1st Impressions Of The New SpyOpera

[Spydergirl88]

Curious to see the guts of this knife as well...

[steelcity16]

It appears to be bearings now that you mention it.

I'm gonna hold out for a proper disassembly...

There is no Edge-U-Cation sheet in this one either so not much information on the construction.

[Enactive]

Does the pivot on the SpyOpera run on bearings or washers? If washers what kind (Phosphor Bronze or Teflon)? If bearings what kind (Steel or Ceramic)?

It appears to be bearings now that you mention it. There is no pivot screw and the blade stock is slightly thinner than the lock bar and backspacer. This leads to a very small amount of side to side blade play, but the action is super smooth. I can Spydie flick this one with ease where I normally struggle with small backlocks like the Delica, Dragonfly, and Native LW. It opens so much smoother than any of these. Shining a light in it I can't make out any washers, so I am thinking it is bearings based on how smooth the action is.

I think there are pivot screws, but likely obscured by the micarta scales. Also curious to see it disassembled.

[steelcity16]

There's the pivot screw! It's a T8, and the scale screws are T6. The clip screw is T8 as well.

[Spydergirl88]

Noice!

[steelcity16]

It appears to be bearings now that you mention it.

I'm gonna hold out for a proper disassembly...

Now that I see the pivot screw maybe it is washers? All I know is it is as smooth as glass. What a phenomenal knife. These things are going to be a massive success. Micarta, M390, Made in Italy, collab with another popular knifemaker, not too big or too small, can be a gentleman's knife or an urban edc, amazing quality/fit/finish, great price, etc.

Also, i'm not too big on markings on the blade (to the point I refuse to buy collectors club knives or exclusives with the forum logo on it like the USN and TNP knives) aside from the H1/LC200N logos, Sal and Eric's makers mark, and the Spydiebug, BUT the lionSTEEL logo on the blade peeking out from the scales looks SWEET!

[TkoK83Spy]

Wait...you went as far as taking the scales off, but didn't remove the liners to see if it was bearings or washers!? That's as half *** a job as chewing your food and not swallowing it!

[steelcity16]

Wait...you went as far as taking the scales off, but didn't remove the liners to see if it was bearings or washers!? That's as half *** a job as chewing your food and not swallowing it!

Lol, I didn't want to mess with the action. It is soooo smooth. I'll let some one else be guinea pig.

[Spydergirl88]

Wait...you went as far as taking the scales off, but didn't remove the liners to see if it was bearings or washers!? That's as half *** a job as chewing your food and not swallowing it!

Lol, I didn't want to mess with the action. It is soooo smooth. I'll let some one else be guinea pig.

What about just taking a picture from the top of the pivot to see if you can see the copper color of phosphor bronze washers? (if they are present) no disassembly required

[steelcity16]

PINNED! Now what??

[steelcity16]

Wait...you went as far as taking the scales off, but didn't remove the liners to see if it was bearings or washers!? That's as half *** a job as chewing your food and not swallowing it!

Lol, I didn't want to mess with the action. It is soooo smooth. I'll let some one else be guinea pig.

What about just taking a picture from the top of the pivot to see if you can see the copper color of phosphor bronze washers? (if they are present) no disassembly required

I can't see any washers or distinguishable color with my eyes let alone my crappy phone camera.

[Spydergirl88]

Well hey you tried. Thanks for the pics. Probably should just reassemble it at this point since you have now encountered pins

[TkoK83Spy]

Very surprised there's pins!!! Would have thought they'd have learned the hatred by now.

[Spydergirl88]

Is Lionsteel known for using pins? We need a picture of the the edge-ucation sheet dang it. The spyderco app doesn't mention anything about washers or bearings for this model

[steelcity16]

Is Lionsteel known for using pins? We need a picture of the the edge-ucation sheet dang it. The spyderco app doesn't mention anything about washers or bearings for this model

There was no Edge-U-Cation sheet in the box. With a light shining at the perfect angle and tilting the knife at the perfect angle I feel like I see little balls and a glimpse of bronze, so maybe an Advocate style (see photo) bearing system? This thing is seriously smooth, so if it is washers they are the best washers I have ever felt.

[PSquared]

That pivot screw looks a lot like the pivot screw on the “normal” Operas. I was really hoping the guts were screw construction. The “normal” Operas have nylon washers.



I’m holding back until I see the blade out of the frame and a hardness test on the M390. The manufacture of the Spyopera looks significantly better quality than the normal Operas which one expects given the price difference.

[RamZar]

LionSteel Opera has been in the LionSteel product line for a very long time. The old SR-1 had Teflon washers but the newer SR-11 is on IKBS bearings.

Perhaps someone from Spyderco can chime in on whether SpyOpera has washers or bearings and the type of washers/bearings.

[JuPaul]

Mine arrived from KC today, and the more I look at it and fidget with it, the more I like it. The action is incredible - so smooth and easily flickable out of the box, and that on a back lock. Others have mentioned the excellent fit and finish: the beautiful micarta, the crowning on the lockbar and backspacer and all the chamfered edges (even the spine of the blade is rounded off), a perfectly centered blade, etc. But there are other little details that are really quite nice as well, like the decorative screws and the best screw I've ever seen used to hold the wire clip in place. My only complaint is the lack of a substantial ricasso. It's only a matter of time before I forget to keep my index finger high enough and I get bit. (Yes, I know, I know, there are other ways to close back locks, but I've tried them all and they're not comfortable for me.) Regardless, this beautiful little guy has a spot in the summer rotation for sure, and probably a spot in the permanent collection.

Edit to add: I can easily see myself wearing down the micarta on the show side scale just from running my thumb along it so much. It's got a great feel: just a bit of texture left, and very warm feeling.

[Spydergirl88]

Thanks for highlighting the clip screw Julia- it looks like a great upgrade to the typical clip screw. Hopefully that means there will be signs of more attention to that in the future

[Spydergirl88]

It has bearings FYI