New Herbst - WTF?

[Rainmaker870]

Bought a NIB 2nd gen Herbst that arrived today. Initial impressions are mixed:
1) This is probably the sharpest out-of-the box knife I've ever owned, and one of the very few I don't feel compelled to sharpen/improve before using.
2) Lines are good, handle is comfortable.
3) Side to side blade play seems excessive. Blade wobbles when locked open, and when opening it rubs against the liner.
4) Fit of the pivot is mediocre at best.
5) Liner-lock extends above the bottom of the blade, creating a sharp spot I don't need.
6) The blade will not easily lock in place. Without a good snap, the blade opens but remains unlocked.

This is my second Spydie and the first NEW one I've owned; my other one is an old ATS-34 military that is simply bulletproof. Based on THAT knife, I really expected more from the Herbst in terms of fit and mechanism.

Question for those who know more about the company than I do, or perhaps for one of the Spyderco guys in the forum:
If I send this to Spyderco and complain, will they A) Fix it; or B) Send me another one with the same problems ?

Thanks for the input.

 

[kudzu74]

Hey, I just wanted to chime in and say that I've only purchased one spyderco knife new from the actual SFO, however, I have several dozen spydies that I have gotten from knife dealers or ebay auctions. I really don't even attempt to purchase them unless they are claimed to be NIB or unused. Furthermore, I would like to state that after reading about your concerns that I have a few of my own. Did you purchase the knife second hand? like from someon else or from the SFO? If you got it from a dealer other then the Spyderco Factory maybe contact them with the concern about the knife first. However, I've known from people here and so forth that Spyderco is very reliable about warranty and repair work on knives and it just may be that your knife may have a flaw. It happens in the best of cases, and I would think that no manufacture can produce 100% perfect no problem products. But I'm sure they will work with you to help you in this particular situation as they do for everyone I've known to have a problem that has come up somehow wether it was manufacturer or personal defect. Anyhow, I'm sure you will be satisfied with whatever work is needed to help fix your herbst.

 

[Rainmaker870]

1) This was sold as (and appears to be) NIB.
2) No contention about a QC issue - that's what this is.

Dealer I bought the knife from wants me to pick up shipping both ways for an exchange, to which I say "Rubbish." Hence my question re: Spyderco's customer service practices - will they repair the knife? Anyone with a similar problem care to chime in?

 

[u812]

Spyderco will take care of the problem.Mike at thier W and R is great.Give him a call and explain the problem.I would bet they will send you a new one.

 

[Rainmaker870]

Just spoke to Mike, he said to send it in so he could look at / fix / replace it.

Fair is fair - I'll post a follow-up when I get it back.

 

[Tohatchi NM]

The locking issue sounds like you just got a bad one. I handled a Herbst about a month and a half ago, and it locked solid.

#5 may just be a design issue.

I'm sure everything will be made square.

 

[Rainmaker870]

As promised, here's what happened when I sent the Herbst to Spyderco:

Received a new knife in less than two weeks.

Bladeplay is much less, and falls in the middle of the bladeplay spectrum. I call it better than average, maybe a little better than that.

Blade still requires a firm snap, or an extra nudge, to lock up.

Linerlock still slightly protrudes when locked, leaving a small sharp spot that I don't need. I guess I can probably fix this with a dremel and some rouge, but I shouldn't have to do that.

Blade on the replacement is not as sharp as the original knife that I returned. That doesn't mean dull, just that the original knife had a sharper edge on it.