Hard Use Spyderco Folders

[JayGoliath]

 

[Torm]

Well I just dressed my old beater Endura Wave up in a new set of scales but over the years that blade has been used and abused from prying, to chipping, to digging along with cutting anything that needed to be from the woods to construction. I'd say the Endura definitely belongs in the ranks of hard use folders as does the Delica.

 

[Jaytaylor]

as to the original question, I think the handle is the most important feature for hard use. if you aren't wearing gloves that super tactically jimped zt 560 will destroy your hands after a dozen hard push cuts, and it has crappy ergonomics to boot. though some "brick knives", which I generally dislike, do actually have decent ergonomics which were made better by being thick and/or contoured. its just a trade off for ease of carry in pocket versus feel in hand.

IMO the Millie and pm2 split this difference for my tastes better than any other knives I've handled. the Millie obviously being the better in a variety of grips and cutting chores. They would be perfect in hand with a hair more thickness letting the handle be more rounded, but the carry would be significantly worsened. If I have a day of real, hard use planned you can bet I have my military in my pocket.

If I have a day of super heroic, save the day, chop through a burning building to save orphans planned, then it doesn't matter what knife I have on me, since it's all in my head anyways.

Have you used a 0560 before?

I've been using one for about as month and guess what, my hands are not destroyed after many hard push cuts and the ergonomics are pretty good, arguably better than a millie.

You say the 0560 has crappy ergonomics but some "brick knives" have decent ergonomics made better by being thick and contoured, the 0560 is both contoured and thick, thicker than a millie, go figure!?!?

But you prefer your thinner and uncontoured millie to "crappy ergonomics" ZT0560, great, go and be happy with your knife choice, hopefully content enough to not feel the need to bash other brands/models.

 

[Inkbender]

Gotta agree with you here. I find it kind of entertaining that knives which are used ridiculously hard day in and out for real tasks aren't considered hard use. But knives which only see use in your daydreams of being stuck in an overturned vehicle and heroically chopping your way out make the cut as hard use... the key word is "use" in hard use.

that's why I would lump those into some other imaginary genre of knife like survival, disaster, etc.... if I was really scared of ever having to chop through sheet metal to escape a car, I'd bet my life to a tool that wasn't a knife, BUSSE or not.

as to the original question, I think the handle is the most important feature for hard use. if you aren't wearing gloves that super tactically jimped zt 560 will destroy your hands after a dozen hard push cuts, and it has crappy ergonomics to boot. though some "brick knives", which I generally dislike, do actually have decent ergonomics which were made better by being thick and/or contoured. its just a trade off for ease of carry in pocket versus feel in hand.

IMO the Millie and pm2 split this difference for my tastes better than any other knives I've handled. the Millie obviously being the better in a variety of grips and cutting chores. They would be perfect in hand with a hair more thickness letting the handle be more rounded, but the carry would be significantly worsened. If I have a day of real, hard use planned you can bet I have my military in my pocket.

If I have a day of super heroic, save the day, chop through a burning building to save orphans planned, then it doesn't matter what knife I have on me, since it's all in my head anyways.

Have you used a 0560 before?

I've been using one for about as month and guess what, my hands are not destroyed after many hard push cuts and the ergonomics are pretty good, arguably better than a millie.

You say the 0560 has crappy ergonomics but some "brick knives" have decent ergonomics made better by being thick and contoured, the 0560 is both contoured and thick, thicker than a millie, go figure!?!?

But you prefer your thinner and uncontoured millie to "crappy ergonomics" ZT0560, great, go and be happy with your knife choice, hopefully content enough to not feel the need to bash other brands/models.

FWIW, I think the 0560 has great ergos-- feels great in the hand opened and closed. A little heavy in the pocket, but it is what it is.
Also, I don't see how the Millie has more grip variety than the PM2...

 

[bulgarian_djigit]

Without gloves its pain but I still enjoy it

 

[Minnesotapride88]

Hopefully that helps. Excuse the poor lighting, been all clouds lately.

Wow, awesome edges... what sort of stones/compound did you guys use? I usually use C/F/EF DMT diamond hones and then green Porter Cable compound from Lowe's, but something tells me it's probably not going to do much against M4

 

[Surfingringo]

"that's why I would lump those into some other imaginary genre of knife like survival, disaster, etc.... if I was really scared of ever having to chop through sheet metal to escape a car, I'd bet my life to a tool that wasn't a knife, BUSSE or not."

Exactly! I mean, if that's how we are going to define a hard use "knife" then ANY knife is going to prove inferior...carry a crowbar! ;-)

 

[78LilRed]

Wow, awesome edges... what sort of stones/compound did you guys use? I usually use C/F/EF DMT diamond hones and then green Porter Cable compound from Lowe's, but something tells me it's probably not going to do much against M4

Finish in my picture is just a fine dmt benchstone. M4 isn't that bad to polish up in my opinion.

 

[singularity35]

Wow, awesome edges... what sort of stones/compound did you guys use? I usually use C/F/EF DMT diamond hones and then green Porter Cable compound from Lowe's, but something tells me it's probably not going to do much against M4

Thanks, I just used congress tool moldmasters on my EP. I started with 240, 320, 400, and 600 and stropped with 14u diamond paste. I do micro with brown sharpmaker rods for a coarse edge. I just like them polished bevels.

 

[Minnesotapride88]

Finish in my picture is just a fine dmt benchstone. M4 isn't that bad to polish up in my opinion.

Thanks, I just used congress tool moldmasters on my EP. I started with 240, 320, 400, and 600 and stropped with 14u diamond paste. I do micro with brown sharpmaker rods for a coarse edge. I just like them polished bevels.

Hm, maybe I just need to give it a try with what I already have and see what happens

 

[L2bravo]

Thanks, I just used congress tool moldmasters on my EP. I started with 240, 320, 400, and 600 and stropped with 14u diamond paste. I do micro with brown sharpmaker rods for a coarse edge. I just like them polished bevels.

Are those the triangle stones that were in another thread? How do you like them? Which ones did you get? I have some coming, just want to know what to expect.

 

[stabman]

One can only wonder how well a Spyderco (or anyone else's folder for that matter) would have held up in this situation:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/289315-Hello-everyone

Call me a member of today's generation of city dwellers addicted to stupidly thick knives with crappy blade geometries if you want to, but that's my idea of what constitutes hard use. And when I think of a "hard use" knife, that's the kind of circumstance I envision having to use it in. If you want to dial that back under your definition of "hard use", that's perfectly fine with me. But I don't. And I won't.

Okay, I will (and living in cities my entire life, I should know ).
That's not "hard use" for knives, that's "Hey, grab the pry bar!" use.

The Tuff works for anything I need a folding knife--or any knife with that blade length--for.
For chopping I'll grab the Junglas, a machete, or this:



It might even work as a stand in for a pry bar, but I'd much rather use an actual pry bar, and if I owned a car, there'd be one in it for sure.
And an axe.
And a saw.

To add: yesterday I used my Tuff cutting zip ties, something some other hard use knives have had issues with. The Tuff laughs in the face of zip ties.

 

[singularity35]

Are those the triangle stones that were in another thread? How do you like them? Which ones did you get? I have some coming, just want to know what to expect.

There are triangular ones that can be used with the sharpmaker. I used the rectangular ones both for the edge pro and for the sharpmaker. I didn't go for the traingular ones for the sharpmaker since I heard(and read) that there is a bit of an issue with precise sizes. My reasoning was, if they are too loose(or too tight and have to be trimmed), then I might not have a precise angle(not that it really matters but I'm ocd. ), on the sharpmaker. I got the rectangular ones because I thought that clipping these on the stock SM rods would give me a truer angle.

 

[Billy516]

If I have a day of super heroic, save the day, chop through a burning building to save orphans planned, then it doesn't matter what knife I have on me, since it's all in my head anyways.

Goodeyesniper, hope you don't mind, but I had to add this pearl of BF awesomeness to my sig. To keep things on topic, my two hardest used Spyderco folders are my D2 Millie and my old all stainless Delica 2 that's been to hell and back.

 

[Cypress]

At first, I was like "GAH! Screwing in a smoke detector?!" But then I realized this was the bottom of a pool...

You're a sick man.

 

[fingerjonsin]

My spyderco endura in zdp-189 has done everything and is still my favorite knife because it gets the most use, my view is your favorite knife is the one you use the most and I've used this baby for a few years and its all beat up but that's why I love it and it's still going stong.

 

[FW JSB]

Because Mr. Bradley himself says so?

Very informative video. Anyone who thinks a GB is anything but a "hard use" knife likely hasn't handled one. It's built like a tank and begs to be used.

 

[HWF]

At first, I was like "GAH! Screwing in a smoke detector?!" But then I realized this was the bottom of a pool...

You're a sick man.

Ha! Just a bit .

Kinda dulled the edge at the tip when I did that, but a couple quick swipes across the bottom of the pool sharpened it right back up!

 

[hookahhabib]

I feel the need to put in a vote for the Techno...this little blade is a beast, up to whatever task I ask of it (light prying included)! The CTS-XHP has proven to be pretty tough and holds a nice and super sharp edge, but is also easy enough to repair back to perfect whenever I do damage it in use.

I live in a beach town and constant exposure to salt water and ocean air has resulted in the occasional surface oxidation but that too has always been easily removed....ahh yes, I find myself quite happy with the cts-xhp

While it cut OK straight from the factory, 10 minutes with a mousepad and wet-dry sand paper has brought out some excellent cutting performance!

My fixed blades generally get all the attention and camera time but I'll try to get some pics up.


Convexed Techno makes a great alternative to the GB if you want to carry something a little smaller that still is relatively bombproof