Opening and closing it enough times to bleed is "using" a knife, it's not new anymore.
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Nirvana
- Thread starter retired01
- Start date
Opening and closing it enough times to bleed is "using" a knife, it's not new anymore.
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- May 18, 2014
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- 9,008
I agree with everything Hookahhabib said. Each day, the lock stick is becoming less and less. Everything else about the knife is letter perfect.
Not to quibble with comments from other posters regarding the poster who is extremely frustrated and is considering returning the knife, but I believe that irregardless of how others feel, it is a matter between him and the dealer. I know the poster to be an honest person who would disclose how he attempted to resolve the lock stick. If the dealer is made aware of what the poster disclosed in this thread, and is willing to take back the Nirvana, than what is the problem?
Here's another picture of my fabulous Nirvana.
Not to quibble with comments from other posters regarding the poster who is extremely frustrated and is considering returning the knife, but I believe that irregardless of how others feel, it is a matter between him and the dealer. I know the poster to be an honest person who would disclose how he attempted to resolve the lock stick. If the dealer is made aware of what the poster disclosed in this thread, and is willing to take back the Nirvana, than what is the problem?
Here's another picture of my fabulous Nirvana.
Charr
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1,471
I agree with everything Hookahhabib said. Each day, the lock stick is becoming less and less. Everything else about the knife is letter perfect.
Not to quibble with comments from other posters regarding the poster who is extremely frustrated and is considering returning the knife, but I believe that irregardless of how others feel, it is a matter between him and the dealer. I know the poster to be an honest person who would disclose how he attempted to resolve the lock stick. If the dealer is made aware of what the poster disclosed in this thread, and is willing to take back the Nirvana, than what is the problem?
Here's another picture of my fabulous Nirvana.
Hey there Cigarrodog!
And yeah, I definitely talked to the dealer for a while about this to see what they thought was the best method as well and if a return was possible. Love working with this dealer since they said they would take the return if I wanted to and even said I could take a few extra days to think about it if I needed to.
Honestly I am still considering what I should do with this knife. I feel like the knife is barely breaking in of at all even after hundreds upon hundreds of times opening and closing and while I have kept the knife on as prestige of condition as I can, I also do understand what was being said about it possibly being considered used at this point.
I will take it back out of the pouch one more time and give this a good long thought tomorrow and hopefully I will figure out what I want to do with it for sure. If not for this lock issue then I would be absolutely in love with this knife, but I also got this knife under the condition that if I got it I would have to get rid of another, which would likely have to be my Bodega. That's a lot to live up to...
You can only ever really know anything once you can teach it to others.
Death is not the worst thing that can happen to you. The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while still alive.
Here's a quick video of the Nirvana without the lock stick. Anyone who's had the sticking issue can tell there's a night and day difference. No scratching or popping noises.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_82nT_BfF6DNzA2cWptZ0l4clE/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_82nT_BfF6DNzA2cWptZ0l4clE/view?usp=drivesdk
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2011
- Messages
- 1,941
Can anyone comment on the behind the edge thickness? It's a lower saber grind than Spyderco usually does.
Last edited:
Got mine yesterday. IMO the nirvana is not a very good slicer, and because its tip is also thick it can't dig as well as para2.
But nirvana is also a must have thing.
MaxFactor
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2012
- Messages
- 1,388
I keep forgetting to ask about this.
Does anyone know how they did the stop pin on these? It almost looks like its pressed in.
Charr
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1,471
It actually looks like the stop pin is a portion of the frame and not a seperate piece, though it may be pressed in like you said. There were definitely no marks on the outside of the frame at all indicating that it was add d through a hole like the custom.
I thought the same thing, looks like it's part of the frame but I blew it off because it would be real risky to use Ti as a stop pin and not hardened steel.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
- Messages
- 417
The pin is definitely press fit in. I can see a slight outline on the lock side, but only in the right light:
The circle just crosses the nearest horizontal line.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
- Messages
- 417
As for my impressions:
Good:
The handle design is extraordinary. I've wanted a Nirvana ever since I saw a picture of one, and this lives up to that in terms of aesthetics and ergonomics. I love how they really capitalize on the stiffness advantage that's really what an integral frame helps with to make the knife as thin as possible. Even though it's a pretty big knife by my standards, it carries like a much smaller knife due to its lack of bulk. The tapered frame and lateral finger choil cutouts at the front also add to this.
The ball bearing pivot makes the action extremely smooth and keeps the centering perfect. Super fun to flick open
This is pretty random, but I love how finished the inside of the Spyderhole is. Usually you can see machining marks in them, but here is a consistent bead blast. Little details are like that are great.
In the same vein, the milled (as opposed to stamped or laser etched) blade markings work particularly nicely here.
I thought the pattern would be my least favorite part of the knife, since I like things to be regular and symmetric, but it's really quite cool in person, especially as it wraps around the knife.
The grind gets fairly thin behind the edge, and the factory secondary is very even. The plunge line is beautifully crisp. The jimping is also very effective without being annoyingly sharp.
Not-So-Good:
As many others have, I've experienced some lock stick. It's starting to get better though, so I'm hopeful.
I also find the lockbar tension to be somewhat excessive. I've lightened it somewhat by bending it out, so hopefully that gets better as well.
I'm not a huge fan of the blade finish. IMO the bead blast makes the surface a little gritty, and compromises the slicing ability and action slightly (due to friction). Also would have been nice to have some contrast with the grey frame. May try to have it polished a bit.
General Commentary:
While I agree it would have been nice to have a steel lockbar insert, I think there are a number of mitigating factors. First, I don't think it's reasonable to expect Spyderco to put out a collaboration that's better than the custom it's based on (as the custom Nirvana doesn't have one). Same goes for the non decorative pivot and the clip to some extent (Nirvana clips and pivots I've seen have been fairly boring affairs). Second, the integral construction makes it very difficult to incorporate one. While the Lionsteel SR2 and Rike 1508s have them (while being integrals), this would probably not work on the Nirvana. It would require that the insert sit on the outside of the frame, as there is no way to mill a good internal pocket on an integral. This is very different than other Spydercos with lock inserts, and requires a lot more material. Since the Nirvana's lockbar is very thin near the top due to the lateral choil (pic below), there isn't really a good place to screw the insert on without replacing half the lockbar with the insert or severely compromising its stiffness. It would also look kinda weird. </rant>
Steel washers on the frame side of the pivot would also be cool, but are similarly hard to pull off in the integral format (though I believe Reate has a design that allows for it, in their Tashi collaboration. It looks like it involves the washers going through the frame and contacting the pivot collars directly). Also, unless you plan on putting a lot of lateral load on the blade while opening and closing thousands of times a day, I don't think wear will be a substantial issue. Real ball bearings used in engineering applications need hardened steel races because they operate under heavy load in continuous use, which is very different from what a knife sees.
While trying to adjust lock tension I also noticed some discoloration on the end of the lockbar that suggests they tried to heat treat it somehow (though clearly it wasn't completely effective). Perhaps this is one of the difficulties that delayed production?
I suspect the stop pin is titanium, since it blends in nearly perfectly with the frame. I'm somewhat concerned about its hardness and wear, but like the pivot, it's likely to be a non issue.
I personally think the clip fits in with the knife pretty well, but I might swap for an after market milled clip if I can find one I like. Does anyone know if it uses the standard Spyderco three hole format? I don't have one handy to compare myself. I know RGT has a milled clip that fits that pattern.
Good:
The handle design is extraordinary. I've wanted a Nirvana ever since I saw a picture of one, and this lives up to that in terms of aesthetics and ergonomics. I love how they really capitalize on the stiffness advantage that's really what an integral frame helps with to make the knife as thin as possible. Even though it's a pretty big knife by my standards, it carries like a much smaller knife due to its lack of bulk. The tapered frame and lateral finger choil cutouts at the front also add to this.
The ball bearing pivot makes the action extremely smooth and keeps the centering perfect. Super fun to flick open
This is pretty random, but I love how finished the inside of the Spyderhole is. Usually you can see machining marks in them, but here is a consistent bead blast. Little details are like that are great.
In the same vein, the milled (as opposed to stamped or laser etched) blade markings work particularly nicely here.
I thought the pattern would be my least favorite part of the knife, since I like things to be regular and symmetric, but it's really quite cool in person, especially as it wraps around the knife.
The grind gets fairly thin behind the edge, and the factory secondary is very even. The plunge line is beautifully crisp. The jimping is also very effective without being annoyingly sharp.
Not-So-Good:
As many others have, I've experienced some lock stick. It's starting to get better though, so I'm hopeful.
I also find the lockbar tension to be somewhat excessive. I've lightened it somewhat by bending it out, so hopefully that gets better as well.
I'm not a huge fan of the blade finish. IMO the bead blast makes the surface a little gritty, and compromises the slicing ability and action slightly (due to friction). Also would have been nice to have some contrast with the grey frame. May try to have it polished a bit.
General Commentary:
While I agree it would have been nice to have a steel lockbar insert, I think there are a number of mitigating factors. First, I don't think it's reasonable to expect Spyderco to put out a collaboration that's better than the custom it's based on (as the custom Nirvana doesn't have one). Same goes for the non decorative pivot and the clip to some extent (Nirvana clips and pivots I've seen have been fairly boring affairs). Second, the integral construction makes it very difficult to incorporate one. While the Lionsteel SR2 and Rike 1508s have them (while being integrals), this would probably not work on the Nirvana. It would require that the insert sit on the outside of the frame, as there is no way to mill a good internal pocket on an integral. This is very different than other Spydercos with lock inserts, and requires a lot more material. Since the Nirvana's lockbar is very thin near the top due to the lateral choil (pic below), there isn't really a good place to screw the insert on without replacing half the lockbar with the insert or severely compromising its stiffness. It would also look kinda weird. </rant>
Steel washers on the frame side of the pivot would also be cool, but are similarly hard to pull off in the integral format (though I believe Reate has a design that allows for it, in their Tashi collaboration. It looks like it involves the washers going through the frame and contacting the pivot collars directly). Also, unless you plan on putting a lot of lateral load on the blade while opening and closing thousands of times a day, I don't think wear will be a substantial issue. Real ball bearings used in engineering applications need hardened steel races because they operate under heavy load in continuous use, which is very different from what a knife sees.
While trying to adjust lock tension I also noticed some discoloration on the end of the lockbar that suggests they tried to heat treat it somehow (though clearly it wasn't completely effective). Perhaps this is one of the difficulties that delayed production?
I suspect the stop pin is titanium, since it blends in nearly perfectly with the frame. I'm somewhat concerned about its hardness and wear, but like the pivot, it's likely to be a non issue.
I personally think the clip fits in with the knife pretty well, but I might swap for an after market milled clip if I can find one I like. Does anyone know if it uses the standard Spyderco three hole format? I don't have one handy to compare myself. I know RGT has a milled clip that fits that pattern.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
- Messages
- 13,423
Very cool pocket clip btw.
:thumbup:The pin is definitely press fit in. I can see a slight outline on the lock side, but only in the right light:
The circle just crosses the nearest horizontal line.
You have some good eyes and photo skills! I looked and looked on mine and still can't see it. Thanks for the picture.
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2012
- Messages
- 507
The pin is definitely press fit in. I can see a slight outline on the lock side, but only in the right light:
The circle just crosses the nearest horizontal line.
And this whole time I thought it was magic.
MaxFactor
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2012
- Messages
- 1,388