Gap, blade play in Native?

[TimberWolf]

Well, I picked up a Native at Walmart a few days ago. So far I've been really happy with it (it's scary sharp!) and I was very glad I finally got my hands on a Spyderco.

However, today I went to flip open my new toy today and I noticed the slightest bit of space between the blade-lock area and the handle scales. Naturally curious, I looked to see if this caused any blade play, and only the slightest play is able to be seen. The blade play is hardly enough to be really noticable, and I don't really care about that.

Call me crazy or a perfectionist, but I just find it annoying that there is a gap where there shouldn't be, even if it doesn't affect performance. When I put a firm grip on the knife, I can feel the pivot pin on the blade move the slightest bit in and out between the FRN, and I guess I have OCD or something, but it's just annoying me.

Are all Spydercos like this?
Should I just grin and bare it since it doesn't affect the performance of the knife?
Did I get a lemon, should I return this to Walmart?
If I sent it in to be ajusted would I just be wasting their time over an issue so small?
Can I fix it myself?

 

[redhawk44p]

I guess I have OCD or something, but it's just annoying me.

I am the same way. My Native has some vertical play. It bugs me everytime I push down to cut. The Native is such a great design so I deal with the play.

 

[4 s ter]

I noticed the slightest bit of space between the blade-lock area and the handle scales.

The blade is held slightly away from the scales by bushings/washers. The blade would be much harder to open if it was fully in contact with the scales.

Naturally curious, I looked to see if this caused any blade play, and only the slightest play is able to be seen. The blade play is hardly enough to be really noticable, and I don't really care about that.

In my opinion, if you don't want any play at al then a fixed blade is the only way to go. Some vertical play is inevitable in a lockback folder - some is designed in to ensure reliability of lock engagement.

Naturally curious, I looked to see if this caused any blade play, and only the slightest play is able to be seen. The blade play is hardly enough to be really noticable, and I don't really care about that.

Generally, if I can only feel the play as I torque the blade but not see any significant movement, then the lockup os fine by my standards.

Are all Spydercos like this?

No. There are variations in Spyderco knives depending upon the materials they are constructed from and the type of lock. FRN is not as rigid as G-10 or stainless steel and lock such as linerlocks or the compression lock can lock tighter due to their design.

Should I just grin and bare it since it doesn't affect the performance of the knife?

I would since it doesn't sound like your knife is defective.

Did I get a lemon, should I return this to Walmart?

It doesn't sound like it's a lemon.

If I sent it in to be ajusted would I just be wasting their time over an issue so small?

It's up to you whether you wish to send it back to Spyderco. You may, or may not, find out it is within specs and not defective. You can however depend upon Spyderco treating you fairly!! Their customer service is excellent.

Can I fix it myself?

I wouldn't try. Anything goes wrong and you may have voided the warranty.


Hope this all helps some!

David

 

[TimberWolf]

The blade is held slightly away from the scales by bushings/washers. The blade would be much harder to open if it was fully in contact with the scales.

In my opinion, if you don't want any play at al then a fixed blade is the only way to go. Some vertical play is inevitable in a lockback folder - some is designed in to ensure reliability of lock engagement.

Generally, if I can only feel the play as I torque the blade but not see any significant movement, then the lockup os fine by my standards.

No. There are variations in Spyderco knives depending upon the materials they are constructed from and the type of lock. FRN is not as rigid as G-10 or stainless steel and lock such as linerlocks or the compression lock can lock tighter due to their design.

I would since it doesn't sound like your knife is defective.

It doesn't sound like it's a lemon.

It's up to you whether you wish to send it back to Spyderco. You may, or may not, find out it is within specs and not defective. You can however depend upon Spyderco treating you fairly!! Their customer service is excellent.

I wouldn't try. Anything goes wrong and you may have voided the warranty.

Hope this all helps some!

David

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Squonk!]

I have both a PE & a SE Golden made Natives. Both have blade play/closing issues. One I returned to the factory & it came back exactly the same as I sent it. On a trip to Golden, I stopped by the factory to show them the knife & was told something like...
"with production knives, these things are normal"

:jerkit:

I find this odd because all of my Seki made knives, including a Native III, lock up solid as a rock. Being a Proud American from Colorado, I'm a little disappointed in having to buy the Japanese version to get the higher quality.
Sorry guys, but that's just what I've experienced.

 

[paulwesley]

i have found many natives with a little vertical blade click and a few with some horiz. I have been very picky at wally world and have gotten 2 that are tight,tight,tight!!! I have not found any frn spydies that are as tight as my 2caly ZDP's though....they are great knives...i hope they have another run!!

 

[PerformanceFirst]

My Native has no blade play at all. Actually, the lock bar pivots a bit further than it's supposed to, to the point that the back of it sticks out a mm or 2 above the handle. I guess that's a good kind of defect though, I know the lockup is solid.

 

[inspira]

My Native III (differnt from yours) has no play at all. But it is much harder to open.

 

[powernoodle]

My Native has no blade play at all.

Same here. I picked up one at Walmart yesterday (peer pressure, you know), and I discern no play at all. I still prefer the Delica for my purposes because its thinner and the thumb hole is easier to access, but I got my forty dollars worth with the Native.

cheers

 

[Gatogordo]

It irritates me no end that our local Walmarts, which includes 6 stores within 3 states in a 50 mile radius of my home have NONE, as in ZERO, of the Natives for sale.

Unable to stand it anymore, I found a couple on the net for $45, with a few more purchases ($125 or more total) I was able to get free shipping. So, counting saving the sales tax, it was nearly a wash.

My Native locks up tight with no play. It is very slightly more difficult to open than some other Spydercos I have but I'm not doing tricks with it, so that is not a problem.

I just finished skinning a very muddy 220 pound wild boar with it last night. While the S30V performed adequately, it didn't overly impress me either. However, besides some artificial test, I can think of no normal use for a knife that is tougher on the edge than wild pig cleaning and skinning. As soon as I leave this computer, I'm going to go grind the hump off of the back of the blade edge, it makes skinning a real pain for us fast slasher skinner types (it catches on the hide and meat as you cut) and doesn't accomplish much as far as I can tell. If I was making them, I'd lose that hump but I'm not and I'm certainly not knocking Spydies in general.

I used a Sharpmaker on it this morning, ran it through 3 grits, 50 strokes on each, and without stropping it is NEARLY as sharp as the factory edge. Frankly, I've never been able to equal or exceed the factory new edge on a Spyderco and I've bought and used dozens of custom knives and have yet to find one that was as sharp as a Spyderco. What is their secret? LOL.

I've had the "ultimate" or whatever it is called Apex Edge Pro sitting here for a while but haven't broken it out yet. Maybe it is the holy grail of sharpening.
We'll see.

 

[Dog of War]

IMO a little bit of vertical play on a lockback may not be much of a problem, but I've had plenty of lockbacks that developed none over years of use ..... a great example is a Gerber LST that's probably 12 years old and has not only seen the hell used out of it, but it's been inertially flipped open countless times, and still locks up tight. And an LST is no premium knife, to say the least.

When I looked at Natives at Wally World, one of the two they had had some vertical play. I bought the other one, lockup was very solid, but returned it for other reasons. My impression is quality control on these isn't very good ..... apologies if it seems I'm walking right into the lion's den to say as much, but having owned a number of Spyderco knifes and products over the years, I like to think the company cares about customer feedback.

 

[puukkoman]

Should I just grin and bare it...?

Last time I bared it in public, I got slapped. Knocked the grin right off my face.

 

[taekwonno]

I just bought my second Native from Walmart as a gift for my dad's birthday.

Solid.


Just check them before you buy.