

*** The Questions x 2 (Drum-roll, please)

1.) If I have to send the Military Carbon-Fiber model in for potential refinishing the back-portion and replacement of the lanyard insert, then how long would it take to receive it back from the manufacturer?
### (A bit anxious to have my first Spyderco in-hand instead of waiting for potential warranty work.)

2.) If I happened to send both the Military Carbon-Fiber model with S90V blade-material and the Military "Blurple" model with S110V blade-material, then could I have the blades swapped by the manufacturer to not void the warranty?
### (Thought it would give me the ability to have a unique item. You know, a point or two for originality.)

Alright, alright... it's like reading a Tolstoy novel, I know. But, if it isn't apparent by now - I'm a bit anxious of the new journey into this popular world. (Feels like I need an applause, a cold beer, or a T-shirt... something.)

Thanks for reading the ramblings of a new member to the family of Spyderco Forum Members.

I hope everyone has an excellent day.

Use postimage.org, select picture, then click hotlink for forums, and paste.

[Doc Dan]

Welcome to the forum!

If you're going to actually use that knife, you don't need to send it in for scratches. You're going to scratch it up using it anyway. Knives with no scratches live in drawers (or safes) and don't get used. If you're a frugal guy, then you want to actually use it, not just collect it.

For what it's worth, I like s90v better than s110v in the Military platform, so I'd keep the s90v right where it started and use the heck out of that knife. I don't own the military in s110v (any more) but I do own that exact s90v variant, and in my opinion it's the nicest military made to date. The only one that competes with it for time in my pocket is the 204p (also a Knifeworks exclusive).

What he said.

[wrdwrght]

I’m not sure why a blade swap In Spydies you have not used is so important to you. Do you understand S110V to be superior to S90V in some way? They’re both really good, but I get better sharpening response from the latter. Anyway, welcome to the sea of decisions into which you have just plunged.

[Tucson Tom]

I was thinking more about this knife and the proposed blade swap, and it occurred to me (as per w3tmz above) that this particular knife poses unique issues. The CF/Ti military is actually a frame lock knife, whereas the other military is the usual liner lock. This very well may pose problems. In any event, I wouldn't do it for that and other reasons. S90V is great.

[w3tnz]

I was thinking more about this knife and the proposed blade swap, and it occurred to me (as per w3tmz above) that this particular knife poses unique issues. The CF/Ti military is actually a frame lock knife, whereas the other military is the usual liner lock. This very well may pose problems. In any event, I wouldn't do it for that and other reasons. S90V is great.

Ah my bad I missed that it was the ti/cf model, so a simple scale swap wont work.
It will be a case of trial and error then, I have actually done this before with a cru-wear and titanium millie. I had to do a bit of work to the liner lock to get good engagement with the s30v blade but the cru wear and ti mated nicely without any trouble.
I sold the s30v with the liner and ti front scale and still have the cruwear framelock.

[Skinnable]

Oh, wow! Thanks for the many responses everyone. You definitely make a fellow feel welcome around here.

And, thank you Doc Dan for the suggestion on the ability to add a picture. Again, you are all awesome!

Shockingly enough, the knife is already here. KnifeWorks is literally a little over two-hours from my house, so the young lady known as "Brandy", (the other one), must have hooked me up with some seriously quick shipping. They've created a customer-for-life that's for sure.

So here it is:



Very impressed with how tight the fit is on this thing. Was a bit grainy out of the box, but a drop or two of Pfaff machine oil smoothed it out.

Action-shots - am I right?



Oooo!



Aaaah!

I know, I know... it's just like when you were a kid and were convinced that the new pair of shoes would make you run faster. Some of you may understand where I'm coming from.

I did have some shots of the lanyard hole sleeve, but it really isn't "that" noticeable unless you're looking for something to pick apart. So, I didn't want to throw that in.

I did have a question as to how close the clearance of the blade should be, though. Let me show you what I'm talking about with a few shots.





This is just some comparative shots as close as I could get it.



The inverted selection.



And, the last standing off a bit from the previous perspective.

What do you all think? It looks quite close from where I'm sitting, but then... I have to consider that this one has the lock that's essentially the entire back of the knife-body. I mean, I don't really have anything to compare it to, so it's a bit of a toss up from my limited knowledge of the subject.

Again, thanks to everyone for contributing their thoughts and opinions to the topic. It's much appreciated from a new Spyderco knife-owner.

Have an amazing day, everyone!

[bearrowland]

Welcome aboard!

[w3tnz]

Very nice, congrats on your new blade.
Everyone has differences of opinion on blade centring, it doesn’t really matter as long as the blade is not rubbing on the inside, however it would bother me personally. Most of the time it’s due to a loose pivot, try tighten the pivot screw and you should see the blade move toward the centre, it will tighten the action but it will break in over time, lubricate if needed. If you find it is really too tight with the blade centred there are some other things you can try but you should be able to find a sweet spot just by adjusting the pivot tension.

[Skinnable]

Hello to all Forum Members:

Well, it's day two in this new world of being a Spyderco owner. And, it seems the rest of my items have arrived.

So, who wants to read, am I right? Picture-time... with a healthy appreciation to our resident physician of posting pictures, Doc Dan.

THANKS, DOC DAN!

Here we go ~ Spyderco Military "Blurple" w/ S110V



Typical profile



Non-typical profile



And, finally... the typical closed-shot. (We'll skip the others.)

The other item that showed up was the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker with accompanying items. At this point, I kind of feel like I'm showing off a station-wagon. After testing it out on my old beater knife with S30V blade material, it's pretty amazing, nonetheless.



POW!



POW! POW!

I know... but, I had to add something for the excitement-factor, you know?

Wasn't able to get any shots of the Delica that my father received today, because he's not done playing with it, yet. (Did that sound as bad as it looks while re-reading it?) Anyway, I'll try to get some pictures while he's showing it off to someone.

Thanks for reading my post of joy. Figured I'd show my ticket to this trip into the ranks of membership with the many Spyderco owners.

Have an excellent day everyone.