I've lurked on these forums for months, but this is my first post. My name is Damon, and I'm a Spyderholic. I've known about Spyderco for close to 20 years. My brother worked at an indoor shooting range in Monrovia, CA, that sold Spyderco knives. My brother offered to give me one for Christmas one year, but I opted for a Benchmade AFCK liner lock instead, because I just couldn't get over the look of those "funny looking black plastic knives."
Fast forward to a little over a year ago. I walked into a local knife store and ACTUALLY HANDLED an Endura 4 saber grind. The knife fit my hand unlike any folder I'd handled before. I was immediately sold. I liked the knife so much that I paid full pop for it on the spot and left the store with it in my pocket. It wasn't what I'd call "pretty" at the time, but it was perfect. I came to appreciate it's real beauty every day I carried it, which was most days.
I met Sal at SHOT in Las Vegas last year. I talked to him a bit and I talked to Ed Schempp for a good 10 minutes about different products that they had at the show. I remember thinking that it was kind of funny that I was talking the CEO OF SPYDERCO and I was impressed with how down to Earth he was. Anyway, it thought it was kind of cool it made me even happier with my purchase of the Endura.
The more I learned about the Company, the more I liked Spyderco. My Endura was the first knife I actually carried every day. Over the next two months, I bought two more knives. A PM2, and I Caly 3 CF. I bought another PM2 for my brother. The Caly 3 is my "nicest" and most expensive knife. I switched back and forth between the PM2 and Caly 3 for a few weeks, but after a short while damned if my old saber ground Endura didn't find its way back into my pocket. It was like the baby bear's porridge.....just "right".
Well, a couple of months ago, my wife and I went on our delayed honeymoon to the Mayan Riviera. We would fly out of Los Angeles, transfer once, and land in Cancun. Wouldn't you know it, I arrived at LAX with my Endura in my pocket. I got the the body scanner and immediately realized my mistake as soon as I reached to empty my pockets. I told the nearest TSA rep that we were flying to Mexico and asked if there was anything I could do to avoid losing the knife. My ride to the airport had already driven away and we had already checked our bags. I asked if there were lockers that I could put it in or a post office in the airport, where I could mail it back home. He answered "no" but said that I could put it in the otherwise empty backpack that I had brought along to carry water and snacks and I could check that. I put the knife in my empty backpack, checked it, and headed to the gate. Crisis averted, or so I thought.
We had to transfer planes once in the US before heading to Cancun. We landed at an airport the I won't name and proceeded to our next gate. While at the airport I developed a sudden curiosity about Mexican knife laws. In the couple hours we had between flights, I started to research the law. The more I read, the more concerned I became. Seems Mexico has some VERY strict laws regarding foreigners bringing what it considers "weapons" into the country. I read tale after terrifying tale about how much trouble you could get into if caught. I read about how Americans can't trust Mexican police; stories about people being shaken down or put in a Mexican jail where they would wait MONTHS for a court date. I read about how Mexican customs x-rays EVERY incoming bag these days.
I came to the realization that the TSA in Los Angeles had given me the absolute worst advice they could have. A nearly empty backpack containing ONLY a WEAPON going through the x-ray in Cancun surely wouldn't end well for me. While waiting for our connecting flight, I asked the airline rep if there was ANYTHING I could do to resolve this before boarding the plane to Mexico. I explained what I'd been told in LA and that I was likely going to be in big trouble when I landed in Cancun. I told her I really didn't want to spend my honeymoon and god knows how much longer in a Mexican jail.
She took pity on me. She sighed and said this was the third thing that day that she had to fix something that the TSA at LAX had screwed up. She talked to her supervisor and, asked me to describe the backpack, and told me to wait right where I was. She went outside and returned about ten minutes later. She walked up to me, got really close, and very discretely handed me the Endura, which she had recovered from my bag. She only said, "get rid of it." I started to ask her if there were lockers and again her response was "just get rid of it". You see, she had given me a 4" knife inside the safe area the airport. I suddenly felt an urgency to get outside the secure area of the airport.
I walked briskly through the unfamiliar airport with a 4" knife in my pocket. I tried in vain to find a way outside where I could try to find some lockers - some way to stow the knife so I could pick it up on my return trip. However, the airport was huge and unfamiliar. We now had just 10 minutes to make out connecting flight. I reluctantly went into a bathroom, wadded the knife up in a ball of paper towels and tossed it in the trash. I was forced to throw away my first and absolutely favorite Spyderco. I shuffled back to the gate, gave her a thankful nod, and boarded our flight to Cancun.
We've been home for a couple weeks now. I've been carrying my PM2 lately, but I still feel sick about what I had to do. I can only picture my beloved Endura in a landfill somewhere in the Midwest.
