I'm planning on getting an inexpensive but still decent "luggage knife". I have heard allot of good things about the Byrd line and a G10 Pe Robin seems to be a good choice. Does anyone have anything either way to say on the issue? I have heard that spyderco lockbacks tend to have a little vertical play does that hold true for this knife and has anyone found it to be a serious fault?
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Byrd Robin
- Thread starter Locust
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2002
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- 1,507
I have been thinking about getting one too, just for pocket carry around the house. My research, both here and over on the Spyderco forum has revealed near universal acclaim. For the price I think it's hard to go wrong with any of the Byrd line.
$20 for a nice little lockback with G-10 handles, and a blade that's easy to keep sharp, designed by the folks at Spyderco....what's not to like ?
- regards
$20 for a nice little lockback with G-10 handles, and a blade that's easy to keep sharp, designed by the folks at Spyderco....what's not to like ?
- regards
My byrd cara cara's lock back has absolute no blade play at all in any direction, their fit and finish are just as good as their spyderco US and Japan made knives, but the steel will be a lil lower quality, it's pretty similar to AUS 8, but for the price range it would be very adequate for you purpose.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
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- 69,759
Bought a Crow about a year ago and have been really pleased with it.
I used a Byrd Robin to whittle a Ball in Cage. It did a fantastic job and sliced micro thin shavings of wood. I could get it very sharp with a Sharpmaker and keep it sharp with a strop. Because the handle is short, using it so long created a blister on my palm. I was impressed with the Robin so, I bought the larger Meadowlark.
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2009
- Messages
- 85
I bought the Byrd Robin BY10P i think, it's the all steel handle model with the full plain edge. It's an awesome little knife! So far it's holding it's edge well. I've used it a lot in the past week and so far it's awesome. No blade play whatsoever! I find it's quite heavy for it's size, but I don't mind, the weight gives me a sense of durability! I don't think there's a better knife out there, for the price!
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2006
- Messages
- 42,969
I have a Byrd Flight. The lockup on mine is completely solid.
The Chinese 8Cr13MoV alloy has the edge retention of AUS8. The Byrd blades are heat treated to a higher hardness than most knife companies treat AUS8 so a lot of the Byrds actually have better edge retention than a lot of the AUS8 that is out there.
Great boogie for the money.
The Chinese 8Cr13MoV alloy has the edge retention of AUS8. The Byrd blades are heat treated to a higher hardness than most knife companies treat AUS8 so a lot of the Byrds actually have better edge retention than a lot of the AUS8 that is out there.
Great boogie for the money.
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2009
- Messages
- 104
Would anyone happen to know how the FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) handles on some knives in the Byrd line compare to the G10 handles that Byrd usually uses?
I just received my Byrd Robin and Byrd Starling yesterday in the mail. I have to say with the Robin, I am very impressed. The lock up is extremely solid, no play whatsoever. It is very stiff in opening , but I can deal with that because I hate blade play. It's a solid little knife and the fit and finish is outstanding for only $16. Stainless steel liners are well polished, and the knife had great a comfortable grip. I like this knife.
Now on to the Starling: I'm getting rid of this knife immediately. I bought it to take the place of my Ladybug III while I send that away to get replaced/fixed for bladeplay issues. This knife sucks, and is the worst I've bought. The blade is too stiff to open comfortably, and the knife has horrible, horrible blade play. When I look at the knife from the top I can see the space in between the liner and the back-lock when opened and I can watch the blade move from side to side. In addition, when I try to close the knife, it gets stuck on the back tang and doesn't close unless I force it, in which it very dangerously pops forward. The safest way I can close this knife is by depressing the locback and smacking the back of the blade against something to pop it back. The feathering on the handles sucks too, and is very slippery. My Ladybug III, even with the bladeplay, makes this knife look like a paperclip. I very much dislike this knife, and as stated, I'm going to try to lube it up enough to get rid of that sticky lock problem, then give it to my buddy at work that liked my ladybug. If I can't fix that, then I will probably give it to someone I don't like so they can cut their fingers off.
Bottom line: In my opinion, I think the Byrd knives have potential to be every bit as good as other Spydercos, and can also be just as crappy as chinese flea market junk. Yet, I would go ahead and pull the trigger on that robin because I really like this little thing, and don't see the quality decreasing much on it. I think the Starling was just so terrible because it is a smaller, cheaper, and one of the more unpopular knives in the series and probably doesn't gain that much attention from the manufacturers.
Added bonus: I love the size on the Robin as well. Fully handy, and good blade length.
Now on to the Starling: I'm getting rid of this knife immediately. I bought it to take the place of my Ladybug III while I send that away to get replaced/fixed for bladeplay issues. This knife sucks, and is the worst I've bought. The blade is too stiff to open comfortably, and the knife has horrible, horrible blade play. When I look at the knife from the top I can see the space in between the liner and the back-lock when opened and I can watch the blade move from side to side. In addition, when I try to close the knife, it gets stuck on the back tang and doesn't close unless I force it, in which it very dangerously pops forward. The safest way I can close this knife is by depressing the locback and smacking the back of the blade against something to pop it back. The feathering on the handles sucks too, and is very slippery. My Ladybug III, even with the bladeplay, makes this knife look like a paperclip. I very much dislike this knife, and as stated, I'm going to try to lube it up enough to get rid of that sticky lock problem, then give it to my buddy at work that liked my ladybug. If I can't fix that, then I will probably give it to someone I don't like so they can cut their fingers off.
Bottom line: In my opinion, I think the Byrd knives have potential to be every bit as good as other Spydercos, and can also be just as crappy as chinese flea market junk. Yet, I would go ahead and pull the trigger on that robin because I really like this little thing, and don't see the quality decreasing much on it. I think the Starling was just so terrible because it is a smaller, cheaper, and one of the more unpopular knives in the series and probably doesn't gain that much attention from the manufacturers.
Added bonus: I love the size on the Robin as well. Fully handy, and good blade length.
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2004
- Messages
- 313
probably for the reasons you state on it's quality or lack of quality.
