Spectre - Strange Knife

[jlauffer]

I recently purchased a Custom Series Spectre, and received it yesterday. The seller indicated that it was dull, and from the pics he sent I could see that the blade was way off center when closed, so I knew it wasn't perfect going in. Dullness from the factory seems to be a common complaint on these, and I figured I could fix or at least improve the blade centering.

I received the knife, and looking it over, it looked "bent", which would explain the blade being off center. Sure enough, I put a straight edge on both sides and there is a definite curve to the knife. The other issue this caused were visible gaps between the frame and handle scales (4th pic), as well as being able to feel the edge of the scales where it transitioned from the bolster.

So I took it all apart, thinking that I would be able to straighten it out and put it back together. The catalog claims that it has titanium liners (plural), but this is not the case. The non lock side only has a mild steel liner, which bends easily. The lock side liner has both steel and titanium layers. So I put it all back together, and it seemed to be straighter, but as I tightened everything down, it basically bent again. It's like all the tolerances stacked up one way on one side, and the other way on the other side, causing a mismatch between the two halves. So I loosened everything up again and stuck a plastic pen cap pocket clip between the liner and blade to force it over to the other side and tightened it all back up. The blade centering is not perfect, but better than before.

The other thing, which the seller did not disclose (2 out of 3 ain't bad lol), is that there are what appear to be sharpening scratches on one side of the blade. But it looks like they were already there when the blade was polished, as they themselves look polished if you know what I mean. I am pretty sure I read about this issue somewhere before, but can't find anything online.

So, this knife has been interesting to say the least.

Sorry for the picture quality. Before:

After:

 

[M31943]

I did not notice any of these flaws from the pictures( I actually made him an offer but you had beat me to it.). No titanium, how can that be? I have not heard of any knock off's. I wonder if Cold Steel could shed any light on it.

• Handle Material: Titanium frame w/ Micarta Scale Overlays
• Bolsters: Titanium~
  
  

 

[TinyDog]

Golly, I would be disappointed with your purchase and be sure to let the seller know.

 

[jlauffer]

Like I said, I knew this particular knife wasn't perfect, but in general I am surprised by the design of this knife. It is almost flimsy, especially compared to the other Custom Series models...if you hold it at each end (closed) you can flex it back and forth. I think the lack of a titanium liner on one side contributes to this. I know it is supposed to be the elegant "gentleman's folder" of the Custom Series, but think it could have been executed better.