Byrd Meadowlark Review

[lava_lamp]

Byrd Meadowlark Review

Introduction

I received a Byrd Meadowlark for review through the BladeForums pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=751733. As many readers may know, Byrd is Spyderco’s brand for its lowest priced knives. So far, all Byrd knives have been manufactured in China. The MSRP on the G10 Meadowlark is $42.95, but most retailers sell it for less than 50% of that. The Meadowlark has been discontinued in advance of the Meadowlark 2 and is currently available for around $18.

Size

The Byrd Meadowlark is the equivalent of a Spyderco Delica -- complete with Boye dent lockback. It is 1/4” shorter, however, 3/4 oz heavier, and has a 1/8” longer blade. The Meadowlark has a bigger choil, however, which results in the Delica having a 1/8” longer cutting edge.

Fit & Finish

The Meadowlark is the third Byrd knife I’ve handled. I previously owned a Meadowlark Rescue with FRN handles and a Byrd Wings (both shown below.) The fit and finish on all of the Byrd knives I’ve owned has been generally good -- centered blades, secure lock-up, nicely milled edges on the G10 -- but inferior to Spyderco knives. The paint used on the screws and clips, for example, seems to wear off very quickly. The pass around Meadowlark also has some rust on the back spacer -- something I’ve never seen in a Spyderco knife.

Byrd Meadowlark Rescue

Byrd Wings
The only large two-bladed offering in the Spyderco or Byrd line up.

Blade

Like all Byrds, the Meadowlark’s hollow-ground blade is made from 8Cr13MoV steel. My non-metallurgist conclusion is that it is the equivalent of AUS 8 or maybe AUS 6. It doesn’t seem to hold an edge like VG-10 or S30V, but does seem a bit easier to sharpen. In the week I had the Meadowlark, I used it to cut around the edges of three or four pieces of sod. The blade quickly got butter-knife dull. I pulled it through a carbide sharpener and a few strokes with the Sharpmaker and got it to utility sharp quickly.

The blades on the Byrd series knives feature a “comet” shaped opening hole, rather than the round Spyderhole. I don’t find much difference between them when opening, but I do prefer the aesthetics of the simple round hole.

Handle

Byrd handle choices include FRN, G10, or stainless steel in many models. The pass around Meadowlark featured screw-together construction and G10 scales. I couldn’t discern any difference between the G10 on the Byrd and the G10 on my Spyderco knives. The FRN on my Meadowlark Rescue has a different pattern than the Spyderco FRN models and isn’t as grippy.

Byrd Handles also add some additional holes and file work on the back spacers that isn’t present in the Spyderco models. It’s a matter of personal choice, but I don’t care for it much. I've noticed that the newer "Version 2" Byrds aren't quite so over-embellished and have shorter "comet" shaped cut-outs. The new designs seem much more in keeping with what Spyderco knives are all about. They are offering some full flat ground blades with the new Byrds, too.

Like most lockbacks, the Meadowlark seems lefty friendly. The clip is reversible, tip-up only. A lanyard hole is pre-driled at the butt end of the handle.

Conclusions

The pass around Meadowlark and the other Byrds I’ve handled are solid, well built knives at a good price. They are not quite Spyderco knives, though, and as an enthusiast, I’ve not that interested in owning them. It just doesn’t seem worth it to save $20 or $30 on a knife. I’d rather have the real thing. I also prefer to buy USA made goods when I can.

Thanks to Spyderco, Frank K., and BladeForums for letting me borrow the knife and write about it.

 

[frank k]

Thanks for the review!

My opinion on the Byrds are that they offer a lot of value for a Chinese made knife, but that they are not (at least not yet) up to the standards of the USA, Japan and Taiwan made Spyderco's, though they are close in all areas except that their are no high end steel options with the Byrds.

I think most people who are interested enough in knives to be here would be better off saving up for one of the American, Japanese or Taiwanese made Spydercos. But some one on a tight budget or is unwilling to spend more than what a Chinese made knife costs, the Byrds are a great choice.

 

[Slidetechnik]

^I agree that the Byrds are a good value(although I cringe at the thought of buying Chinese produced goods right now), however for 10 bucks more you are in Tenacious/Persistence territory, which IMO are superior knives to the Byrds in every way. WHen you average that over the lifetime of the knife, it costs like 1 cent more per week.