NIB Caly 3.5 lliner thinning and blade grind issues.... Send it in or not?

[Noah]

I received a brand new Caly 3.5 from Knife Works last week, and I had been really excited to get the knife, even made a forum post about it. Sadly, it seems to have some weird issues I am hoping you can give me some advice on... There is a serious mar in the top of the right grind and blade spine. The other side is perfect. I use knives, not a collector (I would be if I had the money!) but I this one bugs me- it's a serious ding in the appearance. Came like this. The other weird issue, unless it is a design feature of the Caly series, is the liner on the right side when viewing the handle from the open bottom has a very serious thinning right behind the pivot that roughly matches the "guard" portion of the choil. It thins by about 1/3 of the liners thickness and the thin part is about 3/4 of an inch long before it returns to its full thickness. Blade centering and lock up is still good, just seems odd and definitely not right.

Should I send this one in to Golden? I have owned many Spydies and never had any quality issues, but this Caly is sort of disappointing.




Marred section on the right side above the Spydiehole.



Mar in the right side grind that matches the mar at the top of the blade. it's not just the light, it's as bad as it looks. Left side is perfect.



Weird thinning of the liners on the right side (from this perspective) where the guard of the choil is.



The thinning. The liner there is missing a solid 1/3 of its thickness for about 2/3 of an inch right behind the pivot. Sorry for the awful pics.

[kennethsime]

It's really hard to tell in your pictures, maybe you could try focusing on the knife?

That said, if you're unhappy with the product and feel like it's not up to snuff, return it for another.

[Noah]

Posting some new pics from a different phone in a sec.

The retailer has a "new, unused, and resellable" return policy.

[Noah]

See the curved thinning in the right liner?





and the mar in the top right of the blade? weird flat spot in the grind on the side and a little pock mark at the top

[chuck_roxas45]

Hhhhmm I'm thinking it possibly could be a second?

[Noah]

The site has a big disclaimer stating that they don't sell any factory seconds, but I agree it kinda looks that way.

[Noah]

The reason I have not jumped to return it is because their policy statement makes it clear that they intend to resell returned items as if new, and I don't want another guy to buy this one and feel the same way I do. Heck, the knife I have may well have been a return. No tape on the box... But I have received Spydies w/ no tape but "new" before with zero issues.

[Hopsbreath]

Honestly, the mar and thinning of liners at the pivot look exactly like my 3.5. The liners I think are by design to thin out at the pivot but the mar is definitely a flaw. The jimping on mine is also a little wonky so I've been chalking it up to less than stellar QC at the Moki factory. Functionally it's stellar so pressing it into EDC seemed like a good option. Lots of complaints about QC from the Caly line too so if the function is good, I'd personally keep it.

[remnar]

The liners are normal. I can't tell from your pictures what the mark on the blade might be. If you bought it from KnifeWorks, then give them a call and see what they say. They are a very good company to deal with.

Add: Here's a thread that discusses the liner grind marks.

http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... nd#p924530" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SpeedHoles]

Send it back to the dealer if you're unhappy. The longer you wait from time of purchase the more trouble it might be.

Your camera must have a really hard time focusing on macro up close photos... it is still difficult to see exactly what is going on.

A real factory second designation mark looks different than how your mark appears, from what I can tell, so I don't beleive yours is technically a second.

[gbelleh]

The thinning liners are normal. As for the flaw on the blade, it doesn't seem to be something that will affect function. We all have to decide if imperfections like that are acceptable. Like was mentioned, it's not too uncommon for recent Moki knives to have some cosmetic issues. If you use knives, and don't collect them, I wouldn't worry about it. If your Caly is not gritty, is centered, and has solid lockup, then it should serve as an excellent user. But only you can decide that for yourself.

BTW, I've only ever gotten taped boxes from Amazon.

[Noah]

Thanks for confirming the liner thinning was normal. I had never seen it mentioned before so I didn't know. My right liner is still ground quite extensively, but I guess that was part of perfecting the centering? It is perfectly centered.

I should be able to just knock the burr at the top of the blade off with some fine sandpaper. Before I work on it I'll give it a day to decide if I want to return it or not.

Thanks for the help guys!

[Noah]

The liners are normal. I can't tell from your pictures what the mark on the blade might be. If you bought it from KnifeWorks, then give them a call and see what they say. They are a very good company to deal with.

Add: Here's a thread that discusses the liner grind marks.

http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... nd#p924530" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The pics in this thread show the liner grinding I was talking about perfectly. The grinding on my liner on the side with the Spyder logo seems much more significant, but that might have been done to achieve the flawless centering. The insides were not nearly as dirty or gritty as I have seen in a lot of forum posts lately, but that would not have bugged me if it were the case.

[Liquid Cobra]

The liners are normal. I can't tell from your pictures what the mark on the blade might be. If you bought it from KnifeWorks, then give them a call and see what they say. They are a very good company to deal with.

Add: Here's a thread that discusses the liner grind marks.

http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... nd#p924530" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The pics in this thread show the liner grinding I was talking about perfectly. The grinding on my liner on the side with the Spyder logo seems much more significant, but that might have been done to achieve the flawless centering. The insides were not nearly as dirty or gritty as I have seen in a lot of forum posts lately, but that would not have bugged me if it were the case.

The pictures are blurry and unclear. They may describe the issue you are talking about to you but you have first hand knowledge of this knife. We are here to help but it's harder when the pictures are blurry, I'm sure you understand. If that's the only camer you have you might want to try taking the photo a little farther away so that it can focus correctly on the blade. Just keep moving further back until it snaps into focus.

My Caly 3.5 including sprints have that same liner thinness yours does. I still don't know what you mean about the blade though.

[Blerv]

I would be tempted to send it back to the place you bought it and look around for another online while they are still somewhat available.

The longer you wait the greater the chance you won't be able to return the knife. If you hold on to it, and it's a legitimate copy, even if you send it back to Spyderco for tweaking if it can't be fixed best case they will offer a replacement credit for another knife. A generous gesture but still not a replacement discontinued 3.5.

[shabowie]

My caly 3.5 cf/zdp version has that thinning in the liners on both sides, it's to clear the thicker finger choil area of the blade. It's hard for me to see the damage above the spyderhole you're talking about because the focus is pretty bad.

[endgame]

you dont want to return it cause youre afraid they will resell it.wow stand up guy.just send it to golden then and see what they can do.you should not except that knife eather way .the blemish on the blade is unacceptable.youre spend youre hard earned money you should expect perfection.spydetco stands by thete product do you will be taken care of.the cali is a fine knife get a new one and use the crap out of it

[The Deacon]

Hhhhmm I'm thinking it possibly could be a second?

Hard to say for sure, even the best picture is still not very clear, but I'm thinking the same thing. It's definitely in the right location to be one.

Pictures of some Spyderco seconds notches for comparison can be found here.

EDITED TO ADD: If the model number on the box's label is preceded by XX, then it's most definitely a factory second.

[Blerv]

The site has a big disclaimer stating that they don't sell any factory seconds, but I agree it kinda looks that way.

The reason I have not jumped to return it is because their policy statement makes it clear that they intend to resell returned items as if new

I think those are two HUGE red flags as I've never bought from a seller that mentioned either. It's kinda like a diner that advertises their food is guaranteed not to be rotten and all returned food will be put back in the refrigerator for a future customer.

I would get my money back and then send an email to Spyderco. Their legal department might want to talk to the retailer.

[Noah]

No XXs on the box, and the mar on the blade does not match the factory second notches, which I had never known about, but it's good to know that.

I understand that ti is hard to see what I am talking about in the awful pics, I KNOW what I am looking at, but you guys don't. I have tried multiple different cameras. The flat of the blade that goes from the pivot to the point at which the grind starts continues for about 1/6" long and 2 mms in height, right above the Spyderhole, and matches a nick in the spine.



See how the flat at the base of the blade continues almost "cobra hood" style above the spyderhole?



And the nick in the same location on the spine?