New Yojimbo Woes.

[eojk]

Eisenhower, you should consider a Ronin if you can carry a fixed blade in your locale. Mine is awesome, I carry it when I can conceal it better. Otherwise, it's the Yojimbo every day. I cannot stress enough how much I love this design, which is why I'm so annoyed by the discrepancies in my new one. There are numerous reasons to own one, the more prominent being its phenomenal performance and relatively benign appearance.

I think a trip to W+R is probably the best solution in this case though.

 

[Michael Janich]

Dear eojk:

I'm very sorry to hear about your problems with your Yojimbo. I was not aware of any redesign of the detent recess, but when I pulled out some of my older vintage Yojimbos and compared them to some recent ones I purchased, I noticed the difference as well. The only thing I can speculate is that, since the liner doesn't index deeply into the recesses in the old ones, they changed the depth of the cut to eliminate the unused space and simplify the machining process.

Again, that's just speculation. The bottom line is if you're not pleased with your knife, you should return it for repair. I've always had great experiences with Spyderco's repair department (long before I was associated with them as a designer), so I'm sure they'll do you right.

A couple of other points:

1) the improved clip design is actually the original design that I provided. The hole is the same size, but the body of the clip is wider to put more steel on each side of the hole. I actually provided a handmade clip with my concept model of the knife and Spyderco chose to narrow it. Once they started getting returns for bent clips, they redesigned it to match the original.
2) The safest way to carry a tip-up folder is to seat it all the way back in the pocket so the back of the blade rests against the inside of the pocket in line with the seam on the side of your pants. This not only keeps the knife in a consistent position and orientation for a reliable draw, it holds the blade closed even when the detent doesn't. I learned this lesson the hard way with several tip-up liner locks.

I hope this helps. Thank you all for your confidence in the Yojimbo and your kind words about my design.

Stay safe,

Mike

 

[lamarrk]

Dear eojk:

I was not aware of any redesign of the detent recess, but when I pulled out some of my older vintage Yojimbos and compared them to some recent ones I purchased, I noticed the difference as well.

Mike

I just received a blue C85GPBL Yojimbo today. I can find no faults at all with mine. Tight in all aspects. When I open the blade there is a distinct drag (like pulling over a hump) that should keep it closed in the pocket.

Mine has a number, 158, on the blade above the Yojimbo. Is this a serial number? Any ideas on how many in the run or when it was made?

I HAVE to get another one to carry (putting this one up) and want to make sure the next one will be "like" the one I have.

By the way Mike, thanks for taking an active part in here.

 

[3Guardsmen]

Mine has a number, 158, on the blade above the Yojimbo. Is this a serial number? Any ideas on how many in the run or when it was made?

No, not a serial number. That number is a Spyderco Collectors' Club number. Whoever is #158 in the club either opted not to buy it, or ended up selling it. There are 200 Collectors' Club members total. When one person drops out, another fills his or her place.

If it has a blue handle, chances are it was from the first run, as I believe the Collectors' Club pieces are made first.

You may want to get a new, updated pocket clip for yours:

A couple of other points:

1) the improved clip design is actually the original design that I provided. The hole is the same size, but the body of the clip is wider to put more steel on each side of the hole. I actually provided a handmade clip with my concept model of the knife and Spyderco chose to narrow it. Once they started getting returns for bent clips, they redesigned it to match the original.

Mike

Regards,
3G

 

[Psydotek]

I may have to get the new clip... I bent mine in the seatbelt in my car awhile back but i simply removed it and bent it back into shape. Seems to be holding up fine so far.

 

[lamarrk]

You may want to get a new, updated pocket clip for yours:

Regards,
3G

Thanks for the info on the Yojimbo. I do appreciate it. I probably won't be carrying this one. Would rather keep it in the box and get another one to carry. I do like the style and it'd be a great EDC.