Spider Monkey’s

Pinnacle64

Pinnacle64

Joined
Oct 25, 2013
Messages
271
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Is anyone here carrying/EDC one of the Spider Monkeys long term?

I have really enjoyed the carbon fiber tanto so much I bought a second G10 Jade from USA Blades also. I’m considering buying a third with drop point/stone wash blade. Or maybe just buy another Para 3 in something supersteel just too many choices :)

I’ve been really impressed so far both of mine have awesome fit & finish throughout. High quality materials used and TI liners for weight savings. They really have a solid overbuilt look/feel while still being 3.2oz’s and pocket friendly.

I know some of the earlier models years ago had some F&F issues and you either like or hate the short pocket clip. I like it myself low profile I’ve been changing out all my normal clips to short after market clips anyway.

Personally, I’m more of a mid-sized folder guy blades in the 3.5” to 4” range 4-5oz really are my preferred EDC. That said the knives above are my preferred smaller EDC models.
 
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I love my Spider Monkey. I've had it four years now. However, I have other knives I like better. The proprietary hardware is annoying though.

I like carbon fiber. Though I don't like the pattern on the Domino, so at some point it will be getting red C-TEK.

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I love my Spyder Monkey.
I carried it daily for a while and used it indiscriminately.

I think it’s a bit underrated generally due to some bad press about early models.
Lots of people that have owned them love ‘em.

There are a few knives I’d be interested in having a duplicate as a spare. The SGSM is one of ‘em.

Truth be told, after having one for two years, I still haven’t decided if I like the stubby clip or not!
 
I carry a copper Spider Monkey, and have been a big fan.
I recently purchased & received a a carbon fiber version with anodized liners, after waiting over a year for one to become available. Unfortunately, I find myself regretting the purchase for a few reasons (nothing that isn't easily remedied, I'm just not inclined to bother because it might get posted for sale).
I might look into putting the green liners in my copper version, after which I would tweak the cf one during reassembly.
 
The copper version looks cool and price is pretty reasonable for a USA made knife using that much copper. Most manufacturers that do use copper charge a extra high premium for those models. I like the Damascus model also, but don’t know if I would ever spend the extra cost for it because there’s so many other nice choices at the price point. Overall, at the current pricing for standard carbon fiber/G10 USA made spider monkeys I find them to be a good value.

Sucks that you had a issue unfortunately anything man made will never be 100% all the time.Typically I will contact the maker and give them a chance to make anything right I’m not happy about, after all it’s my hard earned money. Most make it right quickly.

I worked as a quality inspector for nearly a decade before the owners sold company and new owners moved everything overseas. The original owner made Q-Inspectors work the floor for a minimum of 1 year and have a perfect employee record before you could apply to be a Q- Inspector. We had less than a .3% product return rate. Last I heard when the plant moved they made Q-Inspectors a entry level position with no requirements then returns were stupid high after that.

Point being all company’s will have a issue sooner or later. The company also sets the standards for Quality Control they are willing to accept. Unforeseen issues will happen how they back their product with customer service after the sale is also their choice. Good company’s stay in business, poor companies disappear eventually.
 
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One of the main reasons I purchased is that I’m a lefty and they offer a fully functioning left hand option.
 
Not really anything from a quality control perspective, especially since the knife was fully disassembled for the anodizing. The clip is too tight to get on anything, which I can adjust (with it being short & wide, I can't easily just lift the tip as I try to clip it. With focused effort, I can make it work on jeans; but I bought it to carry at work, and don't wear jeans there).
The pivot is a little tight... negatively affecting the smoothness I expected based on my copper & the cf I tried to make sure I wanted one; but, again, easily adjustable.
The real issue is simply that, after waiting 18 months for it to become available, I no longer really desired the knife. I had anticipated this response,but purchased anyway.
 
I've always liked the looks of the Southern Grind knives but they seem overpriced to me at this point, compared to other knives at the 100-200 dollar level. Might have to find a used one.
 
Sometimes me and a knife just don’t click also I normally move those down the road.

When you have several knives you have to cull the ones that just don’t give you that feeling.
 
Understood. I really like the copper spider monkey, and I bought a cf to make sure I liked it before pursuing the anodized one. (I planned on passing the first along to to a friend; but didn't end up seeing him for a while, so I sold it.) It's this one... and it's fixable.
I loosened the clip a tiny bit today by sliding the bevel of a pocket pry bar under it & leaving it for a few minutes. It's still tight; but I was better able to lift the tip & get the knife clipped. Probably one more time should do it. Didn't mess with the pivot adjustment; but I flushed it out & gave it a little lube. I'll give it a little time
 
JBC6650 said:
I've always liked the looks of the Southern Grind knives but they seem overpriced to me at this point, compared to other knives at the 100-200 dollar level. Might have to find a used one.
Click to expand...

I agree they’re not cheap. However, I think quality, materials, and f&f are on par with other knives in the price range.
 
hhmoore said:
Didn't mess with the pivot adjustment; but I flushed it out & gave it a little lube. I'll give it a little time
Click to expand...

Truth be told, my action was a bit gritty out of the box. I loosened the pivot (way loose) and flushed it with Zippo fluid. Then I hit it with compressed air and added a few drops of light weight oil. Super smooth after that!

I’ve also played around with Benchmade clips but went back to the stubby one.
 
Whenever I have a tight pocket clip any brand I normally put a penny under it for a day or so and it’s better.

Most production knives actions improve smoothness with some use. I really think a lot of knives (depending on design) are setup to be a-little tight so when they get used a few days they tune in perfect and aren’t loose/overly light feeling at that point.

To me that’s the advantage for a full custom knife often the maker takes time to tune/polish (pre-wear) the action then set the pivot tension so out of the box it’s stable & glass smooth perfect.
 
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Pinnacle64 said:
Whenever I have a tight pocket clip any brand I normally put a penny under it for a day or so and it's better
Click to expand...
Just a followup...
By the time I read this, my Spider Monkey was sitting on my desk with two quarters under the clip. I took them out when i got home from work the next morning; and, when I went to clip it on that evening, found it was just as tight as before. Frustrated, and a little annoyed, I took the aforementioned pocket pry and shoved it fully under the clip - once. The result was instant and, luckily, perfect (for me). I have since carried the spider monkey frequently.
Shown below - the pry bar (a little over 4 quarters, not quite 5, in thickness)
View attachment 1203257
 
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I just got a new Spider Monkey (red G-10) and my clip looks just like yours on the copper knife in post 13.

Good to see it is "within spec" or whatever, haha. I was worried it might be too loose, but I guess I'll find out as I carry it for a bit.
 
536B0B81-D366-4DAE-8884-0B28C0050C18.jpeg Looks much better to me after you adjusted it out more. My carbon fiber spider monkey had the tightest pocket clip of the five I own.
It’s a strong short clip also, very hard to bend one compared to other brands.

My three G10 (blue, red, jade) Spider monkeys were pretty much setup perfect out of the box. My copper model was also pretty much perfect out of box too.

While not a huge deal breaker for me I think Southern Grind could make sure the clips are all adjusted perfectly before boxing. It’s the small things a buyer appreciates when paying several hundred dollars for a knife. Without any gap between the scales and clip it’s too tight for normal use with this design.

I like the teal color liners on yours my Red G10 model has the blue lines it’s a nice custom looking touch to the look overall. Wish my carbon fiber model had them also

.
 
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