- Joined
- May 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,745
had the good fortune to collect an orange dragonfly from a fellow forumite (a non-affiliated, inverse blade forum, one where everyone talks funny)
I know you all know how great they are. But the thing that shocked me was that within minutes I had decided it belonged on my "what should everyone own?" list. You know the one, the recommendations you make to everyone who wants to "get into" knives.
There is probably a Mora, an opinel, and maybe a few worth a buck or two more. And often someone suggests that everyone should own a Buck 110. Now don't get me wrong, there is a lot of history there, but for dollars spent, a dragonfly is a much better lockback, and on the international market, I'd humbly suggest that its in the same price bracket often times (at least they are here in australia)
Sure they are not the same size, but as an EDC blade, I think the dragonfly fits more people's lifestyle better, the optional clip gives a better set of carry options than a knife with none.
I get that this is the safer place to bring this up, friendly crowd and all, but I would submit that the dragonfly should be on every list of "what should I get" yes its among the smallest of its siblings (and I don't contest that there is a case for anyone who suggests everyone should own a delica) BUT and here is the biggest of butts, I mean buts, as soon as you are leaving the continental lower 48, and purchasing blades out in the wider world, the delica, and endura are much less competitive because they crowd into a price point that is much harder to nibble into. A delica here retails around the 150AUD mark, and there is a lot in that same price range. I think that the spydercos are well worth that, but the truth is that its harder to justify. A dragonfly is still around 100, but at least you can easily see 100$ worth of fit and finish (or at least I can) to put that into perspective, thats about four hours (before tax) of my wage and I'm just above the min for my age bracket (yeah wages are odd here sometimes) So for those who might not be familiar with spyderco, its a smaller risk. (Muddy due to the fakes, but what can you do?)
Anyway, purely as an EDC blade, I get that many people might feel they need more blade. But for those who are not used to an EDC, I think the dragonfly is a good size to grow from. I think its better to start a little small, and learn to use a small blade smartly, than to start with a huge blade (like I did) and be more likely to do something less smart. Anyway as a nibble at the EDC buffet, the dragonfly fell solidly into my "Why the heck did I not get one of these a long time ago!" list. I may be preaching to the converted, but I feel like maybe the dragonfly doesn't get as much love as it deserves. I think it shows the knife rookie three things, what a modern one-handed opener should be, what a solid lockback feels like, and what spyderco can deliver. All of which are important data points along the road to knowing what you like.
I know you all know how great they are. But the thing that shocked me was that within minutes I had decided it belonged on my "what should everyone own?" list. You know the one, the recommendations you make to everyone who wants to "get into" knives.
There is probably a Mora, an opinel, and maybe a few worth a buck or two more. And often someone suggests that everyone should own a Buck 110. Now don't get me wrong, there is a lot of history there, but for dollars spent, a dragonfly is a much better lockback, and on the international market, I'd humbly suggest that its in the same price bracket often times (at least they are here in australia)
Sure they are not the same size, but as an EDC blade, I think the dragonfly fits more people's lifestyle better, the optional clip gives a better set of carry options than a knife with none.
I get that this is the safer place to bring this up, friendly crowd and all, but I would submit that the dragonfly should be on every list of "what should I get" yes its among the smallest of its siblings (and I don't contest that there is a case for anyone who suggests everyone should own a delica) BUT and here is the biggest of butts, I mean buts, as soon as you are leaving the continental lower 48, and purchasing blades out in the wider world, the delica, and endura are much less competitive because they crowd into a price point that is much harder to nibble into. A delica here retails around the 150AUD mark, and there is a lot in that same price range. I think that the spydercos are well worth that, but the truth is that its harder to justify. A dragonfly is still around 100, but at least you can easily see 100$ worth of fit and finish (or at least I can) to put that into perspective, thats about four hours (before tax) of my wage and I'm just above the min for my age bracket (yeah wages are odd here sometimes) So for those who might not be familiar with spyderco, its a smaller risk. (Muddy due to the fakes, but what can you do?)
Anyway, purely as an EDC blade, I get that many people might feel they need more blade. But for those who are not used to an EDC, I think the dragonfly is a good size to grow from. I think its better to start a little small, and learn to use a small blade smartly, than to start with a huge blade (like I did) and be more likely to do something less smart. Anyway as a nibble at the EDC buffet, the dragonfly fell solidly into my "Why the heck did I not get one of these a long time ago!" list. I may be preaching to the converted, but I feel like maybe the dragonfly doesn't get as much love as it deserves. I think it shows the knife rookie three things, what a modern one-handed opener should be, what a solid lockback feels like, and what spyderco can deliver. All of which are important data points along the road to knowing what you like.
