A word about quality control.

I don't have a lot Spyderco's that I've had issues which is the good part. The flip side though, is that of the knives I have had any issues with, all were with the US made knives.

So my experience is pretty much in line with the OP's.
 
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Hi Crimson,

Interesting thread. Thanx for the input. I'll share it with the knifemakers in Golden.

sal
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Crimson,

Interesting thread. Thanx for the input. I'll share it with the knifemakers in Golden.

sal
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You're very welcome Sal. I hope you didn't take this as derogatory. I love your products and always will, I just wanted to voice my views on the trend in QC that I have been seeing.

Loose screws and off center blades aren't big problems with QC, so if those are the only problems then you should take solace in the fact that you have nearly the best quality in the industry.
 
No major issues with any of mine but I do have a similar experience with the OP. All my out of US production knives are quite satisfactory. The only off-center blades I have found where on my Golden made millies. I just used the paper wedge centering method on those and they're pretty much centered now but there it is.
 
I can say that my Golden, Taiwan, Chinese made folders are about equal because they all have perfect F&F not including blade play (not included because I can find play in any folder with the exception being my sebenza). I have to knock Seki made spydercos because every single one that I own from them have come with very minor F&F issues. The main issue being slightly off centered blades which isnt a big deal for me. All in all I find Spydercos made from any place on Earth to have satisfactory quality, outstanding designs, huge premium steel selection, and value. Which is why they are by far my favorite production company :thumbup:.

Maybe the OP just got unlucky because he did end up with Golden made knives that were perfect and a couple that were not so perfect. Just gotta accept that they are a production company and a few flawed ones will slip through no matter how hard you QC.
 
The biggest issue I've had is a stripped clip screw on a Paramilitary. Had some minor cosmetic issues with a few Japanese Spydies (Small chip missing from a backspacer on a Rookie, part of the silver bug inlay missing on a Centofante 3, slightly uneven grinds (But still sharp, and eventually self-correcting)... nothing worth returning a knife over.
 
Well I have only 2 Spydercos and they both had 0 issues to them. Except that I wasn't exactly used to knives being that sharp but that's not a bad thing
 
Got my orange Manix 2 today. The blade is ever so slightly off centered (not a big deal at all). Everything else is 100% perfect. This thing is scary sharp, and it locks up great. No obvious blade play in any direction, all screws look to be tight and in pristine condition.

Thanks a lot Sal and the guys at Spyderco, great knife!
 
There's a special kind of peace and tranquility that's enjoyed when one recognizes and accepts that knives are made by human hands and sometimes aren't perfect--regardless of price, sprint runs, country of manufacture, etc. I personally can't see any rhyme or reason to why some knives are perfect and some are flawed, so I lose a whole lot less sleep when I lower my standards and expectations of production knives.

I will admitt to it being a struggle to go Zen when companies expect me to pay for shipping fees on knives returned for warranty work. It is just not right. Why should I have my pocket picked because of someone else's mistake?
 
While I haven't had any issues with my Golden spydies (I admittedly don't have too many from the US though), I have had a couple issues with Japan and one with China. My Superhawk came with a black "burn" mark on the blade and there's a slight mis-grind on the spine (not a factory 2nd mark). I also have a Khukuri where the guy sharpening it must have slipped and the grinder hit the ricasso (I think that's what that part is called), as it's missing a little chunk.

I also picked up a CE Tenacious from the first batch made and the serrations bent over when cutting plastic strapping. It was sent in to Sal and he let me know that the maker was putting the serrations too deep, which didn't leave enough material for them to be strong. He told me it was something they were adjusting with the maker and I got sent back a brand new Tenacious with normal serrations.

Thanks to the OP for sharing your opinion, as it may help make our favorite knife company just a little bit better. I believe the quality and craftsmanship that I get for my money is a good deal, despite the few flaws that pop up here and there. So even if I get a bum screw of slightly uneven grind here and there, at least I know that the knife will perform well and that these mistakes happen in a production environment.
 
Both my delica and endura has a pretty rough thumbhole. It's not a problem for me though, but i got a manix2 that has a perfect finished hole.
But there's a thing that's bothering me is that my Spyderco warrior has scratch marks on the blade, which is brand new from knifeworks. And i thought that spyderco warrior is a knife that should be the best of the best =/
 
Frozy said:
Both my delica and endura has a pretty rough thumbhole. It's not a problem for me though, but i got a manix2 that has a perfect finished hole.
But there's a thing that's bothering me is that my Spyderco warrior has scratch marks on the blade, which is brand new from knifeworks. And i thought that spyderco warrior is a knife that should be the best of the best =/
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Just keep in mind that the Warrior is made from H1, which will get scratches just by looking at it.
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
I will admitt to it being a struggle to go Zen when companies expect me to pay for shipping fees on knives returned for warranty work. It is just not right. Why should I have my pocket picked because of someone else's mistake?
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agreed, this i will never understand. i don't want to spend any coin to cover someone's mistake.
 
pwet said:
agreed, this i will never understand. i don't want to spend any coin to cover someone's mistake.
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That's right! In my currency the warrior cost me almost $400, and the knife has scratch marks on it. Sending it back to the states would cost me an additional $60. So why the f*** am i paying for this? Spyderco warranty/customer service is great, but why must i pay for something that's not my fault?
 
because we as Americans do not take pride in most things anymore. Attention to detail does not apply to most manufactures anymore. We are lazy and simply don't care anymore. We only care about the mighty dollar.
For example. I have 3 German cars. One id high mileage and its still as tight and solid as day one. No squeaks, rattles or noises anywhere. Now my wife's top of the line Suburban that is only 2 years old is a freaking rattle trap. This has been my experience with all American cars that I have owned.
 
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