Fast draw...Which Spyderco is faster for you?

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Jul 9, 1999
Messages
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I'm currently stuck at home now, back from having Cervical Fusion surgery done last Thursday. C5, C6 and C7 all had to be fused because of a spinal disc injury and I'm a virtual prisoner in my own home not even allowed to ride in a car for a solid month.
Sooo, needless to say, I have time to kill.

I've been doing an experiment to see which of my regular carry Spydies I can deploy the fastest with the most regularity. The contestants were:

Military
G-10 Police
Starmate
Wegner large

After an hour or so of fast draws, switching back and forth after several draws, the Starmate asserted itself above the others.
This surprised me, as I was sure the Military would win partly because the Military has more "pocket time" than the Starmate. For me, the Wegner was the slowest. (Another surprise). After taking the Military and Starmate head to head for awhile it became apparent that the reason I'm able to retrieve the Starmate faster is because of that flare at the top of the pivot end, (acts kinda like a thumb rest in the open position). My thumb and index finger have more G-10 to grab onto as I pull the knife from the pocket giving a much more secure initial gripping surface than the Military. Basically, there is more to grab onto for me. This may not work for others, as in my particular case, I have some loss of feeling and mobility of my index finger from a prior knife accident. But for me, there is a notable difference in the rapid deployment of these particular Spyderco models.
Which brings me to my Q:
Which of your Spydies is the fastest to get into action and, if possible, can you explain why?

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If a man says something in the woods and there are no women there to correct him, is he still wrong?
 
My Military is the fastest but the pivot pin is a bit freer on this than on the others and allows a backhand flick as soon as clear of the pocket. No doubt I'll take my leg off someday...
Hope yer op is a success
smile.gif
 
First of all, I have to admit that you had me confused just now. I read your post and saw that you had C5, C6 and C7 fused. My first thought when I saw the numbers were Spyderco knives as their model numbers are preceded by a "C".

Anyway, the fastest Spyderco I have is the BF Native. It works great for my lefty carry knife. I can actually open it faster with my left hand than my right. Some of this is that I have carried a Native for the past year and often on the left side, so I am well practiced. The only other one I have that can challenge that is my Rescue. I carry it when I work in my right rear pocket and can access and open it very quick. Once again, it's just practice with that one. I've probably done that motion a few thousand times, so it's pretty well ingrained.

My slowest currently is my new Navigator, but I'm still breaking it in. Give me a month with it and that will change.
 
Slowest for me are all those lefty unfriendlies - Viele, C25, Shabaria, Zowada, Renegade.
Stiffest (and therefore slowest) actions are my fullsize Goddard and Smith, but that could just be a micarta thing that goes away after a couple of years use
smile.gif
 
For me, the military. I believe the oversized hole is the main reason why.

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Dennis Bible
 
The Starmate and Military are real fast but i can think of few others that can fly open. The Matriarch is very quick to flick, and the Lum and Herbst are fast. Those heavy titanium scales make these two fly open, especially with the Spyder drop.
 
I don't know, but my Wegner Jr's. are damn fast.
The Toad and Standard are close behind.
the "fastest" still belongs to the Benchmade Auto Spike.
Later, Bill
 
My fastest Spyderco is my Delica. I've carried it going on 6 years now. The first 4 years as my right hand knife. The last 2 years as my left hand knife.
I use to practice the "2 knives/2 seconds" drill recommended by Eric Remmen. Back in my Air Force days I had a few friends that carried 2 also, so we would race each other. Now days it comes out in a blink, and returns just as quickly. I need to start practicing again.
smile.gif



Blades
 
Misque - Hope all goes well and We wish you a comfortable, speedy recovery. Think hppy thoughts.

sal
 
Yeah, hope you get to feeling better, Misque.

The fastest for me is the Military, although I admit that I don't have a Starmate. The big blade hole and long handle on the Military allow you to "drop" open it very quickly.

You can draw the knife by placing your thumb in your pocket and inserting the pad of your thumb into the blade hole. As soon as the blade hole clears the seam of your pocket, you can pinch it with your index finger. When you do this, your hand is already in position to open the knife before it even leaves your pocket. All you have to do once the handle clears your pocket is snap your wrist and... Tah-Dah! The handle swings down and the knife's open.

Of course, the grip that results from a "drop" opening is not very versatile, but that's the way to go if your in a hurry.
 
Misque, feel better.

Fastest draw, Moran in a kydex sheath.
Military and one very well oiled stainless Endura.
 
Misque,

Hope your recovery goes well....got a little problem at C6 & C7 myself...a drag.

It is hard to imagine a folder that's faster to draw and open than the Military.


take care.

Phil
 
Yup, anyone having doubts about opening a Military lickety-split out of the pocket should ask Sal for a demonstration at the Blade Show. Before can finish asking him to see his knife, he's got it in your face already
biggrin.gif


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Dexter Ewing
AKTI Member # A000005

Living life "on the edge"
 
Thanks one and all for the kind words!
Well, now I'm going to have to give the Military more practice with the fast draw. It is IMO the better choice for a self defense scenario and becoming more proficient with it couldn't hurt.
I've also noticed that tip up is a slower draw overall for me. It seems I have to do a grip change when clearing the pocket before I can deploy the blade. It works out this way on my Wegner, BM 710 and Sifu.

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The individualist without strategy who takes opponents lightly will inevitably become the captive of others.
Sun Tzu
 
Tip up is more difficult for larger knives. If you stick to knives that are 3.25 or shorter blade length, I find tip up to be faster. Longer than that, like with the models Misque listed, seems to be faster with tip down as no grip switch is needed.

Just a personal observation.
 
Get well fast!

starmate for me - but I don't even have a military
wink.gif


As for C5-C7 - it seems like you're not going to turn your head to look at other girls for a while...
 
Fastest Spuderco for me is Jot Singh Khalsa. There is so much torque around the pivot pin because the hole is in that odd hump that it always opens without trying when taking out of pocket - actually I can't draw it without opening it. The hole is also easily reachable despite of deep pocket carry. This design don't need any wave features to open.
 
Come to think of it - the new Gunting is going to be faster then anything you can imagine - this is a whole new concept of speed...

Can't wait to get my hands on one (cause the ones I saw up till now were held By Master Bram - and disarming him is as close to impossible as it gets..)
 
For me it's the Endura. No need to use the hole at all. Just grab the knife, shake it hard to set the blade in motion, and add a bit of a wrist flick to engage the lock. Do it all in one fluid, lightning-fast motion. The flatness and texture of the Endura handle facilitates the initial grab.

I have two Militaries, and they aren't as fast as what some of you are describing, because I deliberately chose specimens with a secure ball-detent. They are fast enough, I imagine, but my Enduras are faster.

David Rock


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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.
 
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