My new Spydercos and two disappointments...

Inquizator · #1

Well, I just got my first Spydercos today, I bought a whole bunch at once. I got:
Manix
SS Cricket
Yojimbo
Centofante III

And generally I am quite happy. But I am very surprised to find that two of them have problems. The Yojimbo will not accept the screws to move the clip for left-hand carry. The holes in the liner appear to be mis-alligned with the holes in the G10 and nothing I've tried can allign them. So I'm stuck with right hand carry. Then the Centofante III has a very tight pivot. It's so stiff that it takes a LOT of force to get it to kick down onto my index finger for the common one-handed lockback closing. As in a full forearm swing and a very quick and muscle tenseing stop and back motion at the end. It's not a wrist flick by any means. Maybe it will get loser with break-in, but is it really supposed to be THIS tight to begin with?

I plan to call Spyderco tommorrow and see what can be done, but I am rather disapointed with the quality I recieved on these two knives. 50/50 doesn't seem to be a very good ratio. While I doubt my experience is the norm it's still very disconcerting to spend that much on knives and get 2 that don't function properly.

Btw, if anyone has any tips on either of these issues, please tell me!

Thanks,
Inquizator

skcusloa · #2

My military was really tight and gritty. I took it apart, cleaned it and put it back together and it's flicks out with ease now... I bought it used it it appeared to have been submerged in mud at one point. $50 was a HELLUVA deal. The blade was basically unused, but had scratches on the exposed area.

Dr. Snubnose · #3

Sometimes I get a :spyder: that's a little stiff also...happened with one of my Yojimbos...a little lube and lots of openings and closing will loosen em up :D ... Enjoy the new knives!...Doc

Inquizator · #4

skcusloa wrote:My military was really tight and gritty. I took it apart, cleaned it and put it back together and it's flicks out with ease now...

well, the Centofante uses no screws besides the ones for the clip. It's all rivets I guess, so completely non-adjustable...

Inquizator · #5

Dr. Snubnose wrote:Sometimes I get a :spyder: that's a little stiff also...happened with one of my Yojimbos...a little lube and lots of openings and closing will loosen em up :D ... Enjoy the new knives!...Doc

K, I'll see what Spyderco says about the Centofante (I have to call about the Yojimbo anyways), maybe I'll just wait for the Centofante issue to clear itself up.

UtahSpyder · #6

I had a Centofante III. Did the same thing. Was fine after 2 weeks. :)

Don't worry about it.

Inquizator · #7

UtahSpyder wrote:I had a Centofante III. Did the same thing. Was fine after 2 weeks. :)

Don't worry about it.

Ok, that's good news. The Yojimbo is definitely messed up still, but I'm glad to hear that my Centofante problems are normal.

Qship · #8

The Yojimbo problem is a quality control issue. I carry two, left and right, and the clip moved just fine for me. You should get a replacement.

Qship

Zwaplat · #9

As said before, your Centofante is OK. My Delica II was quite tight too when I got it. Had swing my arm to get the blade moving. Opening and closing it 50 times later, and the blade's smooth as anything :D

gordonk · #10

My Delica and Endura were both very tight when I got them as well. I don't want to count how many times I've opened and closed my Delica - it's still tight, but smoother. My Endura is still quite tight, but I don't use it that much either. My Paramilitary was smooth, but a little gritty at first - after a few openings/closings and the odd rinse under the tap after using it a few times, it's now very smooth. My Native III was not quite as tight out of the box and it's probably the least tight (as opposed to loose :) ) of all of my Spydies. It's been opened and closed at least 50 or 60 times since I got it, and it hasn't really changed. As mentioned, I think that seems to be norm for the riveted spydies when they are new - just takes a bit of time and use :)

- gord

hrdwrguy · #11

Wash the centofante with water and dish soap. It is amazing how it loosens things up. Just dry it well and lube it up. I bet it will make a big difference, it did for an frn delica I bought many years ago.

CKE · #12

First, CONGRATS on your new Spydies...you picked some nice ones. Your Centofante will break in. It is a lock back and just needs some time. The hot water and soap trick should work. Add some lube(there have been many threads on lube lately so just pick one that you like or can find) and you will be on your way. The Yojimbo...you should call Spyderco, Amanda in warranty and repair will fix you up. Take Care and let us know what you think after you have used them awhile :)

mikewww · #13

Hello Inquizator, and welcome. I received a Centofante III from NGK today. It is just ever-so-slightly stiff. Just newness, I think. I shall treat it to a few drops of Militec which I also ordered. I checked out the Militec website. Quite a gung-ho job ! I hope this stuff really works as advertised.

Cheers

Mike Walters

Inquizator · #14

mikewww wrote:Hello Inquizator, and welcome. I received a Centofante III from NGK today. It is just ever-so-slightly stiff. Just newness, I think. I shall treat it to a few drops of Militec which I also ordered. I checked out the Militec website. Quite a gung-ho job ! I hope this stuff really works as advertised.

Cheers

Mike Walters

I actually just got back from applying Militec to it at a friend's house. It helped a lot, it's still very stiff, but I can close it one-handed now and it's within the range that I can believe just needs to be broken in, so I'm happy with it now.

CKE wrote:The Yojimbo...you should call Spyderco, Amanda in warranty and repair will fix you up.

Ya, she's gone today, will be back tommorrow, so I'll call then.