Brand new knife, very small snapped tip??

[Darksoda13]

Hi everyone, long time reader first time poster. I apologise in advance for the lengthy detail to my post.

I recently came upon my local Australian Spyderco dealer having a Spyderco Matriarch 2 for sale. I bought it and it was sent to me in the post.

When I received the knife I notice quite a lot of cloth fibres/lint on the blade, and what looked like thick knife oil coating the blade. By the look of it I assumed it has been displayed in store and that the dealer had wiped it down and reboxed it for the sale (as he displays knives with their blades deployed under the showcase counters).

I also notice the tip looked ‘bluntish’ compared to my Civilian, that I’d bought from the same dealer. I was a little dissapointed, but thought that maybe it is because my Matriarch 2 didn’t come with a ‘DO NOT USE AS EDC BLADE, WARRANTY VOID IF USED FOR UTILITY TASKS’ papers. I’m still unsure if the Matriarch 2 comes with that same warning tag/paperwork I found in my Civilian case/packaging??

I inspect the knife, slow roll open it several times, using two hands to close the blade each time. I also flick it open with my thumb, maybe two or three times, closing it two handed again. I then put the knife away as it came.

Now, to the point, or lack thereof!!…

2-3 days later I pull the knife storage case out and have a look at both the Matriarch and the Civilian. I pull both out and compare the length and shape of the ‘reverse s’ blades. I once again notice the drastic difference in sharpness of the tip of the Matriarch when compared to the Civilian. I look closer this time, and notice that the Matriarch has a small part of the tip missing. Now this is maybe .5mm (half a millimeter), not half an inch, but there is definitely a diamond shaped piece of the tip missing, leaving a ‘angled double tip’ when I look quite close, and a blunt tip when looked at from a foot away or more.

I am unsure of what to do with the knife.

•I’m not very keen to return it, as the Matriarch 2 is a little difficult to source from local Australian dealers.

•I also was very happy and relieved to have received the ‘older shape’ with the more pronounced curve to the blade, after finding that newer production models have had some quite recent CQI with a much less dramatic curve to the knives shape and tip.

•I am aware that I can repair by sharpening the small missing part from the blade/ spine of the tip, but this is a new knife, paid for as a new knife, and I want it ‘factory’ for my collection. This would be something that I have not done with a knife I care about before, and I don’t feel confident I can get the tip to a satisfactory shape.

•I also live in Australia, so sending it to the Spyderco Factory is a bit of a stretch when I could probably have it fixed myself in 10 minutes with a piece of fine sandpaper.

•Also, additionally the front of the Spyderco box was quite scuffed, but not crushed/torn. All other knives I have received from this dealer look as if they have come straight from the factory. This box looks like it has a lot of shop wear, or that perhaps the knife is a return from another customer, put back up for sale.

I really don’t know what to do!! I want the knife for my collection, and don’t want to have to deal with returning this knife, then going through the process of ordering from a vendor in the US, then waiting a month for it to arrive.

I feel that buying a knife with a uneven bevel is somewhat disappointing, but I accept it, as it is factory new. This snapped tip is completely unacceptable for a knife bought for full price, as a new knife.

Any ideas?? Thank you in advance, J

[Scandi Grind]

I guess it depends on what you want it for. I use all my knives, and inevitably they dull and I sharpen them. Even though I might collect knives, they are all users, so for me it would be simple, either sharpen till the chip is gone, or file the top of the tip down to meet the undamaged edge. If it is just for collection purposes, you could try to get it replaced, but obviously if it is not intended to be used, the little chip isn't hurting anything other than looks if that bothers you. I can't really advise if it is a collection piece though because I don't keep any knife in pristine condition anyway, so it could have just as well have been me that chipped it. I would just fix it to restore optimal performance and not think anything of it.

[Cheddarnut]

Maybe you could leave it at your local coffee shop. In the tip jar.

[twinboysdad]

Maybe you could leave it at your local coffee shop. In the tip jar.

Just the tip?

[TkoK83Spy]

I have a Matriarch 2 and that tip looks nothing like a Matriarch.

[Wartstein]

I respect your issue, but honestly: This looks neglectable to me personally, so tiny, would be a very easy fix (I would not bother with this though) or takes just a few sharpenings to go away....

And, if you use your knives: Tips will look like this or "worse" quite often, right?

[Xplorer]

Yep, there's a piece missing. If it were mine I'd just remember I learned something about the dealer that sold it and I'd sharpen the tip until it's restored. The missing piece is so small it won't take much effort to bring the tip back.

[Hopsbreath]

If it was an easier swap, yeah I’d potentially do that. But given your scenario, sharpen it out and use it. Can’t remember who said it but I once read a recommendation to go out in your driveway and Gronk spike a new knife so you’ll feel better about using it going forward.

[MFlovejp]

I believe your suspicions are correct and that this knife is not in an “untouched from factory” state.

[Darksoda13]

Thank you everyone for the replies!! Very helpful, and I did like the ‘get a coffee at the cafe and leave it in the tip jar (just the tip)’ joke comments…
I did enjoy your input on this topic!!

This knife is for my non user ‘safequeen’ collection. Purely owned for the sake of collecting interesting and unusual factory BNIB condition knives. A couple have slightly uneven grinds but no other issues. I also keep these knives BNIB to keep the resale value. I can afford to own them for my enjoyment of simply owning them, but one day may not be in this position, and I’m sure the potential next owner would prefer them in factory condition too, if being sold as BNIB.

For actual use I opt for my Spydie S110V PM2, and my Cold Steel Recon 1 for package opening, mail opening, household tasks and processing cardboard boxes when doing ‘meals on wheels’ type food delivery that I volunteer for. Those are my users, beaters, and knives that I accept I use, sometimes abuse, and have accepted already if they get lost.

I also have kept it in mind that if the shop is willing or capable of doing this, they may do it again, and I am aware that they may have not even noticed the tip having been damaged when selling it.

I now have a decision to make amongst the two options below. Either…
A) I will call the shop and have a chat to them, or
B) just keep the knife as is, left untouched for now, and if I decide to use the knife repair the tip by bringing the spine down to meet the edge. This should be an easy fix.

I understand this is quite a small (pun intended) issue, though I thank you all for your replies. It’s very much appreciated.
Cheers, J

[Cheddarnut]

Maybe you could leave it at your local coffee shop. In the tip jar.

Just the tip?

Adjust the tip.

[Darksoda13]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I feel that I have decided that the knife is now mine. I will hold onto it.

A lesson is learnt about the business I bought from, and that the knife will stay with the collection as is.

If I was to use the knife I would bring the spine down to meet the undamaged edge. Lesson learnt.

Cheers for the replies

[ChrisinHove]

You’re unhappy, which is why you have posted here.

The vendor is a knife retailer. Someone there will have done this / spotted this, and decided to still sell it as new. That is unacceptable.

Send it back. There are other knives.

[zhyla]

60 seconds with a stone or a few sheets of sandpaper will let you knock the spine back until you get a proper point. I can’t tell if the blade is coated or not. If it isn’t then you can polish the spine to the point this isn’t noticeable.