Caly 3 or Calypso Jr? Please Help!

J

Jaundice

Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
51
I'm new to high performance steels. I want a spyderco knife with the thinnest, highest performance edge possible for under $100 (street price).

I'm currently deciding between a Caly 3 in VG-10 (street price $98.95) and a Calypso Jr. in ZDP-189 laminate ($84.95). I spoke with Joe Talmadge, and he highly recommended the Caly 3 in ZDP, but it's too expensive for me right now. Joe said the thin, high performance edge of the Caly 3 had to be experienced to be believed.

Which of these is the way to go? Are there any other Spydercos (or others) that are pure, thin edged cutting machines?

Thanks,

-John
 
The Caly Jr. in ZDP-189 is a pocket scalpel. Mine is the older burgundy sprint run, and I love the light weight and fantastic cutting ability. The down side is, I have been seeing complaints about problems with the latest run of Caly Jr.s. Some of the complaints are, in my own arrogant opinion, people expecting far too much from a production FRN handled knife. One thing is absolutely certain, though. If you get one with a real problem, Spyderco WILL fix it.

Edited to add: The Centofante III and IV are thin bladed, thin edge slicers, and usually a less expensive way to see just what a VG-10 blade can do.
 
Just picked up a Caly 3 on Saturday- that's right, hilariously sharp.
My first use was cutting open a flat of water bottles. It went through the plastic and psst, pssst, pssst, right through 3 bottles. Water everywhere lol. I just wasn't prepared for that sharpness and ease of cutting.

Makes my Sebbie feel like a butter knife :confused:


DSC00259.jpg
 
Thanks, fellas, for the input. I'll definitely take a look at the Centofante.

Mike, is your Caly 3 in VG-10 or ZDP? Funny, your story mirrors what I've heard from other people. Most of my knives are thicker bladed, and I'm looking to experience the "scalpel" effect.

-John
 
I think you can do better than $85 for a Caly Jr. Check Ebay. I got my VG-10 Caly for $60 plus shipping, and it was actually more expensive than the ZDP ones I saw.

You won't be disappointed with a Caly Jr. I absolutely adore mine.
 
Mine's the VG10.

I bought it the olde fashioned way- walked into the store and paid full pop plus tax. I still think it's still worth every penny. :thumbup:
 
Jaundice...

I'd say the Caly Jr. in ZDP is what you're looking for. I have a VG-10 Caly Jr and a VG-10 Caly 3. Of the two designs, I prefer the Caly 3. I like a bit of thickness and weight to my knives, even the small ones, and I do love G-10.

But I still think that for pure cutting ability in a thin blade, the ZDP Caly Jr is going to edge out the VG-10 models just a bit (although I've got a Delica 4 in VG-10 that I re-beveled and sharpened so that it slices very nearly like my Caly Jr).
 
Ive got a delica wave in vg-10 and the caly 3 in zdp and the caly does have a finer bevel and cuts like a laser. saying that.. I dont think my delica is that far behind and rebeveling that to a finer edge would bring it up to par.
a much cheaper alternative then the caly too.
the caly does have thicker liners which makes it more solid but if your not going to be doing any heavy duty work.. the delica is fine.
 
I suggest the Caly 3 in G-10 and VG-10. I like the G-10 better than the CF on the ZDP model, and the VG-10 is much easier to manage and keep the rust off of, while still being a high performance steel. The blade and edge geometry is the same on both, so they will both cut like scalpels, the ZDP just has better edge retention. The Caly 3 is a far better knife than the FRN Caly Jr.
 
J85909266 said:
I suggest the Caly 3 in G-10 and VG-10. I like the G-10 better than the CF on the ZDP model, and the VG-10 is much easier to manage and keep the rust off of, while still being a high performance steel. The blade and edge geometry is the same on both,
Click to expand...

Really? My ZDP model has a noticeably thinner edge geometry, easy to feel with your fingers or in cutting. The VG-10's edge geometry is awesome, don't get me wrong! But the few ZDPs I've held seem to be thinner, I assumed Spyderco made them all that way.
 
Joe Talmadge said:
Really? My ZDP model has a noticeably thinner edge geometry, easy to feel with your fingers or in cutting. The VG-10's edge geometry is awesome, don't get me wrong! But the few ZDPs I've held seem to be thinner, I assumed Spyderco made them all that way.
Click to expand...
That wasn't the case with the one I used. It belongs to my friend. My VG-10 Caly actually had a better, sharper edge on it. I've also seen variance in ZDP Delica edge geometry. One having much a thinner edge than my VG-10 model did, and the other have a poor, think edge. My experience may not be the standard, though. I wouldn't doubt that they grind the ZDP knives to a thinner edge. It would make sense.

I just assumed they ground them all the same, and some came out better than others. I didn't actually measure anyhting, though, so I could be totally wrong.
 
I personally like the Jr much better than the 3. The Jr just feels better in the hand and pocket than the 3 does to me. I also think they are fairly close but the ZDP models are ground a bit thinner from the few I've seen. Anyone who has handled both, did you notice the locks on the 3 don't seem as strong as the Jr lock?
 
Save for the Caly 3 ZDP, but if you can't wait get the Caly 3 in vg-10. I carry my SE Caly 3 more than any knife I own. I would love a Caly 3 ZDP in SE! I know I know, its a laminated blade, so it will not happen. :grumpy:

Get the Caly 3 in any steel, and any edge and you will not be :mad:

If you ever want to be a SE fanboy, the Caly 3 SE is the one to break you in SE edc :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
so-lo;

Wait, let me get this straight: I thought the Caly3 in ZDP was completely ZDP, not a laminate, whereas the Calypso Jr. in ZDP was a laminate with 420J. You make it sound like the Caly 3 in ZDP is a laminate? Or am I misunderstanding?

I have yet to handle any of these knives, or see them in person. I'm just going off of Joe Talmadge's recommendation.

-John
 
All of Spyderco's current ZDP-189 knives are laminates, except for the ZDP Endura and Delica.

I would pick the Caly3 over the Caly Jr. To me it feels more refined and more elegant. I really love the VG-10 steel, and while I have quite a few S30V knives I prefer the VG-10 because it is a fantastic steel with good edge retention, but still pretty easy to sharpen. I can never seem to get my S30V knives quite as scary sharp as my VG-10 ones.
 
db...

I had to wait until I got home from work to check out your question. I dug out both my Caly 3 and my grey Caly Jr and... you're right. The lock on the Caly Jr looks and feels more substantial than the Caly 3 lockup. The lockup on the blade tang seems deeper on the Caly Jr and it sounds like it snaps into the locked position with more authority than my Caly 3.

I know that "looks" and "sounds" and feels" are not objective measurements of performance, but they describe the impression that I got handling both of my knives. That said... I still favor my Caly 3 as an EDC over the Caly Jr because of the liners and scales, and I have complete confidence in the strength of the Caly 3 lockup as long as I'm using the Caly 3 the way it seems intended to be used.

Jaundice...

I believe that Carrot is right about the laminates. IIRC, only the D4 / E4 models are solid ZDP right now.
 
Another one that is being overlooked here is the UKPK. Essentially the Caly 3, but a slipjoint with S30V blade. It is lighter than the Caly 3. Even though it is a slipjoint, it is built in such a way that it stays open securely, better than my traditional slipjoints. The only real drawback is that it is harder to open and close than the Caly 3 because you are working against the backspring.
 
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