disappointed in spyderco

dakota1820 said:
And yes some of it was in the top soil
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You cannot be serious, cutting through soil and expecting the edge to stay sharp
dakota1820 said:
When you have bucks that were 30 bucks that perform better than a 50 dollar spyderco and not just a little better but a lot better that is a problem. Heck my 80 dollar spyderco wasn't as good as the buck before it and that buck was 35 bucks or so.
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Just wondering why you are keep buying Spydercos, if they are disappointment? Just get Buck and be happy.
 
I really doubt it chipped, but rather rolled. A lot of people think they chip when they just rolled. Softer steels roll, harder ones tend to chip, and 8Cr is softer. An hour seems like a really long time. I have worked out S30V rolls faster than that, and I took a combo edge Tenacious and turned it into a plain edge http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/968707-Grinding-Out-Serrationsin about an hour. I have also noticed all my rolling on factory edges, and then once you set your own bevel and expose new metal, I have had no more issues. I also micro-bevel most of my knives. Now that you have a new edge, try a micro-bevel and have another go.
 
Best garden knife ever, imo...

peasant01.jpg

Svord Peasant

Pick one up and give 'er a go! Inexpensive and that L6 steel is pretty darn tough! Save your Spydies for EDC... :)
 
Dakota1820,

Did you contact Spyderco to hear what they had to say about the performance of the knife and your dissatisfaction with it?

If I had a complaint about a knife I would at least attempt to contact the manufacturer first and give them the chance to make me a satisfied customer before I expressed my complaints on a public internet forum.
 
I wouldn't draw conclusions about Spyderco as a whole based on one bad experience with one of their budget lines. I'll guess that you got something from the Tenacious family (seems to be the most popular of the Chinese-made Spydercos). Those are inexpensive and fine for what they are, but I've never cared much for that line either. For me, the extra $15-20 or so difference to get a Delica/Endura is well worth it.

My experience with Spyderco's 8Cr13MoV is very limited. I've used it more on Kershaws, CRKT, and a couple of Chinese brands. I've had the edges roll sometimes, but haven't had an issue with chipping. Also, I think Spydercos are sharpened at 15 degrees per side from the factory. If you're cutting into stuff prone to chipping edges, perhaps up that to 20 degree per side (or put a microbevel on it) and see if that helps. Or, convex the edge, and see if that fares better.
 
I'm pretty sure my 154cm, s30v, s35vn, CPM-154, and Z-Wear knives wouldn't hold an impressive edge going through soil. So the fact the your 8cr13mov blade didn't hold up very well isn't a huge surprise. Especially as said before with a factory edge. An edge you put on the knife is more likely to hold up better. This is with most steels, not just 8cr.
I also agree that you likely rolled the edge and didn't chip it.
What did you use to sharpen the knife? It took an hour and it still has rolls in it? That just makes me question the system and skills used.

If your Buck knives work better for this work, then use those.
Save the Spyderco knives for EDC. Use them for daily tasks, not including cutting through soil(which has minerals in it that would damage most edges) and then report back your feelings about them.

A lot of people have specific knives they use for garden work and such because some edges just don't do well.
 
Big Mike said:
You buy a cheap Spyderco with what you describe as a "lower end" steel and are surprised it does not hold up well to the abuse of cutting in the dirt? :confused:

Get a better knife with a better steel. :eek:

Big Mike
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Like one of those $200 Bark Rivers that blows BIG chips cutting a chop stick....

Chopstick = soft wood; soil = ground up rocks, many harder than any steel. Let's try to apply some sense, hmm?
 
We are talking fresh top soil there is no big rocks or wood chips. The 50 bucks is about what they go for around here.
Also the 80 dollar one was a delica very good steel but the knife doesnt feel as sturdy and comes loose regularly.

Also im hardly bashing spyderco im just voicing a true experience. Theyre known to be very good but I seem to have better service from buck and benchmade.
Also you guys act like its acceptable for a blade to chip under regular use and say well its a cheaper knife.....fine I agree with that but when a buck thats half the price doesnt chip or have issues then to me it looks like maybe syperdco is living off their name and not making as good of products
 
Leave it to meanwhile to dump a negative Bark River remark in a thread about a Spyderco. Gotta give you props on your dogged persistence, no matter how irrelevant the reference may be to the discussion at hand. :)
 
Get a Cold Steel Voyager, tough steel, tough lock, affordable price tag.
 
dakota1820 said:
We are talking fresh top soil there is no big rocks or wood chips. The 50 bucks is about what they go for around here.
Also the 80 dollar one was a delica very good steel but the knife doesnt feel as sturdy and comes loose regularly.

Also im hardly bashing spyderco im just voicing a true experience. Theyre known to be very good but I seem to have better service from buck and benchmade.
Also you guys act like its acceptable for a blade to chip under regular use and say well its a cheaper knife.....fine I agree with that but when a buck thats half the price doesnt chip or have issues then to me it looks like maybe syperdco is living off their name and not making as good of products
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You should really give spyderco another try. The knife you got was not a good representation of what the company has to offer. You can find Delicas on the forum for around $45-50. That's a worthwhile knife. Chinese steel just doesn't hold up. It's true with my Chinese Kershaws. Try the VG-10 steel. It's a steel that's worth your time and money. Unless one of your Bucks is a S30V, then I'll say stick with that.
 
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dakota1820 said:
And apparently spyderco doesn't believe in hard work with these knives
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dakota1820 said:
then to me it looks like maybe syperdco is living off their name and not making as good of products
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Spyderco isn't living off of their name.
I don't have a China model, but I have many Spyderco's that are tough and well made.

I don't know what happened. Maybe you happened to hit some very small rocks in the dirt this time ???
If anyone has a problem they seem to blame it on the company as a whole.
There was a recent thread about a Buck 110 were the guy was sent another from Buck and it was as bad as the first which had gaps and blade play. He also broke off a good but of the tip sticking it in soft wood.
 
I'm going to pop in here and mention that the Steel of the Buck knives are different than 8cr13mov. The Spyderco may cost more but that's because of their fit and finish and quality. However the steel on the Buck's you are using is likely a bit better than 8cr13mov.
The heat treat is also different.

I would not judge Spyderco on their cheaper knives.
 
dakota1820 said:
We are talking fresh top soil there is no big rocks or wood chips. The 50 bucks is about what they go for around here.
Also the 80 dollar one was a delica very good steel but the knife doesnt feel as sturdy and comes loose regularly.

Also im hardly bashing spyderco im just voicing a true experience. Theyre known to be very good but I seem to have better service from buck and benchmade.
Also you guys act like its acceptable for a blade to chip under regular use and say well its a cheaper knife.....fine I agree with that but when a buck thats half the price doesnt chip or have issues then to me it looks like maybe syperdco is living off their name and not making as good of products
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So because you rolled the edge on your (soft) steel, and have poor sharpening skills, you decide to bash Spyderco?
In a forum full of Spyderco lovers???
:confused:
 
Sucks you had a bad experience.

Meanwhile, the thousands of us who have beat the chinese spydercos to hell and back and been impressed will probably keep on enjoying them.

PS: as an ex landscaper, cutting through ANY soil, no matter how "pure" it seems can wreak havoc on any respectable edge. I've had everything from AUS8, to 8cr, to vg10, to s30v edges be damaged quite easily. Because it's simply a horrible thing to put an edge through.

Having that be your major complaint is kind of like using your Tenacious to try and eat spaghetti, and then coming to the conclusion it's a worthless knife because it just couldn't pick up the noodles very well.
 
Oh, and just to add. Cutting through soil can give wildly varying experiences. You can cut through a yard of it in one spot with no ill effects, then move over 6 inches and completely destroy your edge. It's not a fair medium for judging one knife against another. I've had cheap, thin knives cut through all types of sod and top soil with no immediate damaging, and I've had strong steels and edges like 1095 be damaged immediately.

It is simply a horrible testing medium to come to any fair conclusions. That said, if buck's steel, heat treat, and grinds seem to be working much better for you, why not stick with them? Just because I love spyderco and it works so well for me, doesn't mean everyone else has to feel the same way.
 
Practice your sharpening skills and develop a good technique.
There is lots of help here on the forums, and when you learn proper sharpening, you will appreciate your knives more and look forward to thrashing on them.

Nothing is quite as satisfying as putting an edge back on a blade that you just beat the crap out of.
 
am I the only one who lets most of my edges keep their rolled/damaged areas instead of sharpening a bunch of steel away to make them smooth again? Granted it usually happens to knives I'm just going to use hard again, so I don't need a perfect edge. But I will usually just touch up the edge, leaving the visible dents because I just don't want to waste all that steel simply to have a "flawless" edge. It will still cut just fine, just has some irregular "serrations" :p
 
Soil is terrible stuff. I destroyed a perfectly detestable cheap kitchen knife cutting out a patch of grass to repair my sprinklers. Didn't bother to try to repair the damage.
My nephew beat the tar out of a throwing knife, throwing it into the dirt. I spent nearly an hour on sandpaper over mousepads trying to get the chips, rolls and dings out. I didn't remove it all, but it would at least cut again. He promptly went back to throwing it in the dirt.

I did manage to cut the "compostable" pots from 4 plants with my M390 Para2 with no detectable damage. The topsoil in those was mostly loose wood chips.

If I were to be doing that kind of work often, I'd probably get a carbon steel Sodbuster - at least I'd have a good chance of restoring the edge each time.
Or, if I were really married to Buck, I might try that.
 
bpeezer said:
The edge on my Tenacious chipped the first time I used it, and I was pretty upset about that. But once I sharpened it back up, it has become a real performer. Right after I finished chopping some wood with it I found that it will still push cut paper with no problem. I agree that the factory edge is weak but once you sharpen it the blade should be fine.
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This has been my experience with Spydies as well. All of mine have performed way better after the first time I sharpen them.
 
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