Got my Byrd Crow in the mail. [review]

[yacoub]

$28 from Spydero's site.

A summary of the purchase would be that I'm glad I didn't find out on a more expensive knife that I don't like liner locks. =\

Let's see:

*The overall build quality looks good.
*It's heavy
*It didn't come terribly sharp (but that's the same as the three Starlings I've purchased so no surprise there). I blame China.
*It's bulky, which is good and bad - it's much wider handled than my Endura4 which means it feels better in-hand, but that also means it's wider in the pocket.
*The liner lock doesn't engage consistently or smoothly unless I snap the knife open hard (plus the folder is brand new so the action is very stiff anyway) yet the liner lock also doesn't give me much confidence in using the knife the way other lock designs do.
*The liner lock I have to check everytime underneath to make sure the liner lock engaged. Would I have that problem with any liner-lock knife?
*If I were to oil the knife and open/close it a bit, if carried tip-up the blade might come out of the handle and possibly stab your hand if you reach into your pocket. Why? Because the linerlock apparently offers NO support to keeping the knife in its handle when folded, unlike the other style locks which seem to have a bit of springiness that keeps the blade up in the handle firmly.

Overall it's a $28 lesson learned, since it gives me little confidence to use it EDC and it's too bulky for pocket carry (for me anyway).

On the other hand, I love the three Starlings I've purchased in the past two weeks, even the one that's a little bit 'off' mechanically. They're tiny, they're easy to carry, they use a much better style lock (imo), and they're lighter.

Oh I also got a 2007 product guide with the order, so that was neat to page through.

 

[gunmike1]

Thanks for the honest review. I would send it in to Spyderco for warrantee work. They should make it right for you. I have had a very positive experience with their service on the regular Spyderco line, I would assume it is similar for the Byrd's (except it's a one year warrantee). I say give them a shot to make it right, and definately report back to us the results. I know it sucks to get a bum knife, but that is what warrantees are for, and Spyderco has excellent customer service.

 

[eug2120]

Nice review Yacoub.
I found the same thing with my Crow as well- liner lock just didnt engage properly (i.e. everytime the blade was opened).
I'm not a knife knut but I took mine apart and realized that the top of the liner lock & the bottom part of the detent (?dont know what its referred to as- the divot on the detent? where the lock engages) was machined slightly off. So I'd either have to grind the top of the liner lock or the bottom of the detent.
Maybe in the future I'll do so, but for now it sits in my cupboard. Naturally I cant give it away with a clear conscience nor can I bring myself to toss it.
But it hasnt soured me on liner locks- I have a Buck 880 that is very smooth. Not to mention the millie is great as well.

 

[yacoub]

Thanks for not tearing my head off for the honest review, guys. At this point my feeling is it would be too much effort (and shipping cost) to bother sending it to Spyderco for work when it doesn't seem like there would be much they could do to make the knife satisfactory. The linerlock isn't the only disappointing thing about it (though definitely a significant one).

I'm glad to hear not all linerlocks are as sketchy but I will still be very hesitant to consider a knife with that style lock in the future.

 

[faramir]

Yacoub, give Kershaw Vapor/Vapor II a try - I bought three and they are all extremely solid framelocks.

 

[gunmike1]

Thanks for not tearing my head off for the honest review, guys. At this point my feeling is it would be too much effort (and shipping cost) to bother sending it to Spyderco for work when it doesn't seem like there would be much they could do to make the knife satisfactory. The linerlock isn't the only disappointing thing about it (though definitely a significant one).

I'm glad to hear not all linerlocks are as sketchy but I will still be very hesitant to consider a knife with that style lock in the future.

They may replace it, that's what they did with my Endura wave with blade play. Whether the shipping costs (less than $2 there if you mail it first class, and $5 return shipping) seems worth giving it a shot.

 

[yacoub]

update: the Crow took a nice edge with the SharpMaker. Going to have to handle it a bit more to break it in a bit. Maybe the linerlock will start to lock more consistently over time.

 

[ratdog]

They may replace it, that's what they did with my Endura wave with blade play. Whether the shipping costs (less than $2 there if you mail it first class, and $5 return shipping) seems worth giving it a shot.

If it is defective like a liner lock problem or blade play wouldn't Spyderco cover the shipping charges back to the customer?

 

[gunmike1]

If it is defective like a liner lock problem or blade play wouldn't Spyderco cover the shipping charges back to the customer?

I think you have to cover it, but I shipped in 2 knives to be sharpened in the same package with the defective knife. They shipped the new knife back first, then the other knives a week later. From the looks of it, the $5 was a good discount on the shipping, as each package cost them more than that to ship.

 

[Unsub]

I love my Crossbill ,it is the civilian I can't afford. It is nice and slim and does not have a linerlock. It takes a great edge but not as long as a real spydy.

 

[juin212000]

That's very strange....My crow opens smoothly and locks consistently all the time. If you look at the linerlock, there is a small ball bearing that engages the blade that helps to keep the blade closed...no worries of it opening in your pocket when opened =)

 

[pageophile]

*It's heavy

Really? I handled a Raven over the weekend and found it to be too light for my tastes, can't imagine the Crow being too heavy. Then again, I find the new Chinook II/III too light and the Cara Cara G10 to be darn near perfect weight

Thanks for the review

 

[redhawk44p]

My Crow was perfect when I got it and still is after much use. I have no complaints with the 6 Byrds I have bought.

 

[moonwilson]

I received a box full of Christmas presents from my family and one package looked very familiar. I recognized a Byrd box by shape and size that my brother had sent me. I kind of panicked, because I had just sent him a G10 Cara Cara, and wasn't going to be happy if I had just sent him the same thing he sent me- I'd be afraid he thought I got his present, wrapped it up and sent it back to him! So naturally I opened it. (Would I have opened any box that obviously contained a knife early? It's very likely. I can't help myself sometimes) At any rate, it was a Crow, not a Cara Cara.

I was pretty excited, because I doubt I would have bought a Crow for myself. I don't like black blades, not too crazy about aluminum handles, and I'm not a big fan of liner locks. But I have to say that I was pleasantly suprised by the Crow. The fit and finish (like that of every other Byrd I have seen) was very, very good. Better than a CRKT M-16, which is the only other aluminum scaled, liner lock in my collection. The CRKT came with very sharp edges all over the scales, the Byrd is perfectly chamfered everywhere.

Overall, it seems to be a very nice knife (especially for the money) -the lockup is very tight, with no blade play in any direction when opened. The action is so smooth, you can flick the blade open easily, remarkable for such a short-bladed knife, at this price point. The clip is very well done, good size and shape, and best of all, it's parkerized, which is always better than painted! Another nice detail on this knife is that the spacers have a dash of decorative machining on them, they look quite nice. The aluminum scales are well done, with smooth machining, no tool marks and good thick anodizing.

My only beef with the knife (and this is something I always complain about) is the black blade coating. I hate blade coating. It looks cool when you first get the knife, but as soon as you use it, it starts to wear off and looks terrible. The blade coating on this Byrd seems to be particularly bad. It's wearing off already, and I've only been carrying the knife for 2 days! I'm going to disassemble the knife and remove the coating. The good news is, it should be easy to remove! One other thing I'm not crazy about, and this is pretty minor-is that the pivot bushings are polymer (nylon? Teflon?) and I prefer bronze (for mainly aesthetic reasons).

But overall, I think the Crow is a great knife, especially for the money. The size, blade shape, handle ergos, thumb "comet", are all good. If this knife had no blade coating, and were a lockback, I'd be raving about it. I actually like the aluminum handles, with the feather texture, they're quite handsome. Much better than FRN! (But not as good as G10). This is probably the best Christmas present I have ever received from my brother. Though I was hoping he didn't know about Byrd, so he would be totally blown away by the Cara Cara I sent him. I guess good news travels fast.