Does anyone else have problems with most every purchase?

[Phrenik]

In reality I am quite a new collector to the knife world and spyderco, having started only this july, however since then I have amassed about 1300$ worth of spyderco knives. However, the caveat being, I have had to send 3 already back to spyderco .

I have in my collection in hand atm:

Sage 1 + Sage 2
2 x frn ladybugs
SS cricket
black/black pacific salt
yellow spyderhawk pe
frn ffg delica
delica with blue jigged bone + damascus steel

On the way:
Bob terzuola
Gayle bradley
2x bug
honeybee
grasshopper
etched dragonfly
2x sprint run manix 2 pink
h1 ladybug
ss ladybug

At spyderco for the past 2-3 weeks:
warped med grit rod
abnormal blade grind endura 4 ffg frn, [and there was a notch where it would stop on the paper cutting test in the middle all time], and the lower portion of the blade was dull. I had a video where i was pressing hard enough to pop up my veins and there wasn't a mark, and I did slide it across the blade also.

Now I have this spyderhawk with the laser cut out mark [the inside of the circle was black around this area, but cleaned with flitz], however the melted metal is still protruding, and since this was a gift, its a toss up whether to give something knowingly blemished.

I have also had to have the sage 2, and 1 of the frn ladybugs sharpened to cut printer paper [i believe is easier to cut than the thinner phonebook paper?]

I am sorry if this sounds too much as a rant, but I was wondering if I just have rotten luck, or other people are experiencing these problems? As you can see I still have many items still on the way, and I am praying there is nothing wrong with them. I have also tried to email customer service/warranty about 3 times within the last 2 months, and have not heard a word back. I work full time and I live on the otherside of US to colorado, so calling them on a weekday has been tough.

Anyway thank you all for your input and thoughts.

Jeffrey Lee RN, BSN

[gbelleh]

I'd say it's rotten luck, or you have unrealistically high expectations. I've bought about 70 Spydercos this year and haven't had to send any back. No major problems. My Michael Walker has some CF chipping, and that's pretty much my only complaint. All came very sharp.

I hope you don't have any more problems.

[JNewell]

On the Sharpmaker rods, I think most are somewhat warped. For a device of this kind, IMO it really doesn't matter.

[TBob]

Sorry to hear about your three problem experiences. No human process is perfect. That said, I have accumulated a small Spyderco collection over the last three years. I haven't had a single problem with any knife from the factory. Hopefully you won't encounter any future issues.

[SteelDragon]

I personally haven't had any issues that required sending a knife back however posts like yours seem to be appearing more frequently then I have seen in the past. The email to CS issue is hard to believe, not saying I don't believe you its just that I always get a response within 24 hours, Are you emailing from the website and submitting your message that way? I did try to email Sal a few times in the past and never got a reply but that I could somewhat understand.

[Phrenik]

Well I guess I did have slightly high expectations, given that I really do love spyderco with their philosophy of knives [premium example is the sage series and the reason behind it, another being its ties with the community. I really do think it is awesome what they do]. And I guess this love, and passion for using, and collecting knives, as well as my love for this companies product, and as a whole, has led to a higher standard than a normal person might come to expect. But even looking past that, spyderco does have a great history of producing quality products.

But I figured some of them would have been a given. For example, a knife sharp enough to at least cut computer paper. [The warping I have kind of come to some terms with it, since a lot of people seem to have this problem. I just figured I would put it up there for listings sake, and it is a problem in its entirety]. Also I do expect some quality regardless of where its made, given its relative pricepoint. [my sage 1 from taiwan is flawless, seki-city has been a sword smithing city for centuries, and great ole american made I mean they have great manufacturing sites, and I have learned about the labor of love it takes for sal and his teammates to go to these sites and maintain them]

I guess its a bit more problematic for myself because it has happened on each purchase batch [I will buy a few things at one time as a "batch", saves shipping etc], and as many of you are, and even if you aren't [someone is], paying for it with your hard earned money in this economic climate. I am working 12 hr shifts as a nurse (granted it hasn't been a long time) [MALE NURSE FTW], giving half of my paycheck to my parents so they can live without such fear of not having enough money to pay the bills, [which has happened to them a lot in the last few years because of this economy but i digress], and I am also helping a little to alleviate the same financial burden from my little brother and sister. [the destiny of the eldest asian son]. And a lot of my money that I have left have gone to spyderco. So I apologize if I sounded a bit too harsh, or rash, or a bit too complainy, I guess the stress has overflowed onto my first post; but man this is blah X.X doesn't feel good.

[Phrenik]

Hey steel, I use their warranty email address, I have, I guess looking back tried more than 3 times, I forget over the course of 2 months haha - but I know for sure one of them is via the contact spyderco at the bottom of the page --> warranty issues ---> put in my info, the knife, contact info etc., and also directly via customerservice@spyderco or something similar to that i can't remember off the top of my head.

[MCM]

"Does anyone else have problems with most every purchase? "

no

[v8r]

No

[Seven]

Nope.

[bh49]

Now I have this spyderhawk with the laser cut out mark [the inside of the circle was black around this area, but cleaned with flitz], however the melted metal is still protruding, and since this was a gift, its a toss up whether to give something knowingly blemished.
Jeffrey Lee RN, BSN

I'd say it's rotten luck, or you have unrealistically high expectations.

Jeffrey,

Sorry for your trouble. I agree with gbelleh: rotten luck, or you have unrealistically high expectations or little bit of both.
If I understood you correctly about spyderhawk, you found rough surface and discoloration inside spyderhole. I would ignore it. I saw this condition on some of my knives, it didn't bother me: it is not functional, not even cosmetic. If fit and finish is most important for you, probably you need to concentrate on Spydercos made in Taiwan, Italy or by Moki. IMHO these knives are the best in F&F department. But even they are not perfect, but who is?

[araneae]

I'd say it's rotten luck, or you have unrealistically high expectations.

I hope you don't have any more problems.

Ditto. Something like a small imperfection in the round hole from the laser cutter seems pretty picky to me. You may have had bad luck getting a couple that were less sharp than average, but its a knife, just sharpen it and get cutting.

[Phrenik]

Well it left the melted metal on there sticking out, and picky or not it is still an issue for me because it was suppose to be a gift, but i guess i had too high of expectations from this company, and bad luck from them what a killer combo =/ Well I guess it will make things easier for me to move on then, my next venture, [after the release of the updated ti millie, and sage 3 blackie collins], I will probably just move onto my first two loves, guns and cars. Thanks for the input everyone, i figured it was either I wasn't the only one who had multiple problems, or just me. And since its just me, the answer to my problem is to stop and move onto my stated ventures.

[Franciscomv]

So far my issues with Spydercos have been:

-Vertical blade play in my Spyderhawk and Tasman. I honestly don't know if they came like that from the factory or it developed through use. It's very noticeable and the knives are less than a year old.

-Uneven grind on my Chinook 3. Looking at the tip from the back, one of the edge bevels is broader than the other one. This is evident to the naked eye.

Returning knives is not an option for me, shipping from Argentina and back would be more expensive than getting a new one. Plus there's a very real possibility that they might be stolen if I don't use FedEx (which is even more expensive).

Considering the number of Spyderco knives I own (around 60). Three flawed ones, and flawed in ways that don't really affect performance, isn't bad at all. I'm sure that if I were in the US, Spyderco would fix these knives or replace them.

[Phrenik]

So far my issues with Spydercos have been:

-Vertical blade play in my Spyderhawk and Tasman. I honestly don't know if they came like that from the factory or it developed through use. It's very noticeable and the knives are less than a year old.

-Uneven grind on my Chinook 3. Looking at the tip from the back, one of the edge bevels is broader than the other one. This is evident to the naked eye.

Returning knives is not an option for me, shipping from Argentina and back would be more expensive than getting a new one. Plus there's a very real possibility that they might be stolen if I don't use FedEx (which is even more expensive).

Considering the number of Spyderco knives I own (around 60). Three flawed ones, and flawed in ways that don't really affect performance, isn't bad at all. I'm sure that if I were in the US, Spyderco would fix these knives or replace them.

They do fix them, and have done a great job at doing so, Im just a bit inpatient at doing so. It takes about a month and change or so after they have received it to get it back into your hands. I am almost 3/3. But again, its my issue not spydercos for that. [no sarcasm, i did really mean it]

[gbelleh]

It would be a shame to let a couple problems cause you to miss out on some great knives. But I know how disappointing this sort of thing can be. I've had 3 Glock lemons. Horrible luck, I know. But, I resolved the problems, moved past the aggravation, and now enjoy the reliable Glocks I do own. Swearing them off completely would've been a mistake.

I hope your next batch is very satisfying.

[The Mentaculous]

Yes and no...I was like that at the beginning because I had the idea spyderco's were somehow "perfect". The fact is, any production knife in the world can have minor "defects", and all that I've encountered have been very minor. A lot of their lower-cost knives from japan, the edge isn't great near the tang. I just take a while and sharpen that area, and it's fine now. Stuff like exact grind symmetry and blade centering are nice, but impossible to get 100% of the time IMO and unreasonable to expect on such well-priced knives. The good news is that if you want to be a stickler, spyderco will usually indulge you. But I lowered my unreasonable expectations pretty quickly, although I still think the fit and finish is great

So, yes I can find a flaw in just about "every" knife I get, but none of them impede functionality, and they are all very minor. Like Sal has said, you can find flaws even in a Chris Reeve or jess Horn custom if you really look

[Phrenik]

Thank you guys for your words of wisdom. When in life, you have had one of the most precious things imperfected, you tend to hold high expectations [at least me] of the things that I look up to. My family [im not putting them in any grading system im just saying], my friends, and various hobbies [I like collecting things, and using things. The gun thing is nothing you guys should worried about no worries Im not gonna be on a rampage or anything, I just used to be in a gun club with my dad at an early age, and we used to actually win a few skeet competitions locally against other gun clubs].

If you wanted to know what this "imperfection" that I think is quite important, is since the age of 10 I have had facial arterio-venous malformations [AVMs], which is very, very rare, but for that exact reason in itself I am lucky, because it is not cerebral AVMs, for obvious reasons. And because I have suffered many surgeries, 12.5 hr long was my shortest surgery, 16.5 my longest, a lot of just small surgeries too, and from that experience I decided that my life passion and calling was to reciprocate that passionate care of a nurse to others, that is why I became a nurse. And now im totally off topic haha.

Anyway I do apologize for my immaturity in this situation, I was aggravated as gbelleh has said, because of any of the reasons stated above. And I do thank you guys for taking an empathetic approach to your post instead of a, shall I say richer tone of voice with me.

[SteelDragon]

When you spend $1300 on knives it is understandable to have high expectations and I am sure I would feel the same way. If you wouldn't have said you were having trouble contacting CS that would be the first thing I would still suggest as it is very common around here to see Spyderco go out of there way to make things right. I would call them if the email isn’t working properly for you. Lumping all your issues together doesn't always get the best results on this forum but if you do a search you will see you are not the only one that has received a knife that was dull, or the only one to complain about the spydiehole being rough. Take or make time to call Spyderco with your concerns and I am fairly confident you will get the assistance you expect and deserve. Just my 3 cents....

[The Mentaculous]

Thank you guys for your words of wisdom. When in life, you have had one of the most precious things imperfected, you tend to hold high expectations [at least me] of the things that I look up to. My family [im not putting them in any grading system im just saying], my friends, and various hobbies [I like collecting things, and using things. The gun thing is nothing you guys should worried about no worries Im not gonna be on a rampage or anything, I just used to be in a gun club with my dad at an early age, and we used to actually win a few skeet competitions locally against other gun clubs].

If you wanted to know what this "imperfection" that I think is quite important, is since the age of 10 I have had facial arterio-venous malformations [AVMs], which is very, very rare, but for that exact reason in itself I am lucky, because it is not cerebral AVMs, for obvious reasons. And because I have suffered many surgeries, 12.5 hr long was my shortest surgery, 16.5 my longest, a lot of just small surgeries too, and from that experience I decided that my life passion and calling was to reciprocate that passionate care of a nurse to others, that is why I became a nurse. And now im totally off topic haha.

Anyway I do apologize for my immaturity in this situation, I was aggravated as gbelleh has said, because of any of the reasons stated above. And I do thank you guys for taking an empathetic approach to your post instead of a, shall I say richer tone of voice with me.

Wow, you must have gained amazing strength going through all that. I've had health problems throughout my life, but nothing requiring extensive surgery. It really makes you think, if something as amazing as the human body, which has been "refined" for 10's of thousands of years can have minor "defects", surely a human-made knife will. Just like with knives, there is no "perfect/flawless" human. The good thing is, just like spyderco knives, humans are incredibly robust and keep on ticking, even with their problems.

Facial problems must be especially difficult though, especially as a child/adolescent. It reminds me of the famous author Alice Walker, who was shot in the eye with a BB as a child and lived with a deformed eye ever since. She said that her experience caused her to see life and relationships with real perspective, and made her into the person she became. It sounds like your experiences have had a similar impact on your choices and view of the world.