I think it is time spyderco did something about this locking system.

better send your spyderco blades to me then! :D i will relieve you of your frustation! all for a low fee of course.;)


cheers! kimo
 
My CS Gunsite that i've whupped to crap and back has absolutely no play in any direction. I don't thing this is something attributable to all lockbacks.
 
crom said:
My CS Gunsite that i've whupped to crap and back has absolutely no play in any direction. I don't thing this is something attributable to all lockbacks.
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I have a CS gunsite and there is a little wiggle in the lock. Not much, but some.
 
i have 7 lockbacks from spyderco and none of these have vertical or horizontal play. go figure. :D if you post this in the spyderco subforum, i bet sal would address this better then we could.

on the other hand, none of my busse's have any play either!:eek:

cheers all, kimo
 
marthinus said:
nothing wrong with spydercos lockback! and I am glad the salt series DOES NOT HAVE SCREWS OR STEEL LINERS OR ANYTHING THAT IS EXTRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a basic no maintenance what so ever knife line that works!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
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A++++
I've used a Salt 1 hard for 2 years now. Very solid knife. Nobody makes a pinned knife as solid as Spyderco.
 
Everything that Jill Jackson and Yablanowitz said is right on. All of my FRN Spyderco's have this kind of play. It's pretty minimal. The Spydies that I have that are lockbacks made with steel liners and/or G10 or Micarta have a less play but still have a tiny tiny bit. Sal has spoken on this a bunch of times.

For the record, in the past I have owned a Benchmade Pika and I could do the same thing with it's lock. I can do it with my Buck 110, and also with my Schrade LB-7.
 
I'm sorry.. i dont notice the blade play.. I'm too busy cutting through whatever it is I'm cutting like a laser. :)
 
Personally, I think ANY lock back knife can have this sort of blade play (it's inherent in the design). I don't see it as a problem (the play).

I just don't like lock backs (but I do love Spyderco)

Does anyone have a list of all of the knives that Spyderco makes that DO NOT have a lock back?

My hope is to eventually own every Spyderco that doesn't have a lock back, but I don't know which ones they are.

I'm hoping someone here who collects Spyderco, might be able to provide me with such a list.

Thanks.
 
jill jackson said:
Most of the cost of that knife is in it's totally rust proof build.
It's hardly a cheap knife and people that use them hard have been more than pleased with it, myself included.
If you think 45 dollars is a lot of money for a knife you aren't going to get much.
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I can buy two good knives for $45 easily.
 
timcsaw said:
Personally, I think ANY lock back knife can have this sort of blade play (it's inherent in the design). I don't see it as a problem (the play).

I just don't like lock backs (but I do love Spyderco)

Does anyone have a list of all of the knives that Spyderco makes that DO NOT have a lock back?

My hope is to eventually own every Spyderco that doesn't have a lock back, but I don't know which ones they are.

I'm hoping someone here who collects Spyderco, might be able to provide me with such a list.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/spyderc/

http://www.spyderco.com/search/index.php
Search for linerlock and compression.


Spyderco doesn't make framelocks?
 
the kid said:
I can buy two good knives for $45 easily.
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I would be curious to know which two knives you could buy for $45 total that you would consider "good" and that approximate the features and utility of a Spyderco Salt?

Specific model names would be appreciated.
 
yablanowitz said:
So you really think Spyderco lockbacks don't cost enough already? The play you are referring to is caused by the clearance between the pivot pins and the pivot holes in the blade and lockbar. Yes, the clearances can be reduced, probably to the point you would think they had been eliminated. It shouldn't add more than fifty to a hundred dollars to the cost of the knife to machine everything to those tolerances and assemble the parts that are fitted that closely into a completed knife. That would only run the street price up around Sebenza level.

Why do you think Sebenzas cost so much? Premium materials and precision machining.Why doesn't Chris Reeve make lockbacks? Maybe it's because they would cost twice as much as a framelock to build to his standards.
Spyderco uses materials that are top of the line, but they leave the manufacturing tolerances wide enough to keep their knives at a point where us poor working schmucks can afford them.
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I don't think that's necessarily true, considering the $300.00 Native IV I had had worse vertical blade play than my $60.00 delicas did, even after Spyderco repaired the lock.

I'm not trying to be desparaging to Spyderco here, and I don't know if it's just a characteristic of lockbacks, but all of my Spydercos have vertical blade play to some degree.

I just couldn't force myself to "Just live with" worse vertical play on a high-end knife like the Native IV, as much as I loved the heck out of that knife.

Really, loving a company and the products they produce seems MORE meaningful to me when you accept the known problems they have, and like what they're putting out that you keep buying it anyway.

In some instances though, I sure would like to see it fixed! :D
 
timcsaw said:
Personally, I think ANY lock back knife can have this sort of blade play (it's inherent in the design). I don't see it as a problem (the play).

I just don't like lock backs (but I do love Spyderco)

Does anyone have a list of all of the knives that Spyderco makes that DO NOT have a lock back?

My hope is to eventually own every Spyderco that doesn't have a lock back, but I don't know which ones they are.

I'm hoping someone here who collects Spyderco, might be able to provide me with such a list.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Here's a good start and it's easy to see what's a lockback and isn't.
http://www.spydie.nl/
 
elkins45 said:
I would be curious to know which two knives you could buy for $45 total that you would consider "good" and that approximate the features and utility of a Spyderco Salt?

Specific model names would be appreciated.
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I would go for something like a Kabar 4070 and a Victorinox super tinker.
 
This is my Manix, stripped down to replace old washers and a install a lost pivot pin. The Manix is an incredibly solid and reliable lockback, but I can find a little blade play when I hold the handle and press down on the tip.

When you look at the design of the lockback, it's surprising that there isn't more blade play. The opening blade is stopped when the leading edge of the locking lever strikes the forward edge of the blade's locking notch.

The blade is locked when the locking lever's wedge drops into the blade notch. And the blade is prevented from closing by contact between the rear edge of the blade's locking notch and the rear edge of the locking wedge. Contact with four surfaces holds the blade in place.

There is potential for play at the blade pivot, the locking bar pivot and any size difference between the locking wedge and notch. Plus, the locking lever is spring loaded, so there is potential play there, too.

I'd guess that if the locking wedge were more wedge shaped, rather than square, it could slide into the locking notch until it fully took up any space. I don't know if that would make the blade more difficult to unlock.

However, this is an incredibly strong lock, and the play being talked about is so small that it doesn't affect control or operation of the knife. Few people would even notice it, unless given specific instrucitons on what to look for.

I really appreciate the quality and engineering that Spyderco puts into its knives. The value is incredible.

DSC01363.jpg
 
hardheart said:
I would go for something like a Kabar 4070 and a Victorinox super tinker.
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Maybe I should have been more specific with my question. I wanted him to name two knives that were functionally equivalent, meaning similar size and features. The Kabar is a 2 1/4 AUS8 knife and the SAK is a slipjoint. Those might be good knives, but in no way are they equivalent in either form or function to the H1 Spyderco this discussion was about.

Both knives are significantly smaller, and neither of them is totally rustproof like the Spyderco.

I'm no drooling Spyderco fanboy defending them at all costs, believe me. The only thing about Spydercos that draws me to them over other brands is the round hole and frankly I would prefer frame/compression/ball locks over lockback models anytime. I would happily use the Kabar or the Victorinox and probably never miss the Spyderco for most tasks, but they aren't interchangeable. The Spyderco Salt series doesn't have a lot of direct competition on the market.

We can certainly debate IF a totally rustproof knife is even necessary in most situations, but I don't think I can buy into an argument that you can get a functionally similar knife for half the price.
 
Sal did say that H1 is expensive steel and the reason the fixed blade models are rather pricey is because of the cost, of the larger hunk of it. After all it's a Japanese steel and and technically not even a steel, but a ceramic. Anything of quality out of Japan these days is not cheap to buy. So, I figure I got a decent knife I can carry hiking and hack wet vegetation with and never worry about rust. Not bad for the money IMO and that's what it all comes down to, is the consumers opinion. No single product ever fills every-one's needs or price range and that's why there's many different brands to choose from.
 
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elkins45 said:
Maybe I should have been more specific with my question. I wanted him to name two knives that were functionally equivalent, meaning similar size and features. The Kabar is a 2 1/4 AUS8 knife and the SAK is a slipjoint. Those might be good knives, but in no way are they equivalent in either form or function to the H1 Spyderco this discussion was about.
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The 4070 is actually 3 5/8", the PAcific Salt is 3 13/16". For form and function, both knives have frn handles, pocket clips, one hand opening, and locks. For the same price, you get a second knife with the Kabar, that gives you two more blades, can and bottle openers, screwdrivers, awl, tothpick, tweezers, scissors, hook, and even a key ring :) Yes, form and function are drastically different. All tools are stainless, but not as corrosion resistant. One person may feel fine with just the P Salt, someone else may prefer carrying the Kabar and the sak. I would say neither is wrong or has poor quality tools.

Anywho, this topic is about the locks, so I will stick to that from now on in this thread.
 
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