Spyderco Forums

Not to add fuel to the fire, but in the past, when this question has been asked (countless and countless times again, those who were around for the Techno, Bowie and Sage 2 releases remember), no answer has ever been provided. I'm really not sure why there is such a huge hang up about it. It's always some mystery whether a specific knife's lock bar was treated in any way or not, and I really don't understand why. IMO, this is the kind of information that should be on a knife's specs sheet.

I hope I'm wrong and an answer will be provided, but we'll see.

Well Tazkristie said an answer would be forth coming months ago. I for one believe she will tell us once the powers that be tell her, until then, will wait with mild curiosity.

tragique wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 17, 2019 5:10 pm

Not to add fuel to the fire, but in the past, when this question has been asked (countless and countless times again, those who were around for the Techno, Bowie and Sage 2 releases remember), no answer has ever been provided. I'm really not sure why there is such a huge hang up about it. It's always some mystery whether a specific knife's lock bar was treated in any way or not, and I really don't understand why. IMO, this is the kind of information that should be on a knife's specs sheet.

I hope I'm wrong and an answer will be provided, but we'll see.

I wasn't around when this question was asked in the past, but after reading your post I'm starting to wonder why this time would be any different. Every time i get an alert on this thread & it is not the answer we're looking for, it makes me feel like I made a mistake even turning on the notification. The only Spy Ti R.I.L. model I have is a McNees(×2), & neither have lock rock/stick(yet?).
I cannot fathom/wrap my mind around how this question is taking so long to be answered especially since it is a worldwide issue. I was interested, but it will be better for me to forget about it & cancel notification.

My sense is that there is no functional problem here. I have been using my Spydiechef for several months with no issues. My backup is also a fine sample. I have not disassembled either and haven't inspected closely enough to see what mine look like on the end of the lock bar. I could only see that it didn't look completely uniform. I expect if I ever have a problem with either one that Spyderco will take care of it. While I am curious about their response, I totally understand this being a low priority for them. Much more intrguing is the release of the Chief. Enjoying my Chef and others in the meantime.

Enactive wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 2:32 pm

My sense is that there is no functional problem here. I have been using my Spydiechef for several months with no issues. My backup is also a fine sample. I have not disassembled either and haven't inspected closely enough to see what mine look like on the end of the lock bar. I could only see that it didn't look completely uniform. I expect if I ever have a problem with either one that Spyderco will take care of it. While I am curious about their response, I totally understand this being a low priority for them. Much more intrguing is the release of the Chief. Enjoying my Chef and others in the meantime.

Well said. And I would like to add to what you said about Spyderco taking care of you if there ever is a problem. I sent my Chef in due to lock stick and gritty action developing after 6 months of use. Received a letter stating that the issues were caused by normal wear and tear.....along with a brand new Spydiechef. It also explained that it was not a warranty replacement, rather an exception made to benefit the customer.

Spyderco is an amazing company. Full of great people. They stand by not only their products, but the customers themselves. They care about us. Has been proven to me time and time again. I am their customer for life.

Thanks and appreciate your account.

DirtMcGirt wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 2:47 pm

Enactive wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 2:32 pm

My sense is that there is no functional problem here. I have been using my Spydiechef for several months with no issues. My backup is also a fine sample. I have not disassembled either and haven't inspected closely enough to see what mine look like on the end of the lock bar. I could only see that it didn't look completely uniform. I expect if I ever have a problem with either one that Spyderco will take care of it. While I am curious about their response, I totally understand this being a low priority for them. Much more intrguing is the release of the Chief. Enjoying my Chef and others in the meantime.

Well said. And I would like to add to what you said about Spyderco taking care of you if there ever is a problem. I sent my Chef in due to lock stick and gritty action developing after 6 months of use. Received a letter stating that the issues were caused by normal wear and tear.....along with a brand new Spydiechef. It also explained that it was not a warranty replacement, rather an exception made to benefit the customer.

Spyderco is an amazing company. Full of great people. They stand by not only their products, but the customers themselves. They care about us. Has been proven to me time and time again. I am their customer for life.

DirtMcGirt wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 2:47 pm

. I sent my Chef in due to lock stick and gritty action developing after 6 months of use. Received a letter stating that the issues were caused by normal wear and tear.....along with a brand new Spydiechef.

You sent in a knife that according to Spyderco had no warranty issues and they sent you a new one...? That's... wow :eek:

Maybe I should consider sending in my locksticky PM2 after all...

neuronic wrote: ↑

Wed May 15, 2019 6:48 am

DirtMcGirt wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 2:47 pm

. I sent my Chef in due to lock stick and gritty action developing after 6 months of use. Received a letter stating that the issues were caused by normal wear and tear.....along with a brand new Spydiechef.

You sent in a knife that according to Spyderco had no warranty issues and they sent you a new one...? That's... wow :eek:

Maybe I should consider sending in my locksticky PM2 after all...

I was very taken back, and feeling “WOW” as well. It’s also not the only time I have felt that way because of the service I have received from them. But I still refuse to publicly post details of my first “wow” moment, over a year later, for fear I could actually get someone in trouble. You know it’s good service when the customer walks away feeling guilty......

Can’t say you will get a new one too. Just know that they are fantastic, and if you send it in, it is in amazingly good hands.

To all:

Thank you for your patience regarding this topic. We have been in close communication with our Taiwanese makers to understand their exact manufacturing and processing methods. Since the language difference is obviously a complicating factor, we wanted to make sure we understood everything clearly and accurately before we shared our findings.

The discoloration of the face of the lock bar is mild oxidation that results from the heat-treating process of the titanium scale that includes the R.I.L. lock bar. After the scale is machined, it is heat treated and the entire surface of the part displays some degree of oxidation. The face of the lock bar is then masked to protect and maintain its as-machined surface and the rest of the scale is bead blasted to achieve a uniform matte finish.

That's it. Thank you again for your continued interest in Spyderco products and your patience with our process.

Stay safe,

Mike

Thanks Mike.

Thanks for the answer.

DirtMcGirt wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 2:47 pm

Spyderco is an amazing company. Full of great people. They stand by not only their products, but the customers themselves. They care about us. Has been proven to me time and time again. I am their customer for life.

+1. Thanks, Michael, for digging into this one and satisfying our curiosities.

So, at this point what can we do to decrease lock stick? I tried graphite, which didn’t help to any noticeable degree. Disassemble and polish the lock contact points?

Edit: I, too would like to add my thanks for looking into this, Michael. Much appreciated!

So, where to begin. Intrioduction maybe. First post. I´m a new member from Norway, Europe, Earth. I´ve come to like Spyderco quite well, and all though I haven´t given this much thought, they are probably my prefered folding knife brand.
I was very interested in the SpydieChef all the way back since its introduction, but I was late to aquire one. When I still couldn´t find one domestically and retailers abroad seemed to run out as well, I paniced and ordered one from abroad, still within Europe, to make sure I didn´t miss out.
This is my most expensive Spyderco to date, and based on how good my more affordable ones are, my expectations were high.
Well, you´re probably guessing where this is going. It left me with some very mixed feelings. The knife looks amazing, centering and external finishing looks perfect, but actually using it doesn´t quite match its appearance. Lock stick is in my perception, terrible, but I never experienced it on any other frame lock before, so there is a lack of reference here as well. But even worse than the lock stick is the lockup. Normal deployment gives a firm snap, but the actual lock up is like 15-20% and it´s not really locked. The slightest downward pressure on the blade will cause the lock to disengadge easier than any slipjoint or friction folder I´ve tried. If either shoot the blade open with great effort, or open it normally and give the lockbar a slight push with my thumb, it snaps further in and I get something like 80% lockup. In this position the lockup is very secure, but it´s very sticky and I have to give it a solid push to disengadge the lock, and this is followed by a very noticable click when it disengadges.
Since I live where I live, I can´t very easily ship my knife to Spyderco if it doesn´t improve with use, and my retailer sayes that if it shows noticeable wear they can´t service or replace it under warranty. Even to have them look at it and consider it for warranty at this point, I have to pay expensive shipping abroad, and I might end up getting the same knife or an equally bad one back (it´s not even in stock, so that might affect the outcome as well). This really didn´t turn out as I expected. I still really want a SpydieChef as the concept really attracts me, but that should be one that is safe to use and handles nicely. I understand this was a very negative first post. Not blaming Spyderco for anything, just looking for advice and a place to vent my frustration. My spydiechef has the AS date code by the way.

Normal opening "lockup":


Hard opening lockup:

Welcome aicolainen.
I am by no means the expert here, but it seems like it should improve with further use. Good luck.

Are those gaps normal?

Joey wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 3:35 pm

So, at this point what can we do to decrease lock stick? I tried graphite, which didn’t help to any noticeable degree. Disassemble and polish the lock contact points?

Edit: I, too would like to add my thanks for looking into this, Michael. Much appreciated!

I've painted the part of the tang that engages the lock-face with sharpie on some knives. I've never had to do it on a Spyderco though. If the look of black sharpie bothers you, they do come in a silver metallic color.