- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
- Messages
- 1,356
When the topic of knives with sub 3" blades comes up, the Spyderco Dragonfly is often mentioned. Since I am partial to the small Spydies, I decided to get a Dragonfly II with stainless steel handle and plain edge ATS-55 blade. Here are some initial impressions of this knife, after owning it for just a few days.
The blade is quite stiff when opening, but very smooth, with none of the grittiness that some new knives have. I lubed it a bit and assume that it will break in over time, as my other Spydies have. Lockup is strong, with no blade play in any direction. With the stainless steel handle, the overall feel is a very tight, solid little knife.
The only work that I have done with it so far is some light tasks, such as opening boxes of computer monitors and network equipment. This was not enough of a workout to comment on edge holding, but I can say that the relatively thin, flat ground blade is great for slitting things open, especially when you need to work the blade into a crack. The plain edge would not be my choice for cutting zip ties and other hard plastics; the Rescue Jr. or a good pair of shears is better for that task. The knife was not shaving sharp out of the box, but had a good utility edge, which is fine for me. I have not used it enough yet to need resharpening.
The handle is interesting. It is very narrow, curved down at the end, and has a wide cutout underneath. The narrow handle does not make the knife easier to carry, since the wide blade protrudes out when closed. So, I assume that the handle was designed this way to make it more secure to hold. I had to spend some time trying to find a comfortable grip. What does not work is to put my index finger in the choil and hold the handle in my palm. That is the way I hold my Navigator, but the Dragonfly handle is too narrow for that. Instead, I put my index, middle, and ring fingers in the cutout, wrap my pinky around the end, and hold the handle kind of like a pistol grip. This is very stable, secure, and helps offset the slipperiness of the steel handles. It works well for me, but of course everyone's hands are different, so YMMV.
The only drawback that I have found with this knife is the clip. It works fine IWB when I'm wearing sweatpants or shorts. It also fits perfectly into my Mission Wallet or the small Eagle Creek belt pouch that I sometimes wear. Unfortunately, it does not carry well when clipped vertically against the outer seam of a front pants pocket. It is not hard to see why. The narrow, curved handle means that there is only one possible place to put the clip. However, this placement of the clip means that the end of the knife, plus about 1" of closed blade, sticks out of the pants. It tends to snag on things, works its way around horizontally in the pocket, and is also very noticable. For me, this is not a major problem, since I have other carry options.
Overall, I recommend this knife for those who are looking for a small, solid knife with a flat ground blade, as long as you do not intend to carry in your front pants pocket.
The blade is quite stiff when opening, but very smooth, with none of the grittiness that some new knives have. I lubed it a bit and assume that it will break in over time, as my other Spydies have. Lockup is strong, with no blade play in any direction. With the stainless steel handle, the overall feel is a very tight, solid little knife.
The only work that I have done with it so far is some light tasks, such as opening boxes of computer monitors and network equipment. This was not enough of a workout to comment on edge holding, but I can say that the relatively thin, flat ground blade is great for slitting things open, especially when you need to work the blade into a crack. The plain edge would not be my choice for cutting zip ties and other hard plastics; the Rescue Jr. or a good pair of shears is better for that task. The knife was not shaving sharp out of the box, but had a good utility edge, which is fine for me. I have not used it enough yet to need resharpening.
The handle is interesting. It is very narrow, curved down at the end, and has a wide cutout underneath. The narrow handle does not make the knife easier to carry, since the wide blade protrudes out when closed. So, I assume that the handle was designed this way to make it more secure to hold. I had to spend some time trying to find a comfortable grip. What does not work is to put my index finger in the choil and hold the handle in my palm. That is the way I hold my Navigator, but the Dragonfly handle is too narrow for that. Instead, I put my index, middle, and ring fingers in the cutout, wrap my pinky around the end, and hold the handle kind of like a pistol grip. This is very stable, secure, and helps offset the slipperiness of the steel handles. It works well for me, but of course everyone's hands are different, so YMMV.
The only drawback that I have found with this knife is the clip. It works fine IWB when I'm wearing sweatpants or shorts. It also fits perfectly into my Mission Wallet or the small Eagle Creek belt pouch that I sometimes wear. Unfortunately, it does not carry well when clipped vertically against the outer seam of a front pants pocket. It is not hard to see why. The narrow, curved handle means that there is only one possible place to put the clip. However, this placement of the clip means that the end of the knife, plus about 1" of closed blade, sticks out of the pants. It tends to snag on things, works its way around horizontally in the pocket, and is also very noticable. For me, this is not a major problem, since I have other carry options.
Overall, I recommend this knife for those who are looking for a small, solid knife with a flat ground blade, as long as you do not intend to carry in your front pants pocket.
