Is There A Problem With the Spyderco Tenacious?

B

Bruise Lee

Joined
Aug 4, 2002
Messages
363
I've read a lot of positive reviews about this high value Spyderco folder. I am; however, hesitant to buy it. Why?

Well, I was watching two video reviews and both reviewers ended up cutting themselves with the Tenacious!

Here is the link to one review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq19p8Uv9P4

O.K., the cut can pretty easily be blamed on operator error. It happens to all of us.

But, then I saw this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvRNpi-vxw

This is more worrisome. How did that Spyderco end up opening itself in his fanny pack? Is the detent that holds the blade closed sub-par? The last thing anyone needs is a weapon deploying itself.

Any Tenacious owners out there have a theory on what happened? Anyone have a theory on what happened from just watching the video?
 
what happened is the knife opened. It happens sometimes - no mechanical device to keep a knife open or closed is going to work 100% of the time. I don't think there is anything wrong with the Tenacious' design that lends itself to any particular malfunction any more than any other folding knife. Buy with confidence.
 
I use it about 6 months ago to a beater knife, no abuse just daily use...im 100% satisfied:thumbup: worth the price:D
 
I was reading a thread on here comparing the tenacious with the bm vex and a fair amount of people had the same complaint. HOWEVER most of them also thought that the tenacious was the greatest thing since sliced bread also. Sometimes it's hard to filter through the people who think that benchmade or spyderco can't make anything except gold.

It is tip down only I believe, so shouldn't be much of a problem. Personally I would buy it and just keep the pivot screw tight to avoid any problems. Seems like a good buy.
 
IMO:

The reason people are getting cut with it is because of the detent bearing in the liner lock. In my opinion, and I'm just an observer, it is a little over sized. If you don't depress the liner lock until the knife is past it (and only press it lightly, enough so that the lock disengages, as most people do) the knife gets hung up behind the small ball bearing.
What then happens is that you press down hard to get the knife closed. But once the blade gets initially past the bearing, it slides closed (or open) very smoothly. But with so much pressure applied to get past the ball bearing initially, it ends up slamming shut with no time for the user to get out of the way.

This is easily overcome if you use the Tenacious often enough that you get used to pressing down on the lock until the knife is past the bearing. Or if it's your only liner lock. But to those that only use it occasionally and own other liner locks that don't have
 
The Tenacious would easily be worth $100 to me. It's an amazingly efficient knife, with a suburb design. On top of that, the F&F was very good. You wouldn't know it was made in china till you saw the stamp.

The dedent isn't so much week as the knife is smooth. Once you're past the dedent, the knife almost flies open and shut. Glassy smooth operation.
 
IMO, the detent is fairly weak, but I think just about EVERY production liner-lock (and some frame-locks) are like that. Kind of drifted towards that thinking since reading a few threads from STR some months ago.

In my experience, I've found only one of the framelocks from STR, and the Sebenza, seem to have gotten it right.

At first I really liked the Tenacious for the FFG, decent steel, strong liner-lock, etc...
but the smoothness in opening is due to the somewhat weak detent. Either way, it IS a good knife, and mine is fully tightened down and opens flawlessly and still smoothly (but won't thumb-flick open as easily), but has enough detent to not open even if dropped 2 stories (I tried about 20 times ;)).
 
Ive been using my tenacious for edc every day now for about a month, and Ive got to say that Ive never had a problem. I think that with every knife there are some isolated problems. Nothing is perfect. For my purposes, the detent on the knife is more than satisfactory and has never left me wanting more.
 
Bruise Lee said:
I've read a lot of positive reviews about this high value Spyderco folder. I am; however, hesitant to buy it. Why?

Well, I was watching two video reviews and both reviewers ended up cutting themselves with the Tenacious!

Here is the link to one review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq19p8Uv9P4

O.K., the cut can pretty easily be blamed on operator error. It happens to all of us.

But, then I saw this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvRNpi-vxw

This is more worrisome. How did that Spyderco end up opening itself in his fanny pack? Is the detent that holds the blade closed sub-par? The last thing anyone needs is a weapon deploying itself.

Any Tenacious owners out there have a theory on what happened? Anyone have a theory on what happened from just watching the video?
Click to expand...

It is made in China, which pumps out workplaces from US (and entire World) because of unfair exchange rate yan to dollar (declared by Centrall Commity of China Communist Party) making Chinese labor unnaturally cheap comparing to other World.

Thanks, Vassili.

I looks good deal to have same for cheaper price, but in result US now completely depends on Chinese labor and Chinese credits.

So if it is possible and I have choice - I am buying made in US even it costs few bucks more.
 
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Tenacious can withstand a lot of abuse. :thumbup: But it's only a linerlock, not a HD folder. Perfect cheap EDC piece IMO, but nothing else. :)

SpyTenacious_test2.jpg
 
nozh2002 said:
It is made in China, which pumps out workplaces from US (and entire World) because of unfair exchange rate yan to dollar (declared by Centrall Commity of China Communist Party) making Chinese labor unnaturally cheap comparing to other World.

Thanks, Vassili.

I looks good deal to have same for cheaper price, but in result US now completely depends on Chinese labor and Chinese credits.

So if it is possible and I have choice - I am buying made in US even it costs few bucks more.
Click to expand...

What the heck does what you said have to do with the question the OP asked about the Tenacious? And while I'm asking, what exactly was it you were trying to say?:confused: I think I got the part about China being 'outta this World,' but, due to fact that I'm not fluent in gibberish, I had a hard time understanding the rest.

For this, I must put you on ignore!
 
My Tenacious doesn't have what I would consider to be a weak ball detent, in fact, it is one of the stronger ones in my somewhat small collection of liner-locks. I wouldn't say it's as strong as my Military, but it does feel stronger than my Kershaw Lahar, which I wouldn't describe as weak either.

Regards,
3G
 
This is a particularly timely thread for me, this morning I was absentmindedly flipping my Tenacious open and closed when it bit me. No big loss though, I didn't really need the tip of my thumb anyway. As for the original question, I really don't think there is anything wrong with the Tenacious. It is a well built folder for a great price. I think that if you collect/use/play with knives a lot you are probably going to get cut every now and then, usually when you get careless or are focused on something else. As for people getting cut specifically on their Tenaci?, maybe the tenacious is just an fun knife to use/play with, and therefore is in their hands most often.
 
well I really like the look and the price of the tenacious. They are selling here in Canada for $39 I just can't find a better gotowork knife than this in full serration. I work in a kitchen and busting open cardboard boxes (lots) is the order of the day. I started carrying a crkt zilla jr. but I bent the blade/handle out of alignment, then started using an emerson la griffe but it doesn't cut very well with the chisel grind. Neat neck knife though and it's no fault of the blade.
 
The one I have has quite a strong detent as compaired to most of my other knives.Now that you say something I notice it has a WAY stronger hold than any of my CRKT knives, but only slightly stiffer than my kershaws and others.I love the tenacious it serves me well it is small and comfortable and holds its edge well I really like the cutting power of the flat grind and thin edge .I have had no trouble with mine opening up accidentally not even when dropped (butterfingers) .
 
It is a good knife, and the fit and finish reflects that of more expensive knives. I found the G10 not so grippy after awhile and much prefer the handle on a Vex, or PackRat, or even a Meadowlark.
 
I think your more likely to cut yourself with a Tenacious because the cutting edge runs the full length of the blade.If you still have your finger on the linerlock when the blade swings down your likely to get cut.A great knife just the same, a must for any collection.
 
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