I'm conflicted about the Spitfire

J

JayC783

Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Messages
120
As some here probably know, I am a huge fan of the Spitfire. For me, it is the perfect size. It feels great in my hand. It's thin and very light. I have forgotten it's in my pocket on more than one occasion. I like the blade shape. I love how easy it is for me to open one handed. I can easily flick it open and closed. However, lately I've been feeling a bit jaded about the Spitfire. I have two Spitfires - a standard orange one and a black one with S35VN steel. I'll get to why I'm feeling jaded in a bit, but first here's the differences between the two Spitfires.

Orange Spitfire:
  • The date on the box says 3-7-16
  • Smooth action
  • Tight lockup
  • Virtually no blade play
  • Smooth edges on the handle and jimping

Black Spitfire:
  • The date on the box says 10-31-16
  • Gritty-ish action
  • Tight lockup
  • Some vertical blade play. It's nothing major, but it's enough for me to notice it. It's become a minor annoyance. I find myself fidgeting with the blade moving it up and down while it is locked open. :o It was especially noticeable when I was cutting some zip ties. The orange one did not produce this feeling when I cut zip ties with it.
  • The edges and jimping on the handle feel a bit more aggressive than on the orange Spitfire. It's not uncomfortable by any means, but it's noticeable.
  • When locked open, the lockbar sticks farther above the handle than with the orange Spitfire. On the orange one, the lockbar is pretty much flush with the handle when the blade is locked open. The lockbar is easier to push down on the black one, too.
  • The main pivot screw moves up and down ever so slightly when the blade is locked open, and I move the blade up and down. The orange one does not do that.
  • The same pivot screw, and the insert it's screwed into, can be rotated slightly by just pushing it. The orange one does not do that.

Not too long ago a family member got a Vantage Pro. I got to check it out. It felt pretty good to hold, although I think I still prefer the Spitfire. The action was smooth, and it locked up solid. There was no blade play whatsoever. I like the thumb hole on the Spitfire a lot more than with the Vantage Pro. It was also extremely sharp out of the box. After checking out that Vantage Pro, it left me feeling a bit jaded about the Spitfire. I prefer the ergonomics of the Spitfire, but it just makes me wonder how two knives of the same type can be as different as they are. I like the better steels of S30V and S35VN over the standard 420HC. That's why I still find myself using the black Spitfire more. Being black with a stonewashed finish just looks cool, too. :D

I don't want it to sound like I'm being nitpicky. I really didn't intend to. After owning the two Spitfires for awhile, these are just the things that I have noticed between the two. I think the Spitfire is so close to being perfect. Buck just needs to get some of the gremlins worked out.
 
Out of several Spitfires I can find a little something to pick about with all of them however there is and never will be a knife made that someone, some where can't find something wrong with. The main thing for me is that none of the "imperfections" with my Spitfires has prevented me from using them on a daily basis to cut things which is what I expect them to do.
 
I've been lucky, I own two and they are both free of any issues. I've heard from many people about the blade play and that would bug me enough to send it in for a repair.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
It looks like a knife that checks a lot of boxes for me. Unfortunately, I have never tried one due to the issues mentioned here. I know it would still be a usable knife, but it would bug the heck out of me.
 
too small for my needs. like everything about it except the size.

its rare i find any back lock from any brand that doesn't start with some up and down play or develops it after time from using it. used to drive me crazy until i realized its just what can and will happen. i try to focus on its a tool and as long as the tool still works dont worry about it. im assuming its very minor play though not a dangerous amount where the lock can slip open?
 
I have looked at several Spitfires and all had blade play, some significant. This has been a while back and I cannot comment on current production.
 
Yeah, the play isn't something I would call major or anything. It doesn't feel dangerous at all. I guess I'm just a little surprised at the inconsistency between the two knives. I would have thought that something mostly crafted by a machine would be pretty consistent.

I kind of wish Buck would let us have a little fun with the Spitfire and let us customize it. It would be neat to choose different blade steels, and maybe choose a handle color using a color palette like what's used in a painting program. I would be on that in a heartbeat. :D
 
It's a Bummer that the lock up play is so consistent with the Spitfires. I have a couple I will be sending back as the play is really bad. I will let everyone know how it all goes . Oh well 😔
 
There are screws. You may be able to tighten this knife up on your own. I doubt Buck will be able to do more.
 
BuckShack said:
There are screws. You may be able to tighten this knife up on your own. I doubt Buck will be able to do more.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. I did snug the pivot screw a little all that does is make the blade have to much drag and still does nothing about the up and down play unfortunately. It seems the blade and lock arm move ,like the arm or the blade just aren't a good fit . But I believe your right on a fix . I think before I send them in I give Buck a call and see what they think.
 
Talked to Buck today about the blade play on the 722s. Was told slight play is the norm . By changing the spring and rocker arm might help with knives with excessive blade play . So they will do what they can but some play has to be there .
 
On my mini Spitfire, when I move the blade up and down if it is locked open, I can even see the pivot screw move as well.

I would really like to see Buck put a little more effort into the quality of these models. I do like them. Just because they're low cost, they do not need to be this sloppy during lock up. Other makers in the same price range are not. It's just a lock back similar to what Buck has been making for years and years.

As a knife gatherer, my thought would be that should a non-gatherer person buy one, and find it to be this sloppy, it would likely sour them on the Buck brand and perhaps influence the purchase of a little more costly model.
 
Isn't the Black spitfire a SK Blades exclusive? Does Buck make them for SK Blades or are they modified after they leave the factory?

Edit: Not to imply that SK Blades messed it up, I was just curious if they did the work or Buck. I love the look and price of the Black Spitfire.
 
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Badhammer said:
Is it a quality problem or inherent to the design?
Click to expand...

I now believe it is QUALITY PROBLEM. Looking today at some Buck Bantams which have the same style lock up and seeing they are as solid as a rock And open and close nicely. I am now very disappointed in Buck. I have the Extreme it has a little play the Hornet the same a little play and two blue S30Vs that are worse and 1 orange that is good. Yea , I don't get it . Buck been making these style Knives for ever and to let so many bad blades out is beyond me. I'am now sending some back . Why cause they should not have that kind of Play.
 
Badhammer said:
Is it a quality problem or inherent to the design?
Click to expand...

Hey Mark,

No we do not do any modifications to the knives we get from Buck. The lockup issue is very grievous to us as you can imagine. What I will say is that if you order one and send me an email, I will personally open boxes until I find a proper locking knife. The issue is not consistent. Some are perfect, some are terrible and some are in between.
 
skblades said:
Hey Mark,

No we do not do any modifications to the knives we get from Buck. The lockup issue is very grievous to us as you can imagine. What I will say is that if you order one and send me an email, I will personally open boxes until I find a proper locking knife. The issue is not consistent. Some are perfect, some are terrible and some are in between.
Click to expand...

I'm my post above, I'm hoping I didn't convey the idea it was an SKBlades issue, as it's not. They're doing a fantastic job getting these enhanced versions out there with better materials. I'm still hoping for an SK version of a small Marksman, around 4" closed or a hair under. That's my preferred pocket clipped knife closed length. The SK runs are a wonderful thing for us Buck fans.

I'm agreeing with him that it's a quality issue.

I've purchased several full size and mini sized Spitfires for my "inventory", and they all have this unannounced added feature to some degree. Some just a bit, which is tolerable, others really move around a lot to the point it's quite noticeable in your hand when using. While I do not think it's a safety issue while you are using it, if using it roperly of course, it's ok. Just feels kind of disconcerting in your hand coming from a Buck knife and not a flea market find made in Pakistan. Lol.

Maybe if they made it a slippie?

I purchased one of the blackened SK versions and it too has movement, not as much, but still enough to the point I haven't used it and am the fence about sending it in to Buck. I'm thinking though I'd likely just get told it is within limits. It's a great model though from SK so I'll likely send it in to Buck and see what happens.

As Xr6x mentions, Buck has been building lock backs in all price ranges for years, and this just shouldn't even be a topic of discussion IMHO. Perhaps Buck needs to have these built off-shore to eliminate the blade play issue if they are unable or unwilling to tighten up the tolerances here on the US made ones. It seems to be to, a complete non-engineering, machinist person such as myself, it just needs a different backspring with a properly cut notch and tension to it, mated to a properly cut blade. ;) Maybe the pivot pin needs moved too. Dunno. I'm guessing at this point by now though. Lol.

My mini I talked about above in my earlier post, has been relegated to mail opening duty only. Which is a shame. I suppose I could get one of my 55's out but I just really am fond of the slim and light design, and thumbhole, of the Spitfall models. In both sizes.

Wouldn't kick my model 703 out of my pocket, but I'd bring it along much more often.
 
Xr6x said:
Talked to Buck today about the blade play on the 722s. Was told slight play is the norm . By changing the spring and rocker arm might help with knives with excessive blade play . So they will do what they can but some play has to be there .
Click to expand...

I was told similar things by Buck about a couple of Bucklite Max folders I had that developed really bad vertical play in less than a year each.

There's no way around this. The Spitfire and Bucklite Max (and many Buck knives) are lower/mid price point knives. If you want these issues to be less common, we need to pay more. It is frustrating, because some designs can deal with sloppy manufacturing tolerances better than others (the AK-47 vs M-16 discussion). And sad to say, Buck has knives in their line that seem to be inherently less tollerant.

Better production automation might be a path forward for Buck. That carries with it a hard warning about manufacturing (and professional) job though. The robots are coming and the Luddite's wooden shoes won't be enough to stop the waves of massive unemployment that we're going to see as a result. GEC is showing that's viable to do short runs of totally hand made knives but if Buck goes that route, it will be fewer Bucks sold at much higher prices.
 
I love Buck as a brand but I do wish they would up the quality control. Hit and miss quality tends to ruin a company's reputation, and as an American icon this simply cannot happen to Buck. I know and appreciate that they are trying to keep costs down, but the consumer may just have to accept that to buy something well made you have to spend a few dollars.

That being said, they still do a lot right and I will keep buying from and supporting the company.
 
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