Excited Spyderco Noob...Used Knife???

[Shmohawk]

Spyderco noob here. It took me a while but i think I finally got bit and fell down the Spydie hole.
Honestly, I've never particularly liked the look of Spydercos and that always held me back from buying one. But then...I saw the Watu and fell in love. It was beautiful and exactly what I was looking for. I know that a lot of people are scratching their heads going "Really? The Watu is what got you?".
What can I say..beauty is in the eyes of the beerholder. I got it, I used it and then I wanted more so I got the Kapara. Its probably gonna take me some time to have the the amazing quality and utility of these knives set in to the point that I will get one of the more "traditional" Spydercos but it will happen.

Getting to my question, I purchased the Kapara from a reputable knife website but when I inspected it upon receiving it I was a little disappointed. The blade had some white discolorations and markings on it, a little towards the tip and around the Spydie hole. It looked like it had been handled a lot or there is some defect in the steel. They are not very noticeable until you look at the blade in direct light. It also seem to pick up finger smudges super easy but not so easy to clean off, which is not an issue I have with the Watu or any other knife I own.
Maybe all this is normal for some blade steels and finishes?
I've tried to clean it off but to no avail. I don't want to try anything more aggressive, like polishing, until I know that I'm keeping it. There was also a tiny nick or chip in the edge of the lock release on the side closer to the liner.
The seller has been super responsive and of course offered to take the knife back and refund me in full but they don't have anymore in stock. I really like the knife, got a decent deal on it and I don't really mind if it has some blemishes, that will just encourage me to put it to real use right away without babying it. I just don't want to have paid that much for a used or defective knife. If it was just handled and mishandled a little I'm ok with that. The seller assured me that it wasn't used, and I believe them.
Is it possible that Spyderco mistakenly sent them a used knife or one that slipped through QC?

[sal]

Hi Schmohawk,

Welcome to our forum.

It's not likely that Spyderco would sell a used knife as a new one, but we can't speak for others. My advice would be to use the knife and enjoy it. It's a high performance design made out of high performance materials so you can enjoy using it.

sal

[Manixguy@1994]

Please send some pictures . Spyderco will not and does not sell used knives as new . Information on the end of box could be useful . There are some Kapara fans here that may chime in . Good luck , MG2

[Shmohawk]

Thanks sal & Manixguy@1994

I didn't think Spyderco would sell a visibly used knife. I meant more like a knife that was purchased and returned and had no clear visible usage. Besides for the mark/stain towards the tip on my Kapara the rest of the markings/stains where really only visible under a direct light or regular lighting once you know they're there.

It could very well be that this is normal from being handled in store or factory and perhaps the knife sat for a while.
Idk, I've just never experienced that before (or maybe I just didn't notice.) And it could just be OCD.

In the end I'm keeping the knife and the site I purchased it from offered me a 10% refund making it an even better deal.
I must say besides for the issue (or non issue) with the knife I was very pleased with the customer service. The knife shipped out super fast, they responded to my emails very quickly and were more than willing to make it right with multiple options.

Manixguy@1994 what can I tell from the information on the box?

[TkoK83Spy]

Looks like that should clean right off with some soap and water, if not maybe some Flitz polish, lightly buffed. Kind of resembles salt water spots.

[Vaugith]

Yeah, that's stained... You could try some flitz or just oiling it and giving it a good rub down, that would likely take care of it. But I think you're ok to ask the seller for a return if you want

[JSumm]

Try some acetone on a rag and wipe it down. I have used that in the past to get super glue off a blade. Worked like a charm.

Congrats on the Kapara. I am carrying mine today. The Watu is amazing as well. Great taste!

[cabfrank]

I can't imagine why the blade of a new knife would look like that. That said, it's probably not a big deal.

[JRinFL]

It looks like the blade got wet and not dried. It's *possible* it happened at the factory and slipped by the inspector, but low probability of that happening.
Anyway, it is great design and 10% off does not hurt! Enjoy it and welcome aboard.

[Manixguy@1994]

My apologies not welcoming you to the Forum . Thank you everyone for helpful comments . MG2

[Jim Malone]

Maybe it's the lubricant from grinding the blade and it slipped thru QC? Don't know if Spyderco wet grinds their blades with a robot or hand grinds. Iirc Sal said in one of the damiand threads that grinding is done by hand or a robot. But i don't know if this is a wet or dry process.

[cabfrank]

Yes, welcome!

[araneae]

Welcome aboard. Try WD-40 to wipe the blade and see if that comes off, it's good at removing surface contaminants. If that doesn't do it, try Flitz metal polish which should help.

[cjk]

If it was the last one in a brick and mortar store, it could have been in a display case for some time, the sloppily cleaned up (or not at all) before being returned to its box and sold. It will clean up fine with one of the methods above. Enjoy your discount and your new knife!

[ZrowsN1s]

I concur. Looks like someone washed it. Flitz should get that off of there. As long as everything else is fine, I'd say it's a fixable cosmetic issue.

[Doc Dan]

It easily could be a knife the distributor sold to the knife store you bought it from that was used for something and the store did not know it. I've seen that done when I was in the business. Get some WD40 (or acetone) and a clean rag and see if that will take that stuff off. Don't use metal polish or you won't be able to return the knife.

[Wartstein]

While I personally would not mind the discolorations on the blade at all even on a brand new knife, on the other hand tbh I never got a new Spyderco looking like that.

What did you use for trying to clean it off (which you say you did)?

Anyway: I would not be worried at all, especially if you plan on really using the Kapara (which it is really meant for... )

EDIT: And welcome here, of course!

EDIT 2: Did you cut already with the knife? If so, do you feel like it would be less sharp than a typical new Spyderco normally is ?(Ok. hard to tell for you since this is only your second Spydie... )

[Shmohawk]

Ty all for your warm welcomes and advice!

Wartstein, the knife did seem to be as sharp as a new knife should be.
I tried cleaning it with dish soap, alcohol, acetone & WD40. Nothing worked. I then used Flitz which mostly did the trick. The mark/stain towards the tip and some other spots faded but are still visible under direct light.
Interestingly though, after using the Flitz there are now some small scratches that are visible which I didn't see before.

Overall I'm happy. I got a discount on top of what was already a good price for a knife that I really wanted.

Ty all again!