Dragonfly 2 review..

Nice work. I recently gave my Dragonfly2 away to my uncle, who was very grateful to receive it. Every positive thing you wrote about it is true. However, I found that the extra weight in carrying a Delica is trivial to me, but the added utility and comfort of a Delica is a huge step up. So I found myself not needing a Dragonfly2 for actual use.
 
Why not post it here instead of having everyone click a link?
If this doesn't work, it's your fault :)

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The Spyderco Dragonfly has been around for a long time. You might call the dragonfly the little brother to the Delica and the Endura. As with many Spyderco knives, the Dragonfly2 is a result of Sal Glesser (owner of Spyderco) and Co. constantly listening to and considering feedback from their end users. They call their evolutionary process of refining knives their C.Q.I. (Constant Quality Improvement) process. Sal, his son and their staff are well known in the knife industry and among enthusiasts for their constant interaction on via email exchanges and on the various forums around the net (including their very own at www.spyderco.com). One thing is very evident; they listen. The Dragonfly2 is the result of improvements suggested by end users.

MATERIALS

The Dragonfly 2 uses FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) as it's scales or handle. If' you've ever owned a spyderco, you know what these scales feel like. They are nice and grippy. The Blade is made from one of my favorite steels, VG-10. VG-10 was originally designed for the Japanese cutlery market but was picked up by Spyderco for use in several of their knives. VG-10 lies in the mid range for RC hardness at around 59 or 60. I have found in use that I can (personally) sharpen VG-10 to a sharper edge than any blade material that I own. I can routinely get my VG-10 blades to razor or shaving sharp. Even better, they hold that edge for a long time. Not too hard, not too soft and it's stainless. I really like VG-10 steel.

Spyderco chose to utilize screws to hold everything together rather than the pins they used to use. I think this just exudes more quality than the pins and it allows for repairs or cleaning.

BLADE

As stated above, the VG-10 blade is one of my favorite steels. This knife blade is a miniscule 2.25 inches and the cutting edge due to the choil is a mere 1 7/8 inches. In use however, this little blade can accomplish 80% of my every day cutting tasks and does so very well. The blade is available in plain edge or serrated (AKA Spyderedge). Despite the small size of this blade, it is very capable.



LOCK

The lock is a standard yet capable lockback style. Nothing fancy but it works and works well for a knife in this category as long as it's used for it's intended purposes. I wouldn't do any spine wacking experiments on it though :)

FIT AND FINISH

The fit and finish on my knife was very well done. All screws were tight, the clip was tight and the blade was reasonably centered. When open, there is VERY little side to side blade play and zero up and down.

ERGONOMICS

As stated previously, this is a small knife. I ordered this knife online due to so many people recommending it. I was admittedly a little apprehensive about such a small knife and thought it's uses would be limited. Further, I never expected to be able to flick it open like my larger Spyderco's. I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. While ergonomics are mostly a personal issue, I found this knife to work way better than expected in my hand. I'm a big guy (6'1") and have big hands but this little knife just works. I have found that the choil is very useful when performing small cutting tasks and find myself laying a index finger along the spine during many tasks. The ergonomics are very good in my book.

POCKET CLIP

One thing I don't like about some of my spyderco's is their standard non-recessed clips. On the little Dragonfly2, Spyderco has utilized a tip up (right or left) recessed wire clip. I like this clip better because it doesn't have the tenancy to loosen and wiggle back and forth like some of the other clips. It clips very well into the pants (or like I carry it) into a shirt pocket. It is held in place by a single screw and it holds it in place well.
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SIZE AND WEIGHT

This knife weighs in at a feathery 1.2 ounces. Clipped into the pocked, you can honestly easily forget that it is there. Some people have actually made neck sheaths for these and use them as "neck knives". It's closed length is only 3 5/16 inches. Below is a photo of the Dragonfly 2 next to it's bigger cousin the Endura 4.

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and next to a Casio G-Shock watch:
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SMOOTHNESS OF OPENING

I was pleasantly surprised when I received the Dragonfly 2. It opens very smoothly AND I can flick it open just as fast as my other Spyderco's with a snap of the thumb.


USES

If I have to nit pick anything on this knife I guess it would be that because it's small size, there are a few cutting tasks that it cannot handle well. It's not long enough to cut through large onions or tomatoes and would probably be the last knife I would reach for in a life or death situation. Fortunately, it was not made for these purposes so this must be taken into consideration. It does VERY well, opening envelopes, peeling apples, opening boxes, cutting out splinters and scraping off cactus spines. In fact, I used it on today's date just for that purpose. I think it will handle 80% of cutting tasks that most folks may encounter.

CONCLUSION

As long as you consider this little knife within the scope of it's intended use, I don't think you can buy a better little "big" knife. I was a little skeptical reading all the rave reviews thinking I probably wouldn't like such a small knife. This knife however has won me over. I carry it every day in my shirt pocket on my LEO uniform. It is VERY sheeple friendly and can be easily sharpened to a razor edge. If you are looking for a small bladed knife but want something with a bit more heft and strength than a standard small Swiss army knife and made with very good Japanese VG-10 steel, then I would highly recommend looking at the Spyderco Dragonfly2.
 
Great review Jason. Looks like I'm going to pick one up. I had a SS Dragonfly but gave it to my Nephew a few years back.
 
Thanks for the great review. I have the g10 version and also think it's a great little knife. It's like having a little universal zipper in your pocket.
 
Jasonp thanks for the great review. The Dragonfly 2 is a really nice knife. Loved the pictures.
 
My Stainless steel handled one lives in my right boot (except when I'm on a plane!).

I love just knowing that I have a terrifically handy little blade as a back-up...

Ben
 
I ended up buying two Dragonfly 2s - picked up a Salt (because I liked yellow and had no H1 steel knives) and within a week, I had ordered the G10 version. The G10 version has steel liners and feels quite a bit heavier, but its a good heavy :)

I bought two more for Christmas gifts (and a Cat, and a ZDP Ladybug - it was a good year to be my friend/relative if you were a Spydie fan :D ) and the Dragonflies were very well received - the folks who got them didn't have any nice pocket knives and they love their new Spydies.

I'm thinking about picking up an SS or Tattoo model as well as one in ZDP-189.
 
I ended up buying two Dragonfly 2s - picked up a Salt (because I liked yellow and had no H1 steel knives) and within a week, I had ordered the G10 version. The G10 version has steel liners and feels quite a bit heavier, but its a good heavy :)

I bought two more for Christmas gifts (and a Cat, and a ZDP Ladybug - it was a good year to be my friend/relative if you were a Spydie fan :D ) and the Dragonflies were very well received - the folks who got them didn't have any nice pocket knives and they love their new Spydies.

I'm thinking about picking up an SS or Tattoo model as well as one in ZDP-189.
I'm all over the H1 version myself as soon as my pocketbook recovers from Christmas :)
 
I've had my eye on the G10 version for a few months. The $70 tag was more than I wanted to spend but I eventually broke down and did it. Here's my brief review:

Pros:
Jimping. Choil and thumb ramp, overall ergo comfort.
Fit & Finish
Blade Shape is perfect IMO.
Blade came super sharp, No Experience with VG10
Reversible clip. A must for me.

Cons:
Lock. I hate lockback style. I'm trying to get past it, but I constantly think how WONDERFUL this knife would be with a liner lock.
Opening. Relative to the lockback it is very stiff to open. There is no "flicking open and closed" like a liner.

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I decided the lock back wasn't for me. I had known it, but I liked the other features of the dragonfly so much I thought they would overcome it. I put the knife in use today and it was awkward compared to my persistence. The closed size was too small to get a secure grip and the blade deployment was so tight it nearly flipped back on me. Back to Amazon it goes. Maybe a Sage 1 to come.
 
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