Very Bummed with Spyderco's Warranty (again).

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I believe the blade is actually bent on this knife, but either way it results in the tang rubbing on the scale and the tip sitting off-center. I understand that knives are meant to cut stuff, but when a knife costs $150, you expect a high degree of quality and precision to come a long with the utility. I just feel that Spyderco did not listen to me when I told them a defect in a nice knife bothered me.

It may not look very off-center in the pics, but that is because the tang of the blade is resting against the scale and does not allow the blade to travel any farther over. If this is in QC specs, I have a lot less respect for Spyderco as a company.

I understand there are a lot of Spyderco fanboy's on this forum, and I can already see the subtle attacks coming because I did not adore this knife for what it is. I am not attacking Spyderco's design, just the fact that they let a sup-par product through QC and now won't make it right.

AF said:
It looks very slightly off-center. Not sure if that's what you mean by bent. I guess it's within their specs. Look at the Caly 3 - that doesn't have any washers so the blade gets rub marks immediately. So those marks aren't inherently a problem.
Also when you say they ground off a 1/16" of your mili blade, you mean when they sharpened it it ended up that much shorter? I find that hard to believe.
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If you measure the length of your blade (or know how far down the handle it sits when it's closed) and send a knife in for sharpening, it will usually come back significantly shorter. I've heard of people having more than a 1/16" ground off of Sebenza's even. I believe they use sharpening Jig's, so no matter how damaged the edge is you end up with a clean grind. The disadvantage to this is that it removes a lot of metal. I have had this happen to knives I sent into Benchmade as well, I heard that they get shorter, and so I look for it now.

GWashington1732 said:
That's caused by the liner, not a bend. It's is a common problem with a lot of liner locks that has a simple fix.
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The Native IV is a lockback, so lock pressure cannot cause a misalignment. I find a bit of misalignment in liner/frame locks to be acceptable because I understand the dynamics of the lock. When a lockback is off, something is not right.

vwb563 said:
I hate to say it, but it looks fine to me. Nothing man made is perfct. I have a Kershaw Leek and its blade is much more off centered than your knife.
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I'm not trying to sound snooty, but this is no Leek. This knife retails for around $150 and is now discontinued (that's why I can't get a replacement). I like this knife because it features excellent materials and workmanship (ideally). I have many knives to cut with, but once you pass the $100 mark, you are also paying for a healthy dose of quality and workmanship when you purchase a knife. I obviously did not get this knife for the sole intention of being able to cut stuff, I have Mora's and Opinel's for that.
 
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Try contacting Sal. The worst he can do is say no. It's worth a try isn't it?

Sure does make me leary of buying a new Spyderco.
 
DaveH said:
Is the original post a joke?

That's the only way I can make sense of it. Your photo's show what may be a slightly off center blade.
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We obviously value different things in a knife, please don't knock me for not wanting my knives to hit the scale. The blade does not go any farther over because the washers are so thin that the blade hits the scale and prevents the tip from traveling farther over.
 
Please take a photo of a side shot of the open blade. Does it rub at the tang or half way down the edge?
 
Wow! I'm really surprised to hear this :( I've been a Spyder-head for quite some time and I've had several dealings direct with the company and I've never been treated the way some of you guys say you have :confused:

Hey and listen to me I'm not at all trying to be disagreeable with you guys nor am I doubting any of you. But my experiences have been great as far as any problems I needed to get resolved with them.

I'm wondering if they have a new Warranty and repair person by chance? Because the past 2 ladies I've dealt with ( Amanda & Charlyn) have both been great to me.

Now I will say this about their SFO outlet. I did get some very rude treatment from them over the phone less than 2 weeks ago. I called them to ask about their new sharpening device called the Goldenstone and the woman I talked to was not nice at all and I almost called the main office and reported her but I didn't because times are hard now and I figured she might be terribly stressed out.

But I've personally not encountered the problems you guys have been subjected to. I sure hope there is a plausible explanation for this. >> JD
 
I too have a Native 4 and the blade does "touch" the liners opening and closing. Still think it's a capable knife that cuts very well and locks up tight. Think it is a bit unacceptable, I paid $99 shipped. A bit much for vg10 and a blade that rubs, but you are getting carbon fiber, drilled out liners, an extremely thin blade that slices great. Other than the "scratching" that has slowly stopped after the break in period it's an awesome knife.

Of my 24 spydies this is the only one that dampened my spirit on spydercos QC. With that said im still a happy customer.
 
michaelmcgo said:
I'm not trying to sound snooty, but this is no Leek. This knife retails for around $150 and is now discontinued (that's why I can't get a replacement). I like this knife because it features excellent materials and workmanship (ideally). I have many knives to cut with, but once you pass the $100 mark, you are also paying for a healthy dose of quality and workmanship when you purchase a knife. I obviously did not get this knife for the sole intention of being able to cut stuff, I have Mora's and Opinel's for that.
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Yes I understand it's no Leek. And I can understand what you are saying but like I said, even my Sebenza is ever so slightly off center and look at what they cost new! I try not stress over material things because there are too many much more important things like ones health to worry over.
 
michaelmcgo said:
The Native IV is a lockback, so lock pressure cannot cause a misalignment. I find a bit of misalignment in liner/frame locks to be acceptable because I understand the dynamics of the lock. When a lockback is off, something is not right.
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Oh, most of my lockbacks are just slightly off centered but none rub the frame.
 
Man, before this thread, I'd heard nothing but good things about Spyderco's CS :confused:...this kind of thing definitely makes me think twice about buying another Spyderco :thumbdn:.
 
Maybe you guys are right and I'm just being picky. I know it is still a very nice knife, and I am very privileged to be able to own knives like this. I also know that even though it touches the liner it still functions just fine. I guess this started out as a Spyderco CS rant, but I think I'll EDC this for a week and see how I feel. Thanks for the comments everyone, I guess I've got to get my priorities straight :)
 
Man, all of this talk about Spyderco and here I had just put on my shopping list for this year to buy a Military. I just checked my Buck Tempest ATS-34 auto assist and it is straight but closes more to one side because of the liner lock.
 
You got a great deal on them, and you knew exactly what you was getting ;)


The Native's blade is NOT "bent."


And the Caly 3's never had washers... :cool:
 
So-Lo said:
You got a great deal on them, and you knew exactly what you was getting ;)


The Native's blade is NOT "bent."


And the Caly 3's never had washers... :cool:
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So I take it the OP aquired these knives on the secondary market - as a second buyer?
 
IMO a blade that is off center was not made correctly as in something ( pivot , frame etc) is bent or misaligned.

If you cannot dissasemble the knife completely and start over , like I've done on a few of mine then you either have to live with it or hopefully exchange it for a better one.

Unfortunatly this is one of the bad things about buying a knife online without being able to actually hold it and see it before you purchase it.

Sorry to hear about you guy's bad experiences , that said a good customer service/warranty would take care of those problems correctly and efficeintly.

Once bitten , thrice shy :)


Tostig
 
Spyderco's warranty procedures have certainly taken some flack over the years, mostly over the lack of a backlog of replacement parts.
The best explanation I have is that Spyderco is too small. We need to buy more of their stuff until they can build a huge warehouse to store all the replacement parts we'll ever need.

The blade on the Native 4 very well may be warped, it's not unheard of. The trouble is that no manufacturer can eliminate these issues entirely. Unless you want to pay for a Sebenza.
Whether the blade is warped or just off center, the rub can probably be fixed. With the knife closed, loosen off all the screws, stuff some paper in the handle so that the blade is held tight against the opposite side of the rub, then tighten the screws.
I've fixed one very bad rub, and many off center blades this way (you can also slide the liners around to adjust liner locks).
 
The original post said the Native blade was rubbing on the liners, the second post said it touched the liners only at the tang. IMHO, blades touching liners at the tang is not a problem and is common for many knives with thin washers. Some people like it tight because it keeps dirt out of the pivot area.

If the blade is not centered, this is an asthetic problem as long as it doesn't touch the liners. However as the knife ages, it may touch, that's why I always look for centered blades. IMHO a centered blade from Day Zero is a sign of quality...irrespective of "QC tolerances."

When it comes to "It should make no difference how much a product costs, If it is not right for the customer, it should be repaired or a refund given with no questions asked." That's not the spyderco way. They only fix manufacturing defects (for free) and since they don't stock many parts, they really don't do significant repairs for any knives other than current US production.
 
Blades should be centered, at least when it's brand new out of the box. I've sent back Benchmade and Emerson knives that were off center and they came back fixed no problem.
 
Now I know this has nothing to do with your recent warranty claim but I do have a story to share that relates. A long time ago I sent in a Police that had basically been butchered. The original serrations had been ground off. The original clip and screws had been ground off. The knife had been thru a couple of world wars. It was junk. I didn't know anything about Spyderco other than what the son of a local farmer had told me about his dad having a Spyderco that he sent off once a year to get sharpened. He carried the knife for twelve months and sent it off once a year along with a check for five bucks. What a deal right? So I aquired this Police in a swap and sent it off with a note to let me know how much repairs would be. Instead of a return letter, Spyderco sent back my original check (for five dollars) along with a note saying the lock was "defective". A brand new (in box) Police, and a letter saying that they will never do this again. I was floored. But "never do this again"??? Er. I didn't ask you to "do it" in the first place. But whatever. I was freakin lovin it! Been a Spyderco customer ever since. Never sent one back under warranty since either as I've been "warned". Oh well. Cant ask for better treatment. Cheers.
 
I would consider that blade more than slightly offcentered. I consider a slightly offcentered blade to be one you have to look closely at to tell it's offecentered. IMO that's very offecentered and although Spyderco is probably my favorite company and I have more Spydercos than any other knife, I don't like how every knife I have gotten from there Japan makers are always offecenter and they range from slightly to very offcenter and them not making it right is even more bothersome.
 
I have been where the OP is with Spyderco service. I picked up a Lava a while back that, when closed, would wiggle from side to side and touch either liner with extremely small amounts of pressure and would wobble with no pressure... just a little shake. When open it had side to side and vertical play. I sent them an email and they said to send it in. I did (along with my $5... the money you are supposed to get back if they find the knife defective).... Spyderco cashed my check, sharpened a NEW knife, and wrote me a letter explaining how the knife was of foreign origin and they had no way of fixing it. They also had no replacement knives in stock. So, I got the knife they admit was defective, with uneven bevels from a sharpening that was not needed, and a terse letter.

With all that said, I still own a few Spyderco knives and am generally satisfied with their QC and products and have actually had a positive experience with their CS, but, when they drop a stinker on you they go all the way.
 
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