How good is the Spyderco Starmate?

J

John Puckett

Joined
Dec 10, 2000
Messages
418
I'm thinking of getting one and I was wondering what you people who own them think of them. I like the looks of the knife and I think that 440V is a good steel. Please let me know if any of you have had a bad experence with one ex. bad lock, blade play, or just plain bad QC. Thanks for all of your help.
 
Hey. I just got one of these like a week ago. I love it. The lock-up is solid with just a little blade play. It came razor sharp out of the box. The blade is nice and thick which I really like. Overall it has a slim profile which makes is easy to carry. Get one, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
-Lev
 
This is a great design, quite an intimidating knife. It is very strong despite its light weight. The liners are nested and the knife is thin yet strong. I also find this to be one of the few spydercos that is compact with the right look and feel with the blade closed. I generally find other knives to be more useful for utillity purposes, but the starmate really has the tactical look down. Overall, I am not a big fan of 440V as I find toughness to be much more important than edge holding for my uses.

grant
 
I have had 2 of em'. I'm a victim of tradeitis, I can't stop, or I would have kept one. Very solid knife. Excellent design. Maby I should try to trade for another one.:eek:
 
i've had one for months now. took me six months just to track one down, but i'm glad i did. if you check out the Spyderco forum, lots of debate goes on about the 440v bladed designs, like the mil, the chinook, and the starmate. other members know i root for the starmate. IMHO the starmate is the best design for a tact EDC, with a stronger tip than the mil and a smaller profile than the chinook. a lot of people will argue for the other designs as well, and i believe that all three blades have their merits and worths. even though i work in an urban office environment, the starmate was the best choice, and i'm glad i made it. that's why it's sitting in my pocket right now.

toast
 
The Starmate is a good design, very well executed. Mine had some vertical play when I bought it, but I adjusted the eccentric pivot and now it's fine. I'd recommend buying one.
 
I think the starmate is one of the best tacticals on the market. Not only does it have good steel and a good design but it is very light, something you wouldn't get in, say, a Chinook. They are readily available, by the way.
 
The Starmate is a clearly tactical Spyderco, along the lines of other sleek linerlock tacticals. Personally, I couldn't hold it comfortably--a complaint I've heard from many other people. I'd suggest handling one first.
 
Starmates are fantastic. I had a little issue with vertical play on mine, but after sending it in and having it adjusted I now have a perfectly tuned liner lock that engages right where it should, and even after many hundreds of openings it still hasn't moved a millimeter. Everyone that handles this knife can't get over how light it is for such a solid feeling, thick bladed folder. Plus, the lines and design make it one of the coolest looking Spydies that I've seen. I have handled a Military and am sure that it is just as good (similar materials and workmanship), but the Starmate just does it better for me on every level. Get one... And Sal, if you're reading this: How about a 3-inch "MicroStarmate" with CF handles?

Paul.
 
I agree, the Starmate is my choice for Spyderco's best award. A mini Starmate would be great!
 
Of all the larger Spyderco G-10 handle knives such as the Wegner, Chinook, Military and Police, I like the overall handle design of the Starmate the most.

Unfortunately, I did not like the thicker (5mm) blade steel, Especially since it is a hollow saber grind.

The Military, at 4mm is even thicker than I like, but the flat grind compensates for this.

The Chinook and Wegner are both at 3.5mm and the Polics is 3mm, which is pretty much the Spyderco standard blade thickness.

I traded my Starmate, kept the Military and Chinook.
 
I had a Starmate, and while I did really like the looks of the knife, I also could not hold it comfortably, so I traded it away...
 
Actually, I just ordered a Starmate this afternoon. I've played with one before so I know that I'll like the handle. I'll let you know how I like it overall in a few days.
 
Handle comfort on this knife appears to be a real issue with many here on the board.
It seems to be a real love it or hate it kind of folder.
Personally, I love the handle. Especially after deepening that cutout on the liner's side of the knife. This gives you decent finger protection when performing thrusts with the blade.
I first bought a partially serrated model as it was the only one available at that time(serial number 888). As soon as a plain edge model became available, I got one.
I like the Starmate. BUT! I would suggest you hold one in your hands before you commit on buying one.
 
Thanks guys for all of your replies. I guess I will have to order me one of these. There is no way I can handle one before I buy it because there are no knife shops around here. I think I will like it because I really like the way it looks. I will come back and tell all of you guys what I think of it after I have had a chance to use it for a couple of days.:)
 
Originally posted by misque
Especially after deepening that cutout on the liner's side of the knife.
Click to expand...
When the model was new, there were quite a few who posted about modifying it, which indicates there's something not quite right with the design. (My opinion is that it really didn't adapt well to getting the hole and that the Spyderco C15 Terzuola design is much better.)
I would suggest you hold one in your hands before you commit on buying one.
Click to expand...
In my case, that wasn't enough. It passed the test in the store and felt fine there, but it didn't feel OK after two weeks of using it.
So I'd say: Don't buy one until you've borrowed one for some time. (You could borrow mine if I thought you lived closer.)
 
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