I Have a Crazy Request, But This Is the Place For It

[SpyderNut]

On a serious note, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea, but I think it could raise some liability issues. (E.G. Someone who buys the knife and doesn’t know how to properly grind the blade and then gets hurt while trying to use it. Or, someone who buys the knife without knowing it’s the unsharpened version and then gripes that Spyderco sent them a bad knife).

I'm pretty sure these were some of the concerns raised last time someone asked for this. Could've been you that posted

I can’t recall that it was me the last time, but it was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw it this time around. (I am getting old, though, so maybe my memory is starting to fail )

On a serious note, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea, but I think it could raise some liability issues. (E.G. Someone who buys the knife and doesn’t know how to properly grind the blade and then gets hurt while trying to use it. Or, someone who buys the knife without knowing it’s the unsharpened version and then gripes that Spyderco sent them a bad knife).

Maybe I'm just unimaginative, but how can a knife without sharpened edges be more dangerous than a sharp one?

I can see how a missbuy could cause problems, there I'm with you. But on the other hand, you can not blame the manufacturer for buing the wrong item.

I see what you mean. What I meant by the “getting hurt” part was that a person might unknowingly grind the blade in such a way that causes the blade to fail/fracture during normal use, possibly leading to injury—and a possible liability issue for the company. The unground blades would likely come pre-heat-treated, which means it would be fairly easy to ruin the heat-treat if power equipment was used as someone mentioned. (Blade failure has sometimes occurred with re-grinds, where the overall blade stock is thinned down from the factory thickness). True, this could also happen with even factory-ground blades, but I’m guessing the sale of unground blades to the general public might be too risky for Spyderco to consider.

Having said all that, I am not Spyderco. I’m sure they could very readily entertain the idea if they wanted to. :)

[me2]

If you're losing blade width reprofiling a factory edge you're doing it wrong. I reprofile every Spyderco I get too, but not having a finished bevel to start with would just mean more work.

I’m not loosing blade width necessarily but the factory edge on many knives shows a loss of blade width from the original dimension.

Also, I do loose some blade width when having to plane down a factory bevel with angles that vary along the length if I want it to be completely even. I’ve relaxed a little on that requirement but not much. I can live with a short section that will take time and many sharpenings to make it even with the rest most of the time. I don’t want to though.

[yablanowitz]

Of course, sending out knives with no edges would run counter to Spyderco's motto of "Reliable High Performance". Somehow, "Reliable non-performance" just doesn't inspire confidence in the brand.

[dan31]

If you want no edge or a perfect edge, if there is such a thing, you are entertaining custom work or high-end production like Rockstead.

[Senfkarte]

I see what you mean. What I meant by the “getting hurt” part was that a person might unknowingly grind the blade in such a way that causes the blade to fail/fracture during normal use, possibly leading to injury—and a possible liability issue for the company. The unground blades would likely come pre-heat-treated, which means it would be fairly easy to ruin the heat-treat if power equipment was used as someone mentioned. (Blade failure has sometimes occurred with re-grinds, where the overall blade stock is thinned down from the factory thickness). True, this could also happen with even factory-ground blades, but I’m guessing the sale of unground blades to the general public might be too risky for Spyderco to consider.

Having said all that, I am not Spyderco. I’m sure they could very readily entertain the idea if they wanted to. :)

I can see your point and agree, that there is potential for problems.
Spyderco could change the warranty for these kind of blades, like with seconds. But I don't know if this would be the best solution.
A way to try to prevent to many missbuys could be to sell these blades like the mules, only direct at Spyderco. Then there even could be a warning message, that one is about to buy a unground blade, in the checkout process. This message could include the changed warranty.


But i totally can see, why they would not want so sell those blades.

[SpyderNut]

I can see your point and agree, that there is potential for problems.
Spyderco could change the warranty for these kind of blades, like with seconds. But I don't know if this would be the best solution.
A way to try to prevent to many missbuys could be to sell these blades like the mules, only direct at Spyderco. Then there even could be a warning message, that one is about to buy a unground blade, in the checkout process. This message could include the changed warranty.


But i totally can see, why they would not want so sell those blades.

That’s a good point regarding them possibly offering a different type of warranty for this type of blade. On a similar note, if I remember correctly, the Matriarchs used to come with a tag on the blade that warned against using the knife for general cutting as it could ruin the delicate tip. A disclaimer such as this could certainly be used for unsharpened blades.

[sal]

Hi Me2,

SSSssssooooo. What model did you have in mind? It might be possible for me to grab a blade or two before the Robot gets them...............................and how many of you would be interested in such custom piece?

sal

[sal]

Hey Spydernut,

There are 3 things that fail when you get old. The first is your memory, and I forgot the other two.

sal

[kennethsime]

I can see your point and agree, that there is potential for problems.
Spyderco could change the warranty for these kind of blades, like with seconds. But I don't know if this would be the best solution.
A way to try to prevent to many missbuys could be to sell these blades like the mules, only direct at Spyderco. Then there even could be a warning message, that one is about to buy a unground blade, in the checkout process. This message could include the changed warranty.


But i totally can see, why they would not want so sell those blades.

That’s a good point regarding them possibly offering a different type of warranty for this type of blade. On a similar note, if I remember correctly, the Matriarchs used to come with a tag on the blade that warned against using the knife for general cutting as it could ruin the delicate tip. A disclaimer such as this could certainly be used for unsharpened blades.

I can confirm the bit about the Matriarch - both because I remember the tag, and because I snapped the tip off of mine when using it for EDC.

[SpyderNut]

Hey Spydernut,

There are 3 things that fail when you get old. The first is your memory, and I forgot the other two.

sal

Ha! Yes, that’s about right. I’m certainly down for one of these, if you have enough to go around.

[ABX2011]

That's very generous of Sal to accommodate this request. I have no interest.

[Buddafucco]

I hope he says Cruwear PM2!

I think it would be cool to try and put an edge on a never sharpened Spyderco, but the robots would probably put me to shame.

[GarageBoy]

I guess I should get that 50 grit from KME in anticipation?

This could be a fun experiment to see how burned edges really affect steel

[Leksy]

Well, if this ever happens, the Mule can be the most desirable model this option - as it's already a kind of DIY thing.

[Badger410]

This could be a fun experiment to see how burned edges really affect steel

Check out Outpost 76 on youtube. He has found that it takes between 3 and 7 sharpenings to get repeatable results in his tests.

ATB

Dave

[attila]

Hi Me2,

SSSssssooooo. What model did you have in mind? It might be possible for me to grab a blade or two before the Robot gets them...............................and how many of you would be interested in such custom piece?

sal

Hi Sal,

I’m not me2, but I’d be game for something like this, depending on model and steel.

What about a specific combination that is regularly available?

Thanks!

[me2]

I already have my eye on a new Delica, so an Endura or Resilience maybe. A companion for my Wharnecliffe Endura with comparable blade length.

Thanks Sal for entertaining such a crazy request. I knew you’d understand.

[Mushroom]

Count me in for a custom run of anything Spyderco.

[Demon85z]

I am definitely interested!

[Buddafucco]

I already have my eye on a new Delica, so an Endura or Resilience maybe. A companion for my Wharnecliffe Endura with comparable blade length.

Thanks Sal for entertaining such a crazy request. I knew you’d understand.

I would assume if Sal is going to grab a blade or two, it would need to be a USA made model?