Cheapskate Heros

brownshoe said:
Spydercos are well made and most are good value.
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I don't have any Spyderco knife but I'm somehow confused. You know, some folks rant and rave about Chinese knives .... they say cheap look, poor quality, inferior materials and similar.
I was just looking at Spyderco offer and some of those knives don't look like something special, at least not to me. Those plastic handles look like a cheap plastic and poorly made not to mention the shape and design. Some of them have this cheaply made wire pocket clip.
I have no idea how people tolerate such cheap look for the price they need to pay. Is this just because they are made in the USA?
They say knife enthusiasts designed Spyderco look with this big hole in the blade. I can't understand why someone would compromise blades strength with this big hole. They even put a hole in fixed blade knives.
Yes, I know. I'm poking in this ''US made'' thing. I probably shouldn't on this forum but anyway; those knives look cheap.
 
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TheOne45 said:
I don't have any Spyderco knife but I'm somehow confused. You know, some folks rant and rave about Chinese knives .... they say cheap look, poor quality, inferior materials and similar.
I was just looking at Spyderco offer and some of those knives don't look like something special, at least not to me. Those plastic handles look like a cheap plastic and poorly made not to mention the shape and design. Some of them have this cheaply made wire pocket clip.
I have no idea how people tolerate such cheap look for the price they need to pay. Is this just because they are made in the USA?
They say knife enthusiasts designed Spyderco look with this big hole in the blade. I can't understand why someone would compromise blades strength with this big hole. They even put a hole in fixed blade knives.
Yes, I know. I'm poking in this ''US made'' thing. I probably shouldn't on this forum but anyway; those knives look cheap.
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I'm not a Spyderco fan, but I like the Spydie hole, it is one of my favourite opening mechanisms.
 
not so dull said:
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This is after I spent a lot of time trying to re-centre it. I could hardly open it at first.
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Huh. Spydie's PRC contractor(s) usually has/have better QC than that. Generally, though, I avoid liner locks regardless of manufacturer.
 
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Oh Spyderco! I was so disappointed! How can a knife be so flimsy? And it's not a $9.99 knock-off I bought on Amazon
I love the Triad lock now. The only drawback is that you have to make a real effort to open and close it
 
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TheOne45 said:
I don't have any Spyderco knife but I'm somehow confused. You know, some folks rant and rave about Chinese knives .... they say cheap look, poor quality, inferior materials and similar.
I was just looking at Spyderco offer and some of those knives don't look like something special, at least not to me. Those plastic handles look like a cheap plastic and poorly made not to mention the shape and design. Some of them have this cheaply made wire pocket clip.
I have no idea how people tolerate such cheap look for the price they need to pay. Is this just because they are made in the USA?
They say knife enthusiasts designed Spyderco look with this big hole in the blade. I can't understand why someone would compromise blades strength with this big hole. They even put a hole in fixed blade knives.
Yes, I know. I'm poking in this ''US made'' thing. I probably shouldn't on this forum but anyway; those knives look cheap.
Click to expand...
Spyderco and all other reputable manufacturers I can think of don't use plastic for their handles. Most are FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon), G-10 or similar composite: tough, light, inexpensive relative to other materials, self lubricating and impervious to just about everything. Spyderco knives exhibit brilliant engineering, though they look odd to some people, and their materials and standards of manufacture couldn't be surpassed IMHO.
 
Alberta Ed said:
Spyderco and all other reputable manufacturers I can think of don't use plastic for their handles.
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Ehh, my mistake. I thought they use the chiepest plastic they could get on some of their models. They sure look like that.
Just my opinion.
 
TheOne45 said:
Ehh, my mistake. I thought they use the chiepest plastic they could get on some of their models. They sure look like that.
Just my opinion.
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in a way, they do use inexpensive plastic if you look at the cost of FRN https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass-filled_polymer
however, it is very durable & strong & a great choice for a knife handle

... thinking it's the cheapest is incorrect, that honor goes to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDPE ... which falls apart in the sun, and generally won't last very long
 
I said "they look like" but never mind... a water under the bridge.
You like them, I don't like them... case closed.
Lets go back to the topic.
 
Two with ACUTO 440: Got this little Tangram (TG1001) neck scalpel around the holidays at Mojave Outdoor's eBay store as kind of a filler for the buy two for discount for $12.45 before the additional 10%, (now $20) (the other one in the order was the Kizer Cyberblade with m390 and Micarta for $44.50 before the 10%)

The other is the CRKT Viele Wasp, got it a long time ago at Big 5 Sporting Goods - didn't know anything about steel but I believe it was $15 or so, years later I learn it's AUS118/ACUTO440 - not sure if that counts since things just cost less way back then.

Sorry about the lack of photo, the camera on my cheap phone isn't going to do a good job!
 
TheOne45 said:
I don't have any Spyderco knife but I'm somehow confused. You know, some folks rant and rave about Chinese knives .... they say cheap look, poor quality, inferior materials and similar.
I was just looking at Spyderco offer and some of those knives don't look like something special, at least not to me. Those plastic handles look like a cheap plastic and poorly made not to mention the shape and design. Some of them have this cheaply made wire pocket clip.
I have no idea how people tolerate such cheap look for the price they need to pay. Is this just because they are made in the USA?
They say knife enthusiasts designed Spyderco look with this big hole in the blade. I can't understand why someone would compromise blades strength with this big hole. They even put a hole in fixed blade knives.
Yes, I know. I'm poking in this ''US made'' thing. I probably shouldn't on this forum but anyway; those knives look cheap.
Click to expand...
I can see what you mean about the clip at least the aesthetics but I got mine (wish I could find it - has the ball bearing lock) at a different time so not only were they far less expensive I wasn't as picky about how a knife looked since I hadn't gotten into it as deeply yet. Also I understand being that many are made from Taiwan it's not the same as mainland China and generally more highly regarded.

As far as something that looks nicer one of the oldest knives I have is the Byrd Cara Cara with the steel handle, still going strong although the clip fell off.

At this point I'm unlikely to buy another Spyderco unless it's a great deal on a used one I can clean up though, I mean I AM a cheapskate..
 
thatguymark said:
Two with ACUTO 440: Got this little Tangram (TG1001) neck scalpel around the holidays at Mojave Outdoor's eBay store as kind of a filler for the buy two for discount for $12.45 before the additional 10%, (now $20) (the other one in the order was the Kizer Cyberblade with m390 and Micarta for $44.50 before the 10%)

The other is the CRKT Viele Wasp, got it a long time ago at Big 5 Sporting Goods - didn't know anything about steel but I believe it was $15 or so, years later I learn it's AUS118/ACUTO440 - not sure if that counts since things just cost less way back then.

Sorry about the lack of photo, the camera on my cheap phone isn't going to do a good job!
Click to expand...

Mojave Outdoors is shutting down and seem to have just moved available inventory over to the bay. In doing so, they seem to have dug up a bunch of older stuff, including some cool discontinued models. Seeing some of the old Tangram stuff over there was fun.

Tangram was an interesting offshoot from Kizer and from what I recall, they were making those knives in a different facility and exclusively from imported Japanese steel. There was some kind of issue with leadership and the designers involved, who broke off to form another company entirely. Overall, fit and finish on those knives was decent and they were largely crushing it on value. The Tangram Santa Fe remains the best budget knife I ever owned for the money and I still have it in rotation.

While I don't see any of the Santa Fe over there, that little fixed blade is a gem. It's certainly tiny and that might limit use but it's very easy to carry. I'm not much of a "neck knife" guy but this one wears like a medallion necklace once you get the cord length figured out. It has been my default recreational lake and stream knife for years now and has occasionally been quite handy.
 
Centering never really bugs me unless it otherwise damages or impedes function of the knife. But, I suppose I would be disappointed if an expensive knife came with wonky assembly.

Case in point: I reluctantly had to make an Amazon order this week, which meant I had to add a cheapo onto my order. MAM no. 2 in my collection.

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It came with typically poor centering and wobbly blade. So, it received my patented peening technique. Nice and clean work.

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Much better now. This one may go to my uncle who likes traditional, wooden handled folders. He's lost 2 knives in the last month and this one won't hurt as badly.

#10
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