Spyderco Forums

SpyOpera cqi fully disassemblable and on pb washers when

I'm guessing never.

Abyss_Fish wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:17 am

SpyOpera cqi fully disassemblable and on pb washers when

Uh, it just came out. Get a grip.

Don't hold your breath.

I mean, is it really that necessary? I saw one video and the liners are not magnetic and presumably are made from titanium, blade is stainless, so there is very little to go wrong with corrosion.
Bearings....well, you can't have everything.

Pancake wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 12:00 pm

I mean, is it really that necessary? I saw one video and the liners are not magnetic and presumably are made from titanium, blade is stainless, so there is very little to go wrong with corrosion.
Bearings....well, you can't have everything.

The liners could be a non-ferrous stainless steel. Would be easy to test if you have one in hand.

The SpyOpera is a utilitarian folding knife designed by Italian custom knifemaker “Max” and originally produced by lionSTEEL®. Through an exclusive collaboration with lionSTEEL, the Spyderco SpyOpera takes this sleek design to the next level by adding a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole™ and a pocket clip.

Its full-flat-ground blade is crafted from M390 particle metallurgy stainless steel and supported by a sturdy back lock mechanism. The blade is housed in a handle made with skeletonized full titanium liners, beautifully contoured brown canvas Micarta® scales, and a stainless steel backspacer. The spines of the blade, lock bar, and backspacer are all meticulously crowned, and a deep-pocket wire clip provides rightside, tip-up carry.

Abyss_Fish wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:17 am

SpyOpera cqi fully disassemblable and on pb washers when

Why do you think this is necessary?

After the PM2 goes to bearings

koenigsegg wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 4:37 pm

After the PM2 goes to bearings

Fair enough tbh

Wait, this is pinned?

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:07 pm

Wait, this is pinned?

the scales come off. everything else is pinned.

Abyss_Fish wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 10:08 pm

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:07 pm

Wait, this is pinned?

the scales come off. everything else is pinned.

Oh man, that was one of my issues with lionsteel's modern traditionals too. Good to know!

Abyss_Fish wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 5:46 pm

koenigsegg wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 4:37 pm

After the PM2 goes to bearings

Fair enough tbh

Putting the para 2 on bearings would completely destroy the knife for me. It already has a super smooth drop shut action (on most of them, at least) so why would we need bearings?


When cutting things that are gritty, or in a dirty environment, bearings suck. I cut open only 2 bags of quikcrete with a ZT and it completely locked up. Bearings were so full of cement and aggregate that the blade just wouldn’t move.

PB washers don’t do that. The knife doesn’t eat itself when it gets a little dirty. Bearings are only fit for a light use knife IMO.

I can't say that I have an issue with bearings. I do prefer the simplicity of PB. But, My Mantra 1&2 are fine knives and they run on supposedly awful bearings.

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:03 am

Abyss_Fish wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 10:08 pm

curlyhairedboy wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:07 pm

Wait, this is pinned?

the scales come off. everything else is pinned.

Oh man, that was one of my issues with lionsteel's modern traditionals too. Good to know!

this knife is made by Lionsteel so... :eek:

as for bearings vs washers. I didnt even use my 0470 one day at work, and a little dirt got in my pocket and ruined the action of the knife. I had to clean it twice to get it smooth again. Love my bearing knives but if I'm going to work in a dirty environment I'm sticking to washers. Anything else it doesn't matter. Love the action on my Amalgam! Really like the bearing cages are full, thick phosphor bronze.

So it's on bearings and pinned? Yikes. I'm not super interested in the design anyway, but if I was, I wouldn't be now.

I'm a fan of both washers and bearings when well done.

Abyss_Fish wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:17 am

SpyOpera cqi fully disassemblable and on pb washers when

Just so we're clear, this is what I understand about Spyderco's process:

CQI is a manufacturing management philosophy/core value. Typically, it's reflected in a more specific project development/management system that also improves things like efficiency. Sal includes development of new models in his definition of the CQI process.

When we talk about this in the context of Spyderco CQI model changes, we're talking about is Spyderco's policy to make subtle changes to improve their own "evergreen" designs (Sal talks about this a lot here on the forum) for long-term success across thousands of units sold and multiple manufacturing runs. This requires more planning and negotiation than you may think when it comes to revisions that will be implemented by a partner manufacturer, and I'm sure even in-house it's a painful process.

The SpyOpera is a premium-materials version of an existing design with an established history, and they already upgraded the pivot system from washers to bearings based on that history. For all intents and purposes, it *is* the improved version 3.0 of the LionSteel Opera.

If there were a problem/easy improvement to be made, and sales numbers indicated enough demand for a second run, it's always possible you may see something changed, but a major revision like changing the pivot system is highly unlikely.

As far as making it fully disassemblable... If you've got a few tools, you can take anything apart. Replacing those pins with machine screws would take a drill and a tap. But since you can get the bearings out for cleaning already... why do you want to take the frame apart? Are you planning to modify the lockbar?

I have a few pinned Spydercos that I carry frequently, and I've never felt the need to clean anything I can't see when the knife is assembled, except occasionally to take the blade out for rust prevention on my Super Blue Caly. (Which rarely needs that step.)

If you're using it to stir paint, I guess you may want to do a deep-clean... but this is not that sort of knife.

Edit: clarity about the origin of the term.

"CQI" is not exclusive to Spyderco.

It is a part of the design process that can be and is applied in many different industries.