Spyderco Forums

Just wondering what you guys think about fancy pivots and colored stand offs. Would you like to see more of these on Spyderco models?

If it ties in with the overall aesthetic of the knife- Then sure, why not?....

The only thing that I have a raging hatred of is any pivot* that requires a proprietary one-off tool to adjust....Really Mr Custom Knife Maker, because you thought your superduper mobius styled fastener head was somehow magically better than a torx fastener?- One born every minute.

*Or indeed any other part of the hardware

Hey, but the tool will only cost you $75! What a bargain!
Ugh
Joe

Pretty to look at but I don't need them.

demoncase wrote:If it ties in with the overall aesthetic of the knife- Then sure, why not?....

The only thing that I have a raging hatred of is any pivot* that requires a proprietary one-off tool to adjust....Really Mr Custom Knife Maker, because you thought your superduper mobius styled fastener head was somehow magically better than a torx fastener?- One born every minute.

*Or indeed any other part of the hardware

Pretty much my thoughts on the subject as well. While I like a tastefully done upgrade my knives are more for working than for pretty, but I appreciate a nice appearance and something to take a bit of pride in too.
However, I would want to keep the Torex fasteners for ease of maintenance.

I don't mind them if done tastefully, not necessary but looks good on some pieces.

I certainly think some anodizing can add a little sexiness if done right. That said, I've never felt the need to buy any after market.

Fancy pivots (and stand-offs) tend to be a lot like fancy hub caps on an automobile: kind of gaudy and generally unnecessary.

palonej wrote:Hey, but the tool will only cost you $75! What a bargain!
Ugh
Joe

*shakes fist* Why I oughta..... :D

Colored stand-off if it's subtle and a part of the overall design.

demoncase wrote:If it ties in with the overall aesthetic of the knife- Then sure, why not?....

The only thing that I have a raging hatred of is any pivot* that requires a proprietary one-off tool to adjust....Really Mr Custom Knife Maker, because you thought your superduper mobius styled fastener head was somehow magically better than a torx fastener?- One born every minute.

*Or indeed any other part of the hardware

I'll expand on this- the other thing I can't stand is different fastener types on one knife.....Why certain makers insist upon mixing Phillps head, slot head AND torx head hardware on a knife that's barely 6" long overall I can't fathom.

It always looks like they ran out of one type and went 'That'll do" when they found the right thread length in the bits box.

I love the way the pivot was executed on the Rubicon. Not only is the pivot finished better than some other production knife "decorative" pivots, it is a signature of Peter Carey's work.

However, not every decorative pivot screw is created equal. Some other brands use them on the majority of their knives, and the pivots aren't always finished as nicely as I'd like.

Unless a fancy pivot screw is done very nicely, I'd rather have a plain domed or flat Torx screw. Colored, anodized, or otherwise decorative standoff or backspacers are perfectly fine with me, provided they fit with the aesthetic of the knife.

And I loathe proprietary hardware screws.

2/10, do not care

Spyderco's isnt all about adding things for the eye alone, but I certainly wouldn't complain to see a splash of ano'd green or something contrast against carbon fiber scales :)

Fancy flair has a chance of alienating an audience before they give the knife a fair look.

I also like giving third-party modders something to build off of.

Able Dog wrote:I love the way the pivot was executed on the Rubicon. Not only is the pivot finished better than some other production knife "decorative" pivots, it is a signature of Peter Carey's work.
.

The Rubicon pivot was what I was thinking about when I started the thread, it's one of those design features that draws your eye. I think it would be pretty cool to see Spyderco use some different pivots and stand offs on certain models and I don't think it would add much cost.

I wouldn't mind if pivot screws were changed to a more commonly found bit type, even a deep cut flat head screwdriver. Something easy to find just in case you needed it. I don't always have torx bits with me and even finding them in typical stores isn't easy.

I like the simple but elegant fastners used by companies like Shirogorov and if you don't want to spend the money on the custom bits needed they are easy enough to manufacturer your own bit. For the most part though I subscribe to the KISS principle, "Keep It Simple Stupid" which would translate to using industry standard fastners like they currently due, torx, allen head, etc... I am all for the addition of contrasting colors when it can be done economically, something like anodized toxic green spacers with carbon fiber scales.

I like the Rubicon look as well. I also like what Benchmade did with the 484-1, 940-1. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the blue anodizing looks classy with the CF IMHO.

Agreed about the fasteners. We should not need specialized tools, but I do like torx because of its superiority to most when it comes to damage resistance.

My thoughts on these are generally the same as for "Skittle" colored scales...purple, bright green, pink, etc.. To each his own. However I do appreciate fine finished details like on the Gayle Bradley 2.