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Spyderco Advocate bearing Race A total Failure..

Discussion in 'Spyderco' started by UAB89, Jan 25, 2017.

Page 1 of 9
  1. Jan 25, 2017 #1
    UAB89

    UAB89 Gold Member Gold Member

    375
    Jan 5, 2015

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    So I bought the Spyderco advocate new from BladeHQ ~ a month ago.. I love the looks and ergonomics of the the knife and thus it has been my daily carry since receiving it.. over the past week or so the knife has gotten progressively more off center and the action has gotten worse.. I tried cleaning the knife and and Nano lube but the action got progressively worse..

    Today I decided to disassemble the knife and clean out the inside.. this is what I found.[​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    The washer is literally split in half.. to make matters worse I call customer service to see if maybe they would send me some washers.. they claim "they never send out internal parts and I would have to send in my knife in and likely pay for the repair because the knife has been dissembled.. seriously spyderco..


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  2. Jan 25, 2017 #2
    Jordan@DLT

    [email protected] Dealer / Materials Provider Dealer / Materials Provider

    551
    Jul 22, 2014
    Yeah there's been a couple of threads about this. Sal said they're working on it.
     
  3. Jan 25, 2017 #3
    Whitedog

    Whitedog

    786
    Dec 30, 2005
    Here is what I would do. Re assemble the knife and send it back to Spyderco. Doubt they keep record of who called about a knife they took apart.
     
  4. Jan 25, 2017 #4
    UAB89

    UAB89 Gold Member Gold Member

    375
    Jan 5, 2015
    Yeah this kind of total failure of the bearing race makes the knife unusable.. then to have customer service tell you that you have to send it in and Likly pay for them to put the same faulty washers in the knife is unacceptable..


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  5. Jan 25, 2017 #5
    AF

    AF KnifeMaker / Craftsman / Service Provider Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider

    4,531
    Jan 14, 2000
    I would hope that Spyderco would not charge you for disassembly. They put out a faulty design. And we've heard that they're working on a solution.
    Curious, how many openings would you say it took before this failure?
     
  6. Jan 25, 2017 #6
    UAB89

    UAB89 Gold Member Gold Member

    375
    Jan 5, 2015
    Yeah I would not try lying to them..they would be able to tell right away I took apart the knife 1 because of the scuffs I made trying to break the red loctite and 2 because I don't own red loctite and would reassemble with blue loctite..


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  7. Jan 25, 2017 #7
    UAB89

    UAB89 Gold Member Gold Member

    375
    Jan 5, 2015
    I fiddle with my knives when bored or watching tv so over the past month I would say a thousand or so..


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  8. Jan 25, 2017 #8
    AF

    AF KnifeMaker / Craftsman / Service Provider Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider

    4,531
    Jan 14, 2000
    Your ball for the detent looks like it developed a flat spot. Did the detent get weaker over time?
     
  9. Jan 25, 2017 #9
    uxo2

    uxo2 Gold Member Gold Member

    3,164
    Oct 3, 2013

    As for parts. They always have done that.

    You took it apart... That's on you.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2017
  10. Jan 25, 2017 #10
    UAB89

    UAB89 Gold Member Gold Member

    375
    Jan 5, 2015
    I wouldn't say the detent had gotten any weaker and I think that's probably related to the strong lockbar tension

    Yeah I didn't figure they would send parts but I have herd others on the past say that they called and were sent washers and screws ect so that was worth a shot.. at least that way I would not have to pay for postage and have them fix it..

    And yes I took it apart.. i have never owned many spydercos the majority of my collection is Chris reeve and traditional which dissemble not feasible and Chris reeves who actually encourage you to dissemble and clean your knives.. of the three spydercos I've owned the advocate, nirvana, and slysz I have dissembled cleaned and lubed all without incidence.. though spyderco may disagree I believe a company should stand behind their product and fix the knife it if an issue arises free of charge.. now if the problem were related to something I did during the disassembly I can see how I should be responsible for paying for the repairs.. but not secondary to regular maintenance



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  11. Jan 25, 2017 #11
    kurt6652

    kurt6652

    284
    Dec 9, 2008
    I am starting to think that bearings are something to avoid in future knife purchases for me. I have a couple of knives with bearings and my experience is that they are not smoother than my knives with washers.

    I hope you are able to get your knife repaired without being charged for it.
     
  12. Jan 25, 2017 #12
    Daniel

    Daniel

    2,906
    Oct 3, 1998
    Best photos of this problem that have seen! Good job!

    Mine is still at Spyderco!
     
  13. Jan 25, 2017 #13
    uxo2

    uxo2 Gold Member Gold Member

    3,164
    Oct 3, 2013
    OP.

    I wish you luck...

    Hopefully Sal will chime in and get right.

    No reason to believe You will be SOL
    on the disassembly.
     
  14. Jan 25, 2017 #14
    marcus52AR

    marcus52AR Gold Member Gold Member

    2,677
    Apr 22, 2014
    I thought these bearings and washers were very much like the Southard/Domino/Mantra?

    I had to send both my Southard and Domino in for repairs for pretty much the exact issue above. Have they made a design change for the advocate or is it the same bad formula?

    My Domino has been great since it came back from the spidie spa, I sold my Southard but it flipped great as well upon return. Love the Domino, not a fan of the bearing and pivot setup. I would happily swap to pb washers if I could.
     
  15. Jan 25, 2017 #15
    Lapedog

    Lapedog

    6,604
    Dec 7, 2016
    Isn't there a place youncan order new non bearing washers for dirt cheap? There must be.
     
  16. Jan 25, 2017 #16
    jpm2

    jpm2

    1,669
    Nov 19, 2014
    This exactly.
    Manufactures who weasel out of warranty issues should be questioned. I wouldn't expect this of Spyderco.
     
  17. Jan 25, 2017 #17
    UAB89

    UAB89 Gold Member Gold Member

    375
    Jan 5, 2015
    From my experience and the little bit of research I have done the bearing races appear to be thinner on the on the advocate than the southard I believe and also it appears that the bearings are also smaller that coupled with the strong lockbar pressure is where your problem arises..


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  18. Jan 25, 2017 #18
    Daniel

    Daniel

    2,906
    Oct 3, 1998
    They look like the same size to me. I have taken apart my Southard, but not my Advocate. My Southard washers and bearings look the same as the ones in your photo.

    My Southard was rough and then it wasn't, but I would expect it to chew through in time, also.
     
  19. Jan 25, 2017 #19
    Surfingringo

    Surfingringo Gold Member Gold Member

    3,581
    May 25, 2013
    Hi UAB89, I'm curious about this issue. Did you make any adjustments to the pivot in the month before you disassembled the knife? Like in an attempt to center the blade?
     
  20. Jan 25, 2017 #20
    AF

    AF KnifeMaker / Craftsman / Service Provider Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider

    4,531
    Jan 14, 2000

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    As far as I know, bearing race issues were first widely reported on the Mantra. And again, as far as I can tell, they were largely ignored by Spyderco. Now Spyderco has a lot of customers who don't trust their bearing pivots. It's gonna take time to restore that confidence.
    Don't get me wrong. I love Spyderco. Their 2017 catalog is miles better than the competition. I just wish they would have been a bit more proactive in this case.
     
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