- Joined
- May 23, 2008
- Messages
- 2,673
A guy at a knife shop that I frequently visit said I should diversify my knife collection a bit. I feel like I've got a pretty eclectic gathering but the bulk of it is Chris Reeve, Benchmade, Zero Tolerance, and Spyderco. There are several examples from other brands in there too (Brous, Lionsteel, Gerber, Buck, and Case to name some) but I decided to try a couple others to see what I was missing. Of course, he was trying to talk me into buying a Strider which they are about to start stocking but I don't have any interest in those. Instead I visited our friendly Exchange and found a couple of knives that fit the bill: a Grayman Dua and a Southern Grind Spider Monkey. I'd never owned or even handled an example from either company. So far the experience has yielded mixed results.
Grayman Dua:
This one was a surprise hit. I had considered them from time to time but remained hesitant to try one based on varied reports of quality with Grayman stuff. One came up for sale locally so I got to check it out in person before buying. After seeing it in person I knew I wanted it. It's a very well-made knife, worth more than the retail price in my opinion if compared to Chris Reeve stuff or even some of the Spyderco and Benchmade options. For instance, the Benchmade Proxy costs the same amount and I think the Dua is a much better knife for the money. I have never carried my Proxy since buying it. The Dua's action is the best of any of my knives. It has a pivot bushing like a Sebenza but flies open like it has a ball bearing pivot. It also has rock-solid lockup. Don't get me wrong, I love my Sebenzas, but it's nice to have a pivot bushing without a sluggish deployment. This one has been on me constantly since I got it and I don't so that ending any time soon.
I did a video review of it. The lock stick I mentioned in the video has all but disappeared. When it does happen it's very light.
[video=youtube;LpyMc-NUEEA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LpyMc-NUEEA[/video]
Southern Grind Spider Monkey Copper:
This one isn't great so far. It has a ton of potential as a favorite EDC knife for me. I love its size and blade shape. The handle fits my hand perfectly (without the pocket clip). I just like handling the knife because the copper scales are unique. However, there are a few negatives for me. I'm not nuts about the pocket clip. It kills the ergonomics for me and creates a bad hot spot. That's fine; I remove the pocket clips from all my Chris Reeve knives for the same reason. The problem is that one of the pocket clip screws is also a screw for the rear pillar. Having that screw there without the clip looks goofy. The clip is also too stiff. I found it difficult to get it over the thick edge of my camo utility pants. The bigger issue I'm having is blade play. There is some vertical play when the knife if locked open. After it's closed and the detent is engaged you can push on the top of the blade and it kind of clicks down into the handle more. The blade also moves around a lot when it's partially open. It just seems like either the pivot screw is moving around in the handle or the blade is moving too much around the pivot (like the blade's pivot hole is too big). I'm going to send it back to Southern Grind. I was going to try to live with it but can't at this price point. Hopefully they can get it worked out because I can see my self really enjoying this knife.
Grayman Dua:
This one was a surprise hit. I had considered them from time to time but remained hesitant to try one based on varied reports of quality with Grayman stuff. One came up for sale locally so I got to check it out in person before buying. After seeing it in person I knew I wanted it. It's a very well-made knife, worth more than the retail price in my opinion if compared to Chris Reeve stuff or even some of the Spyderco and Benchmade options. For instance, the Benchmade Proxy costs the same amount and I think the Dua is a much better knife for the money. I have never carried my Proxy since buying it. The Dua's action is the best of any of my knives. It has a pivot bushing like a Sebenza but flies open like it has a ball bearing pivot. It also has rock-solid lockup. Don't get me wrong, I love my Sebenzas, but it's nice to have a pivot bushing without a sluggish deployment. This one has been on me constantly since I got it and I don't so that ending any time soon.
I did a video review of it. The lock stick I mentioned in the video has all but disappeared. When it does happen it's very light.
[video=youtube;LpyMc-NUEEA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LpyMc-NUEEA[/video]
Southern Grind Spider Monkey Copper:
This one isn't great so far. It has a ton of potential as a favorite EDC knife for me. I love its size and blade shape. The handle fits my hand perfectly (without the pocket clip). I just like handling the knife because the copper scales are unique. However, there are a few negatives for me. I'm not nuts about the pocket clip. It kills the ergonomics for me and creates a bad hot spot. That's fine; I remove the pocket clips from all my Chris Reeve knives for the same reason. The problem is that one of the pocket clip screws is also a screw for the rear pillar. Having that screw there without the clip looks goofy. The clip is also too stiff. I found it difficult to get it over the thick edge of my camo utility pants. The bigger issue I'm having is blade play. There is some vertical play when the knife if locked open. After it's closed and the detent is engaged you can push on the top of the blade and it kind of clicks down into the handle more. The blade also moves around a lot when it's partially open. It just seems like either the pivot screw is moving around in the handle or the blade is moving too much around the pivot (like the blade's pivot hole is too big). I'm going to send it back to Southern Grind. I was going to try to live with it but can't at this price point. Hopefully they can get it worked out because I can see my self really enjoying this knife.
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). I would also like to add that based on personal experience that Grayman has excellent customer service.