C36GTIP First Look - Military, CPM-M4, Ti/G10!

Mine arrived. Very impressive. Blade is centered and lockup is 50% coverage. Opening is smooth. No issues or problems. I'm happy.
 
Very happy with mine. Blade centered, lockup 40%-50%, very solid with no play. Very impressed and pleased. A big thank you to Roger and Sal. Well done gentlemen, well done!
 
There is a very noticeable weight difference between this Ti model and my BG-42 Military........ I'd say an extra ounce and a half...... that's a big chunk on titanium.....!

I'd peg it at 5.5 or 5.6 oz

But someone with a scale will probably prove me wrong :)
 
Got mine yesterday. The blade definitely needed a good stropping as 3/4" of the tip of the blade was just plain dull. After the stropping the blade is ridiculously sharp. Now I just need to have the clip flipped and I do believe I have the first Military that I'll actually keep.
 
128 grams G10 4.51 oz
145 grams G10/Ti 5.11 oz

Anyone else notice the G10 is much smoother than on the normal G10 version?
 
Here is my objective take now that I have had some time with it:

* I really do love this knife

* I don't think it repesents the same value that a CPM M4 blade in standard Military garb would, assuming the street price would be $40 cheaper without the Ti side. Maybe more.

* Although mine is 99% in the F&F category, which I feel lucky about, there are micro-minor issues such as a 2" long very faint horizontal scratch on one side of my blade right OOTB. You have the have the light just right to see it but it's there and I would have to disclose it if chose to sell it. No big deal but. . . The blade is 96% to 99% centered but not dead centered.

* I also have some grind burn on the same side as the faint scratch.

* Although sharp enough, mine needs some help to shave. I have to give the blade an acute angle and some extra pressure to pop a hair off. This is not really a pet peeve of mine though and never has been since I typically strop and/or swipe a few strokes on a 1200 rod right off the bat. I'm sure this will be a razor with a good stropping. This knife is not near the sharpest Spyderco I have purchased OOTB though. Cosmetic flaws and uncentered blades bug me much more. It's just who I am . . .

* With that said, I have two Gayle Bradleys that are pretty much perfect in every way with the same blade steel and share the distinct honor of being the sharpest productions knives OOTB that I have ever purchased new from the MFG along with my Hogues. (How 'bout that edge work on those Hogues. Thin, even and nearly polished OOTB! No toothy edge on my Hogues ;) )

* I also have two Hogues that are pretty much perfect too but with lesser yet adequate steel.

* I have two Sage 2's that are pretty much perfect OOTB too.

* Key here is I have three pairs of the same knives, the Hogues being different sizes notwithstanding, where each pair is identical in perfection. So I feel more inclined to say you don't "have to get lucky" as much or at all with these three samples. It appears a good handful or more of our brothers so far "have not been lucky" and I feel for those brothers big time considering the wait and build up while waiting.

* So even though I love this knife as much as I expected I would, the value at the price point is not overwhelming. I'd call it par perhaps while other knives from Spyderco and other MFG's seem to balance more toward a better value or are clearly better values.

* And I just had an epiphany - I'm not sure the hardness of CPM M4 is conducive to stonewashing but could you imagine a standard Military handle with stonewashed CPM M4 steel? :D
 
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I am with Reeek on the Bradley and Sage 2s, but then no other Spyderco can match those Taiwan-made knives.
 
Maybe I missed it, but what is the small piece of metal (steel?) attached to the Ti? My knife arrived yesterday, it looks great. I haven't had time to play with it yet. I plan to use my knife.
 
It's a recent addition by Spyderco on their Ti slabbed knives. It's a replaceable steel insert to provide steel on steel lockup rather than Ti on steel. Other makers and MFG's have incorporated this feature on their knives, albeit in their own way. The intent is for longer lockup wear and replaceablilty if needed.

Dingle1911 said:
Maybe I missed it, but what is the small piece of metal (steel?) attached to the Ti? My knife arrived yesterday, it looks great. I haven't had time to play with it yet. I plan to use my knife.
Click to expand...
 
I may be wrong, but I have always assumed that the authoritative "thwack" you're mentioning has a lot to do with the G10 acting almost like the soundboard on a string instrument - it amplifies the noise. I guess the silver lining here is that some family members won't jump when I open this one. :D

ctk123 said:
Got mine!!

This is my 3rd millie, and probably one of the best!! Mine was centered, lockup at %50, edge is ground fairly even (they're never perfect), and of course it's razor sharp! Overall, F&F is top notch, no complaints there!

One thing that disappointed me was the lock engagement sound. My D2 Millie makes a nice sharp "snap", but the Ti is more of a solid "click". But I know this is just a personal preference that will in no way affect my enjoyment of the knife. (and it's worth it for the Ti CRK frame lock.

The detent seems weaker than my D2 Military (which is actually pretty stiff), but stronger than my s30v. Still nothing to complain about though, it's actually pretty nice.

The steel lock-bar insert seems great, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it functions as a stabilizer.

On my cheap digital scale, the D2 millie weighs in at 122.2g, while the M4 comes in at 144.4g.

I really really want to put an FG scale on this knife... but it would be blasphemy to tear apart the d2 for that... A scale swap should be easy if you can manage to get the lanyard tubes separated from the scale, but I've never tried.

Mine will be a user, the main reason I bought it was for the CPM M-4 steel.
Click to expand...
 
Great comments...on the Taiwan thing, my experience agrees with yours, but there are a lot of folks out there who say they won't buy a non-US knife.* Their loss, I guess.


* I've noticed that some of these folks seem happy to buy off-shore items like German cars, so you wonder how consistent their concern for American industry and labor is. ;)

LorenzoL said:
I am with Reeek on the Bradley and Sage 2s, but then no other Spyderco can match those Taiwan-made knives.
Click to expand...

Reeek said:
Here is my objective take now that I have had some time with it:

* I really do love this knife

* I don't think it repesents the same value that a CPM M4 blade in standard Military garb would, assuming the street price would be $40 cheaper without the Ti side. Maybe more.

* Although mine is 99% in the F&F category, which I feel lucky about, there are micro-minor issues such as a 2" long very faint horizontal scratch on one side of my blade right OOTB. You have the have the light just right to see it but it's there and I would have to disclose it if chose to sell it. No big deal but. . . The blade is 96% to 99% centered but not dead centered.

* I also have some grind burn on the same side as the faint scratch.

* Although sharp enough, mine needs some help to shave. I have to give the blade an acute angle and some extra pressure to pop a hair off. This is not really a pet peeve of mine though and never has been since I typically strop and/or swipe a few strokes on a 1200 rod right off the bat. I'm sure this will be a razor with a good stropping. This knife is not near the sharpest Spyderco I have purchased OOTB though. Cosmetic flaws and uncentered blades bug me much more. It's just who I am . . .

* With that said, I have two Gayle Bradleys that are pretty much perfect in every way with the same blade steel and share the distinct honor of being the sharpest productions knives OOTB that I have ever purchased new from the MFG along with my Hogues. (How 'bout that edge work on those Hogues. Thin, even and nearly polished OOTB! No toothy edge on my Hogues ;) )

* I also have two Hogues that are pretty much perfect too but with lesser yet adequate steel.

* I have two Sage 2's that are pretty much perfect OOTB too.

* Key here is I have three pairs of the same knives, the Hogues being different sizes notwithstanding, where each pair is identical in perfection. So I feel more inclined to say you don't "have to get lucky" as much or at all with these three samples. It appears a good handful or more of our brothers so far "have not been lucky" and I feel for those brothers big time considering the wait and build up while waiting.

* So even though I love this knife as much as I expected I would, the value at the price point is not overwhelming. I'd call it par perhaps while other knives from Spyderco and other MFG's seem to balance more toward a better value or are clearly better values.

* And I just had an epiphany - I'm not sure the hardness of CPM M4 is conducive to stonewashing but could you imagine a standard Military handle with stonewashed CPM M4 steel? :D
Click to expand...
 
Reeek said:
It's a recent addition by Spyderco on their Ti slabbed knives. It's a replaceable steel insert to provide steel on steel lockup rather than Ti on steel. Other makers and MFG's have incorporated this feature on their knives, albeit in their own way. The intent is for longer lockup wear and replaceablilty if needed.
Click to expand...

Interesting - I only recalled Sal mentioning this for the Military? The way they've done this (incorporating overtravel protection), it would be a fabulous upgrade for the whole line. I might have missed Sal's comment or read it too fast? Hmmm...I wonder if this new feature is patentable?
 
Thanks for the pics! Mine is in the next batch. Roger told me this morning should be just about a week:thumbup:

Good looking knife.
 
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=rycen128 grams G10 4.51 oz
145 grams G10/Ti 5.11 oz

Anyone else notice the G10 is much smoother than on the normal G10 version




Spyderco lists the Ti version w/s30v at 5.9 oz. How can the Ti/G/10

version be heavier? Does Spyderco have the wrong weight listed for the

all Ti version? :confused:
 
The all Ti is almost 1oz heavier.
 
Reeek said:
This link is what lead me to believe that:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=767524
Click to expand...

Right you are! - I was remembering the second bolded sentence below, but Kristi seems to be saying it's a broader change in the first bolded sentence.

tazkristi said:
Spyderco’s Titanium Military Model is out and smoking hot. Spyderco goes a bit further in insuring our knives are long-lasting and durable. Titanium being a soft alloy presents a challenge when making hard, strong locks because it’s soft and eventually wears. Our titanium model knives with R.I.L locking mechanisms will soon feature a new small stainless steel insert attached to the lock’s liner. The fingernail-sized addition is machined, then nested, into the titanium on both ends then held in place by three locating posts and two screws. Stainless steel being harder than titanium extends the lock’s life span by augmenting the lock-tang interface for extended smooth action and longer lock-life.

The new R.I.L. insert will be previewed on the much anticipated Knifeworks Exclusive, the CPM-M4 Military Model with a G-10 front scale and titanium rear scale R.I.L. The new R.I.L. insert will be a rolling change used on future Spyderco Ti-Mil Models in late 2010 and early 2011.
Click to expand...
 
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