difference between civie and matriarch?

H

hannibal lecter spyderco

Joined
Mar 29, 2001
Messages
1,236
Hi can anyone tell me what the difference between the civie and the matriarch? I currently own a few civie and I understand that the matriarch is the little brother of the civie. Since I've have never seen a mat up close and personal can anyone tell me why there such a huge difference in price. Here are some of the things I'm looking at

1. size

2. shape blade

3. steel

4. clip

5 lock

6 finish

Thanks ahead of time
 
Well. The Matriarch is a little smaller. It also has a Zyntel handle instead of G-10. It has the same lock, design ++++ as the Civillian.

The Civillian is a better knife.

BARE.
 
OTOH...

The Matriarch is lighter than the Civilian, which might make a difference depending on how you carry it (running shorts/sweat pants and neck sheaths come to mind). Also, the clip is ambidextrous, and that is a big plus for southpaws such as myself.

For the price of one Civilian, you can have two Matriarchs (if you can find them). Personally, I don't think the former is worth twice as much as the latter. YMMV, of course.

Leo

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"Though the meek shall inherit the Earth, they won't keep it past Saturday night..."
 
No, but the clip on the Matriarch is reversable for Left Handers, the shorter point is stronger and it's lighter.

View


Darn Leo, you posted lighter and reversible while I was waiting for my picture from Photopoint.
biggrin.gif


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Rick Gray - Left Handers Unite



[This message has been edited by RGRAY (edited 04-01-2001).]
 
Rick, my fellow left hander:

You snooze, you loose!
biggrin.gif


Of course, I didn't have a picture to post...

Those Matriarchs are nice, aren't they? The more I think about it, the less I feel like I need a Civilian (they sure are nice though, don't get me wrong). I mean, I like G-10 as much as the next guy, but the Spyderco Zytel knives have a lot going for them.

Leo

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"Though the meek shall inherit the Earth, they won't keep it past Saturday night..."
 
Matriarch, sounds like a great knife from what you guys are saying. In fact I can get about 3 Matriarch for the price of one civilian. I've heard that the clips twist off on the Zyntel handle because its so soft. What have you seen in your everyday use?

Thanks for all the info guys
 
The other main difference is "tip up"(Matriarch) against "tip down" (Civilian). Not a massive point, but if you have invested significant training time in tip-down access/deployment you may not want to change.
Otherwise, that Matriarch is an excellent weapon.

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Check Six...
Dennis

 
never heard of any clips falling/twisting off - mats are a heck of a knife, esp. if ya get 1 off the net for less than retail, IMHO i would NEVER pay reatil - too many places to get a good deal, IMHO NO WAY the civvys are 3 or 4 times the mat, as the 3 or 4 times price would indicate - i might buy 1 sometimes for my collection, but if could only have 1 knife, and $$ was tight, IMHO it would be hard to justify the civ over the mat - hey darn it, dont every one get mad at once now LOL!! really,I just think the mat is a good deal, I guess this is is my whole point w/this .......

vet
 
oh and noticed civvies have GIN1 steel, mat has ATS55 or 35, whats up with that??
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">I've heard that the clips twist off on the Zyntel handle because its so soft.</font>
Click to expand...

I've carried a Matriarch IWB since they first came out & have not experienced this problem.

If you are interested in seeing the Civilian & Matriarch side-by-side, try a search of the Spyderco forum archive.

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Cheers,
Brian
(formerly bcaffrey)
He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Some pics for reference....

<a href=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=205095&a=1509369&p=45622941>Spydie Hawks</a>

<a href=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=205095&a=1509369&p=45624306>Clipside Pic</a>


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><CHINOOK*>
--
Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult

[This message has been edited by Chinook (edited 04-03-2001).]
 
Mr. Lecter, may I ask you why you want to name yourself after a cannibalistic serial killer? I cannot see that Spyderco, or knives in general, need that kind of publicity.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
 
I have had the metal pocket clips on 3 different FRN spydies torque around on me. I carry in my left-rear pocket, and apparently snag my generously proportioned posterior on things more than I should. As a result, I now own a Matriarch, Rescue, and Merlin all with widened recesses where the clip should rest.
I carry only stainless steel or G-10 Spydies in this location now.

GIN-1 blades were used on Civilians and Harpys until the new ATS-55 blades replaced them a year or more ago.
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Life Member NRA & PMA, member AKTI, NKCA, ATA, and any other worthy cause I can find.



[This message has been edited by Hawkbill (edited 04-03-2001).]
 
Fuller H -- it is "Doctor" Lecter.
biggrin.gif
He has enjoyed an incredibly exciting life. He has been in numerous knife fights. He was in Asia for some time period. He has taught martial arts for years. In one post he stated that martial arts instructors with many scars have to be no good. Then, within 2 or 3 sentences stated that his instructor had many scars, the result of over 300 knife fights.
biggrin.gif
Do you get the drift?
rolleyes.gif


His profile makes me think that his life may have originated in Asia, or that he at least is of an asian culture. Unfortunately, Vietnam has no highly regarded martial art, as do many of it's asian neighbors. They call this over-compensation I think.
smile.gif


Still, a well-meaning trollish sort of person, if you ask me.

I agree that the Spyderco is too much.

I made so bold as to post in this forum, since I have 2 Spyderco transactions at one stage or another. Can't wait til I get them.


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Bugs, I think you need to learn how to read. I believe that I stated that, I disagree witht the concept of not getting cut. I also said that I was taught by a man who had been in numerous knife fights and his body was full of scars, which would lead me to believe that getting cut in a knife fight is something that will happen to you sooner or later. It is true that I'm of asian decent, but not vietnamese. It is the ignorant know it all, superior attitude of americans which will be the down fall of this country.

Remember when you under estimate your attacker, that might be the biggest mistake you make.
 
to answer your question about why the handle it is because of I've always liked the character hannibal end of story and spyderco? And I just have a great love for the spyderco design, and since my favorite book character happens to use it why not. I for one don't believe in being pc, I believe in treating people well etc.. and being polite.
 
Hi Guys. It seems we have a number of new visitors (posters) on our forum since my last trip.

Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

This is a friendly place where knowledge and opinion are shared for everyone's benefit.

We have many visitors from all over the world, different ages, cultures and points of view. Disagreement is fine here. Respect is essential. Honesty is always best, but trust sometimes takes a little time to develop. The "Tone" we try to maintain here is friendly realism.

The visitors that "hang out" seem to reach that "comfortable / safe" zone in time.

I appreciate your patience and kind understanding as we teach each other about Spyderco products and "Spyderco philosophies".

For those that are new. The Civilian is an undercover defensive tool. Made in very limited production and not promoted to the general ELUs. (End Line Users). One you may carry and hope never to have to use.

The Matriarch is a similar defensive tool designed for women in South Africa. It is sold in the US primarily as a back up for Law Enforcement Professionals. It is also not promoted to the general ELUs.

Collectors and knife aficianados own them, but no one I know would joke about using one.

The purpose of any martial art (with weapon or not) is to stop the bad guys from hurting the innocents. If you look at it any other way, may I suggest you question your own understanding. This is not to discount the discipline and health advantages of a study.

sal
 
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