Help me choose my next EDC Spydie..

W

w00tn3ss

Joined
Dec 16, 2009
Messages
4
First EDC I bought was a tenacious (go figure) and I recently purchased a Kershaw Leek for a change, and discovered I really prefer Spyderco's ergonomics.

Anyway, I'd like to upgrade my steel and get a more expensive knife... I'm torn between a few, and I was hoping some of you owners could convince me one way or another.

1. Stretch, VG-10 or ZDP-189...?
2. Caly3.5 G-10 VG-10
3. Superleaf G-10
4. Endura4 FFG
5. PM2

So if you can tell, I want a 3+ inch blade in probably VG-10 (because I'm a noob at sharpening and from what I understand it's easier to sharpen than s30v/154cm). I also understand that the Superleaf is beefy as heck and is more of a heavy use knife, but I thought I'd include it anyway...

What do?

Edit: also, I guess this is my first post, and joined 3 years ago. Lol...
 
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While the Stretch is a great knife, I would go with the Caly 3.5.

It's slim, rides deep in the pocket, and has a lot of blade for a handle that size.
 
The Endura 4 is fantastic and I'm sure the stretch is as well. My favorite Spyderco is the Manix 2 and I think there's a good chance that you'll love it too. By the way 154cm isn't much harder to sharpen than vg10 in my experience.
 
All great knives but I vote Stretch. Not that the other options are any less ideal to be sure... Caly 3.5 is such a ridiculously balanced knife to me and is perfect in its own right. Enduras...well models come and go but Endura's continue to be bestseller for a reason. Super leaf looks to be a robust edc with a strong lock, I never owned one though.

The Stretch is such a joy to edc. Its ergos along with the PM2 for me is best. Blade length is perfect and it slices like no other with its grind profile. Just start with the VG10, great great steel anyway and if you are like me you'll also get the pricier ZDP's!
 
I carry a 3.5, but have carried an endura and a stretch. the caly sees the most pocket time of them all. I suggest the 3.5.
 
I love my Superleaf, it's an awesome EDC and very light for it's toughness. The blade is just the right length for EDCing too, as a Endura is somewhat long for that. A downside to the Caly which stopped my from getting one is that it is a pinned construction. if sand gets in the pivot point it will be a pain to take out. The stretch seems nice, but I am not a fan of FRN handles, especially when you could get virtually indestructible G10 like on the Superleaf, + that 4mm thick VG10 is a big win to me.
 
mael333ca said:
A downside to the Caly which stopped my from getting one is that it is a pinned construction. if sand gets in the pivot point it will be a pain to take out.
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While it does have pin construction, you can remove or adjust the pivot with an allen wrench. Cleaning would actually be simpler as there are no washers--the Caly is very smooth even without them.
 
Sorry this isn't in your list but I would go Paramilitary 2. If you are a Spyderco fan you will end up getting it anyway someday, so why not now?
 
General consensus: buy everything Spyderco produces.

Man, I am going to have a tough time choosing my next blade...
 
I don't know what you're blade length limit laws are where you're at. So I guess my recommendations would be based on that. I've been carrying a Spyderco C-60 Massad Ayoob for a few months now and I'm extremely satisfied with it. My boss is carrying a Spyderco ZDP-189 Delica and he told me that there have been only a few times he could have used a larger blade.

Several of my good friends are swearing by the newer Para 2. I personally wish that they would bring back the C-44 Dyad model which has 2 blades i.e. one full sized sheepsfoot fully serrated blade and one nice sized clip point plain edge blade which IMO made it the absolutely perfect EDC.

I guess it really boils down to what would be perfect for you. Because there are at least 20 great Spyderco models I could highly recommend for EDC use.
 
Out of your list I strongly prefer Caly3.5.
I never had superleaf. I carried Endura for few days, but found it little to big. I used to have original Stretch, but it didn't even made to EDC and was sold within a week after I bought it. It is a good knife, I just do not like the blade shape.
I EDCed G10/VG10 Caly3 for almost five years and switched to VG10 Caly3.5, when they came out. Carry it since than. Absolutely love the knife. Great ergos, blade geometry makes it amazing slicer. I love low riding wire clip, good size blade in very compact package. Probably the best blade length to O/L ratio in Spyderco line-up. and I love the look.
mael333ca said:
A downside to the Caly which stopped my from getting one is that it is a pinned construction. if sand gets in the pivot point it will be a pain to take out.
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During six years of EDCing Caly3 and Caly3.5 for almost every day I never had a problem with rivet construction.
 
I have a Ti-Military, ParaMilitary2, Endura4, Superleaf, among others, and I like them all - but the Para2 is my preferred EDC.

I like the Superleaf as it's nice and beefy, I love the compression lock, and seems to do most things very well.
The Endura4 FFG is cheap (relatively speaking), but is a great blade. Just not as solid as the others mentioned. And I'm not the biggest fan of the handle material. I do carry it occasionally, however, when I go places where it may easily be lost or stolen. It's the least expensive one to replace.

If you want to buy a knife to learn how to resharpen folders, the Endura seems to be a good choice! (then you can buy something else to carry! Like a Para2 :D)
 
JD Spydo said:
I personally wish that they would bring back the C-44 Dyad model which has 2 blades i.e. one full sized sheepsfoot fully serrated blade and one nice sized clip point plain edge blade which IMO made it the absolutely perfect EDC.
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+1
I would love to see a new dyad, as slim as possible. I would buy a micro dyad on ebay, but I would prefer it a bit larger and with a clip. For me this would be a perfect EDC.

Of those listed I like the Caly and the Endura. The Caly feels like a higher quality piece with very smooth movement and precise lockup. I consider the Caly more of a gentleman's knife, but more capable than most gentleman's knives. The Endura isn't as refined but for the money it can't be beat.

But if I had to keep ONE of my Spydies it would be my Para2. I have no issues sharpening S30V vs. VG-10. Dude, add a Para2 to the list.
 
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Cynic2701 said:
While it does have pin construction, you can remove or adjust the pivot with an allen wrench. Cleaning would actually be simpler as there are no washers--the Caly is very smooth even without them.
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bh49 said:
During six years of EDCing Caly3 and Caly3.5 for almost every day I never had a problem with rivet construction.
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ah you guys! now I am once more tempted to get one of them(the 3.5, in VG10 or ZDP?!?) lol It may actually fulfill my nearly hopeless yearning to get hands on an G10 endura4
 
mael333ca said:
ah you guys! now I am once more tempted to get one of them(the 3.5, in VG10 or ZDP?!?) lol It may actually fulfill my nearly hopeless yearning to get hands on an G10 endura4
Click to expand...

I love VG-10 and wouldn't pay that much of a markup for ZDP-189, but it depends on what you are looking for. There are plenty of general threads on VG-10 vs. ZDP-189 (and the ZDP-189/420J2 laminate).
 
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