Best Spyderco from a collectors point of view and also a heavy users point of view. 2 knives (I'VE SEEN THE LIGHT!)

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Carrying two nice ones today that might be interesting, OP. 3.8 or 4.4" blade length, you can choose. Really nice F&F, including a steel backspacer (in contrast to the plastic one in the "normal" Endura and LW Police. And Hap40 is the Japanese version of Rex45, quite hard.

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I own a COLLECTION of over 160 Spydies which includes many of the knives already mentioned by others in this thread & many others that have not.

Most of the truly "collectible" Spydies were made over 10 yrs ago & are hard to find & are relatively expensive because of that.

Spyderco has not made a "new" (as opposed to a variation of an older) model knife that I've wanted to collect in the past 2-3 yrs.

The variations in "collectible" Spydies is immense from small sliplocks, to large folders with all kinds of locking devices & blade steels, to balis, to karambits, to waved knives, to hawkbills, to autos, to fixed blades and so on & my collection includes knives in all of these categories.

I'm not going to bother to mention any of them because there are so many possibilities & because you (the OP) haven't specified what type of Spydie you'd be most interested in collecting.

If you or anyone else is seriously interested in collecting Spydies, you need to do your own research about what types of knives Spyderco has made & then focus on those of greatest interest to you.

You can start doing that by scanning the listings of Spydies for sale & sold on EB & ACK.

You can also look at SpydieWiki which lists & describes every Spyderco knife model & almost every variation of those models ever made.

And you can go to the Spyderco forum here on BF to look at the various Spydie pics posted in these threads:

Post Your Spyder Pics

Your Most Recent Spyderco Acquisitions

And you can also do a search for pics that I've posted here on BF in the past of some very rare Spydies that I have acquired in the past by just using the word "Spyderco" & my user name.

Good luck!!!
 
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SharpBits said:
Nirvana or Paysan for collecting. Not easy to come by, but not impossible. The Valotton Sub-hilt and either of the Subverts are also collectible.

Hard use: Amalgam, Amalgam*, Military 1 or 2, Manix 2 and the XL are good starts.

*the Amalgam is much overlooked so I mentioned it twice. 😉
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Agree with the Military 2 or the Manix 2 XL for knives with 4 inch blades for hard use. And despite all the options today, s30v is still s good choice for a working steel.
 
ThisIsMrX said:
The stovepipe def looks like a collector piece, thank you!

As for heavy use, I keep hearing paramilitary 2 and 3, but that 3 is much smaller than 2.
As for the steel, I hear maxamet and Rex 121 is the go to for hard use knives?
Does para come in maxamet or 121? I prefer a 4" blade
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For the hard use knife, Maxamet and Rex 121 are not the best option because of their low toughness. You would be much better served with Cruwear/PD#1 or K390. Heck, for hard use, I would take Magnacut over Maxamet and Rex 121.
 
Top two are my collector and user. Something about the Phoenix's design always appealed to me, and it fits the hand really well. If I could only keep one Spyderco, it would be this one.

The Para 3 lightweight (S90V in this case) is what I zeroed in on as a user. I know you said you want something with a longer blade, larger grip, and beefy build, but that's not exactly where Spyderco puts their best foot forward (I'd look at Cold Steel for that). Spyderco specializes in a different form of functionality. If you're using a knife regularly, it's really nice to have something lightweight and unobtrusive. The Para 3 LW is the best example of what Spyderco does well IMO. It's small in the pocket and weighs next to nothing, but performs exceptionally well for real tasks. The blade is a slicy flat grind but a little thicker than most Spydercos, so durable. The lock is fidgety and actually much stronger than you'd think due to the force distribution of the design. The main grip is a little small, but it's full-sized if you choke up and use the choil. Essentially it's a utilitarian way to get all the function you need while giving up as little as possible.

Since the Phoenix is long out of production, my recommendation for you would be to pick up the Swayback at the bottom. It's being heavily discounted right now since it's recently discontinued, and it's a pretty unique knife. It has possibly the thinnest BTE grind of any Spyderco, and that combined with the hollow grind and polished stonewash finish make it glide through material like nothing else. The contoured handles are also a nice touch, and it has an unique internal stop pin design that gives it a smooth action with no play. It's the closest action I've felt to a Chris Reeve Sebenza. It's not the easiest to quickly flick open, the stock clip isn't the best match, and the handle shape is intended more for reverse grip than conventional, but if you can get over that it's a great addition to the collection. I think once the supply dries up, the unique characteristics of this knife will make it highly collectible.

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Tsujigiri said:
Top two are my collector and user. Something about the Phoenix's design always appealed to me, and it fits the hand really well. If I could only keep one Spyderco, it would be this one.

The Para 3 lightweight (S90V in this case) is what I zeroed in on as a user. I know you said you want something with a longer blade, larger grip, and beefy build, but that's not exactly where Spyderco puts their best foot forward (I'd look at Cold Steel for that). Spyderco specializes in a different form of functionality. If you're using a knife regularly, it's really nice to have something lightweight and unobtrusive. The Para 3 LW is the best example of what Spyderco does well IMO. It's small in the pocket and weighs next to nothing, but performs exceptionally well for real tasks. The blade is a slicy flat grind but a little thicker than most Spydercos, so durable. The lock is fidgety and actually much stronger than you'd think due to the force distribution of the design. The main grip is a little small, but it's full-sized if you choke up and use the choil. Essentially it's a utilitarian way to get all the function you need while giving up as little as possible.

Since the Phoenix is long out of production, my recommendation for you would be to pick up the Swayback at the bottom. It's being heavily discounted right now since it's recently discontinued, and it's a pretty unique knife. It has possibly the thinnest BTE grind of any Spyderco, and that combined with the hollow grind and polished stonewash finish make it glide through material like nothing else. The contoured handles are also a nice touch, and it has an unique internal stop pin design that gives it a smooth action with no play. It's the closest action I've felt to a Chris Reeve Sebenza. It's not the easiest to quickly flick open, the stock clip isn't the best match, and the handle shape is intended more for reverse grip than conventional, but if you can get over that it's a great addition to the collection. I think once the supply dries up, the unique characteristics of this knife will make it highly collectible.

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Yep, I sold my swayback and had to get another one because I missed it. It's a heck of a knife. Swap the clip and it's golden.
 
A lot of great suggestions but many of the suggested knives are just no longer easily available.

I think if you want a current production collectors knife my suggestion would be one of the current Sprint Run Military 2's in CF and S90V............ https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP...e-s90v-satin-plain-blade-carbon-fiber-handles

For hard use I like the big Manix 2 XL.......... https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP...nife-s30v-black-plain-blade-black-g10-handles

These are both currently in stock and available.
 
ferider said:
Make a movie, please. I can't even flick them. Note that many have had the spring user-modified.
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You can try it in reverse grip which is easier. I sold mine like 10 years ago. Can’t flick them but if you snap it hard enough it will open.
 
In a similar boat, in that I just really don't like Sypdercos, regardless of their rabid fanbase out there who some even often swear they're the best knives ever made... I just can't get into them. Nor do I have a desire to.

That said, they do make well manufactured quality knives and do the steels that they use justice in proper treatments. As users I have acquired a Native Chief in CTS-XHP, (carpenter tech. is about 40-45 minutes away from me, so I have an affinity for their steel), it's definitely a stout user... I was a fan of its somewhat sleeker steamlined profile compared to some others, no "bump" at the spidey hole, handle not as "tall", but also still a good robust feel... For a complete apples to oranges comparison I would compare it to a Buck 110 in how it kinda sorta feels in hand, (size and girth and weight) but also 100% different as well, a modern Spyderco take on what a 110 could be... Definitely not the same, completely different knife, just that if Spyderco made a completely spyderco version of a 110, it would probably be pretty damn close to what the native chief is, if that makes any sense? (I'll edit to add pics of the 2 side by side later)

I also got the Emerson waved Endura 4 in vg10, which I like a lot. A thinner slicier spyderco take on an Emerson.... If you like bigger knives, but are not a huge spyderco fan, I can certainly recommend either of those two as solid spyderco users that aren't 100% typical spydercos...

As for collectors, I have none, but I've almost bought the sun/moon chaparral more than once, and kinda sorta wish I woulda now that they're harder to find (also xhp), and in light of this very thread, I think I may go to a local shop where I know they are still in stock, and overpay for one (near msrp) before I can't get my hands on one ever again. Dangit, more $ on one more knife 🤣
(The lionspy's also were on my radar for a while, except I always find something else I want more for around the same price).
 
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Not sure if this sugestion fits within the retrictions of the OP:

Years ago, Spyderco made a complex multi-tool. I think they called it the Spiuder-Wrench or somethin g like that. It had both a pliers tool and an adjustable wrench tool. There were multiple bits stored on the frame. The whole thing could come apart to facilitate use of the pliers or wrench and the largish (for a multitool) knife blade.

I hndled one at a Mall specialty shop and decided that it was too fidely for me. All those functions also ment that in full production mode, everythiing felt a little rtrtly to me as well (loose). o I put it back.

My wife saw this interst. thought I liked it and gave me one for Christmas! Held it unused snd in the box for yeaes, then noticed one for sale on e-bay . . .for a lot. Dug out mine and listed it. Got $500.

I saw a copy online a few years ago, licensed or knock-off, I dint know. Anyway, it didn't quite seem to be att he Spiderco standard of finish etc . . .and it was "affordable".

If you are looking for a collectable CLOSET QUEEN that might well appreciate in value, see if you can find an original example of the "Spiderwrench". Makes a good fidget-widget too.
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I had (have somewhere) the Byrdwrench which was the same as the Spyderwrench but more affordable. You're right, it was a bit too gadgety...but it did save my bacon when I needed a wrench to tighten up part of the steering box on my old jeep to get it half a mile down the road.

That along with the Spyderfly (also lost somewhere in a drawer somewhere) are my two discontinued Spydercos that might be worth something if they weren't used and had the boxes...but I didn't buy them to sell them ;)
 
Not knife related, but this is a to-the-point true story about a genuine collector: This is about antique cameras, but it could be about knives, or cars or buttons.

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The Path Not Taken . . .A True Collector

Back in the mid 1990s I belonged to a local camera club. I was relatively new to Large Format photography (head-under-the-cloth view cameras) and slowly feeling my way around on a boot-strapped, badly frayed, shoe-string budget. One club meeting took place at a member's home where he showed us his newly completed showroom for all his cameras.

Wow: This was a dedicated room over a two car gsrage , so pretty big. There were built in glass display cases (lighted) full of minty-to-pristine examples of notable cameras. They ranged rom tiny Minox, through Leicas and Hassle lads . . .and every odd-ball model and format imaginable; all great stuff. Cabinet space below held seconds (and thirds) of the items under glass. There were a few unopened boxes still factory sealed in shrink-wrap.

Displayed in the center of the room were two huge ultra-large format studio cameras. Yards of bellows held up by intermediate adjustable frames on geared tracks. Everything was glowing wood and supple leather. Each had a ground glass measured in square feet ( so, larger than 12' x 12") . Well, this was years ago in the 1990s. . .my best memory now is that they were just sooooo BIG. They dominated the center of the display room like The Guns of Navarone.

Weeks later I ran into him at a local camera show. I suggested that we could make a few pictures with one or both cameras. At first, he looked a little confused. I said it gain and he understood. but hesitated. I told him that I was working at a major teaching hospital where I had access to X-ray and MRI films in large sizes. He was not enthusiastic. I told him that I could get the films developed in their appropriate chemistry in the dedicated automatic processing equipment at the hospital. . . .for free.

His eyes began to scan left and right like he was speed-reading reading something in the air just above my head, His blink rate went above 120 and his forehead broke out in beads of cold sweat. Finaly he stammered then blurted out, "You mean take pictures?" He turned his back and walked rapidly away.

Now THATS a collector!
 
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