Spyderco Warranty Question

[LightGuy]

I have been close to pulling the trigger on a Gayle Bradley for some time now. The only thing holding me back are stories about the hardness of the blade and chipping issues.

This brings me to the question of the warranty. I didn't look into it before, but it doesn't look like it is a "no questions asked" lifetime warranty. It looked to me like a good attorney wrote it and there are lots and lots of criteria that need to be met in order for the warranty to cover a Spyderco.

So based on your experience, if I was using the knife to carve wood and the blade chipped, would Spyderco fix/replace it?

Thanks for your insights.

 

[The Deacon]

Definitely would depend on why it chipped. If the determined it chipped due to a defect, they'd replace it. Otherwise, they'd resharpen it. However, since you're already aware the of the inherent properties of M-4, perhaps you'd be better served by softer, more chip resistant steel.

Paul

My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
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[Reeek]

Honestly, I haven't seen a lot of print on the GB chipping under normal use. Did I miss something?

 

[freedoom]

Are you going to be battoning railroad tracks with it?

A small chip is easy enough to take out with the sharpmaker, although i have no experience with m4 i have done it with 1095 and s30v. if it's a big enough chip you can send it in to spyderco for reprofiling and sharpening but you just need a few minutes on the brown stones on the sharpmaker with small chips.

 

[LightGuy]

Honestly, I haven't seen a lot of print on the GB chipping under normal use. Did I miss something?

Probably not.. I only saw one mention of it, but the way my mind works I latched onto it... it wasn't even carving wood like my example, but it was removing a staple from a piece of cardboard. I guess I thought a hard use knife would be able to do something I would consider relatively light work, but I'm sure it could happen to any blade.

I was really just interested in the "what if" if I decide to plunk down the cash for this knife. It's definitely too heavy to be a light user, so I would definitely use it hard and wanted to see what the warranty would be like if it didn't like the hard use so much.

 

[freedoom]

but it was removing a staple from a piece of cardboard.

Get yourself a widgy bar from countycomm or equivalent mini-prybar. I keep their smallest one on my keychain and the largest one in my EDC pocket organizer. They save your knife for cutting so you don't chip the blade or break the tip

 

[RevDevil]

Probably not.. I only saw one mention of it, but the way my mind works I latched onto it... it wasn't even carving wood like my example, but it was removing a staple from a piece of cardboard. I guess I thought a hard use knife would be able to do something I would consider relatively light work, but I'm sure it could happen to any blade.

I was really just interested in the "what if" if I decide to plunk down the cash for this knife. It's definitely too heavy to be a light user, so I would definitely use it hard and wanted to see what the warranty would be like if it didn't like the hard use so much.

I've used my GB, HARD it's one of the 2 best knives that Spyderco has made. It's cut drywall, pryed at least a couple dozen of those thick copper/brass staples from cardboard, cut hundreds of data/phone/4 conductor cables, and open a couple paint cans with it in the last 10 months. I have only sharpened the knife twice and it's still in terrific shape. As far as the knife being too heavy, I just don't understand why people say that about a knife weighing 5.5 ounces, my only suggestion is "Hit the gym and pick up some weights!"
If you want to remove staples:
1. Try using some needle nose pliers
2. Small prybar
3. Use your knife, and lift the spine end up NOT the blade. You are exerting the most force on thinest part of the knife. Obviously you are going to break it.

 

[LightGuy]

I've used my GB, HARD it's one of the 2 best knives that Spyderco has made. It's cut drywall, pryed at least a couple dozen of those thick copper/brass staples from cardboard, cut hundreds of data/phone/4 conductor cables, and open a couple paint cans with it in the last 10 months. I have only sharpened the knife twice and it's still in terrific shape. As far as the knife being too heavy, I just don't understand why people say that about a knife weighing 5.5 ounces, my only suggestion is "Hit the gym and pick up some weights!"
If you want to remove staples:
1. Try using some needle nose pliers
2. Small prybar
3. Use your knife, and lift the spine end up NOT the blade. You are exerting the most force on thinest part of the knife. Obviously you are going to break it.

Thanks RedDevil - your post sold me on the Gayle Bradley. I need to stop staring at it online and buy it already... I like to hear you've been able to use it hard and it just laughs. I don't know why but I began thinking the blade was so hard it would be as brittle as glass.. from what you're saying it sounds like I'd have a pretty hard time damaging it within normal "knife" uses.

BTW - what's the other best knife Spyderco has made?

 

[RevDevil]

Military of course. Or is it the Para2? Hmm, so many great choices. At any rate, get yourself the GB, once you hold and use the knife, you will wonder why you waited.

 

[Ankerson]

If someone chips out the M4 on a GB at what Spyderco HT's at they have really screwed up bad.

They have either really thinned it out way too much and or been trying to cut rocks with it.

 

[brownshoe]

Per your actual question,

So based on your experience, if I was using the knife to carve wood and the blade chipped, would Spyderco fix/replace it?

Spyderco would replace the blade if their tests indicated it chipped due to a manufacturing defect (e.g. poor heat treat.) Spyderco would grind the chip out and charge you for it ($25?) if not a manufacturer's defect.