t mag reviews

[druid]

I got my t mag today and many others will get there soon I think it will be a fairly unique opportunity. For a lot of us in this forum to have the same knife coming in about the same time. To get different perspectives, in terms of use experiences, fit in the hand that type of thing. Because a lot of us will have a common buzz surrounding this knife. My honest impression the ergonomics are very good especially for a relatively small knife it has a big feel in the hands. The fact that it does not look big combined with its lack of a conventional lock makes it very law enforcement friendly. A plus for me because for one reason or another I have been stopped and ask about my knife more than once. This one seems to be when I can carry in many circumstances without much concern. Socially I think it's sophisticated materials and obvious to me at least value, make it an easy sell to non knife people. It will be easy to say this knife is part of my collection as a lock that is unique among production knives. Rare materials and extremely technical high-grade knife steel. A good example of why collect knives.

I have a few questions regarding this knife them one is anybody had a chance to try to break a old cell phone by putting in contact with this knife. Is the magnet really that dangerous to cell phones which most of us will be carrying near this knife at one time or another. Second spyderco has very meticulously designed to be finger niche for this knife especially in terms of petite cutouts into the titanium liner at the back end of the niche which obviously had grip for grip position that seems to be used for delicate cutting tasks as one dimension this feature because it stuck out to me is a time-consuming detail that hasn't gotten much talk.

Also this knife is not a slicer and seems to more designed for detail work in the classic cutting small pieces of string and other lightly curial use typified by gentlemanly carry if you agree

The other design feature of this knife that I think deserves mention is it's fairly small cutting edge with the finger niche in the tip having to fall short of the end of the handle due to the pin holding the clip in place. Not a problem for its intended use but something I'd noticed in that it mentioned.

Another interesting point although the magnet is fairly weak and its hold on the blade it is a magnet and maintains its hold at almost the same strength for a fair distance after it loses contact with the blade so that while in use between thumb and forefinger it may break free and then pop back into place when pressure is relieved by the thumb so you don't have to reopen the knife is kind of like there's an added dimension to the lock that is hard to explain unless you experience it.it feels relatively safe in fact given the fact that there is relatively little faith to be placed in the lock accidents to the lock failure or more the operator school in choice of activity and method of operation. There is a large range of safe activities for this knife aggressively stabbing just doesn't happen one of them.

One last little rambling pseudo-paragraph and having a little trouble getting used to the clip on this one. I like wire clips but a more used to them in the tip down position. This along with the fact that ironically this night has such good ergonomics that it makes me consider removing the clip and trying it that way. Ideally with a custom pocket sheeth like those provided with some William Henry's but I'm not to make any changes until it carried it for a longer. And that type of pocket sheeth would be quite an investment.for me more than I cost for sure.

[ronberens]

I've had my knife for a little over 24 hours now, and I've modified how I hold this one compared to my other knives. If I put my thumb on the notches on the back of the blade, I end up fighting against my index finger in the choil which is trying to keep the blade closed.

If I keep my thumb to the side, almost making a fist as I hold the knife, I reduce the chance of the blade closing. I'll have to keep playing with this, but so far, this seems to be the best way to handle it.

I agree that this is a little more of a gentlemans folder, rather than a tactical, or fighting blade.

[pedropcola]

I just picked up this knife also. Never heard of it. What is the background info on this cell phone stuff. Anybody actually use this knife and like it? I only bought it because of the cheap price, so please don't anybody try to sell me on it because its too late I already bought it! I just want to find out if I just bought a dog.

[CombatGrappler]

My T-Mag came in today after I had left for work. My wife and son brought me lunch and my knife at work, which was nice. I let my son carry it out to the car as I walked them out, and of course the tray slid out and dumped my brand new knife on the asphalt. Handle is ok, edge has a spot in it that I should be able to sharpen out fairly easily.

I like the looks of the knife. I like the materials. Fit and finish is great. It is very, very sharp. It feels good in my hand. All that being said, the T-Mag has the most worthless lock I have ever seen on a Spyderco knife. As you can see from my signature, I have pretty much every lock Spyderco has made. Back lock, ball bearing, liner, compression, by-pass...I've got 'em. As soon as I tried this one out, it clicked in my head, "oh, this is why they sat on the shelf." I told my wife that I would have been really upset if I had paid full price for this knife. The components justify the price, but the lock is just worthless.

After I opened and closed the knife a few times, I just sat there and wondered why on (rare) earth that Spyderco put this knife out with this lock. It is a neat idea, but it just doesn't work. I might use it since my son already broke it in by dropping it, but not for anything tougher than opening envelopes. It is more of a Sunday-go-to-meetin' knife, anyway.

If I had a Delica that would let me push the blade forward with my thumb while it was locked open, I would leave flaming footprints on the way to the post office for a return trip to Golden. On this knife, it is just part of the way the lock is. All in all, it is a really nice knife at a great price. The only thing lacking is a functional lock.

[stap2211]

I just received a couple of T-Mags today.

One was near perfect in almost all respects (fit, finish, opening) and the other has burred liners and blade rubbing upon opening and closing which is difficult to adjust away. I've sanded and profiled the liner edges and loosened the pivot a bit. Now, it's almost as good as the other, but the "snick" of the blade contact with liners is still annoying with the one.

Both came with well-ground bevels and are nicely sharp ... to which I added a minute micro-bevel to clean up the rough ground edge.

Having handled them a couple of hours, I now consider them to be hand exercise objects that are akin to worry stones, bearings or other fondling talismans.

It's so easy to open and close them with each hand (much easier than UKPK), I find them to be tactile art objects ... kind of like a baliyo is fun to manipulate I imagine. However, the T-Mags cuts great! You just have to memorize the appropriate rules of usage (always use finger choil ! and don't embed the blade deeply into dense media).

I like the T-mag design a lot ... not as "workers" so much but as knives great for dexterity drills and light cutting of a household or office EDC. Excellent as a gent's knife (like the R2) that has curious conversation-starting features ... only it shouldn't be employed in rough, unpredictable cutting situations without extraordinary care being taken to avoid it folding when withdrawn.

[RIOT]

My T-Mag came in today after I had left for work. My wife and son brought me lunch and my knife at work, which was nice. I let my son carry it out to the car as I walked them out, and of course the tray slid out and dumped my brand new knife on the asphalt. Handle is ok, edge has a spot in it that I should be able to sharpen out fairly easily.

I like the looks of the knife. I like the materials. Fit and finish is great. It is very, very sharp. It feels good in my hand. All that being said, the T-Mag has the most worthless lock I have ever seen on a Spyderco knife. As you can see from my signature, I have pretty much every lock Spyderco has made. Back lock, ball bearing, liner, compression, by-pass...I've got 'em. As soon as I tried this one out, it clicked in my head, "oh, this is why they sat on the shelf." I told my wife that I would have been really upset if I had paid full price for this knife. The components justify the price, but the lock is just worthless.

After I opened and closed the knife a few times, I just sat there and wondered why on (rare) earth that Spyderco put this knife out with this lock. It is a neat idea, but it just doesn't work. I might use it since my son already broke it in by dropping it, but not for anything tougher than opening envelopes. It is more of a Sunday-go-to-meetin' knife, anyway.

If I had a Delica that would let me push the blade forward with my thumb while it was locked open, I would leave flaming footprints on the way to the post office for a return trip to Golden. On this knife, it is just part of the way the lock is. All in all, it is a really nice knife at a great price. The only thing lacking is a functional lock.

i really didnt want to comment on the negativity of Spyderco because i love Spyderco so much, but you hit it right on the money! thats exactly how i feel!!!!!!!!!!!

i bought this BLIND!! i really thought it locked, if it did lock up, the knife would be an AWESOME design

[Bluntrauma]

I'm afraid I must concur with RIOT and CombatGrappler on the lack of locking device. That being said, the handle and blade shape is beautiful. I do prefer a drop point, spear or leaf shaped blade but the "baby Chinook" look is really aesthetically pretty. The handle to blade ratio although a bit off to my eye seems to fit this knife, and it's feather light in weight.

It makes a nice little snap when opened and closes very quickly(be careful with finger) as if there's a magnet at the closing end too. The magnet in my opinion is not as strong as I had hoped. In fact it feels very weak. I pretty much knew what to expect when I bought it so there's no disappointment other than the fact that this knife could have been so much more with a locking mechanism.

It's easy to say that I would have been disappointed had I paid full price but to be honest, I would have never bought the knife had it not been such a good deal. Still, I would like to congratulate Spyderco for always trying something new. If a company made the same old folder year after year and never tried to stretch the imagination we would all still be carrying a boy scout knife.

In some respects this knife embodies the creative thinking and intelligent imagination of the folks in Golden. Not all knives are a winner with the public but give me a company that values customer service and forward thinking any day over the same old regurgitated designs.

I grabbed 2 of these knives. One will most likely go in a trade or for sale at some point but I will keep one as a reminder of how a knife can be "almost perfect."

Another observation. Both knives make a rubbing sound as they open and close as they touch the liner. Upon looking closer, the blade has such a narrow fit between the liners, I'm not sure if this can be avoided.

[jujigatame]

All that being said, the T-Mag has the most worthless lock I have ever seen on a Spyderco knife.

I am surprised that a lot of folks are, or were, still thinking of this knife as having a lock. It doesn't and it never did. Comparing the magnet to any standard lock is moot past a certain point because the magnet is not a lock. Maybe this is splitting hairs to some. Still, for as long as this knife has been out and there have been reviews/comments posted, I'd have thought there would not be this many people seemingly caught off guard about it.

[nuubee]

I pretty much agree with what everyone else has been saying. It really is a lovely knife. Light in the hand, the grip has good ergonomics, the materials used are outstanding, and the manufactured quality is great. I want to like and use this knife! The first time I put my thumb on the back of the hump was a little bit scary when the blade immediately started to bend slightly downward (my index finger was already in place on the choil). My immediate reaction was to back my thumb off and jam the tip of it into the back of the knife, where there is no jimping. It's too bad there isn't jimping going back about 1/4 of the way down the back of the knife.
That having been said, I applaud Spyderco for having the courage to try new and innovative designs. They just don't all work out, and respecting Spyderco as much as I do, I'm sorry they lost money on this one.
I hope someone out there comes up with a workable 'retro-fix', because I would like to be able to work this one into my edc rotation.

[fishwatcher]

I posted this review in the wrong thread.. I meant to post it here.

I received my T-Mags yesterday. I really like this knife. It's a nice addition to Spyderco's recent CF offerings (or past offerings) with premium 3" blades (ie Caly III and Sage).

Here are a few basic pictures, with a funky background (goldfish barrel pond with wire mesh cover).




So what are some major differences between the 3 knives??

The bladeshape is unique, esp compared to the Sage and Caly III. It is pointier and upswept, and also disappears into the handle, except for the opening hole and hump. I really like this asthetically.

The CF has a a bit more texture then the Caly III, but not as much as the Sage. It is VERY nice. There is sort of a brushed horizontal finish to it. I like it a lot.

The "lock". Well.. it doesn't proclaim to have a lock, it isn't a lockable knife.. sooo.. if you know that in advanced, then there shouldn't be much to complain about. If you want a locking 3" blade with CF and premium steel.. get the Caly III CF/ZDP or the Sage.

Strength of the magnet, opening/closing. One of the T-Mag's feels like it has a stronger hold then the other. This is mostly evident by the snap you can hear and feel in one versus the other. I'm gifting one, so I was trying to decide between the two. I actually am going to keep the less "snappy" of the two. It is quieter, thus feels smoother, and also the person I gift this to, will probably appreciate the "stronger" opening/closing action on the knife he gets.

Fit and finish. Overall, I'd say it's first rate, however.. the edge of the liner is not polished out on mine. On the Caly III, the liner is nicely polished (with a satin-ish finish). The Sage shows some manufacturing markings on it, but they are subtle, and mostly still polished. The T-Mag is the most "rough" looking of the 3. You can see manufacturing/stamping evidence along the edge of the Ti liner. Overall, I would expect on a $249 retail knife, the finish on the liner to be a couple of notches better, but there's nothing wrong with it as is (and in fact, may have been spec'd this way to match the brushed look of the CF).

Of the two T-Mags that I rec'd, both have some horizontal blade play when closed. They both can also rub up against the titanium liner. The tolerance between the blade and the liners is very small, esp given the phosphorous bronze washers (the Sage also has PB washers, but not the Caly III). With the slight horizontal blade play, the blade is also not perfectly centered in either of the T-Mag's I have. You should be able to tighten up the pivot to reduce this play, but I have not tried this yet. Does anybody know the size of the Torx drivers needed for this knife?.

The wire clip is okay, but it is not the full deep pocket version. It is a traditional SS steel color (vs the black polished version on the Sage or the bronze look of the Caly III). They are both slightly raised off of the handle, so do not touch the knife scale @ the clipping point. No problems with clipping or holding within a pocket . I am trying to order either Sage or Caly III clips, to change the T-mags over to deep pocket carry.

Choil jimping. Exists for all 3 knives on the blade part of the choil. Also jimped on the T-Mag,is the choil part of the handle liner. This is not done on the Sage or the Caly III. It's done much more elaborately then I've seen on other knives (like the BM Osbourne 94x). I like it.

Action. Much lighter and smoother on the T-Mag, then on any other Spyderco I've handled. Much more so then the Sage and Caly III. This knife is "flickable", but not as satisfying to flick as something with more blade mass.

Magnet. The benefit of the magnet, is that it offers the knife a smooth, light action. Moreso then a slipjoint provides, but then the negative is.. the opening and closing isn't as strong or secure. It also of course randomly sucks over other nearby knives, nailfiles, paper clips, etc. Sort of an annoying downside. Lastly on this.. I dropped my brand new TMag yesterday, and the blade opened up after it hit the tile floor. No damage to the CF, but the tip of the knife did have the edge turned slightly. A few small swipes on a stone this morning, and it's fine. If you want something that stays closed and or open solidly.. this isn't optimal for that at all.

Overall.. I am very pleased. It's a nice addition to my CF EDC collection, and it's purpose built, to be easily deployed and closed with excellent materials, workmanship and overall build quality.

[mrappraisit]

I like the T-mag. It won't unseat my CF CalyIII, but it will get carried as much as, or more, than my D4. I might not have been happy if I paid $249.95 for it, but for $50 it's a high quality occasional user for a good price.

[ronberens]

After two days with the knife, I'm very hapy I bought it. If nothing else, I now have a knife I could travel to places such as New York City that ban locking blades. And really, isn't that have the fun of collecting knives? Getting ones from general, to very specific uses?

Even though I read reviews that complained about the lock being weak, I was still suprised at how weak it really is. But I started thinking about it. I occasionally carry little Case pocket knives that basically have no lock either. I've carried them for years, and as long as I remember their limitations, they are just fine. We'll just have to be careful with these and I think they will be solid performers for many years to come.

[urbnspyd]

Still waiting for mine, UPS lost it somehow :confused: , but one point that I haven't seen made, is the fact that Spyderco never claimed it to be a locking knife. They said that the magnet holds the blade open and the fingers in the choil kept it from closing. I'm sure everone has had a non locking folder at some point and there are limitations. Take it for what it is. You wouldn't give a sportscar a bad review because it couldn't pull a boat!

[MCM]

My 2 came in today.
Just as I expected, no surprises.
Its what I expected from a small magnet.

Would have bought more as gifts, but would not want to be responsible
for the out-come.

Am sure the blade shape was to keep it light and to at least try to let the magnet act as a lock.

Another interesting thing I noticed, one has its blade pivot fastener counter sunk, while the other is not?

What's the consensus? Blade pivot fastener flush? or raised?

I have one of each. :)

I could really get to like this one! But would hate to be stuck with it in a defensive situation.......

[tomcrx]

I can see why they had to clear them out. The knife has to be used with the finger on the choil. This limits the grips that you can use thereby it's utility.

If you do not have your finger on the choil and lightly tap the tip it will close.

You have to treat it like a frictionLESS folder

I can't understand how this got through prototyping. I have heard of Turnbull's other magnetic knives, they have NO choil. Are they stronger? Use different magnets?

It is an interesting curio but really has no real practical use. Would have been a beautiful slipjoint. Love the blade shape.

[Mongrel]

Not sure where to start...

Ordered two, received both in one box in reasonable time. Good packaging, nice bunch of paperwork and catalogs.

Interesting difference between the two, one came very clean ('spotless' would not be an exageration) the other was recently oiled and had fingerprints all over it. Not a problem (in fact it was kinda cool knowing someone in Colorado had it in their hands prior to shipping). Both blades were perfectly ground and hair-poppin sharp as they say. Only one very minor 'nick' on one liner that I noticed, other than that the fit was perfect-no rubbing or other irregularities.

I really like the blade shape, reminds me of the old 'Worker' only beefed up. My first carbon fiber experience ever-and I like the stuff. Good feel, nice looks, easy to see why it's popular. First Spydie with a wire clip-but I haven't clipped it yet so...

Ok, I mainly started this to comment on the 'lock' that isn't a 'lock'. I must say that the negative press caught me off guard. The idea that a knife is sold as not having a lock and then reading "I know it doesn't have a lock but..." really puzzles me. It dawned on me that we may be hearing from folks who have never handled a knife *without* a lock or who aren't familiar with say a friction folder. I have carried 'slippies' for almost 40 years in every size from a tiny single balde Old Timer to a large Case Sodbuster. I have come close to cutting off a finger once or twice when I was a pre-teen by being stupid, but since then I've suffered nary a nick nor a slice. Maybe that's why the T-Mag doesn't scare me? It's a folder. It's sharp. It will cut you *if* you are not using it properly. (Just like if you use a butter knife to remove something from your eye you are bound to feel a little pain). Not trying to be a smart aleck, but seriously, it really is that simple.

Now, I will say that one of mine was so loose that I tightened the pivot pin just a bit and it solved the problem nicely. If you feel that your T-Mag is too loose, just tighten the pivot up and will secure the blade better.

All and all, for $50 I doubt I could find something else this nice. I think it's a great design and a super usable pattern in my favorite grind (flat). What's not to like?

Shame is, if Spyderco had come out with this knife 20 years ago it probably would have sold like the proverbial hot-cakes. I truly believe it's beauty was lost on a younger generation of knife knuts. To anyone who has carried a non-locking knife this is\was a great deal on a really sweet folder.

(and please guys-don't take that as some sort of flame-bait. It's not, and isn't intended to be. It's just an observation of changes over the years).

[vivi]

What a shame, just got the money for one and they're sold out. :p

I like my UKPK a lot and the blade shape looks good on the T-Mag. The lack of a lock shouldn't be much of a concern if the choil works like the UKPK's choil.

[Bluntrauma]

Vivi Knife Center has them for the same price. Good luck.

[vivi]

Vivi Knife Center has them for the same price. Good luck.

Shhh...no they don't :D

[T.R Walsh]

I agree, this would be a nice knife if it had a locking Mech. All in all, for the price, Not Bad.....Get them while you can...Stay Well All..