Uneven grind Spyderco BushcraftUK G10

GooberBoober

GooberBoober

Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
691
Hello fellow Bushcraft owners.

I recently bought a Spyderco Bushcraft & noticed the grind on mine is pretty uneven. There's almost a mm (0,8 or 0,9) difference between the left & right side as far as I can measure with the instruments I have available. I was wondering if this falls under acceptable manufacturing discrepancies or that mine simply escaped quality control's attention? I've never owned such an expensive knife before & specifically chose this production Bushcraft knife over a custom one because I was hoping this would assure a certain quality and standard since this will be my main tool on a longer stay in the woods of Sweden next spring/summer/fall, so I was a bit disappointed to see such an uneven grind on the blade. Of course I could just fix it myself, but to be honest I feel I shouldn't have to spend hours working on a knife that costed more than 200 Euros. If that's what I wanted I would have just gotten an affordable Condor or something similar instead.

Am I just being a whiner here, or is this too much of a difference indeed?

I tried to capture it but my photography skill are pretty non-existent so I hope it shows:

osa0.jpg



I contacted Spyderco about the issue as well but I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Does anyone know how long it usually takes them to get back to someone perhaps?
 
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That would be acceptable for me but you're the one that has to live with it. If you don't like it then send it back. It won't hinder cutting performance if that's what you're worried about.
 
I'm not familiar with the tolerances of that particular model, but every Spyderco I've bought recently has visible flaws. Uneven grinds, off center blades, inconsistent machine marks.

The only reason that the abundance of flaws bothers me is because there are so many fakes going around, and many people cite those same flaws as proof that a knife is fake, even they're fairly common in the legitimate production knives. I only notice some of the flaws because I look so hard at the details due to the prevalence of fakes. I know all my knives are legitimate because they come from verifiable sources and I have become pretty well versed in the details of both the legitimate models and the fakes.

Otherwise, the uneven Military I have cuts better than the even one - the off centered PM2 has a great action. They don't affect the function, and a lot aren't noticeable to a quick look. I wouldn't sweat it.
 
If it bugs you all that much then just proceed to see if spyderco will exchange it for you. I understand spending a lot of money on something and it not being how you expected. BUT from the photo it seems like the flaw is fairly minor IMO. If this is going to be a user if it was me I wouldnt sweat it. I have said this before it is all a matter of what you are comfortable with. If you think that keeping it as is would bother you to the point where you would be uncomfortable with it and unable to enjoy it, just send it back. If you think that you wont even notice, you are comfortable with it, and its not a big deal, then just keep it and use it. Good luck!
 
I've bought lower end customs in that price range with similarly uneven grinds, so I think that "perfect" commands a somewhat higher price premium.
For a user it shouldn't make any difference.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. Cutting ability won't suffer at all and it will even out eventually as you use and sharpen the knife.
 
Keep in mind that Spyderco hand grinds most of their blades. There will always be some variation between grinds because most people aren't perfect (except me of course ;))
 
Thanks for the replies guys, appreciate it!

It does bug me a little, the perfectionist I am, but it is a user and as long as it doesn't interfere with the performance of the knife I can probably learn to live with it. My biggest worry is that this would mean the angle of the grind can also be off & that that would effect the performance of the blade as it was intended.

But if this is a regular discrepancy for Spyderco then this will be the last "higher-end" Spyderco I'll buy as I simply expected better from them (I'm not saying my expectations might be too high, but that's how it is) & I definitely wouldn't have bought the knife if I had known it could have this issue beforehand. I read every review and thread I could find about this knife before I decided to buy it & there was never any mention of a flaw like this, so I just didn't expect it.

As for exchanging it (assuming they would offer it): I'm a little weary about it not getting back to me in time as shipping to or from the USA can sometimes take up to 6 to 8 weeks, especially when customs decide to take their sweet time (as has happened to me before). The knife and I are leaving for the woods in about 2 and a half months and if all goes well we probably won't return to civilization until September at best, so I'm afraid this is not an option right now.
 
I had a reply all typed out, but chose not to go there because it would not have made much difference or sense. I will say that if perfection is what you seek, stop buying production knives first of all. Perfect costs a heck of a lot more than what this knife retails for. Second, if you consider the cost of this knife to be "high endish", you need to do some more shopping around and see what other fixed blades cost from some other companies. If the "issue" is intolerable at best, return to the place of purchase. Ask the store to hand inspect and pick the very best sample they have available. The backhanded compliments made in some other responses were not really necessary, but there you have it.


MJF said:
Keep in mind that Spyderco hand grinds most of their blades. There will always be some variation between grinds because most people aren't perfect (except me of course ;))
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They do? I don't ever remember reading about that. They hand sharpen their knives, but as far as grinding the stock I was not aware of that part.
 
Rev, I could be wrong, but considering that this one is Zero ground, figured it might hold true.
 
RevDevil said:
I had a reply all typed out, but chose not to go there because it would not have made much difference or sense. I will say that if perfection is what you seek, stop buying production knives first of all. Perfect costs a heck of a lot more than what this knife retails for. Second, if you consider the cost of this knife to be "high endish", you need to do some more shopping around and see what other fixed blades cost from some other companies. If the "issue" is intolerable at best, return to the place of purchase. Ask the store to hand inspect and pick the very best sample they have available. The backhanded compliments made in some other responses were not really necessary, but there you have it.
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First off, I called it a higher-end Spyderco, not a high end knife.

You have some good suggestions in general, but unfortunately buying one from a brick&mortar store simply wasn't an option for me.

The only brick&mortar store I could find that sells this knife in my country is a chain of stores in hiking and camping goods, but the one in my area didn't stock the knife so they'd have to order one if I wanted to buy it there. I didn't, because they ask a whopping 289,- Euro for it, that's almost 400 US$ at today's rates. So I chose to order one from the US directly which saved me almost a 120 US$, even after taxes & customs fees. I don't know why but for some reason everything is much more expensive here in Europe compared to the USA, even when the product is made right here in Europe. We do pay higher taxes here, but this only accounts for a small part of the differences.

But you must be right in that my expectations may have been to high, I'll definitely take the custom route next time.

I heard back from Spyderco as well but they want me to send the knife in before they can tell if the knife has a warranty issue or not, but as I explaned that really isn't an option for me right now, so I just have to give them the benefit of a doubt on this one.

I guess it's time to soak the stones & just fix it myself.
 
I'd say don't bother fixing it. It doesn't look off enough to cause an issue. Just use it and enjoy it. Once you get a few marks on it and it's no longer all pretty and new, you will probably forget all about the grind.
 
You think that's bad, try spending 249 euros ($338,00) on a ZT0300 BW only to find it has a lockbar that looks to lock up early but moves to about 80% lock up at the slightest pressure and becomes sticky to boot.
 
I think if you're measuring the inconsistencies with tools, and coming up with less than a mm, you may want to sit back and reflect on how you choose to use the knife. I'm not meaning to be overly critical at all, so hope it's not coming off as such. I just mean if you want that knife to be your main tool for some woods time, it's going to end up a lot "worse" than that after your first trip.

I may or may not have noticed that myself, but even if I had, I don't think it would bother me at all. After you use it for some work, you're going to end up with more flaws than that. If it's a bushcraft knife with bushcraft uses, you're going to sharpen it on all kinds of medium depending on where you are, and that grind won't last long. It's probably better than the grind it will end up with.

I say use it and enjoy it - those are nice knives, and it's not going to affect performance at all. Own your tools. Don't let your tools own you.
 
Is the grind uneven across the length of the blade as well, or is it just the tip?

Send it back mate. Spending big money should leave you with a guilty smile, not doubts!
 
NetshadeX said:
You think that's bad, try spending 249 euros ($338,00) on a ZT0300 BW only to find it has a lockbar that looks to lock up early but moves to about 80% lock up at the slightest pressure and becomes sticky to boot.
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I feel for ya, but that's pretty unlikely to happen to me since I probably won't ever pay that much for a folder personally mate :rolleyes:

It does suck & I hope you get it sorted out though!


Samon said:
Is the grind uneven across the length of the blade as well, or is it just the tip?

Send it back mate. Spending big money should leave you with a guilty smile, not doubts!
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It's over the entire length of the blade, so at least whoever did it was consistent ;) I just used a picture of the tip because I thought that would show the difference best.

Thanks for understanding my initial feelings anyway. If I there was time I would try to have it replaced, but I can't be sure there is enough time to ship it the US and back so I decided to life with it. Luckily the knife is still good enough to keep me smiling
thumbsupsmiley.gif



[SUB]...& if I still feel sad about it after my first adventure with the Bushcraft I'll just have to cheer myself up with an even nicer knife when I get back.. :D

[/SUB]
philllll said:
I'd say don't bother fixing it. It doesn't look off enough to cause an issue. Just use it and enjoy it. Once you get a few marks on it and it's no longer all pretty and new, you will probably forget all about the grind.
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MOCraig said:
I think if you're measuring the inconsistencies with tools, and coming up with less than a mm, you may want to sit back and reflect on how you choose to use the knife. I'm not meaning to be overly critical at all, so hope it's not coming off as such. I just mean if you want that knife to be your main tool for some woods time, it's going to end up a lot "worse" than that after your first trip.

I may or may not have noticed that myself, but even if I had, I don't think it would bother me at all. After you use it for some work, you're going to end up with more flaws than that. If it's a bushcraft knife with bushcraft uses, you're going to sharpen it on all kinds of medium depending on where you are, and that grind won't last long. It's probably better than the grind it will end up with.

I say use it and enjoy it - those are nice knives, and it's not going to affect performance at all. Own your tools. Don't let your tools own you.
Click to expand...



Thanks for the level headed response, that's probably the best way of looking at it. It was just a little hard to swallow initially. I've been a knife-nut for most of my life but had never spend so much on a knife before. I just didn't expect this after spending this kind of money (I know I know, there are a lot more expensive knives out there, but for me this really was a lot of money to spend on a single knife) & from the quality I usually see with this brand.

Anyways, I've been using it ever since I got it and it is good bit of kit otherwise, it pretty much has everything I've always been looking for in a knife honestly. The only other knives I own or have owned that cut this well are Mora knives, but this one takes a lot more abuse & holds it's edge much longer, not too mention the super nice grip the handle provides. I'm really impressed with this steel as well, I'm finally getting to a point that I can finally notice it gets a little duller. Just a little though.. crazy knife...

But as it happens I dropped it on a gravel surface yesterday. It was from less than a feet high (I was squatting down when it happened), but it did chip the edge slightly so I really have a reason to familiarize myself with it on the stones now. I Might as well get some practise before I have to do it with just a DC4 in the field later on
thumbsupsmiley.gif
 
I think that if you look at the edge bevels on most production knives that are hand sharpened, you will see a slight difference in angle. The thing with the bushcraft is the edge bevel is so wide that it's easier to spot the inconsistencies.
 
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