Best affordable virus, Tenacious vs Cara Cara 2, Persistence vs Meadowlark ?

C

Cravin01

Joined
Feb 23, 2015
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We are rolling up on the holidays and I'm looking to spread my sickness to others, I have never owned anything in the Byrd line or short of VG10 by Spyderco. I think it would be a good opportunity to play with these knives and maybe turn a few heads to my small passion. I fear I may not actually gift them after a little hands on time.

I know there are many people on this forum who love these knives and I'd like to hear your voice on them, I know they have to be great knives or they wouldn't still be selling so strong or available, You don't get to where we are at until something so small lights that fire!

If you could gift one of these knives which one and why? ...size? ....Build? Etc

Thank you.
 
I'm not much of a bird fan because
of the odd ball hole.

But I like the Tenacious.
 
Thanks uxo2, for me the tenacious would be perfect but a lot of people lean toward the Persistance/Delica size making me think I may be in the minority as far as size, what do you think?
 
I had a Caracara2 in G10, which I did gift to a friend, not because is not a sweet blade, but I got too many and I was glad to give him something decent.

I would recommend the tenacious over the caracara2. It is Eric's design and his have hand filling ergo. The steels are the exact same, which is pretty good, but the action is far better on the tenacious. There are loads of blue tenacious available at the moment. I purchased 3 and modded two of them. stonewashed blades and clips of 2 and I dyed a deeper blue on the scales of one of those. I am very pleased with the results, I'll make a post with pics over the weekend.
 
I have a persistence and love it. Although I don't carry it much away from the house anymore, opting for my PM2, Sage or DB. But I did carry and use it exclusively on my cross country trip last summer and it performed very well. It was also small enough to not attract attention in restaurants or in other public places.
I'm not a huge fan of anything made with 8Cr13Mov steel but it seems from experience and further reading, Spyderco's Chinese plant isn't doing wrong as far as where the Persistence and Tenacious are concerned.
The Byrd line? I can't say to much about them beyond some handling in the store. I passed on them without regret or remorse. They just weren't quality IMO.

Perhaps you could get the Pers and Ten for those people you like most. And get the byrds for those that are less liked. I dunno. [emoji6]

If they aren't knife nuts they won't know the difference. [emoji4]
 
I have a Crow 2 on the way. Was looking at the Raven 2 as well, but will try the Crow first.
They have BD-1 blades, so I figured I'd like to try it out and compare to the 8CR13MoV in my Tenacious and Persistence...

I am personally really drawn to the shapes of the new Byrd line, and it seems they are really getting stepped up in quality and design thought.

But that said, if you're looking to gift a good knife to someone you think may actually have potential to become a knife-afi, then start them with a true Spyderco, IMO.
I'd definitely recommend a Delica/Endura/Stretch/Manix LW or Native LW, all in a nice $55-$80 range.
But, if that is beyond budget, then yeah, try the Chinese Spyderco line first.
Tenacious does have some fun fresh colors.

Here's a quick shot of my green Tenacious with some deer in the distance over the pond:
20151001_190355_zpskxtvksql.jpg
 
Steel is the same, so it comes down to what other features are important to you. The Spyderco 'Value Line" models have a better warranty than the Byrds. Some folks prefer the round Spyderhole opener to the Byrd's comet shaped hole. Some folks want an "all edge" blade, while others prefer a blade with a 50/50 choil. Some folks have strong preferences when it comes to locks. As for me, while I do prefer the Spyderhole I prefer a knife with a 50/50 choil even more and would take a midlock over a wrong handed lock any day.
 
As far as the Byrds go I have donated a "few" of the Robin "Bryds" in my time and as far as I know every ( or most of my friends got into Knives by way of the Crow.! lol ) Crow I have donated ended up with that person buying a Spyderco or two more.!** Hard to beat a Spydie for an EDC..*
 
The only Byrd knife I own is an older full serrated Crossbill with G10 grips--apparently now discontinued since I don't see it in the catalog. I've never carried it because I bought it for a specific chore and it performed well for that purpose. In fact, I've used it for several really nasty, knife destroying jobs since then and it's still tight and fully functioning. When you consider the price, that's pretty impressive.

I've owned a Persistence, Ambitious and a Resilience but no Tenacious. I'm with the Deacon on feature preference--I like a choil over a full blade edge. Lock type is less of a preference for me. The Chinese Spydercos were all fine but the Byrds take the crown for "affordable" utility.
 
A Tenacious was my first spyderco and I still carry it. The blade geometry is up there with a Delica. The ergos are really nice for all kinds of hands, too.
 
I realize a Cara Cara 2 is half the cost of the Tenacious, so it's not exactly a fair comparison, but I see these as being in two different leagues. A Tenacious was Spyderco #1 for me, and now I have 7 of them. I don't think there is a better blade under $50 out there. The Cara isn't bad, but it's no Tenacious.
 
i'd go with tenacious
it will cost more but it's better then cara2 in terms of finishing + i prefer the round hole
 
Just received Tenacious. The ergos is more 'hugging' my hand compared to Cara Cara. I like the choil though, so it really depends on individual taste. Just to say the Tenacious feels much better than Resilience.
 
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