stretch II carbon fiber zdp189 usa ??? [Archive]

Climb14er

12-23-2007, 06:42 AM

your kidding me!! a knife with that price tag and its made over seas

What's the problem? :rolleyes:

My Toyota 4Runner 2007 Sport V8 is made in Japan too.

Great knife and great vehicle. :D

Blackhair

12-23-2007, 06:54 AM

It just goes to show that some things made overseas are worth it, because from what I've heard, the Stretch II is a fantastic knife.

And, unfortunately, Sal has stated that current Golden, CO production is at its limit. So that means that even if he wanted to make the Stretch II in the USA, he really couldn't.

Still, the majority of Spyderco's knives are made in Seki-City, and they are fine pieces of craftsmanship! ;)

By the way, Welcome to Spydieville! :D

sal

12-23-2007, 07:12 AM

Hi Eric'75,

Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

There are many reasons for Seki mfr.

1. They haved a thousand year historyof making Samurai swords.
2. They are among the best quality makers in the world.
3. We've been making our knives in Seki for 26 years with the same makers.
4. ZDP-189 is a Japanese steel made by Hitachi and they "strongly" recommend that we use their "trained & authorized" heat treaters.
5. The design has evolved over an 23 year period with the same maker.

sal

eric1975

12-23-2007, 07:14 AM

ok sounds great i just bought one cant wait to get it

Michael Cook

12-23-2007, 10:13 AM

tonydahose

12-23-2007, 10:15 AM

:spyder: My wife works as a floor supervisor in a factory that makes Ford parts. Based on what she's told me about American factory worker's commitment to quality I'll never buy another American car again. :spyder:

you just shouldn't buy a car made on either mondays or fridays..they have the most problems.

jaislandboy

12-23-2007, 11:05 AM

you just shouldn't buy a car made on either mondays or fridays..they have the most problems.

maybe they have a secret beer stash in their assembly plant Tony ;) :D

Michael Cook

12-23-2007, 11:56 AM

you just shouldn't buy a car made on either mondays or fridays..they have the most problems.

:spyder: And how can you tell that before you buy a lemon?

I don't care what day it's made as long as it's made with dedicated, quality, Japanese workers. :) :spyder:

bladese97

12-28-2007, 01:33 PM

:spyder: :spyder: :cool: :spyder: :spyder: My Xterra is not USA made either, yet it is the best ride I've ever owned! The same goes for my Stretch2...Well worth every penny! My 2 cents:)

sal

12-28-2007, 02:29 PM

:spyder: My wife works as a floor supervisor in a factory that makes Ford parts. Based on what she's told me about American factory worker's commitment to quality I'll never buy another American car again. :spyder:

My Toyota Tundra is made in San Antonio, Texas and it's a great rig.

sal

Michael Cook

12-28-2007, 02:34 PM

My Toyota Tundra is made in San Antonio, Texas and it's a great rig.

sal

:spyder: I eat sausage and I vote but I'm happier not knowing about the process of either!;) :spyder:

SoCal Operator

12-28-2007, 04:05 PM

Great quote Michael.

eric1975

12-29-2007, 11:16 AM

ok i got my stretch II not sure if i like it or not the carbon fiber looks like g-10 , i do like the shape of the pocket clip , is this really carbon fiber i buy alot of knives with carbon fiber and for this being carbon fiber it looks strange

yablanowitz

12-29-2007, 11:24 AM

Yes, it really is carbon fiber, even though it is not the smooth finish you may be used to. Personlly, I prefer the grippiness of the peel-ply over the good looks of the slick finish, but I'm a function over looks kind of guy.

Take it outside and look at it in direct sunlight. The carbon fiber becomes very apparent in bright natural light. ;)

eric1975

12-29-2007, 11:32 AM

The Deacon

12-29-2007, 12:10 PM

Nothing is going to appeal to everyone, I'd have preferred walnut between dual stainless bolsters myself. However, I have to say that the CF on the Stretch looks about as good as CF will ever look to me. FWIW, the carbon fiber handles on "made in the USA" CF versions of the Military look pretty much the same as the Stretch except the texturing on them is even more agressive. What both of them have, that Spyderco G-10 lacks, is the obvious "checkerboard" pattern of the CF visible through the texturing. Not sure exactly what you were expecting. Does it really look that much different in hand than it did in the considerable number of photos taken by other forumites and posted on this site?

WJR

12-29-2007, 06:48 PM

I received my Stretch II in the mail yesterday. I am quite pleased with it.

I like the CF on the Stretch better than the CF found on the Caly III, even if it does have the feel and look of G-10.

WJR

flyguy

12-29-2007, 11:40 PM

i got my stretch II and i am not sure if i like it or not the carbon fiber handles look like g-10, i do like the shape of the pocket , not sure if i am going to keep it i might just sell it if i can i paid $ 202 with shipping

Could be that you have buyer's remorse for spending 200+ dollars... Have you tried contacting the place you bought it from? They might do a refund, as it is a very popular model in limited supply.

I really like mine. It is the first carbon fiber that I have liked. Normally, I prefer FRN (compared with G-10 or CF).

Spyharpy

12-30-2007, 10:32 PM

I had owned an original Stretch PE for a brief period of time. It was on the thin side for it's size and wasn't a big fan of the rubber inserts on the handle. I happened to handle a Stretch II yesterday and the carbon fiber handle transforms the knife. It's a little thicker and better to handle. I'm happy with this one.

sal

12-31-2007, 08:18 AM

i got my stretch II and i am not sure if i like it or not the carbon fiber handles look like g-10, i do like the shape of the pocket , not sure if i am going to keep it i might just sell it if i can i paid $ 202 with shipping

Hi Eric,

the "look" of the carbon fiber was much lower on the "value" scale for this model. The full flat ZDP-189 blade, very evolved, refined design, peel ply grip of the scale and the overall light weight of the model were far more important. It is those features that make the knife so expensive.

Like the ZDP/CF Caly3, production is limited due to the diffuclty in making these models. You could probably resell it......or you might keep it and use it. This might help you appreciate the effort put into the piece.

sal

RLR

12-31-2007, 08:21 AM

Blades 97 - your Xterra was probably built in Smyrna Tennessee!!! I had one until last year, and yeah, it was a fun vehicle, but not without problems (differential and other minor issues).

Cheers - RLR

mrappraisit

12-31-2007, 08:37 AM

i got my stretch II and i am not sure if i like it or not the carbon fiber handles look like g-10, i do like the shape of the pocket , not sure if i am going to keep it i might just sell it if i can i paid $ 202 with shipping

How many PM's have you gotten already?;) That's the test of this knifes popularity/quality.

I used to have a Mexican made VW Jetta, and I swear it was made on the sixth of May:D

Crowbar1

12-31-2007, 08:44 AM

I have bought two Stretch 2's one for myself and another one for my brother.
We are both edc with them and they are near perfect for us.
Thanks Sal for a great design.You can tell when you use this knife a lot of thought went into its development and production.
I just can't seem to keep my knives in the box, I have to try them out.
On another note I just found and bought a LiL Temp,and I'm looking forward to using it as well.

anthonyc

12-31-2007, 09:05 AM

i see a lot of talk about carry, but not much talk about use.

the reason i ask, is because i got my first zdp blade for Christmas. a Caly 3 CF.
the blade got chipped cutting some cat5 cable. cat5 consists of fine copper threads. none of my vg10 or h1 blades has ever had an issue. im hoping i just got a bum knife.

i sent it back to spyderco, to see if they can sharpen the chips out, or hopefully replace it.

how does the stretch II blade hold up under normal use? i was completely let down by the caly 3 cf zdp. would the stretch let me down as well?

The Deacon

12-31-2007, 10:58 AM

Anthony, whatever I carry I use, and I've been carrying my Stretch II on and off since I got it, altenating with its VG-10/Lignum Vitae cousin. No staining, and I've used it on both tomatoes and citrus, although have yet to use it to spread mustard. I say that because, from past experience, Gulden's Spicy Brown and VG-10 do not always play well together. ;) Aside from food prep, have opened a few DVDs and CDs with it, a few relatively thin clam/blister packs and one rather nasty one, a handful of corugated boxes, some tyvek envelopes, a half dozen or so zip ties, and cut a 12" "sort of round" hole the lid for a plastic garbage pail. No chips as of yet.

BlondeChemist

12-31-2007, 11:00 AM

I've been carrying and using mine, although lightly, since late November and I haven't had any problem with the blade. My everyday life is pretty boring so it hasn't seen a lot of hard use or difficult to things. Hopefully someone else will chime in with more help.
Sal, I absolutely love this knife!!!! Thanks again for all the effort that went into it!

flyguy

12-31-2007, 01:13 PM

On the norm, I don't cut wire with knives, but I have used my Stretch. It seems to be holding up good.

Worked great on cleaning ducks, but I have to clean it again because it still has some smell... Anyone have hints on getting rid of smells?

anthonyc

01-02-2008, 06:52 AM

anyone with a zdp stretch wanna cut some cat5e cable and tell me if the blade chips? :)

anthonyc

01-02-2008, 09:53 AM

i went ahead and ordered a stretch, and a SE cricket to keep him company :D

Mr Blonde

01-02-2008, 12:49 PM

i see a lot of talk about carry, but not much talk about use.

That's because I and probably many fellow forumites as well, are still running this new knife through its paces. I usually reserve definite opinions about any knife untill I had to sharpen it at least twice. This hasn't happened yet. I've used my Stretch II quite a bit, the last few weeks especially since I'm enjoying a long overdue vacation. I usually stay away from cutting metal with any of my knives, but I did cut some garbage-bag-wraps (not sure of the English word here, the thin plastic and metal wires that are used to tie up garbage bags). And the ZDP held up just fine, no chipping.

I also haven't experienced any staining or dulling of the blade's finish, which is typical for ZDP blades. The blade is highly polished, moist just flows off of it until it's dry.

Wouter