Problems with k390 Spyderco knives

[Wartstein]

They ought to come out of the factory evenly ground and well finished. I can't see Spyderco wanting to set any other goal. If they are falling short, they need to catch up. My K390 sample size is small, a Dragonfly and SS Stretch. Dragonfly is good. My Stretch is ever so slightly off toward the tip, not enough to send in, but noticeable. It is a tool, but at that price range, I can buy a lot of other knives that I know will meet the mark...

If you think it's cool to have uneven grinds and warping from the factory, that's cool, but it is not what I expect from Spyderco. I am sure they are listening.

Though I personally don't mind an a bit uneven grind, generally I think you're right.

What has to be considered too: Yes, an uneven grind will be sharpened out eventually.
But people really new to sharpening (so NOT most of us HERE) will have a harder time to achieve good results when starting with uneven grinds.

[araneae]

They ought to come out of the factory evenly ground and well finished. I can't see Spyderco wanting to set any other goal. If they are falling short, they need to catch up. My K390 sample size is small, a Dragonfly and SS Stretch. Dragonfly is good. My Stretch is ever so slightly off toward the tip, not enough to send in, but noticeable. It is a tool, but at that price range, I can buy a lot of other knives that I know will meet the mark...

If you think it's cool to have uneven grinds and warping from the factory, that's cool, but it is not what I expect from Spyderco. I am sure they are listening.

Though I personally don't mind an a bit uneven grind, generally I think you're right.

What has to be considered too: Yes, an uneven grind will be sharpened out eventually.
But people really new to sharpening (so NOT most of us HERE) will have a harder time to achieve good results when starting with uneven grinds.

There is also a big difference between the primary blade grind and secondary/edge grind. A slightly uneven edge isn't a big deal to a user, it will disappear after some routine sharpening. An unevenly ground blade can make sharpening a PITA especially for someone new to knives or sharpening. IMO primary grinds should be spot on out the door. If I easily can get it in a $50 knife, I should certainly be getting it on a $150+ knife.

[JSumm]

I wonder if it is a recent trend to speed up production. My K390 Endela I got a year ago was great, but my recent DLT Exclusive Endela was pretty uneven on the edge grind.

Personally, if anything was off on a knife this is the easiest to correct with a reprofile which most of us will do anyway. It is a little odd and not a great thing for a first time buyer.

[lilshaver]

We can attribute this to increased production speed, lack of quality control or a number of other reasons but I find this strange to be coming out of a persnickety Japanese facility.

[KnifusMaximus]

We can attribute this to increased production speed, lack of quality control or a number of other reasons but I find this strange to be coming out of a persnickety Japanese facility.

I attribute it to spyderco taking their loyal customer base for granted. Spyderco seems to have grown to be a bit too big headed and it seems like they think they can start cutting corners and get away with it. Seems pretty rude on Spydercos part if you ask me...

[VooDooChild]

We can attribute this to increased production speed, lack of quality control or a number of other reasons but I find this strange to be coming out of a persnickety Japanese facility.

I attribute it to spyderco taking their loyal customer base for granted. Spyderco seems to have grown to be a bit too big headed and it seems like they think they can start cutting corners and get away with it. Seems pretty rude on Spydercos part if you ask me...

Its the same materials, same designs, same hardware, and same construction as it was 10 years ago so I really dont see how they are cutting corners.

Quality control on production scales doesnt work how most people think. Theres a fairly elaborate statistical algorithm determining final inspection of randomly selected products. The short version is lemons can slip through.

I really dont think Spyderco takes their customers for granted. I have seen several production knives be made by spyderco simply through request and participation on this forum. Thats awesome! Please show me where any other knife company has done this.

Knifus I will agree that Spyderco is not infallible. Theres also a lot of spyderco fanboyism that obviously takes place here that I try to keep a level head about. I do not like the lock issue with the siren, although its being taken care of. I do not like price increases but that seems to happen for everything now. I really do not like the "in spec" returns of warranty claims that spyderco can be known to do, but I understand that they have to draw the line somewhere.

For the record I have recieved 8 Seki knives over the last 2 months and all were perfect. Pertaining to this thread all of my k390 knives are also flawless. I think its like looking up any other product on any other forum, you are always going to hear about the people having problems, and not hear from the majority that dont have problems.

Edit.
Also I wouldnt say spyderco has gotten too big headed but it does seem like they are always on the verge of biting off more than they can chew. I said this a year ago in another thread but I actually wouldnt mind seeing Spyderco hit the reset button so to speak at some point in the future. Discontinue like a third of their catalog and really focus on production and cqi of their core models.

[KnifusMaximus]

We can attribute this to increased production speed, lack of quality control or a number of other reasons but I find this strange to be coming out of a persnickety Japanese facility.

I attribute it to spyderco taking their loyal customer base for granted. Spyderco seems to have grown to be a bit too big headed and it seems like they think they can start cutting corners and get away with it. Seems pretty rude on Spydercos part if you ask me...

Its the same materials, same designs, same hardware, and same construction as it was 10 years ago so I really dont see how they are cutting corners.

Quality control on production scales doesnt work how most people think. Theres a fairly elaborate statistical algorithm determining final inspection of randomly selected products. The short version is lemons can slip through.

I really dont think Spyderco takes their customers for granted. I have seen several production knives be made by spyderco simply through request and participation on this forum. Thats awesome! Please show me where any other knife company has done this.

Knifus I will agree that Spyderco is not infallible. Theres also a lot of spyderco fanboyism that obviously takes place here that I try to keep a level head about. I do not like the lock issue with the siren, although its being taken care of. I do not like price increases but that seems to happen for everything now. I really do not like the "in spec" returns of warranty claims that spyderco can be known to do, but I understand that they have to draw the line somewhere.

For the record I have recieved 8 Seki knives over the last 2 months and all were perfect. Pertaining to this thread all of my k390 knives are also flawless. I think its like looking up any other product on any other forum, you are always going to hear about the people having problems, and not hear from the majority that dont have problems.

Edit.
Also I wouldnt say spyderco has gotten too big headed but it does seem like they are always on the verge of biting off more than they can chew. I said this a year ago in another thread but I actually wouldnt mind seeing Spyderco hit the reset button so to speak at some point in the future. Discontinue like a third of their catalog and really focus on production and cqi of their core models.

I agree they should probably narrow their catalogue.. Perhaps some of the issues are from being spread too thin...

[RustyIron]

I reject the premise that there is something inherently wrong with Spyderco's K390 blades.

I've had several, and they've been no different than other Spyderco blades that I've had. For my plain edge K390 blades, I couldn't be happier.