I was told by one of the dealers that has done an exclusive that is way it works, i.e. If they order a 500 piece exclusive the Collector Club knives get subtracted in addition to knives Spyderco employees purchase before they get sent out to the dealer.
M4 Millie--satisfied or dissappointed
- Thread starter KeithAM
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I was told by one of the dealers that has done an exclusive that is way it works, i.e. If they order a 500 piece exclusive the Collector Club knives get subtracted in addition to knives Spyderco employees purchase before they get sent out to the dealer.
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Okay, in the tradition of the "Emerson calls bull####" thread, I'm calling it RIGHT NOW!! How many pieces in this run? Answer if you know. AND ONLY IF YOU KNOW. No guesses, no "this is what I heards".... Official numbers please. Thanks.
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Don't hold back, give us your candid assessment.
I'm watching the SF Giants World Series parade right now. Here's the deal. Not everybody likes the Giants but it doesn't change the fact that they're World Champions of baseball, until next October. Not everybody likes this Knifeworks Exclusive Mil, but it doesn't change the fact that it's the World Champion framelock folder, basically until further FREAKIN' notice! Folks, it really IS THAT DAMM WONDERFUL. Score one of these. Geeesh, Spyderco's marketing department would be a bunch of drooling idiots if they didn't somehow figure out how to make this model regular production. Red G-10 or CF or something. This model CRIES OUT for a regular SKU.
Don't flub this. Sal, you have re-invented the wheel. Go with it.
This from Knifework's site:
These will be a special run for Knifeworks by Spyderco with the handle having Titanium on one side and G-10 on the other side, With the new frame lock on the Spyderco Military. There will be 500 of these made The Blade steel will be CPM M4 non-coated
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Unless the dealer says "fine, make 700, with ~500 net sales for me." The problem is that then you can't say "limited to 500," but you could say "500 to be sold by XYZ Blades." Only Roger, or someone like Sal at Spyderco, is going to be able to tell us for sure, I think. Whoops, edit...
So that makes it sound like the total, including CC and employee sales, would be 500, so KW had <500 to actually sell retail.
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Thanks so much! FINALLY, a definate answer. Don't get me wrong. As an owner of one of these I don't care if the number is twelve thousand units. Alls I give a guff about is owning ONE. But here's the definate number. 500 pieces. That's it. Now if I know Spyderco like I think I know 'em, there'll be something on the horizon.... Carbon fiber or somesuch.... But this edition is SOLD OUT. If you're wanting a G-10 front scale and titan rear, with an intregal frame lock and M4 super steel blade. You had better get off the couch and into the market. These babies are on the got stove and they're not going down in price. You're trapped. Get it or forget it.
Sheesh, what a knife. :yawn: Thanks for the info. I got one. Headache avoided! Whew!
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Voted satisfied. Mine did not come as sharp as Military s90v but apart from that it had none of the issues mentioned in the other threads. Three things that I noticed:
a) the blade is a few mm longer than the the Orange Military ;
b)the tip of the blade is significantly thinner, again compared to the Orange Millie. This is a slicer blade so this is not a big deal but I would personally not stab anything unless in emergency;
c) M4 is rust prone. I knew this before buying the knife but still hoped that by using Tuf cloth the issue could be alleviated but unfortunately it did not quite work. That is the reason I prefer stainless steel for EDC blade. Hopefully, we can see another Millie in S90v or ZDP 189.
a) the blade is a few mm longer than the the Orange Military ;
b)the tip of the blade is significantly thinner, again compared to the Orange Millie. This is a slicer blade so this is not a big deal but I would personally not stab anything unless in emergency;
c) M4 is rust prone. I knew this before buying the knife but still hoped that by using Tuf cloth the issue could be alleviated but unfortunately it did not quite work. That is the reason I prefer stainless steel for EDC blade. Hopefully, we can see another Millie in S90v or ZDP 189.
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Got my M4 Millie today (was able to order one from Knifeworks this Monday when they released some 30 of them...).
I voted "Satisfied". More in detail:
- blade is perfectly centered
- no blade play whatsoever
- pretty sharp out of the box, consistent with all other Spydies I own, when I got them first
- opening and closing is quite smooth (not ultra perfect, but more than acceptable for sure)
- frame lock works perfectly
- everything else I can think of is perfect
I will keep this one as part of my collection and not for use, as I am overly concerned about the M4 issues (=being quite rust prone) and I have other knives I prefer as EDC.
Now, Spyderco if you are hearing me, please make a Millie in S90V and with this frame lock, and I will buy it in a millisecond!!!
I voted "Satisfied". More in detail:
- blade is perfectly centered
- no blade play whatsoever
- pretty sharp out of the box, consistent with all other Spydies I own, when I got them first
- opening and closing is quite smooth (not ultra perfect, but more than acceptable for sure)
- frame lock works perfectly
- everything else I can think of is perfect
I will keep this one as part of my collection and not for use, as I am overly concerned about the M4 issues (=being quite rust prone) and I have other knives I prefer as EDC.
Now, Spyderco if you are hearing me, please make a Millie in S90V and with this frame lock, and I will buy it in a millisecond!!!
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Worth repeating I thought, particularly the part about voting twice or voting when you don't own the knife in question. If you owned one and sold or traded it that is different of course. If you never bought it though, then you have no business voting on it. Voting your negative vote because of a gripe with the company instead of staying focused on the knife as it is by itself is also unwarranted. You are not voting for the company but just the knife in your hand. Forget the logo on the blade for a moment.
Anyway, I had one of these M4's mailed to me for work this past week. The request was to drill and thread it for tip up carry and install a low rider clip on it. I did that as usual and liked what I saw in this model well enough to have one on order for myself before the one that arrived here for work even left the shop! If you ask me the knife seems about as well done as one can expect any production knife to be. As far as I'm concerned I now own two of the finest production knives to come out in all of 2010 and both are from Spyderco, that being the Para Military 2 and the M4 Military. I'm quite happy with my M4 at this writing. Honestly I can't find fault with it or the one that opened my eyes to it that came here for some work.
Most of the issues I've heard about with this model seem to be quite minor and just break in related issues. I'd suggest a dab of grease (not much just a dab will do ya) on the detent ball in the lock as a first try to ease up on any gritty feeling actions and if the washers are the problem well, either take it apart and polish them or send it in and let Spyderco do it. In many cases this is all it is and chances are it would work itself out over time anyway. Of center blades can be aggravating but hey, that happens with all models no matter who makes it. If its rubbing the liner you have a complaint. If it bugs you but doesn't rub then return it. It does suck when this happens but we've all been there. Truth is though you could still use the knife reliably for many years that way. I mean many do trust me.
STR
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I still don't get the "M4 is quite rust prone" statements. It's not H1 folks. I rinse ANY knife with water after using on food, and if I'm in the field I wipe it off with whatever cloth is available.
I'll continue to carry my M4-Ti Millie as an EDC and continue to use common sense with knife care. It will NEVER rust on me!
I'll continue to carry my M4-Ti Millie as an EDC and continue to use common sense with knife care. It will NEVER rust on me!
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I would not worry too much about it. There is no lack of wild claims, and irrational fears on the web.
One wonders what the level of public outcry would have been in early 1900's if there had been a world wide web and knife forums at that time. Oddly enough one or two folders from those times somehow survived and I really doubt that my grandfathers were very diligent about whipping out a jug of oil every time they made a cut. Perhaps the steels used in the early 1900s were not "quite rust prone" though
Then again I would be really careful about using the word "NEVER". M4 can and will "bloom", but it is not like you need to discard the knife if it does. A quick touch up with an abrasive pad (Scotch bright or similar) will brighten it up nicely in a few seconds time.
I have to say though...my old carbon slip joints look a lot better with a little patina on them than a bright finish. Just my 2 cents.
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One landed here today. Put me in the extremely satisfied column. Aside from the lock being on the wrong side, the blade being too thick, the G-10 being Spyderco's butt-ugly textured stuff, and it being too damn big to fit in my back pocket, it exhibits about the best fit and finish I've seen on a Golden knife.
Paul
My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
Paul
My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
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All is relative. I tried cutting the same food - apples, pears, bread with Koster in 3v and Millie in M4. Both knifes were treated a couple of times with Tuf cloth and the 3v blade showed no visible discoloration but the M4 had several rust spots. Our grandparents had no choice but I personally prefer more stainless blade on an EDC knife. With that said I will still use the M4 Millie until I can get one in S90v or ZDP 189
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I was holding off voting until I had mine for a while. Initially I was a little upset that the opening was so gritty, much rougher than any of my other Spydercos. I just went ahead and took it apart, (yeah I know voided the warranty), cleaned it, polished up the side of the blade,and lubed it up with some grease. It is much smoother now after a little use, I'm quite happy with it. Everything else about this knife has been excellent. Now if Spyderco would only make a Military with a S90V blade, titanium frame lock and a carbon fiber slab. That would be perfect!
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Picked mine up on the secondary market on here and am very pleased with my example. Silky smooth, perfectly centred and good lock up.
Can't wait for my S90V CF Para2.
When someone unhappy with one sells their knife and the person that buys that knife gets it and is quite happy with it this kind of cancels each other out don't you think?
Overall its arguably the best Military to come out yet IMO. I mean you have it all, a frame lock well thought out with a lock stop to prevent hyper extension of the lock out the wrong way built right in with a hardened stainless steel nested insert of thicker metal to contact the blade and a .050 thickness lock cut in the rear of the lock where its thinned to make the bend, which is substantially thicker there than many of the competitor knives in case you didn't know. My Strider SnG and PT, Emerson CQC12 and HD7 for examples are all in the low to mid .030 measurement for lock cuts in the rear to spring the lock.
To continue regarding this Military called the M4. You have a great blade steel that personally makes me all warm and fuzzy because its carbon steel, I mean forget all about whether its the best carbon steel or not, just the fact that its a true carbon steel is pretty awesome and again something that Spyderco would never have done just a few years back when they made claims of being a 'stainless company' and only used stainless steels across the board on all their knives. Best of all, after all these great things its offered at a very decent price from a reputable dealer and its made right here in the USA. There is not much to debate over this one if you ask me. Its a real winner!! I'm seriously thinking of snagging another while there is time but if I can't I may well be one of those secondary market buyers to get one in minty new condition for the safe. I had this one all of ten minutes before it magically transformed to RH tip up carry right before my eyes!
STR
Yes, the steel is the hero here. But it's more than the steel. Spyderco did a great job with its M4. I was disappointed with my Benchmade AFCK M4, which came in too soft (HRc 59) to take advantage of the steel. And the blade is too thick to be an all-around good cutter.
The M4 Military steel seems much harder. I presume Spyderco did it around HRc 62, like the mule and Gayle Bradley, although I haven't seen the number confirmed.
Plus, the Military's pointy, full flat grind in a hard M4 is absolutely perfect for EDC knifework, as long as stainless isn't required.
I will admit that when I got it I was like, "Yup. It's a Military."
It didn't wow me or make me feel like I had a grail. I have several Military models in different steels, handle materials, and colors. This is another variant, that's all (for me). I am happy to have it in my collection though.
Overall fit and finish are very good on my example; certainly acceptable to me for the price paid. There is nothing to point out as wrong per se. Mine had the coarse feeling upon opening initially. But, that began improving very quickly with repeated opening. Maybe the phosphor bronze washers have an uneven finish and are burnished by the M4 blade rotating on them which leads to smoother action? I will say that the opening feels very comparable to any of my other Military models which have seen limited use (my favorite has been the CF & S30V variant).
I have two theories on why the opening feels harsher.
It didn't wow me or make me feel like I had a grail. I have several Military models in different steels, handle materials, and colors. This is another variant, that's all (for me). I am happy to have it in my collection though.
Overall fit and finish are very good on my example; certainly acceptable to me for the price paid. There is nothing to point out as wrong per se. Mine had the coarse feeling upon opening initially. But, that began improving very quickly with repeated opening. Maybe the phosphor bronze washers have an uneven finish and are burnished by the M4 blade rotating on them which leads to smoother action? I will say that the opening feels very comparable to any of my other Military models which have seen limited use (my favorite has been the CF & S30V variant).
I have two theories on why the opening feels harsher.
- The CPM-M4 blade steel is harder than the steels used previously in the Military model. The detent ball riding across the finish on this harder steel transmits or is perceived better by the user.
- Could the Ti lockbar be exerting more pressure on the blade with the detent ball than the standard steel linerlock? Could this is why the grind lines in the finish are being felt more readily?
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It can easily be detent ball related for any number or reasons. It may be that the blade is just needing a dab of some grease on it and that will allow it to ride a slicker trail once it spreads that out. Normally I shy away from adding anything that is a lint attractor so I'd be sparing on how much you use. Just enough to stop the gritty feeling and thats all. If after this it still persists it could be that there is a burr on one of the washers that needs polished off either from natural wear with use or by physically removing them and doing this manually. Since this voids the warranty the method of wear from break in would be preferred for most.
Looking over my own Military I see potential for some of the gritty feeling that could be that the insert itself is to blame. If you look inside you can see that the insert double duties as a lock stop to prevent the lock from over travel. If the tab that prevents over travel actually stops the lock too soon so it can't travel out far enough to allow for the height the ball sticks out in the lock you can end up with a gritty feeling ball even if greased up. In this case the easiest fix would be to set the detent ball deeper into the lock so its not set at such a height. The secondary fix would be to leave the detent ball alone and modify the tab but personally I'd sooner adjust the ball and sooner still recommend to users that if this is the case that they send the knife in and let Spyderco do this under warranty.
If your lock is set correctly for the tab you should be able to push the lock out somewhat past flush as shown in the picture posted by Twindog earlier. If your model has a tab set that does not allow the lock to travel out about that same distance to almost touching the clip before the tab stops the lock from travel this could be the reason the ball feels gritty because the tab stops the lock too soon. In this case if it is the case once you bring the blade to the point where it starts to ride on the ball in rotation the blade is being wedged against the frame just a tiny bit by the tab insert in the lock and the fact that the lock can't travel back far enough to make up for the height the ball stands up when it touches the blade. I hope you can follow that. I know its going to lose some of you. Sorry, I'm trying to be as clear as I can.
Now keep in mind I know of none that suffer from this and for all I do know it has not been the case. I'm just stating that it is something I see that has potential. I'd suggest at least checking for this to eliminate it from possibility of being the cause. I mean this gritty feeling I've had reports of, even though few, can only be one or two different things in the folder and if those are both eliminated and its still doing it this is the only other thing I know to tell one to look for. Some models may have detent balls that simply stand up too high compared to others. These would also be ones that the ball grabs pretty good on to hold the tip down.
STR
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