Spyderco warranty?

[Paul Janulis]

How well does Spyderco gaurantee their products?

My everyday carry is a Spyderco. I am very happy overall with Spyderco products, by the way. But oddly, I chipped the blade really badly today. I never though it would happend, as I always felt confident in the ruggedness of Spyderco steel. And no, I wasn't doing anything particularly destructive where it would be considered abuse.

What are my options with this, other then the obvious one of paying out of pocket for a replacement?

Thanks in advance for the help,

Paul Janulis

 

[Paul Janulis]

Also, the knife was the Persian (not the newer Persian, though). And yes, I did read the warrenty page on the website.

Paul

 

[The Deacon]

You can send the knife to Spyderco, with an honest explaination of what caused the chip. They can then inspect the knife and determine whether the chip was caused by a manufaturing defect.

The unfortunate thing is that not everyone is aware that the trade off for the edge holding qualities of steels like VG-10 and S30V is increased brittleness and the resultant tendency to chip.

 

[Paul Janulis]

You can send the knife to Spyderco, with an honest explaination of what caused the chip. They can then inspect the knife and determine whether the chip was caused by a manufaturing defect.

The unfortunate thing is that not everyone is aware that the trade off for the edge holding qualities of steels like VG-10 and S30V is increased brittleness and the resultant tendency to chip.

Thanks for your reply. Couple of questions:

1. What's the response time if I send it, aprox.

2. I noticed on the warrenty page that there is a possibility of having the blade replaced for $25 plus $5 shipping IF the blade is in stock. Is that a viable option, or would replacing the blade decrease the performance of the knife (locking mechanism, etc - I wouldn't think it would, but it is worth asking)? Any idea if it is likely that my model, the original "Persian" would have blades in stock?

3. If what I was doing is not considered abuse, would a chip due to steel type be considered a "manufacturers defect," or would Spyderco consider it normal wear and tear?

I guess #3 is really what I am trying to find out here, mostly. Ultimatily I will call the company myself to get some answers when I am ready send my blade over, as I don't generally do business on Internet forums. I just thought I would get some quick answers here first for time effeciency.

Thanks again,

Paul Janulis

 

[4 s ter]

2. Any idea if it is likely that my model, the original "Persian" would have blades in stock?

It is unlikely that a blade would be in stock. Spyderco does not stock blades for the Japanese manufactured knives. The Persian, with its VG-10 blade is manufactured in Japan.

3. If what I was doing is not considered abuse, would a chip due to steel type be considered a "manufacturers defect," or would Spyderco consider it normal wear and tear?

Spyderco Warranty and Repair will have the ultimate answer, but simplistically a manufacturing defect is a defect - something has to wrong with the blade as it came from the factory. Such defects could be improper heat treatment or a flaw in the steel.

So far, you haven't stated specifically what you were doing to cause such damage. Something such as hitting a staple when cutting cardboard might be accidental and not really abuse, however it also isn't a manufacturing defect which would be covered by warranty.

Hopefully, you can see why we can give you a definitive answer via the internet. We can't see the damage, don't know what caused it, and can't do a microscopic inspection of the steel (as Spyderco can) to look for flaws. Contact Spyderco W&R, send the knife back to them and see what they say. The one thing you can count on is being treated fairly!!!

David

 

[smcfalls13]

You chipped a Persian?

That's impressive. Send it in. At the very least they should be able to regrind the blade to remove the chip(depending on how big we're talking)

 

[brownshoe]

They'll assess the blade. If for some odd reason they think it's their fault, manufacturing defect only, they will replace the knife if it can't be repaired (e.g. pinned construction, no spare parts for non-US knives). If not current stock they will give you your choice of current models in the same or lower price range. However, if they most likely decided it chipped due to normal use, not manufacturer's defect, they'll charge you to grind out the chip. If you know a good cutler locally, they'd probably due it for less.

 

[The Deacon]

1. What's the response time if I send it, aprox.

Generally a couple weeks, but that can vary due to workload.

2. I noticed on the warrenty page that there is a possibility of having the blade replaced for $25 plus $5 shipping IF the blade is in stock. Is that a viable option, or would replacing the blade decrease the performance of the knife (locking mechanism, etc - I wouldn't think it would, but it is worth asking)? Any idea if it is likely that my model, the original "Persian" would have blades in stock?

Actually Paul, what it says on the warranty page is that if the conditions mentioned below can be repaired (some damage being too severe to repair) then the cost will be $20 plus $5 for shipping. Please note the sentence I put in bold. As a general rule, the only knives where blades can be replaced are current production models which use all screw construction. The Persian is out of production and uses pin construction.

Blade or Edge -- broken tip from prying or dropping, destroyed edge due to improper sharpening, loose blade from abuse, rust due to neglect or other blade issues. (Spyderco is unable to replace blades in most models)

3. If what I was doing is not considered abuse, would a chip due to steel type be considered a "manufacturers defect," or would Spyderco consider it normal wear and tear?

I guess #3 is really what I am trying to find out here, mostly. Ultimatily I will call the company myself to get some answers when I am ready send my blade over, as I don't generally do business on Internet forums. I just thought I would get some quick answers here first for time effeciency.

Thanks again,

Paul Janulis

It would most likely be considered an accident.
Spyderco's warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse, misuse, loss, improper handling, alterations, accident, neglect, disassembly, or improper sharpening, or normal wear.

A call to Warranty & Repair is the best idea.

 

[Paul Janulis]

Thanks for the help everyone.

I will call and see what can be done with this, but you all have been helpful.



Paul