Best gift ever! My first Spyderco...a Techno! Couple general Spyderco questions...

hookahhabib

hookahhabib

Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
1,340
Yesterday one of my best friends gifted me with a pretty amazing gift...my first folding Spyderco knife, and it's a Techno at that :D

So far, let me tell you I LOVE this knife and am quite happy to be using it as my Los Angeles EDC (normally EDC a fixed blade, but almost everything I have right now is a little too big to legally carry in Los Angeles county).

I have a couple questions regarding Spyderco knives in general. Pardon me if they reek of ignorance or excited-about-my-new-knife-paranoia:

Do you Spyderco fans find yourself needing to adjust your pivot screws often? Do you recommend loctite once you've found the perfect tightness for your pivot screw or am I crazy to be considering this?
- I haven't been able to stop flicking it open and closed since I received it and find myself looking for any excuse to use it. I'm wondering if I should expect the pivot screw to eventually start to come loose because of this, and if so, will I then have to worry about blade play? Do you find yourselves generally able to eliminate blade play with pivot screw adjustment?

Will I lose warranty coverage if I take the knife apart myself?
- It's perfect, and oh so smooth, but I find myself wondering how much smoother I can make its action if I took it apart and polished all the surfaces. Do you think there's a benefit to be had in doing this?

I am quite impressed with the Techno so far. Great ergonomics for a small knife, and rock solid lock up in all directions. And I LOVE that phatty little blade :cool:

After getting to play with a friend's Gayle Bradley, and now this Techno, I see why everyone regards the Taiwan factory as the king of QC.

Also Sal, if you happen to read this, can I ask why you guys decided to go with the size pivot you chose for the Techno? It's advertised as a hard(er) use folding knife, so I'm surprised it doesn't come with a bigger pivot. I realize other aspects of the design come into play when making a heavy duty folder, and from lurking this forum I know you're very thorough with your R&D, so I don't mean to undermine your decision or mean any disrespect...just curious why you didn't go with a larger diameter pivot.


I do plan on USING this knife and once I've had it a few more days I'll post some pics and a review. For now, though I think I'm in love :)
 
It probably came with loctite; I think all Spydercos do on all screws including the pivot. If you plan to adjust it frequently, teflon/plumber's tape might be a better option. It is worth doing something because they do tend to loosen in my experience (not uncommon across all brands).

Spyderco does say disassembly = voided warranty. I had to contact their customer service with a question, and here's part of the response: "taking the blade out (which does void the manufacture warranty)", so even a partial disassembly voids it.
 
I took my DF2 to the Factory Outlet store. They used Red Loctite on the pivot screw. Kreole is dead on with the warrantee info.

Welcome to the addiction.
 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Use it and enjoy it--it sounds perfect as is. Why would you mess with it?

DJK
 
I would advise against red loctite. When I get a k fe the first thing I do is sharpen it with my fine stone just toget that extra sharpness. Production companies don't spend the detail time on edges, but spyderco does some of the best edges I've seen right out of the box. I then check for blade play. Make sure all screws are tight. If the pivot isn't good, I pull out the male end, clean it and BLUE loctite it and then adjust.
 
Thanks for the input guys!

So far I've given it a good stropping for that last bit of extra sharpness, but after reading your responses and messing around with the knife more I decided I'm not going to tinker with any aspect of the knife until there is a reason to. Like expwmbat said, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and in the unlikely event that the need for fixing does arise, I'll contact Spyderco first.


Just to be 100% clear though, I can adjust the pivot without voiding my warranty right? Or does pivot adjustment also count as dis-assembly?
 
hookahhabib said:
Also Sal, if you happen to read this, can I ask why you guys decided to go with the size pivot you chose for the Techno? It's advertised as a hard(er) use folding knife, so I'm surprised it doesn't come with a bigger pivot. I realize other aspects of the design come into play when making a heavy duty folder, and from lurking this forum I know you're very thorough with your R&D, so I don't mean to undermine your decision or mean any disrespect...just curious why you didn't go with a larger diameter pivot.
Click to expand...

Larger diameter pivot pin=larger diameter hole in the blade tang to accommodate said pin=less steel in critical area. How is this better?
 
Hookahhabib: Use a great lube, check the threads for suggestions... Personally i love "Frog Lube" Every knife and firearm in the house get treated with it. It's food safe, non toxic and because if its performance on my firearms I've grown to trust it.

Next off, I wouldn't take your Techno apart just yet, hold it in your right hand (knife open) with the edge facing down towards the floor. Release the lock bar and the blade should drop at least from where it's pointing to at the 9:00 position to the 7:00 (approx) Loosen the pivot and see just how much drop you like. 8:00 is sometimes still too tight and 6:00 is just a bit loose for my taste.

Taking it apart and polishing the internal probably wouldn't be necessary... the stonewash on the inside of the liners is already plenty slick

As far as a larger size pivot, i agree a big ole pivot like what Warren Thomas uses or Strider has would look very nice given the "Over built" design of the Techno but if you look at the position of the pivot hole relative to the blade tang you will see that there just isn't that much real estate allowing for it.

Use the hell out of it, lube it, tune the pivot, use it like you hate it and sharpen it like you love it...

Heading to Nayarit? Safe travels my friend.
 
yablanowitz said:
Larger diameter pivot pin=larger diameter hole in the blade tang to accommodate said pin=less steel in critical area. How is this better?
Click to expand...


That's a good point and I appreciate your input...I don't design folding knives so I didn't think it could hurt to ask an expert.

I've seen bigger pivots on other hard use folders and assumed it is a factor that may come into play. I realize that the tight tolerances, blade thickness, handle material, stopping pin, etc also contribute to the heavy duty-ness of a folder...and I know there are plenty of crap folders with unnecessarily large pivots. Curious, that's all
 
dcmartin said:
Use the hell out of it, lube it, tune the pivot, use it like you hate it and sharpen it like you love it...

Heading to Nayarit? Safe travels my friend.
Click to expand...

Lots of good stuff in your response dcmartin...thanks! This little blade most certainly will be getting lots of use :)


And yes! If all goes to plan I'll be driving down to San Francisco 7-10 days from now. Will be spending the next year and a half there while I learn some new skills that I'll ultimately be integrating with my acupuncture practice...I'm beyond excited with the prospect of spending some time in Mexican-tropical-jungle-paradise! Have you been down that way?
 
hookahhabib said:
Lots of good stuff in your response dcmartin...thanks! This little blade most certainly will be getting lots of use :)


And yes! If all goes to plan I'll be driving down to San Francisco 7-10 days from now. Will be spending the next year and a half there while I learn some new skills that I'll ultimately be integrating with my acupuncture practice...I'm beyond excited with the prospect of spending some time in Mexican-tropical-jungle-paradise! Have you been down that way?
Click to expand...

I used to have family in Nayarit but its been quite a while since i've been down that way... Just to be on the safe side, check to see if knife carry is legal where you are going. In Baja Ca, it is not. The offense may range from confiscation and a fine to jail, not sure why that is. If you thought the knife laws were murky here in the US.... I'm sure they are plenty convoluted in Mex.
 
dcmartin said:
I used to have family in Nayarit but its been quite a while since i've been down that way... Just to be on the safe side, check to see if knife carry is legal where you are going. In Baja Ca, it is not. The offense may range from confiscation and a fine to jail, not sure why that is. If you thought the knife laws were murky here in the US.... I'm sure they are plenty convoluted in Mex.
Click to expand...

THanks for the heads up...I had assumed laws would be more lenient in Mexico, considering how many machette wielding people I saw in the streets of San Pancho, as well as the one Policia down there who stopped me to admire the Kershaw folder I had brought down with me in July, but I realize that's quite the foolish assumption (and I must admit my eagerness to put my Busses to use while exploring the jungle may have blinded me a bit). I'll definitely be doing some research on that before I take the trip...thanks again brother :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top