Almost missed out

[spyderg]

I was never really a fan of Spyderco, but I had only ever seen, held ones with the exaggerated hole. While they were comfortable, they looked funny and didn't sit well in my pocket or in hand folded. After looking into it though I found many, like my Manix 2 came with a leaf shaped blade that was far more appealing to me. I decided to give it a try and ordered a Manix 2 Cru-wear. I really like the steel and the knife itself is fantastic. Ergonomics are amazing! Smoother than any knife I have even on bearings and perfectly ambidextrous, (lefty). I like it even more now that I reground to top of the blade so its rounded. I was so impressed that I have since acquired a blue Lava and a Techno. The Techno is an amazing knife and my usual EDC. I can't say enough good things about it. I think it's a perfect left handed knife. I love the Lava too however it didn't come as well finished as the others. After some tweaking it is a great knife,(bushings were grimy and rough from factory). My research indicates Seki city Spydies to be of slightly lesser quality than Golden or Taichungs, (some people disagree). I really like that Spyderco offers a redonkulous amount of steels in their lineup, often many different steels on the same knife design as is the case with my Manix 2. They also offer a lot of collaborations at an affordable price point. Anyway the point of this is to let anyone thinking about Spyderco but not sure of style or feel to look into it a bit deeper, you'll likely find a knife that appeals to you.

I also own ZT, Brous, Boker, CRKT and have had others and like them all too. Just on bit of a Spyderco kick right now and I almost missed out by not taking a closer look.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with spyderco or any other brand? I know I came to look for opinions on this and other forums before buying some of my knives and found it helpful, Thanks by the way. Let's keep passing on info to new buyers. Add your comments about your favourite companies/makers here.

 

[DShiflet]

I've never been a fan of the looks of most Spydercos, but they're certainly good knives, with a wide range of steel and size options. They also have a wide range of prices, some of their models I consider overpriced(the Karahawk should not be an almost $200 knife), but then at other times they put out something that's practically a steal(like the S110V Manix). And of course for the ultra budget conscious, you can always go for one of their Chinese made Byrd knives. And they even have a lot of options that appeal to specific groups. For those people who are all about the "I only buy American!" you've got the Golden models. If you're a Brit, and have to deal with their restrictive knife laws, you've got the UKPK. Looking for a "defensive" folder? The Civilian(and Matriarch) is expressly designed for that purpose.

 

[macknife12]

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical about the blade shape, until I used one. Now, 13 Spydies later...
Cheers

 

[RevDevil]

Most knives will be grimy from the factory. They are made and assembled in machine shops not clean rooms. It's to be expected that some amount of dirt, oil, and other crap will get into the knife at some point during the assembly. Someone once stated that it looked like Spyderco designed their knives in the dark. What I find is that Sal intends them to be useful tools before art pieces, function over form.

 

[K.O.D.]

I bought my first Spyderco August of last year. A Gayle Bradley. I've purchased many Spydies since then. No other brand has really bit me like that.

Currently own:

Digicamo/Satin PM2
Foliage Green/CTS-XHP Sprint Manix 2
Dragonfly 2 ZDP-189
Caly 3 CF/ZDP-189
Schempp Rock
Gayle Bradley

Have owned:
Nilakka--handle too heavy, blade didn't keep an edge well, so I sold it
Southard--Didn't like anything about it, sold it
Waved Endura--Gave to my cousin, just not my kinda knife
Native 5 S110V Forum 2013--Wish I'd kept it, but needed the funds

Want:
Slysz Bowie
Schempp Tuff
Domino
Dice

 

[spyderg]

Most knives will be grimy from the factory. They are made and assembled in machine shops not clean rooms. It's to be expected that some amount of dirt, oil, and other crap will get into the knife at some point during the assembly. Someone once stated that it looked like Spyderco designed their knives in the dark. What I find is that Sal intends them to be useful tools before art pieces, function over form.

My Manix2 and Techno were perfect and smooth from factory, most people who I've talked too have said their Spydies were perfect too. I don't think any knife should come grimy, factory floor or not. The bigger issue was the washers were not at all smooth, took me pounding, sanding, regreasing and overtighttening the pivot to work it in to get it to where it should be. Anyway, the point of this thread was to keep people from missing out on spyderco or any other good knife that they might dismiss without really taking a good look first.

 

[spyderg]

Most knives will be grimy from the factory. They are made and assembled in machine shops not clean rooms. It's to be expected that some amount of dirt, oil, and other crap will get into the knife at some point during the assembly. Someone once stated that it looked like Spyderco designed their knives in the dark. What I find is that Sal intends them to be useful tools before art pieces, function over form.

My Manix2 and Techno were perfect and smooth from factory, most people who I've talked too have said their Spydies were perfect too. I don't think any knife should come grimy, factory floor or not. The bigger issue was the washers were not at all smooth, took me pounding, sanding, regreasing and overtighttening the pivot to work it in to get it to where it should be. Anyway, the point of this thread was to keep people from missing out on spyderco or any other good knife that they might dismiss without really taking a good look first.

 

[SliCed]

Basically, that's almost all I own now as far as folders. I actually was the opposite. I started out liking them, and every other folder I bought, I didn't like it compared to my Spydercos. I have to have the Spyderco hole or a flipper. I can't do thumb studs. Spyderco offers great knives with many varieties of color, shape, steel, size, and price. They can be addicting and fun to collect. But some people don't find them appealing, that's understandable.

 

[DShiflet]

What I find is that Sal intends them to be useful tools before art pieces, function over form.

Maybe, but I've seen plenty of knives from other companies who perform just as well as Spydies, but look far better in the process. There's no law that saws a knife can't perform and still look nice to the best of my knowledge.

 

[RevDevil]

Maybe, but I've seen plenty of knives from other companies who perform just as well as Spydies, but look far better in the process. There's no law that saws a knife can't perform and still look nice to the best of my knowledge.

But of course, no one said anything to the contrary.

 

[Lee48]

I own more Spyderco knives than any other brand. I don't even know how many of them I now own without doing a round up and head count. Bought my first in 1990 when the first Clipit models were introduced. Got my most recent in the mail yesterday--another Delica, this time a blue one. The reason I buy them is because they always fit like they were built for my hand. There are other quality brands I like quite a bit but Spyderco has more designs I like. Considerably more.