Off centered blade on para

Artfully Martial

Artfully Martial

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
4,761
I've been noticing recently (only had it for a week and a half) that the blade, when closed, is slightly off centered, about a mm towards the compression lock. Normally this wouldn't bother me so much, except that it's a 120 dollar knife....how do I fix it?

I don't believe this is caused by the pressure of the lock itself, as this is towards the lock, not away, and it makes no difference if I fully depress the lock when closed.
 
Some knives are just that way. As long as it locks up straight I wouldn't be concerned. It may not be perfectly centered for a reason.
 
Perhaps, but it's really bothering me. I'm not concerned about it in a performance sense, I just like to see my 120 dollar knives compete with my 40 dollar ones in QC. Otherwise, I should just stick to the low end knives, since those tend to be better, as far as QC is concerned.
 
Mine is the same way. It even has vertical blade play! I sent it to Spyderco explaining the problem and they just sent it back the same, but sharpened. Guess I just have to deal with it. Nice knife but not worth the money IMHO.
 
Yeah, now that you mention it, it does have a little vertical blade play...but it seems like the play is to the rear...this may just be a byproduct of the lock and the way it braces. Wonder if other compression locks have this.
 
Artfully Martial said:
Yeah, now that you mention it, it does have a little vertical blade play...but it seems like the play is to the rear...this may just be a byproduct of the lock and the way it braces. Wonder if other compression locks have this.
Click to expand...

Mine used to have, but not anymore. Try to adjust the pivot tension a little. At least mine worked :D
 
When you are buying production knives you can't expect a whole lot, if your blade is not centered on a 1200.00 dollar knife, then you have problems. :D
 
On the contrary, my 40 dollar knives, even my 30 ones, don't have these problems. None of my benchmades.

Spyderco is my favorite company. Period.

But I'll tell you this: I've never had a not perfect knife except from Buck and Spyderco. The latch (which shipped bent) finally broke on my spyderfly and now this is imperfect.

Kind of dissapointed. I've just come to expect more, growing up with CRKT.
 
If you're like me, this is something that will continued to "bug" you. Even though the knife is probably fully functional and safe, you'll always notice the off-centered blade. Kinda like a small scratch on a nice firearm. If I was you, I'd make the knife a "car" knife. Put it in the glove compartment or car kit. You'll know it's there in case you need it, but you don't have to look at it everyday.
 
I can relate.. I hate those little things that I cant get past!
blade off center and a little bladeplay??.. unacceptable. Sell it and try something else.
 
Well, this is definitely one of my favorite knives, outside of these things...but apparently, I didn't get the only one..
 
Artfully,

I feel the same way. I had 2 Calypso Jr's both with the blade off center. I was told to deal with it. I guess that's OK for a $40 knife......but I agree with you. If I spend $100 on a knife that blade better be centered perfectly.

I guess we just expect more for our money :)
 
Yeah....the para was a knife I've wanted since I first saw it and wished I had enough money to buy it...not expending to for years...so I when I got that money way sooner than I thought, I had high expectations. They were all met except for the QC ones...
 
Most of my knives seem to be off-center when closed. Some are just very, very slight. On others it is more noticeable. I don't really care as long as it doesn't affect performance.

You can't expect super-duper tight tolerances and extremely exacting quality control on fairly affordable production knives, IMO. Not on cosmetic things like this that most non-enthusiasts won't notice.
 
But my expectations are met by low end CRKTs and mid end benchmades....why not Spyderco? This is the most expensive non bali folder I've ever bought...
 
Artfully Martial said:
Otherwise, I should just stick to the low end knives, since those tend to be better, as far as QC is concerned.
Click to expand...

There you go. . . You answered it for yourself. Best to stick with the cheapies. :rolleyes:
 
Artfully Martial said:
But my expectations are met by low end CRKTs and mid end benchmades....why not Spyderco? This is the most expensive non bali folder I've ever bought...
Click to expand...

Go to a store that carries these knives and open a bunch of boxes of Benchmades and CRKTs. I'd bet that you'll find some that are off center.

I just looked at 3 Benchmades of mine. On two of them the blade is just a tad off center. The other one seems about perfect.

My Paramilitary is also off center by a small amount. The blade leans away from the clip side.

I don't see why you couldn't send it to Spyderco with a note describing the issue.
 
I'm definitely considering sending it to Spyderco...since my Spyderfly's latch is warped and the spring on it died, can send them together....I really just want to know it's fixeable, and then I can get over it.

I'll get over it either way, just need some time to get complacent with it...I do love the para, otherwise.

I am concerned, however, at the idea that someone could not be offended by imperfection in a >100 dollar knife. I don't accept it in my 30 dollar knives either.
 
An off-center blade is purely cosmetic and not a defect, as long as it doesn't rub the inside of the liner or scale.

Having said that, an off-center blade drives me nuts and I won't accept it in anything that costs more than $40 or $50. My solution is simple. I buy the majority of my knives from a local knife store, where I can handle and inspect the knife before I buy it . And even if I missed something when I inspected it, I can still return it quickly and easily. I pay nominally more for the knives, but it's worth it, and based on the number of internet-purchased knives I've paid to ship back, I know the extra cost is worth it.

As a result, I have a Spyderco Paramilitary with a dead center blade and no play, as well as numerous other knives that are centered and problem-free.

I'm lucky to have a knife store in my area that carries a full range of the major brands, as well as some customs, at prices that are within $10-$20 over a good internet dealer. (River's Edge in Columbus, Ohio)

For those of you who don't have a knife store in your area, the better internet dealers will, upon request, inspect a knife to make sure the blade is centered. New Graham is one example.
 
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