Caly 3 Wear?

wintermute

wintermute

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Oct 18, 2007
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I've been toying around with getting a Caly 3, and have a question. I like the elegence of the pivot washerless design, but has anyone noticed any significant wear from the steel-on-steel contact around the pivot? Does it require a lot of cleaning to prevent pitting and halfmoons?

Okay, that was two questions.
 
I'm pretty sure that the Caly 3 has Phosphor Bronze washers. I don't think it's metal to metal contact.
 
I EDC my Caly3 for more than two years and it is great like in the first day I received it. The only visible wear on the clip, G10 and edge :D. No any blade play.
Great knife :thumbup:
 
David Lowry said:
I'm pretty sure that the Caly 3 has Phosphor Bronze washers. I don't think it's metal to metal contact.
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Actually, I think it's the Caly 3 that does NOT have PB washers. And I believe there was one other Spyderco that doesn't have them. They're just smooth metal-on-metal contact.
 
Actually, I think it's the Caly 3 that does NOT have PB washers. And I believe there was one other Spyderco that doesn't have them. They're just smooth metal-on-metal contact.
Click to expand...

Your right -- no washers. I've got the CF/ZDP Caly3 and it shows some "running" marks on the blade where the liners contact it. I noticed this on a couple of photos around the forums too. Probably normal. Also, my knife has smoothed-up a bit as I have used it. BTW - it is my smoothest opening folder I own.

I currently use Tetra-Gun (teflon) lube and it's real smooth.
 
Pretty sure my cf calypso 3 doesn't have washers. If you get the VG10 blade and use good quality lube you probabbly won't have any problems with marking for a long time. Mine is the 420j2 laminate though, so it developed some very fine rub marks pretty quickly, even though I use a very good lubricant. There's nothing that can be done about that with a knife that gets used and lives in a pocket though.
 
I wouldn't expect the ricasso to completely avoid wear. It's just that on the majority of knives, that ricasso is moving against a washer (plastic or bronze) or, in the case of a traditional slippie, a brass liner. In those cases, if a grain of sand gets caught between the two, it'll work its way into the softer metal, with the softer metal hopefully able to deform somewhat around it. With something like the Caly 3, there really is no softer metal.
 
True, but mostly academic. If you take moderate care of it and don't use it while it's covered in sand and concrete dust it will never become an issue. If you need a knife for that, spyderco makes plenty of FRN models which are better suited to those sorts of work environments.
 
Thanks for the correction guys.

I didn't realize that it didn't have PB washers. :eek:

That is surprising to me. Just another reason why I prefer the UKPK to the Caly 3. :D
 
The blade and scales do rub in the pivot area and eventually marks will appear. They aren't very deep or noticeable. I wouldn't let it hold you back from owning such a good design.
 
I have a CF Caly III and bought one for my GF. Both have the running marks along the pivot line. That aside, it's still one of Sal's best EDC I think
 
No washers, just highly polished steel. It actually works wonderfully well, and that's from someone who was initially disappointed to discover that there were no washers.

I've had seven or eight Caly 3s ever since they came out. I've EDC'd them (have a ZDP189 Caly 3 IWB now) and taken them apart for cleaning. Found nothing but a little of the CRK grease I use in the pivot area. It looks like the tolerances are tight enough to keep junk out. Washers create extra space for crud to collect, washerless knives with Spyderco's tight tolerances don't seem to have that problem.

I gave a VG10 Caly 3 to one of my best friends last year for Christmas. She and her husband moved to Alaska shortly after and she brought it back to me last week on a visit for cleaning and sharpening. All it needed was a bit of a touchup on the Sharpmaker and a little stropping. No junk to be cleaned out, no loose screws, no scars or scratches around the pivot other than the original ones from the knife "settling in".

I don't think you'll have a problem if you just blow it out with some canned air now and then and drop a bit of lube around the pivot when it seems to need some.
 
Thanks everyone. I figured it was just an academic question and that the polished surfaces meet very well to the extent that anything that can truly do harm (e.g. a large grain of sand) doesn't have the room to get between them. And if something did get "in there", you can always remove the blade and re-polish the surfaces and tighten the pivot screw one nothingth tighter the next time.
 
I had one a brief time (got a offer to trade for a SuperHawk so...) and I did notice the blade tang had circular marks all around the area where it rubbed the liners, closing and opening. It was just a little noticeable being the blade is so highly polished.
 
Pretty sure there are no washers on Caly3's I have a CF and a G10 Caly 3 and they are 2 of the best knives I Have ever owned....I would get on and stop toying around with the idea....Zdp is hard to sharpen though and the 420 top layer scratches really easy.e
 
I took a dive into a lake while fishing- 2 rods a bicycle and a steep bank leading to the lake added up. It made my caly jr feel gritty until I lost it. That reminds me I should regrease my reel for next year.
 
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