Irrational anxiety of "wearing out" Spydies

cashville

cashville

Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Messages
767
Hey everybody,
As a preface, I am relatively new to BF. My humble collection consist almost exclusively of Spydies and CRK's at this point. I've owned/own Benchmades and handled ZT's, but neither really do it for me in general. Really the only bummer with Spyderco for me is this irrational fear of "wearing out" a knife and not being able to repair it.

I don't pry with my knives or anything along those lines. I don't abuse them, and I would probably consider myself a relatively lightish user compared to a lot of member on this forum. Most days cardboard is about the biggest test for my knives. I rarely carry the same knife for more than a few days in a row. I always use a Sprig for kitchen duty. I know that I have enough knives to last a lifetime (realistically probably wouldn't need too many). All of these things add up to my completely irrational anxiety towards wearing out a Spyderco.

I find myself carrying and using my CRK's a lot, partially because I know I can always pay for a blade replacement, get a bigger stop pin put in, etc. Although a blade replacement would be far from cheap, it would be roughly half the price of buying a new Slysz Bowie (I'll use this as an example). If something happens to a Slysz Bowie such as the detent ball wearing out or the lock bar moving to the other side and needing a bigger stop pin, would I essentially be left to buy a new knife if these repairs don't fall under warranty and I couldn't do it myself? Same question for a blade replacement (I don't pry so I'm not worried about a blade snapping or something like that, but theoretically speaking if i dropped the knife a few times and reground the tip a few times and after years of sharpening, If I wanted a blade replacement I believe I would just need to buy a whole new knife.) I know a lot of people buy a backup for exclusives and sprint runs as a just in case, but it would be a real bummer to "wear out" one of your favorite sprints/exclusives. This also leads me to sometimes forgo carrying them when i know that I'll be doing real work / a lot of cutting.

I know I will be in a vast minority of people who probably feel this way. I also know that this anxiety is incredibly irrational and the odds of me wearing out on of my Spydercos is extremely unlikely, but not impossible with regular use. I don't want to bring up a warranty war on competing brands, but ZT and BM offer blade replacements for ~$30 and I've read stories about them typically just shipping you a new knife if they can't fix what's broken. I understand why Spyderco may not offer some of these options (wider variety in offerings, higher cost, manufacturing outside of the US, etc. ) but having the piece of mind would be nice for an anxious person I guess. Like I said, I would consider myself a relatively lighter user, certainly no abuse. I'm indifferent on the Spyderco warranty practices and I'm not trying to suggest that they change anything.

I guess I'd just like to know if anybody else feels the kind of anxiety that I have, specifically with Spyderco's I guess. Anecdotal evidence is more than welcome. I know a lot of people would probably recommend me to just use my knives and not worry about it.

-Sorry for the long one. Input is very much appreciate. Anxiety is a b***h and probably seems really silly. I may eventually end up picking up a BM Anthem or ZT 0460 just as a more warranty friendly knife for the piece of mind, and to give those companies another shot. I think those are just about the only knives that truly interest me from those companies ATM. Another excuse to pick up another knife, I suppose.
 
Yep, your fear is irrational. Just carry, use, sharpen and enjoy them! I have an old red bone Case Trapper that I got 30 years ago, that's still taking a wicked edge and functions like brand new, and I literally abused that knife as a kid! I wouldn't stress over "wearing" out a Spyderco. Life's too short to worry about wearing out knives...:)
 
Use 'em don't abuse 'em and they'll be around a long time, I have quite a few knives 100+ and one somewhere around 200 years old and I still carry and use them like they are meant to be used.

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Thanks for some reassurance y'all. Did Spyderco put steel inserts in the framelock Millies so that they can be replaced with a slightly larger one if a millie wears to vertical blade play? Will they put a new insert in the knives that have inserts, rather than having to buy a new knife?
 
No, the insert is there to reduce wear so it doesn't wear out as fast. Also, ti has a tendency to sometimes be sticky and steel is less likely to be sticky.

If you use a knife as a knife it should last your whole life. If you abuse it you can wear it out sooner.

Also, the habit of opening and closing a knife just for fun, also called arm chair flipping, will accelerate wear. I personally don't do it and many will disagree with me that it is not an intended use for a knife. Either way, opening and closing a knife just fun will accelerate wear. If you open and close a knife as many times in one year as most people would in a lifetime you do stand a chance of prematurely wearing it out. Otherwise use your knives like knives and plan to pass them down to your kids. :)
 
Spyderco are the best work knives around. Use them. Don't abuse them you will be fine.
 
I used to feel the same way. Now I look at it differently -- your carry and use adds patina and character. Sal once said to leave a knife pristine in the box is to let 90% of what the Spyderco team put into it, to die in the box. Spydercos are well-engineered knives and their mechanical parts are designed to last a long life of use.

What wear you add from using and carrying your knife just adds to its story. The first scratch is the hardest, but every successive one is easier.

As the Japanese call it, wabi-sabi, appreciating the beauty in transience, imperfection, and the life an object sees from its creation to use. They're your knives. Enjoy them for yourself.
 
Mo2 said:
Spyderco are the best work(er) ;) knives around. Use them. Don't abuse them you will be fine.
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Do you remember the very first Spyderco, the C01 and what the name of the pattern was? Here's mine from the early 80s

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I bought it from Sal at the ECCKS or NYCKS in the early 80s I forget which but I remember I went to his table to buy a Sharpmaker to use on the kitchen knives and he showed me this ugly lookin' knife with a hump and a hole in it with a metal pocket clip. A pocket clip :confused: really? I bought one anyway, I wonder what ever happened to that Sal guy? Think he ever made a name for himself? I've never seen Glesser knives so maybe he was just a flash in the pan. o_O;):)
 
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I sometimes buy a second of a model to keep as a backup. Like my Knifeworks Exclusive Military models (204p and S90V CF/Ti). This is because they may be hard to replace. My fear is not wearing them out, it is loss or theft.
 
I still have and occasionally carry and use my first Endura from 1992. G2 stamped ( Gin 1 steel) with the plastic belt clip (integral). Other than the clip being wore out ( the reason they went to steel or Ti) it is glassy smooth and locks up tight. I never babied it and just didn't do things like prying with it. I carried it exclusively for 8-9 years until I replaced it with another Endura just to try improvements.

Joe
 
I don't abuse my knives, but I do use them as cutting instruments (not hammers or pry bars, etc.), sometimes hard, and don't worry about it. I understand that it can be difficult with a new knife, but once I get in that first resharpening, or the first scratches from use, I feel like the knife is truly mine and is ready for more.

Think of it this way:
Everything we own we will one day have to leave behind. Even if you kept a knife in its original box, after a century or two, it would no longer be pristine and would have corrosion and deterioration. Unless maybe you put it in some special vacuum-sealed tube. But then, how much enjoyment would you have gotten out of it? Everything in this life is only temporary, including our physical bodies, which are far more valuable than any knife.

Jim
 
i buy two of each model i really like,knowing one will be my user,the other will always be a safe keeper,only problem is its double the money right from the start.
 
Don't ever collect vintage traditional patterns then guys because it'll really drive you bonkers when you get a scratch on an 80 year old knife and there is no replacement. You just gotta learn to enjoy it and use it, it's actually very soothing and enjoyable, almost therapeutic. :)
 
cashville cashville I also sort of share your anxiety, at least with my favorite Spyderco. My passion for the Southard is a bit neurotic. If it's with me, I have to look at it. When I look at it, I have to hold it. When I hold it I have to flip it. Then flip it again, and so on.

I finally stopped carrying it for a while out of fear I would wear out the detent ball. Yes, it makes me sound like a schmuck, but it's a true story.

I enjoy flipping my ZT's & working my CRK's now & again, but I just don't find myself as compulsive with them.

<<I'm so ashamed!>>. :(
 
I've never understood the obsession with blade replacement. The blade IS the knife, the handle is just the user interface. When the blade is used up, it's time for a new knife. It was your favorite? You were totally in love with that inanimate object? Too bad, get over it. By the time you wear one out, there will be something out there that is even better, and you're going to fall in love all over. They are made to be used, and I've used one up, a Military Sprint Run S90V/CF. It now has an M4 blade from another Sprint because I prefer the CF handle to the G-10/TiRIL handle. But I moved on to the M390 Sprint anyway. It took me a few years to use up that blade, it would take a few decades to do it with the use you describe.
 
cashville said:
Hey everybody,
As a preface, I am relatively new to BF. My humble collection consist almost exclusively of Spydies and CRK's at this point. I've owned/own Benchmades and handled ZT's, but neither really do it for me in general. Really the only bummer with Spyderco for me is this irrational fear of "wearing out" a knife and not being able to repair it.

I don't pry with my knives or anything along those lines. I don't abuse them, and I would probably consider myself a relatively lightish user compared to a lot of member on this forum. Most days cardboard is about the biggest test for my knives. I rarely carry the same knife for more than a few days in a row. I always use a Sprig for kitchen duty. I know that I have enough knives to last a lifetime (realistically probably wouldn't need too many). All of these things add up to my completely irrational anxiety towards wearing out a Spyderco.

I find myself carrying and using my CRK's a lot, partially because I know I can always pay for a blade replacement, get a bigger stop pin put in, etc. Although a blade replacement would be far from cheap, it would be roughly half the price of buying a new Slysz Bowie (I'll use this as an example). If something happens to a Slysz Bowie such as the detent ball wearing out or the lock bar moving to the other side and needing a bigger stop pin, would I essentially be left to buy a new knife if these repairs don't fall under warranty and I couldn't do it myself? Same question for a blade replacement (I don't pry so I'm not worried about a blade snapping or something like that, but theoretically speaking if i dropped the knife a few times and reground the tip a few times and after years of sharpening, If I wanted a blade replacement I believe I would just need to buy a whole new knife.) I know a lot of people buy a backup for exclusives and sprint runs as a just in case, but it would be a real bummer to "wear out" one of your favorite sprints/exclusives. This also leads me to sometimes forgo carrying them when i know that I'll be doing real work / a lot of cutting.

I know I will be in a vast minority of people who probably feel this way. I also know that this anxiety is incredibly irrational and the odds of me wearing out on of my Spydercos is extremely unlikely, but not impossible with regular use. I don't want to bring up a warranty war on competing brands, but ZT and BM offer blade replacements for ~$30 and I've read stories about them typically just shipping you a new knife if they can't fix what's broken. I understand why Spyderco may not offer some of these options (wider variety in offerings, higher cost, manufacturing outside of the US, etc. ) but having the piece of mind would be nice for an anxious person I guess. Like I said, I would consider myself a relatively lighter user, certainly no abuse. I'm indifferent on the Spyderco warranty practices and I'm not trying to suggest that they change anything.

I guess I'd just like to know if anybody else feels the kind of anxiety that I have, specifically with Spyderco's I guess. Anecdotal evidence is more than welcome. I know a lot of people would probably recommend me to just use my knives and not worry about it.

-Sorry for the long one. Input is very much appreciate. Anxiety is a b***h and probably seems really silly. I may eventually end up picking up a BM Anthem or ZT 0460 just as a more warranty friendly knife for the piece of mind, and to give those companies another shot. I think those are just about the only knives that truly interest me from those companies ATM. Another excuse to pick up another knife, I suppose.[/QUOT
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We have the same "disorder".

My solution was to go on FleaBay, and bid on "Knife Auction Lot".(s)
I have several junk knives I carry for work, and to ME they were free. I paid for the lot, gave away the ones I thought were good enough for my friends (that don't give a sh^t about knives), and I still have plenty of knives that I deem "repairable".

The knives I collect only "go to town" on evenings or weekends.
I still carry a junker to do stupid stuff with but if anyone needs a blister pack opened... I have that cool auto or flipper or (hate to admit) bearing knife to oblige.

That's MY solution to your (my) problem..
 
To quote the words of Powernoodle:


As a devoted knife hoarder, here's my take in it. In 5 years or 50 years, most of us will be buried in the ground. When that time comes, do you want your wife to give to her new husband a pristine, NIB collection of sprint runs and limited editions, or a tool box full of knives covered in drywall dust, squirrel blood and biscuit gravy?

I'll just let you marinate on that^^
 
I'm betting you take good care of your knives, which is the way we all should be, so as long as you use your Spydercos' with some common sense they should last you a lifetime.

I'll admit I take better care of my favorites, I won't try hacking through a 2" thick tree limb with my CruWear Manix any time soon, nor would I try stabbing my Ritter through steel plating(even though I should be able to get a blade replacement). I'll use them like knives, and enjoy every minute of it.
 
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