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Do you consider Spyderco Knives to be "Hard Use"

E

EDCanAdamas

Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
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I have been considering this for a while now; are Spyderco knives "hard use" knives in the sense of the "pocket brick" folder?

I generally consider Spydercos to be medium to light-hard use folders, due to their blade shapes and grinds. Case in point, I would not expect the blade of a Manix or Military to stand up to as much punishment as some of the other really thick blades marketed to be abused (I would expect the CBBL to do better than the axis though, especially if the "cage" was upgraded to steel rather than polymer).

Do you consider Spyderco to be hard-use appropriate? Keep in mind that I am not saying Spydercos can't be used hard, only that the blade shapes are designed mainly for slicing (a knife's intended purpose) rather than to withstand possible prying abuse.
 
I don't consider any folder "hard use". Hard use is why the Dear Lord made fixed-blades. ;)
 
There are plenty hard-use ones with thicker blades and stronger tips. My latest is a Battlestation with a 3" blade and even less cutting edge. Very strong tip. Others that come to mind are: Tuff, LionSpy, Techno, Vallotton, Southard.
 
bld522 said:
I don't consider any folder "hard use". Hard use is why the Dear Lord made fixed-blades. ;)
Click to expand...

This.
No matter how hard use any manufacturer makes a folder it has one potential flaw. It folds.
That said I've abused a lot of folders in the past and still have all my fingers.
 
Barman1 said:
No matter how hard use any manufacturer makes a folder it has one potential flaw. It folds.
Click to expand...

Or to put it another way, folders are knives that are broken by design. If the SHTF, I'm not going to bet the farm on a broken knife.
 
bld522 said:
Or to put it another way, folders are knives that are broken by design. If the SHTF, I'm not going to bet the farm on a broken knife.
Click to expand...

People often say that...
But then these same people often cry "Abuse!" at much of what people do with a fixed blade.

When asked what "appropriate use" for a fixed blade is, it often ends up being regular knife usage that a folder has no problem with!
 
I define hard use in knives as vigorous repeated cutting, this can be through material such as double walled card board, thick plastic sheeting, super abrasive material like drywall etc. The way other people define "hard use" varies a great deal. It would include all manner of abuse and actions/tasks that a certain tool is not designed for. I mean, the desire to use a folding knife to fell a tree still bewilders me, especially in a technological age where we have so many well designed tools and equipment that would be more appropriate and efficient at it.
 
RevDevil said:
I mean, the desire to use a folding knife to fell a tree still bewilders me
Click to expand...

Unless you're talking about a Rajah 2...it practically begs for tree felling. :D

I'll be interested to see how the Tatanka compares to the other "mega-folders" on the market.
Once I get more money, that is.
 
Most Spyderco's are excellent cutters and slicers. They are also mostly smooth and elegant. They usually don't weigh much and are ergonomic. So, apart from their very specific iconic look (i.e. the spyderhole) they are suitable for 90% of all people and 90% of all goals.
I am a fan, own dozens of Spyderco folders. I also own quite a few Cold Steel folders, most of which are way overbuilt. They can stand abuse much better than most Spyderco's. Is this a good thing? It is mostly subjective. It's nice to hold a folder than can be hammered, thrown and batoned with like a fixed blade, and that survives. The downside is it doesn't do the other 90% (the 'normal' functions of a folder) nearly as well as, say, a Military. Which is why IT gets carried a lot more.
It just depends what you want out of it. I don't think anyone can build folder than can do it all.
 
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I have been a fireman for over twenty years and have carried a Spyderco every day for longer then that. Never had one fail even doing things they shouldn't be.
 
I believe they are plenty strong enough for most uses. Any knife can fail if used improperly.

That said, have you seen the spine thickness on the hollow ground Manix 2? That combined with the non skeletonized liners draws the same confidence as my ZT 0560 or 0550.
 
It not only depends on your definition of hard use, but also the model in question. The Superleaf was certainly tougher than 99% of folders on the market and the Tatanka looks tougher still. Admittedly, Spyderco seems to focus more on great cutting performance than on overbuilt hard-use folders, but they always seem to have some in their lineup.
 
I'd need some examples of "hard use".

Always use the right tool for the job. You can drive nails with a stapler... For a little while any way.
 
Hard - use is a matter of opinion.... That being said: When I want a Spyderco folder to do a bit of "Hard Work"...... I carry my Chinook.
 
For a folder, yeah, I consider Spydercos to be hard use.

If you expect a folder to be used as a pry-bar or jam the tip in hardwood and twist pry it out......then the problem is not the knife, but the user.
 
Spydercos are fantastic ergonomic cutting tools and are designed from the edge up as a cutting tool should be. On some other brands, it seems the actual cutting part is an afterthought for marketing sake. My Delica can out-cut basically anything else I own. Yes, beating on any knife unnecessarily is fun, but buying a folder with intent of splitting wood and felling trees is like choosing an abacus to do 4th year calculus...there's a better tool for the job...and will be about as equally bulky in your pocket. :)
 
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