M4 Military......sadly disappointed. :(

13ninjas

13ninjas

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Aug 2, 2009
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Hate to post this but my wife doesn't want to hear about it. :)

Seemed like a year, or maybe it really was..........the M4 Millie finally came in the mail today that I've been waiting for.......super excited........couldn't wait to get my hands on it.........but now I'm quite disappointed.

I used to collect/use the heck out of Spyderco's......and I kinda still do, just not near as much.....got rid of a bunch and kept my favorites. I started loosing interest when they started "expanding" if you know what I mean. But I still carry my little AUS-8 Dragonfly (w/ my custom spine jimping:)) everyday at work. I bet it's sharpened a thousand pencils in it's lifetime....:)...I'm a middle school math teacher with a history of crappy pencil sharpeners. :D

Anyway, one day while browsing the forums, the M4 Military pre-order thread popped up. I couldn't resist. I have always wanted to try M4 steel, and I LOVE titanium framelock folders!

Ok...I'll shut up and get to the point.

Here is what I'm bummed about in order from LEAST disappointing to MOST disappointing.

1.) Same old Military clip design. I had hoped that it would be different from previous Military's. But I had also prepared myself that it would be the same, so not a big bummer. ............but, I would love to have seen it offered in tip up carry.....or even a deeper pocket tip down carry...........a lot of the knife sticks out of my pocket which I am not a big fan of. Once again, I was prepared for that, no biggie.

1a.) Also not a biggie.....but the edge grind isn't the best.....which can always be changed. I remember when Spyderco's had perfect completely symmetrical grinds/edges. This one is slightly less steep at the curvature/tip of the blade.....maybe that was intentional? I wouldn't think so.

2.) Not smooth opening or closing. It feels pretty dag gone gritty when you open and close the blade. It actually makes a noise you can hear like there is more friction than there should be. Maybe it would break in with time and use....or maybe if I oiled the heck out of it, it would loosen up. Not a huge deal, but it would be sweet if it opened and closed smoothly from the factory......you know, when they glide open.

3.) The stainless steel insert.....WTF?
a.) It looks like crap.......you know it does.
b.) Increases Strength and Triple pinned?......the insert with the knife says it increases strength and is triple pinned. Mine appears to be "double screwed", not "triple pinned"..........and how does that increase strength?.......I can only assume that there was a problem with the original ti military.....was that the case?

4.) Blade movement. I can hardly believe it, but the blade does have some very slight movement (front to back) when locked open. It is slight. You can't really see it, but you sure can feel and hear it move. I can only speculate that this issue is related to my issue #3. I can't believe it is a brand new Spyderco. :confused:

Does anyone else have a M4 Millie with these symtoms?
 
Okay, I have to ask. If you believe these issues are real, why are you posting about them here instead of sending the knife to Spyderco to get them corrected?
 
Mine came pretty flawless. I would think that the grittiness and slight play can be fixed with a torx driver to adjust the pivot and a little oil. The SS insert is to help with long term durability as the titanium would wear much faster than SS when engaging the steel blade. It may not be the prettiest thing (I don't really notice it, but everyone is different) but I'm all for anything that will make my knife last longer. I think if you get the pivot adjusted and use the heck out of that great M4 blade the initial disappointment will go away. Millies are just great users, and M4 (especially with Spyderco's heat treat) is just a tremendous performing steel.

Mike
 
1. What ever made you think these would have a new clip? That was just dreaming.

2. Have you tried a little oil?

3. Looks? Honestly, when did anyone ever buy a Spyderco for looks? Even if looks is a factor, isn't it completely outweighed by the ingenious advantages of this design?

4. Is the pivot correctly tightened? It shouldn't have gotten out of Golden that way, but if a little adjustment on the pivot doesn't fix it, I know Spyderco and/or KnifeWorks will stand behind it 103%.

13ninjas said:
Hate to post this but my wife doesn't want to hear about it. :)

Seemed like a year, or maybe it really was..........the M4 Millie finally came in the mail today that I've been waiting for.......super excited........couldn't wait to get my hands on it.........but now I'm quite disappointed.

I used to collect/use the heck out of Spyderco's......and I kinda still do, just not near as much.....got rid of a bunch and kept my favorites. I started loosing interest when they started "expanding" if you know what I mean. But I still carry my little AUS-8 Dragonfly (w/ my custom spine jimping:)) everyday at work. I bet it's sharpened a thousand pencils in it's lifetime....:)...I'm a middle school math teacher with a history of crappy pencil sharpeners. :D

Anyway, one day while browsing the forums, the M4 Military pre-order thread popped up. I couldn't resist. I have always wanted to try M4 steel, and I LOVE titanium framelock folders!

Ok...I'll shut up and get to the point.

Here is what I'm bummed about in order from LEAST disappointing to MOST disappointing.

1.) Same old Military clip design. I had hoped that it would be different from previous Military's. But I had also prepared myself that it would be the same, so not a big bummer. ............but, I would love to have seen it offered in tip up carry.....or even a deeper pocket tip down carry...........a lot of the knife sticks out of my pocket which I am not a big fan of. Once again, I was prepared for that, no biggie.

1a.) Also not a biggie.....but the edge grind isn't the best.....which can always be changed. I remember when Spyderco's had perfect completely symmetrical grinds/edges. This one is slightly less steep at the curvature/tip of the blade.....maybe that was intentional? I wouldn't think so.

2.) Not smooth opening or closing. It feels pretty dag gone gritty when you open and close the blade. It actually makes a noise you can hear like there is more friction than there should be. Maybe it would break in with time and use....or maybe if I oiled the heck out of it, it would loosen up. Not a huge deal, but it would be sweet if it opened and closed smoothly from the factory......you know, when they glide open.

3.) The stainless steel insert.....WTF?
a.) It looks like crap.......you know it does.
b.) Increases Strength and Triple pinned?......the insert with the knife says it increases strength and is triple pinned. Mine appears to be "double screwed", not "triple pinned"..........and how does that increase strength?.......I can only assume that there was a problem with the original ti military.....was that the case?

4.) Blade movement. I can hardly believe it, but the blade does have some very slight movement (front to back) when locked open. It is slight. You can't really see it, but you sure can feel and hear it move. I can only speculate that this issue is related to my issue #3. I can't believe it is a brand new Spyderco. :confused:

Does anyone else have a M4 Millie with these symtoms?
Click to expand...
 
yablanowitz said:
If you believe these issues are real
Click to expand...

Why would I make up my opinion/concerns with the knife? They are most definitely real issues to me!

Why not post about them? Isn't this what the forum is for?

Just throwing my two cents out there.
 
Matt, I don't see any of these things as being problematic except for the gritty opening, which can be remedied. You might oil the pivot and work it real good, or send it to someone like Brother Krein for a little TLC, or send it back to Spyderco. I do think the grittiness will disappear either with some use, or disassembly and cleaning.

What I would recommend is to determine what outcome you want (sell, keep and fix, etc.) and work backward from there to develop a gameplan.

If the clip, grind and grittiness are too much for you, I bet that you can sell it in 20 minutes for everything you paid for it. But I would recommend getting the grittiness cured, and then using the snot out of it. Hang in there.
 
gunmike1 said:
Mine came pretty flawless. I would think that the grittiness and slight play can be fixed with a torx driver to adjust the pivot and a little oil. The SS insert is to help with long term durability as the titanium would wear much faster than SS when engaging the steel blade. It may not be the prettiest thing (I don't really notice it, but everyone is different) but I'm all for anything that will make my knife last longer. I think if you get the pivot adjusted and use the heck out of that great M4 blade the initial disappointment will go away. Millies are just great users, and M4 (especially with Spyderco's heat treat) is just a tremendous performing steel.

Mike
Click to expand...

Does yours have only two screws securing the stainless steel insert thingy? Or am I missing one?
 
powernoodle said:
Matt, I don't see any of these things as being problematic except for the gritty opening, which can be remedied. You might oil the pivot and work it real good, or send it to someone like Brother Krein for a little TLC, or send it back to Spyderco. I do think the grittiness will disappear either with some use, or disassembly and cleaning.

What I would recommend is to determine what outcome you want (sell, keep and fix, etc.) and work backward from there to develop a gameplan.

If the clip, grind and grittiness are too much for you, I bet that you can sell it in 20 minutes for everything you paid for it. But I would recommend getting the grittiness cured, and then using the snot out of it. Hang in there.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. My original intended outcome was to use it but now, I'm not sure.

I'm sure it would function as a cutting tool in its current state for a long time....... I guess I'm too picky when it comes to knives. The little things on this knife are bugging the snot out of me.
 
Mine has some cosmetic imperfections, I've always though Spydies were butt ugly, it doesn't open very smoothly, I hate tip down pocket carry, the SS insert is a little ugly, but it's in my pocket.

It's a big honking knife with a superior steel and a superior profile ideal for slicing.

I'm using it!
 
Its fine to be a little picky when you are dropping $220 on a knife. The grittiness would make me a little grumpy too, but it can be remedied.

Some folks out there have real problems (divorce, illness, job loss, you name it), so a little disappointment with a knife ain't so bad, eh? :thumbup:
 
1a.) Also not a biggie.....but the edge grind isn't the best.....which can always be changed. I remember when Spyderco's had perfect completely symmetrical grinds/edges. This one is slightly less steep at the curvature/tip of the blade.....maybe that was intentional? I wouldn't think so.
Click to expand...

Not unusual. Not a defect. Since the tip is thinner, the grind is more obtuse to reduce fragility. Easy to maintain sharpening freehand, but usually gets "corrected" with aligned sharpeners, unfortunately.
 
13ninjas said:
Hate to post this but my wife doesn't want to hear about it. :)

Seemed like a year, or maybe it really was..........the M4 Millie finally came in the mail today that I've been waiting for.......super excited........couldn't wait to get my hands on it.........but now I'm quite disappointed.

I used to collect/use the heck out of Spyderco's......and I kinda still do, just not near as much.....got rid of a bunch and kept my favorites. I started loosing interest when they started "expanding" if you know what I mean. But I still carry my little AUS-8 Dragonfly (w/ my custom spine jimping:)) everyday at work. I bet it's sharpened a thousand pencils in it's lifetime....:)...I'm a middle school math teacher with a history of crappy pencil sharpeners. :D

Anyway, one day while browsing the forums, the M4 Military pre-order thread popped up. I couldn't resist. I have always wanted to try M4 steel, and I LOVE titanium framelock folders!

Ok...I'll shut up and get to the point.

Here is what I'm bummed about in order from LEAST disappointing to MOST disappointing.

1.) Same old Military clip design. I had hoped that it would be different from previous Military's. But I had also prepared myself that it would be the same, so not a big bummer. ............but, I would love to have seen it offered in tip up carry.....or even a deeper pocket tip down carry...........a lot of the knife sticks out of my pocket which I am not a big fan of. Once again, I was prepared for that, no biggie.

1a.) Also not a biggie.....but the edge grind isn't the best.....which can always be changed. I remember when Spyderco's had perfect completely symmetrical grinds/edges. This one is slightly less steep at the curvature/tip of the blade.....maybe that was intentional? I wouldn't think so.

2.) Not smooth opening or closing. It feels pretty dag gone gritty when you open and close the blade. It actually makes a noise you can hear like there is more friction than there should be. Maybe it would break in with time and use....or maybe if I oiled the heck out of it, it would loosen up. Not a huge deal, but it would be sweet if it opened and closed smoothly from the factory......you know, when they glide open.

3.) The stainless steel insert.....WTF?
a.) It looks like crap.......you know it does.
b.) Increases Strength and Triple pinned?......the insert with the knife says it increases strength and is triple pinned. Mine appears to be "double screwed", not "triple pinned"..........and how does that increase strength?.......I can only assume that there was a problem with the original ti military.....was that the case?

4.) Blade movement. I can hardly believe it, but the blade does have some very slight movement (front to back) when locked open. It is slight. You can't really see it, but you sure can feel and hear it move. I can only speculate that this issue is related to my issue #3. I can't believe it is a brand new Spyderco. :confused:

Does anyone else have a M4 Millie with these symtoms?
Click to expand...

1) my opening was gritty also. i threw a little blue lube in there and now it opens very smoothly now. i think some1 forgot to lube the piviot point but the problem was resolved easy.

2) The grind on my knife was also very uneven on one side. it's not very sharp on the one side until it gets to the very bottom then it looks like they then made it very sharp for the last 1/4 inch . if u look at it in the light closely u can see some small scratches reaching back toward the spydie hole in a diagonal fashion. it's def not the grind marks from putting the flat grind on the blade. it goes in a different direction. someone must have slipped sharpening it.. u can't notice them unless u put it up to a light and look but they are there.

the beef i have and maybe someone can comment more on this for me that has a millie. is grinding this much metal to sharpen the knife normal?

look at the bottom of the blade mine looks sharpened back like this maybe a tiny bit more. looks almost like a J at the bottom of the blade. i could be wrong but it just looks like they removed a lot of metal at the very bottom to get the edge. is this a problem..... maybe not but something i have noticed comparing a few of the m4 millies to other . maybe since i have it in hand and can look at it closer it looks worse then comparing it to pics. maybe.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=782381

this looks like they grinded it perfect
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=783646

i think they hired someone new when they were putting the edge on my knife and a few others. half my edge isn't even sharp

Other then those issues i love the knife. this is my first millie and the ergos on it are great.
 
yablanowitz said:
Okay, I have to ask. If you believe these issues are real, why are you posting about them here instead of sending the knife to Spyderco to get them corrected?
Click to expand...

Is this not bladeforums.com? stupid comment is stupid...

@op Don't be too unhappy. Try breaking the knife in and see what happens.

Other posts similar to your issues have been discussed around here.

Worse comes to worse you could just put it up for sale, get your $ back and then some.
Buy something you know you'll like.
 
13ninjas said:
Hate to post this but my wife doesn't want to hear about it. :)

Seemed like a year, or maybe it really was..........the M4 Millie finally came in the mail today that I've been waiting for.......super excited........couldn't wait to get my hands on it.........but now I'm quite disappointed.

I used to collect/use the heck out of Spyderco's......and I kinda still do, just not near as much.....got rid of a bunch and kept my favorites. I started loosing interest when they started "expanding" if you know what I mean. But I still carry my little AUS-8 Dragonfly (w/ my custom spine jimping:)) everyday at work. I bet it's sharpened a thousand pencils in it's lifetime....:)...I'm a middle school math teacher with a history of crappy pencil sharpeners. :D

Anyway, one day while browsing the forums, the M4 Military pre-order thread popped up. I couldn't resist. I have always wanted to try M4 steel, and I LOVE titanium framelock folders!

Ok...I'll shut up and get to the point.

Here is what I'm bummed about in order from LEAST disappointing to MOST disappointing.

1.) Same old Military clip design. I had hoped that it would be different from previous Military's. But I had also prepared myself that it would be the same, so not a big bummer. ............but, I would love to have seen it offered in tip up carry.....or even a deeper pocket tip down carry...........a lot of the knife sticks out of my pocket which I am not a big fan of. Once again, I was prepared for that, no biggie.

1a.) Also not a biggie.....but the edge grind isn't the best.....which can always be changed. I remember when Spyderco's had perfect completely symmetrical grinds/edges. This one is slightly less steep at the curvature/tip of the blade.....maybe that was intentional? I wouldn't think so.

2.) Not smooth opening or closing. It feels pretty dag gone gritty when you open and close the blade. It actually makes a noise you can hear like there is more friction than there should be. Maybe it would break in with time and use....or maybe if I oiled the heck out of it, it would loosen up. Not a huge deal, but it would be sweet if it opened and closed smoothly from the factory......you know, when they glide open.

3.) The stainless steel insert.....WTF?
a.) It looks like crap.......you know it does.
b.) Increases Strength and Triple pinned?......the insert with the knife says it increases strength and is triple pinned. Mine appears to be "double screwed", not "triple pinned"..........and how does that increase strength?.......I can only assume that there was a problem with the original ti military.....was that the case?

4.) Blade movement. I can hardly believe it, but the blade does have some very slight movement (front to back) when locked open. It is slight. You can't really see it, but you sure can feel and hear it move. I can only speculate that this issue is related to my issue #3. I can't believe it is a brand new Spyderco. :confused:

Does anyone else have a M4 Millie with these symtoms?
Click to expand...

1.) Agree with you on the tip up carry. Not agree with you on the deeper pocket carry since it's too long and it might pop out.
1a.) Mine is sharp as hell, so grind isn't really a problem.
2. Agree it can be smoother, but I think it's because the frame lock detent ball is rubbing the blade.
3.)the stainless insert is to prevent M4 steel from eating the titanium lock bar. Since it is a much harder steel. The look doesn't bother me.
4.) when you open the knife, try to press the lock bar. The lock bar should go inside a little further, then in the future it will just lock it further by itself. There should be no movement at all. At least not mine.
 
I guess I'm in the minority too. I was very dissapointed when I got my M4

Millie. The action was quite rough when I got it ....not something thats

common with a Spydie. I took the blade out and lubed it with CRK grease...

thinking this might help...no change. I worked the action several hundred

times...the action got smoother but not as smooth as I thought it should be

for a new RIL frame lock ti knife. I have a dozen or so other ti frame locks

that came very smooth to me and have gotten even smoother.


I sent the knife back to Spyderco on Monday of this week hoping they could

make it smoother. I got a call today(Thursday). They couldnt do anything

to make it any smoother. The detent ball is rubbing on the blade due partly

to the RIL lock...this what I was told. They tweaked it a little and will

ship it to back to me tommorow.

I guess some of us were lucky and got a knife with a smooth action and

the unlucky ones didnt. Luck of the draw I guess.

After waiting almost a year I thought I would get a much smoother $220

knife than I got.
 
clockman said:
I guess I'm in the minority too. I was very dissapointed when I got my M4

Millie. The action was quite rough when I got it ....not something thats

common with a Spydie. I took the blade out and lubed it with CRK grease...

thinking this might help...no change. I worked the action several hundred

times...the action got smoother but not as smooth as I thought it should be

for a new RIL frame lock ti knife. I have a dozen or so other ti frame locks

that came very smooth to me and have gotten even smoother.


I sent the knife back to Spyderco on Monday of this week hoping they could

make it smoother. I got a call today(Thursday). They couldnt do anything

to make it any smoother. The detent ball is rubbing on the blade due partly

to the RIL lock...this what I was told. They tweaked it a little and will

ship it to back to me tommorow.

I guess some of us were lucky and got a knife with a smooth action and

the unlucky ones didnt. Luck of the draw I guess.

After waiting almost a year I thought I would get a much smoother $220

knife than I got.
Click to expand...

but shouldn't that be an issue if even they can't fix it? i know a 220$ knife should not be doing that at all.
 
I might as well get in on this thread too. I really like this knife, the only complaint I have is the rough opening on mine out of the box. I thought about sending it back, but there is very few things in my life that I won't try to fix myself. I went ahead and took mine apart, cleaned it up, polished up the side of the blade, greased it, and reassembled. It is about 80% smoother than before, still not as good as my other Militaries, but I can live with it.
 
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