SpyderPac - not completely impressed

[Cliff Stamp]

I picked up a Spyderpac awhile ago, the larger one. It is in many ways a very nice design, simple yes, but it does what it is designed to do well, puts all my folding knives away in one place (or at least a small portion of them anyway) and keeps them from rattling around and is in general very easy to store. What then is the problem?

Well it has a rigid rod which runs along the top and keeps it rigid, this is a positive thing. However, awhile after I bought it I noted it was obviously cracked off and the Pac would collapse. I cut open the stitching and found a very inexpensive wooden dowel which had a large knot right at the point where it had cracked. Now if you don't know much about wood, a large knot can easily eliminate the flexibility of wood to a bare minimum and make it crack with very little elastic deformation.

Now it was not difficult at all to fix, I just picked up a basswood dowel which was knot free and then sewed it back up. However for the price, it might be an argument that a synthetic dowel could be utilized. But at a minimum, that dowel should have been rejected and not installed.

[GoldenSpydie]

I have to agree. I love the Spyderpacs, but both of my large Spyderpacs had broken sticks when bought brand new. It was really annoying, but I have fixed it by adding a larger stick. Still, they shouldn't all be broken when bought new.

Edited for grammar. :o

[gbelleh]

I didn't realize they were wood. That's good to know. So far, both of mine have held up fine for the last few years.

[ManixFan]

Mine is still OK too.......but if the rod ever breaks at least I know that it is a pretty simple fix.

[jabba359]

That's the one complaint I have about my SpyderPac as well (also a large one). Everything seems well made on it except for the rod. Mine arrived broken as well, just an inch or two off center. Originally I had planned on hanging it in my closet, but since the rod isn't solid, the 'Pac sort of folds in on itself, so it sits in a drawer instead. I suppose I could add in a new rod as well, but there's one question holding me back. Do I go with a Timascus rod, or S125V? :p

[captnvegtble]

Yup. I bought a Spyderpac several months ago, and within a few weeks the rod was broken. I haven't had it fixed yet. Kind of irritating.

[VashHash]

That's the one complaint I have about my SpyderPac as well (also a large one). Everything seems well made on it except for the rod. Mine arrived broken as well, just an inch or two off center. Originally I had planned on hanging it in my closet, but since the rod isn't solid, the 'Pac sort of folds in on itself, so it sits in a drawer instead. I suppose I could add in a new rod as well, but there's one question holding me back. Do I go with a Timascus rod, or S125V? :p

Well 125V makes a decent bearing material so i would say clearly 125V. The timascus would be springy and have differing levels of springyness because of the 2 different grades of ti used in it's construction. Also the 125v bearings would help you to roll up the spyderpac. If you want to spring load it though go with timascus. I'm trying to find my graph detailing all the specs for which materials make the best dowels for spyderpacs but i can't locate it right now. Of course you could always try laminascus. So you have a few layers of wood to add contrast and more rigidity. It's all very technical you see. If you didn't know layering wood makes it stronger. If you use 125v you might have to add a fuller to increase its structural integrity and rigidity. Kind of like how an I beam works. Of course this I doesn't illustrate that very well.] [ there. That's better. See how structurally sound that is.

[timlara]

Sounds like it's definitely a candidate for some CQI attention.

I have never tried one of the large SpyderPacs as I prefer the small ones since they don't get quite so heavy. I have 3 of them and have been 100% happy with those so far. The carrying strap was significantly improved on my newer two SpyderPacs when they switched from plastic to metal clips, so it looks like they definitely have gotten some CQI in the past.

[Bugout Bill]

That's the one complaint I have about my SpyderPac as well (also a large one). Everything seems well made on it except for the rod. Mine arrived broken as well, just an inch or two off center. Originally I had planned on hanging it in my closet, but since the rod isn't solid, the 'Pac sort of folds in on itself, so it sits in a drawer instead. I suppose I could add in a new rod as well, but there's one question holding me back. Do I go with a Timascus rod, or S125V? :p

Well 125V makes a decent bearing material so i would say clearly 125V. The timascus would be springy and have differing levels of springyness because of the 2 different grades of ti used in it's construction. Also the 125v bearings would help you to roll up the spyderpac. If you want to spring load it though go with timascus. I'm trying to find my graph detailing all the specs for which materials make the best dowels for spyderpacs but i can't locate it right now. Of course you could always try laminascus. So you have a few layers of wood to add contrast and more rigidity. It's all very technical you see. If you didn't know layering wood makes it stronger. If you use 125v you might have to add a fuller to increase its structural integrity and rigidity. Kind of like how an I beam works. Of course this I doesn't illustrate that very well.] [ there. That's better. See how structurally sound that is.

125V is for amateurs. Go SM100 or go home.

[Donut]

I have three and all of the sticks are holding, but I hang them from the strap and one of the loops completely removed itself from the body. That one spyderpac gets held by the middle and end loops.

[Nick Herrera]

I guess it just depends on the quality of wood!

My Spyderpac survived a house fire that happened to me about a month back. Drop ceiling tiles and support beams fell on it and it's still kickin' it!

Smells like smoke but it did what it's intended to do! Protected all my knives! Not a scratch on them!!

I love my Spyderpac, but I had no idea the inside rods were wood, good call on the CQI for sure.

[FCM415]

Could it use very high carbide like S110v as CQI? :p

I want graphs dangit... What's the best CQI material.

[Stuart Ackerman]

What about a ceramic rod as a dowel...?

[Stuart Ackerman]

...that way you can use the SpyderPac to sharpen the contents...

[JD Spydo]

This really bothers me to hear all of this about the Spyderpacs. I've never owned one as of yet because I have other storage containers that I'm satisfied with at the moment. But I've owned dozens of their zipper pouches and I've always had great luck with them. I even miss the older smaller zipper pouches that they discontinued back in 2005 or thereabout.

But with Spyderco's history of impeccable quality I just don't understand this at all :confused:

Hopefully it will be something that will be remedied in due time.

[gbelleh]

Yeah, this is all news to me. I've been happily using mine for years now without issues. Hopefully the problems will be addressed.

[cglefty4]

Mine arrived broken as well. I didn't even notice until I had it loaded up. It is quite noticeable when handling a full pac and I will also have to take it apart and replace the piece.

[BTG]

I had 1 of 4 break...not sure when....going with aluminum replacement, figured I'd do them all anyway, 3 down, 1 to go.

[Cliff Stamp]

Aluminum is very unlikely to break, a bit of a cost increase though. I think they would have little issues with wood if they just did a quick inspection before they used them and made sure they were free of knots. However a decent high density plastic is likely to make breaks very infrequent as well. I would be curious how often these issues happen.

[sal]

Thanx much for the input.

sal