Stretch FRN scales question

[delphidoc]

I just received a VG-10 Stretch with FRN scales yesterday from Amazon yesterday. The shipping box and the Spyderco box inside were crushed grrrrrr but that's another issue. When I look at the back lock from outside or inside I see daylight between the lock and the scales. It's very minimal on the (RH) clip side but considerable on the (LH) "presentation" side:

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Sorry for the poor pic from my phone. I couldn't get a shot with both gaps showing well.

Is this normal on an FRN scale? This is my first back lock knife with FRN scales. Thanks for your help.

Larry

[The Deacon]

I just checked 6 of my FRN Stretches, they all have a gap on at least one side, some have it on both. Width varies from a hair's breadth to the thickness of a playing card.

[delphidoc]

Thanks for the info. I don't have any playing cards but I can't slip a note card into the wide side. Sounds like normal tolerances on mine.

I guess everybody's already out doing Fourth of July stuff except us old folks

[sal]

Hi Delphidoc,

Welcome to our forum.

Not too many companies these days making FRN lock-backs.

old sal

[ourgon]

It's normal, not only in my Endura FRN, but in my Cold Steel knives with triadlock and zytel/G-10 scales too.

[ManixFan]

I can only notice the very fine opening through the actual Boye dent area of mine when looking into the scales of an open knife but only when held up to the light against a white screen. Never noticed it before you mentioned it though and the lock up on my two FRN Stretches are very "snappy".

[delphidoc]

Hi Delphidoc,

Welcome to our forum.

Not too many companies these days making FRN lock-backs.

old sal

I've been lurking here since November but I guess I don't have much to say most of the time. I'm impressed to get a reply from the owner of the company- very rare indeed. I waited til age 54 to buy my first-ever knife last summer from another company. At the time I must admit I thought Spydercos looked, um unusual with the Spydyholes. Eventually I bought a Manix 2- it looked reasonably "normal" to me. It felt so good in the hand I decided to try another. Then another. I now own 18 Spydercos. Other knives just won't do now. My wife wishes I'd never gotten into Spydercos. I just remind her how much money I'm saving by not buying more handguns and ammo. :D

[delphidoc]

I can only notice the very fine opening through the actual Boye dent area of mine when looking into the scales of an open knife but only when held up to the light against a white screen. Never noticed it before you mentioned it though and the lock up on my two FRN Stretches are very "snappy".

Yeah, I've got some lockbacks with G10 and CF scales and never noticed the gap before. If I hadn't happened to have the bright light of a laptop screen in front of me I never would have noticed it.

[ManixFan]

I've been lurking here since November but I guess I don't have much to say most of the time. I'm impressed to get a reply from the owner of the company- very rare indeed. I waited til age 54 to buy my first-ever knife last summer from another company. At the time I must admit I thought Spydercos looked, um unusual with the Spydyholes. Eventually I bought a Manix 2- it looked reasonably "normal" to me. It felt so good in the hand I decided to try another. Then another. I now own 18 Spydercos. Other knives just won't do now. My wife wishes I'd never gotten into Spydercos. I just remind her how much money I'm saving by not buying more handguns and ammo. :D

Your path into the web of Spyderco collecting sounds much the same as my own. My first Spyderco was a Manix 2, then came the 2013 Forum Knife and now I'm at about 3/4 the way through a large Spyderpac. If you don't already have storage for your 18 Spydercos then I highly recommend the large Spyderpac! You can hang it on a wall to display and also have easy access to whatever knife or knives you want to carry for the day. It also rolls up very compactly for storage and transportation. It's a great companion product to anyone's Spyderco collection. Of course that means that you will buy at least 12 more knives just to fill it up :)

[delphidoc]

ManixFan, I've been looking at those SpyderPacs. My son gave me a case like the one below and I've run out of room. I've wondered if the plastic pockets stay clear and don't get brittle and crack. Something tells me Spyderco wouldn't sell pacs with inferior plastic.

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[ManixFan]

I've only owned mine for about 6 months so I don't know what they would look like after long term use but one thing that is kind of neat is that after storing the same knife in the same slot for a while the plastic sort of molds around the shape of the knife. Then if you put another blade in it it will mold around that handle shape. The box you have is nice and would sit nicely on top of a dresser too. Perhaps a combination of the box you have along with a SpyderPac? Then you can have an EDC rotation available on the dresser and also keep your collectors (fondling knives) and other out-of-rotation users in the Spyderpac.

Hopefully others will chime in on the long term durability of the plastic windows of the Spyderpac. I have one so I will find out eventually but it would be nice to know others experience with theirs.

[delphidoc]

That box takes up an amazing amount of real estate. Currently relegated to the top of the dresser. Does your Spyderpac fold up OK? Doesn't look like the compartments offset row by row. I wouldn't be storing it folded up jammed into a tight space anyway. Do you just hang yours up or fold it up?

[Danny n CS]

delphidoc, I currently own two of the 16 pocket variety and have had them on my wall now for about three years, (Surprize...I'm not married), so I can look at some of my pretties constantly. I haven't noticed any discoloring or other problems what so ever. :)

Hope that helps!

[delphidoc]

Danny, thanks for the info.

LOL the bachelor wall decorations. Reminds me of when I moved to a new town ahead of my family a few years ago. My wife came to town one weekend and didn't care for the decor I had in the den- tool chests, spools of wire, boxes of hardware. I thought it looked pretty good, practical too. :confused:

[Danny n CS]

Sometimes being single isn't all that bad. :D

[3rdGenRigger]

Large Spyderpac rolls up quite nicely, but is also great opened up as a display. I'm definitely glad I picked one up. This is most of my collection (I've added a few more since I took this picture). I haven't had mine for a long time but the plastic still looks as new as it did the day I bought it.

[ManixFan]

Actually if you picture how this thing rolls up, the rows ARE offset. If you are rolling it from the bottom up (which is how it works :D ) then each subsequent layer is offset from the layer next to it. The back of the Spyderpac of the third from the top layer row (or second from the bottom) then sits over the plastic of the topmost row (with the six knife row being offset from the seven knives in the topmost row) and then the velcro side tabs flip over the edges before you bring the top cover down to complete the closing action. I love my Spyderpac.....such a well thought out product! :cool:

P.S. Nice collection 3rdGen! I store mine the other way around and then the whole knife is buried. They do slide around and you have to be careful that you don't tip the case upside down (not a problem if hung since gravity is great stuff) and you also see the presentation side of the knife that way. That Blue Lightening Weave Domino is too nice to hide facing the other way around!

[3rdGenRigger]

It sits on my desk more than it spends time in the case, so that's not an issue lol...most of my Spydercos spend more time on my desk than in the case because I have just enough that I can play with them all regularly and rotate them in and out of the Spyderpac accordingly. They definitely stay put a lot better with the clip though (My Jester, H1 Ladybug, White SE Ladybug, and SB Ladybug definitely all are ready to slide out of their pouches when I unroll it). They all get used though other than the H1 Ladybug, which has blade play in ever direction due to being used and abused for the better part of a decade. I've done things with it that a keychain knife shouldn't be capable of, and it finally is at the point of retirement...it's still useable for sure but definitely has play in all directions and has been replaced by my Jester and SB Ladybug as a result.

[delphidoc]

ManixFan, now I see what you're saying about the knives offsetting when it's rolled up.

Rigger, nice collection! What's that multitool on the top row?

[3rdGenRigger]

That's my Byrdwrench. I've also recently acquired a Spyderwrench to keep it company.