End all, be all thread of good and bad experiences

[Strong-Dog]

With the recent discussion of issues, complaints, and "fanboyism", I figured I'd make a thread to consolidate these experience so Sal and crew can more easily see and respond to them.

Please try to be objective here. If you've experienced something relating to Spyderco that you feel is above and beyond what is expected, post it here. Also, please do not be afraid to post any issues or problems you have, no matter how minor. Of course, this is no substitute for contacting Spyderco about a warranty issue.

[The Deacon]

I own over 600 Spyderco knives, about half of which were purchased new. Out of those, 3 had to be returned due to warranty issues. Those three were either repaired or replaced quickly. I've called Spyderco, both SFO and W&R, a number of times over the past eleven years, sometimes to place an order, sometimes just to ask a question. While I didn't always get to speak to someone on the first try, everyone I've ever spoken to there has been courteous, knowledgeable, and totally professional.

[HorserloverFat]

The nice lady in the Spyderco marketing department is very helpful and professional. Kudos to Eric Glesser for designing the Manix 2 !

[Blerv]

I currently have about 35 Spyderco's. Buy some, sell some that don't click with me. Probably have gone through 100 to date. Besides a Captain with a less than symmetrical primary bevel (still very sharp) the orange Dodo Sprint had a lock that wouldn't disengage. W&R sent me a new one after a few weeks. They fixed the knife but it made an audible clicking and they didn't want to send it back.

My bro has had at least as many knives. The only lock that had problems was a WT Kerambit on light-action engaging (it would unlock under pressure unless he snapped it open hard). They gave him a credit of it's MSRP and he snagged a Yo2 in trade for a 10 year old knife.

[twinboysdad]

I have owned 14 or 15 Spydercos and there has never been anything wrong with any of them. My Caly 3.5 was gritty from the factory and the tried and true "dishsoap, hot water, work the action" treatment fixed it in about 3 minutes. There was a time when Sal was aware of the gritty Calys and mine was from that time. I have carried it M-F for 3 years and it has zero blade play. KFC forgot my spork for my cole slaw today and I ate it with the Caly 3.5!!

[Evil D]

I haven't had but about 25 or so Spydies, but the only one I had any issue with was a SE Stretch that had some pretty bad up and down play in the pivot. Unfortunately I bought the knife new from my local dealer, which had sat on a shelf quite a while and the knife happened to be discontinued when I sent it back to Spyderco to be evaluated. They weren't able to repair or replace it, so they gave me the choice to either keep it or take an SFO credit. I took the credit and got my GF a pink Native. The whole transaction was excellent, great communication and answered all my questions. I've also dealt with them to get clips and screws with great success.

The internet is a great feedback tool. Unfortunately it's also the ultimate sewing circle. One blemish and suddenly the whole knife community feels like they themselves got a bad knife. It's great to hear the good and bad but it's also important to remember how many thousands of knives come out that are perfect. It doesn't help that when a company is good at being good, one mistake stands out like a sore thumb.

[opusxpn]

My Spyderco collection is not that big, I haven't had any problems so far I like the work they do. And I am confident that in case of any issue Spyderco will take care of it.

[bh49]

During my Spyderco obsession I purchase more that 100 Spydies. Four of them came with F&F less than disired and one - Orange Dodo was dull. One - Superhawk, was missing a chunk of steel on the spine and was exchanged by dealer. Four were sent back to Spyderco CS and were exchanged to new. Once it really took much longer than I wish, but another time respond was right away. So it kind of balanced.
Anyway, I tried, but didn't find better knives. Natives and Calys are my favorite designs, of cause thank you to Ed for original C83. It is in my pocket since 2006 and still goes strong.

[Jeremy_A_Neel]

A few bad experiences:

• Immediately after I received my tasman salt, I decided to try to cut a clamshell pack of some kind (if I remember correctly, there was an xbox controller in it) and at least 1/16 of an inch of the tip was folded over, like aluminum foil.

• A few months into owning my Manix 2, I've never cut anything more than cardboard. I then cut some plastic zip ties, and the edge chips in the middle. I guess that's common for S30V?

[suedeface]

I've probably had about 50-60 spyderco knives through the years. Aside from the occasional slightly uneven factory edge, I haven't had many problems. I did get a Salt 1 once that wasn't peened properly at the pivot and had big-time side to side play. I sent it in and a few weeks later I got a new one with a note that said my old one was was reffered to W&R. I also bought a replacement clip for a D3 and it was a good experience.

If I had to give a negative response, I would say that getting replacement parts (aside from clips) could be dealt with better. Spyderco does a pretty good job as-is, but being able to get a pivot screw or other common parts would make me an even bigger fan.

[HorserloverFat]

A few bad experiences:

• Immediately after I received my tasman salt, I decided to try to cut a clamshell pack of some kind (if I remember correctly, there was an xbox controller in it) and at least 1/16 of an inch of the tip was folded over, like aluminum foil.

• A few months into owning my Manix 2, I've never cut anything more than cardboard. I then cut some plastic zip ties, and the edge chips in the middle. I guess that's common for S30V?

Really !? Is S30V a less durable steel?

[tvenuto]

If I had to give a negative response, I would say that getting replacement parts (aside from clips) could be dealt with better. Spyderco does a pretty good job as-is, but being able to get a pivot screw or other common parts would make me an even bigger fan.

An online parts repository for things like clips and screws would be awesome. Obviously calling the SFO works, but in this age it could certainly be streamlined. I think the D4 parts kit is a step in the right direction. As soon as I heard the PPT was getting disco'd, I called and bought an extra clip in case I broke the current one.

Regarding the S30V chipping issue, I'm no expert but many have said that a sharpening or two greatly reduced chipping issues. Perhaps having to do with heat during the grinding of the factory edge.

Horselover, please remember that steel is a complicated material with properties that can vary from knife to knife based on a variety of factors. Drawing general conclusions about a given steel from a single data point (or anecdote) is impossible and has the potential to derail the thread. Actually, general conclusions about anything should be avoided in this thread. The OP can correct me, but this thread is most useful as a series of individual experiences that are taken at face value.

[nccole]

I have about 25 Spydies. All were bought new in box. I had one Junior that I returned to the dealer because I am certain they sold me a used knife as new. Not Spyderco's problem, and a true new Junior is a fine specimen, probably my best F&F Japanese Spydie. I recently returned my SB Delica and received a new one. It came pretty un-centered which I was going to live with. It had a decent lockup, but after about three weeks it developed significant up and down play. I returned it as I see this more of a safety issue. The new one is perfect, tighter lockup vertically and horizontally, and perfect centering. My VG-10 Stretch has no blade play vertically, but it doesn't always lock fully. A little push to the thumb ramp will fully lock it. Never had any interest to send that one in. I love Taichung's knives, FRN mid-locks not so much. I have a few FRN mid-locks because of steel choice or the overall appeal of the knife, but otherwise I have seen quality on those models overall lower than the rest of the Spdyerco lineup. It is my understanding that "new" lockup in the Native 5 is a significant improvement. Unfortunately the Native is the worst knife for me ergonomically, so I will never own one. Overall, I am a huge fan, and sure my love of Spyderco's is only rivaled by fellow forumites, and not the general public or family :D

[ABX2011]

I love Spyderco the brand and the knives. I also call 'em as I see 'em. The Taichung-made Spydercos have brought me the most pleasure over the past couple years, beginning with the Sage and Gayle Bradley and including many others since. I buy most of the Taichung-made knives. A couple I sold because they weren't comfortable in my hand like the Techno and Chokwe. Sold the Szabo because it was too stiff and the lock pinched my hand when engaging. Golden-made knives continue to be great. The Para 2 is one of my favorite knives.
My only complaint is that the Japan-made knives are not as consistent as Taichung or Golden. I've had some issues.
Bought a Caly 3.5 Super Blue from a dealer. Blade is warped by the tip. Also has more blade play than other lockbacks. I can live with these issues.
Bought a Caly 3.5 ZDP from a dealer. When closed, tip was slightly exposed. I carefully sanded down the kick and the blade now closes a little further and the tip is no longer exposed.
Bought a CF Balance from a dealer. It had vertical play (lock rock). I could see the liner shift when I wiggled the blade. Returned it. Replacement has the same issue. I can't get the lock to fail though so I'm not sending it in.
Bought Khalsa from a dealer. Lock sticks badly. Blade not centered.
I also heard of issues with the Starmate.
Collectively, all of these problems are making me sour on the Japan-made Spydercos. Historically I would buy a knife when its first released. But now I will wait to read reviews.
I have had positive experiences with the FRN Japan-made knives including the Delica, Endura and Stretch. I own multiple Delicas and all are great. It's one of my favorite knives.

[Strong-Dog]

The OP can correct me, but this thread is most useful as a series of individual experiences that are taken at face value.

You are absolutely right. As someone else said, we also have to keep in mind the thousands of knives that comes out with no issues. But since we expect them to be for the most part good (because generally they are), I figured above and beyond experiences or downright bad experiences would be most useful.

Nothing in this thread can be taken and applied to every Tasman Salt or every S30V knife. Similarly, if someone got sent a free clip and screws with one day overnight shipping, you can't necessarily expect that either. A tvenuto said, these experiences should be taken at face value.

[SolidState]

I've had about 50 come and go. I've only had two problems, and it was well-known. My Caly 3.5 had warpage due to heat treat, and a Caly Damascus had a clip screw hole that didn't align properly. One of them was dealt with promptly by Spyderco, and I kept the 3.5 because they could only give me the value of the knife.

All in all, I've had great luck with W&R in getting replacement clips and screws a few times. I've had good turn around. Maybe I'm not picky, but I doubt that's the case.

[The Deacon]

Offered as food for thought:

Back when I first started collecting Spydercos, I had the opportunity to speak with someone who had been collecting Randalls for years. He told me that, if I valued perfection, then I should be prepared to do what he did. Namely, buy five of any knife I wanted to add to my colection, cherry pick the best one, and sell the rest. He went on to note that, with perhaps a rare exception here and there, the one I kept would still not be perfect, but I'd know I'd done my best to get one as close to perfect as possible. I'm thankful to him because, although I couldn't afford to follow his game plan, it did help me put minor cosmetic imperfections into perspective.

[timlara]

A few bad experiences:

• Immediately after I received my tasman salt, I decided to try to cut a clamshell pack of some kind (if I remember correctly, there was an xbox controller in it) and at least 1/16 of an inch of the tip was folded over, like aluminum foil.

• A few months into owning my Manix 2, I've never cut anything more than cardboard. I then cut some plastic zip ties, and the edge chips in the middle. I guess that's common for S30V?

These types of tasks are very likely to chip the edge (or worse) on hard steels with good edge holding like these. What I recommend for these kind of cutting tasks is to get a really sturdy pair of kitchen shears like these: http://www.cutco.com/products/product.j ... 2U36OZdXCc (until Spyderco makes some!) Works much, much, better for clamshells and zip ties, plus it is far safer. I never use my knives for cutting those types of things due to the fear of damaging myself moreso than fear of damaging the knives! Plus, then you'll have a tool that's extremely useful for kitchen tasks. I use my shears almost every single day in the kitchen.

+++++

As far as my Spyderco experiences, the positives have GREATLY outweighed any negatives over the course of a decade or so that I've been a fan. Out of 50-60 Spydies over the years, the only one that's had a flaw serious enough to warrant a return was a Domino I got with defective washers / raceway tolerance issues that made it too gritty/sticky to flip. And to be fair, I bought it from a dealer, so I can't guarantee that it left the factory in that condition. It's possible that someone could have messed with it, as its hard to believe the issue would have passed even simple inspection.

Other than that, I have never had a single problem outside of very minor blade play or other fit and finish issues, which in my opinion are not really even fair to judge a production knife company on. If I was dealing with a custom knife maker or a manufacturer charging much higher prices, then I might feel justified complaining about minor nitpicks, but I buy all my Spydies to use and carry, so as long as they're fully functional, I'm happy.

I will also add that I have always gotten friendly, knowledgeable service when visiting the Factory Outlet store. All of their employees seem to be passionate about the products and happy to talk about and show you anything in the display cases at any time. Very refreshing compared to the approach of hiring whichever disinterested employees are willing to work for the lowest wage, which is what many retailers seem to do as far as I can tell!

[jabba359]

I've owned close to 100 Spydercos and have had mostly positive experiences with them. I've only had a couple that I felt needed to be sharpened right away and there have been some with minor cosmetic issues here or there, but only noticeable if I'm being overly picky and are all things that I feel are acceptable for the price I paid. Here are the few problem ones I've had that had issues that needed addressing:

* Tenacious CE from the very first run had a problem with the serrations. I had cut some plastic banding (easier to cut than zip ties) and the serrations folded over. Sal had me send it in to his attention and a new one was sent to me. The maker had been cutting the serrations too deep and this was corrected on subsequent runs.

* G-10 Caly 3 arrived and was so gritty that I could hardly open it with my thumb. Sent it in to W&R and they sent me a new one that opened just fine.

* 2013 Forum Native has up and down blade play. I know this is common in lock backs, but this is the first time I could feel it shifting when cutting things (I have long fingers, so my middle finger reaches all the way around and the fingertip touches the lock bar at the Boye dent, so I can feel it moving when cutting). I really don't like how it feels when I use it, but I also don't think it requires warranty work. Considering that it has a newer, refined back lock, I was a bit disappointed that it has the most play of all my back locks. Perhaps I'll send it in to get looked at if I end up needing to mail anything else to Golden (to save on shipping costs).

* Junior has a sticky lock. When I disengage it, it sticks a little and sort of clicks as it releases. None of my other compression locks do this. The lockup is solid, however, so it's perfectly safe. Again, like my Forum Native, it isn't worth sending in on it's own, but I may toss it along for the ride to get checked out if I need to ship anything else in.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Over 200 strong with ZERO problems (at least little ones I could fix myself). That's one heck of a track record!