I was wrong about the Spyderco Military

[David Mary]

bikerector Got it. You must be Chad then! I found your instagram and flickr profiles. Are those bikes all yours!? I am not a racer, but have been a cycling commuter for my entire life. I'm Dave. Nice to meet someone else who is as much into knives and bikes as I am. I currently only have a Norco Olympia, and my Indie 2 is in the shop.

As for the length restrictions on knives... who knows. They let anybody and their brother legislate nowadays. Up here, too.

 

[Colorodo]

We need to start a post your bikes and knife photos. My first Millie was a fluted and I sold it and regretted it. I recently bought a Millie Ti of the exchange and I am keeping this one. I will be replacing the backspacer with standoffs.

 

[BladeScout]

That is beautiful! Makes the knife much more functional for how I would use it. I never really liked the Southard, but this, I like very much.
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Yes, its a beaut. I liked the stock Southard a lot but this mod is very successful. Notice, how beautful the lines (still) are.

Proof that preferences are highly subjective. And maybe a bit arbitrary? It looks very well done, and all, but I don't think I'd carry or use it. It's "cute" looking, but, I need a pointier tip. But guess what: the blade to handle ratio on that (which looks similar to a stock Millie) doesn't bother me. It's the lines towards the tip that would prevent me from carrying it. Make it more wharnie than sheepsfoot, then I might sign up. And yes, I realize it is barely more sheepish than the Smock Southard, but it is enough to say no thank you.
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Subjective without a shadow of a doubt. A tad arbitrary, Ill give you that. I harped on about the lines of the modded Military handle and here we have a PM2 with a chopped off blade.
I like the stock PM2 as well, its just, that Im also a sucker for wharnie and sheepsfoot-type blades and this is right up my alley, as is the Smock. You prefer more of a tip. People are different. Would make for a boring forum if not
Of the two, I rate the Smock as the better looking mod. Just my opinion. Id still dearly like to have one of my PM2s modded to the pictured configuration but had I only one PM, Id keep the stock configuration.

I disassembled my first Manix 2 XL (which was my first folder) after a couple years of owning it (and after modding the blade and handle), and snipped a couple rings off the lock spring to give it an easier action. I messed up somehow when reassembling it, and mistakenly thought I had cut too much and rendered it nonfunctional. I even called Spyderco and asked for a new spring, which they refused to send even if I offered to pay. The only way was to send the knife back, but I am in Canada, so that was a no go. I'm glad I tried again (after leaving it in a Byrd Cara Cara Rescue box for over a year!) because it went together without a problem, and the action was immaculate!
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When I had a couple of Spydercos apart recently, I swore up a storm. I guess, there is a reason for why Spyderco used to advise against taking their knives apart, I guess.

As for mods, here is my lightly tweaked Zome Delica. As mods go, this was relatively restrained and only took me a few minutes on a wheel.

 

[David Mary]

BladeScout Nice mod to the blade of your Delica. Looks like a great user. As for that clip: how interesting! Care to explain the reasoning and function? Thanks!

And here is my (now clipless) Endura with one of its big brothers:

 

[BladeScout]

BladeScout Nice mod to the blade of your Delica. Looks like a great user. As for that clip: how interesting! Care to explain the reasoning and function? Thanks!

And here is my (now clipless) Endura with one of its big brothers:

Thx. I like the use of the modded Delica point way more than stock.
I plan on modding an incomming Delica the same way. It was a tweak influenced by an even more radical mod by mr. Janich but I didnt have the cojones to remove more than is pictured (cue the 'just the tip' jokes).

It is a great user. Im a big fan of the Delica. One of my most used knives. So versatile.

The dangler clip: I like the dangler clip for flashlights etc. They make a small light sit securely in the pocket with minimal risk of loss.
I wanted to see, if the dangler worked as well with a knife, if the knife was small and light weight enough. It worked a charm with the Delica.
If one wants unobtrusive carry and minimal risk of loss/having the knife yanked up and out by a door jamb, car door, seat belt etc, a dangler clip goes a long way.
It was just an experiment for a while and the Delica is back on the factory clip.
I still use dangler clips on several pocket flashlights.

Nice Endura. I have one with coyote brown scales as well. It was my favorite Endura, until it got bumped by this slicing machine. It gets scary sharp and it instantly shot to the top of my favorite users.

 

[bikerector]

bikerector Got it. You must be Chad then! I found your instagram and flickr profiles. Are those bikes all yours!? I am not a racer, but have been a cycling commuter for my entire life. I'm Dave. Nice to meet someone else who is as much into knives and bikes as I am. I currently only have a Norco Olympia, and my Indie 2 is in the shop.

As for the length restrictions on knives... who knows. They let anybody and their brother legislate nowadays. Up here, too.

That is my name, nice to meet you Dave. I had a small instagram presence for a while when I was still sponsored and doing some promoting but I was never on flickr... but maybe there's some stuff there as I think a lot of race photographers used flickr. Since I think many of the companies bought each other at this point, I'm sure one of the sites I'm registered on with the same username owns flickr now.

Interestingly, Norco was one of my sponsors as my home bike shop carried them for a number of years before norco spread to larger shops in the area and the small shop's sales died (largely their doing as they moved to almost solely services instead of sales). I've actually never heard of the olympia but the indie is a pretty nice bike. And yeah, I have a lot of bikes. I was rotating through much of them every couple years as I renewed race bikes as the tech kept improving, a big one being tire size which helps me out a lot being very heavy for a racer. I think I have 3 norcos still, though one has been heavily altered from a hardtail XC bike to a drop bar single speed cyclocross race bike. I think the tactic is still one of my favorites, though I would love to find another original revolver (the slacker design, not the current racing model) in orange that I sold after getting a hardtail revolver.

I think I'm down to 6 bicycles, having just added a fat bike this winter after shunning them for a while, while the geometries were getting dialed in. I didn't like the tractor turning the first ones came out with, along with the strong self-steer that a lot of the treads had. They were great in heavy snow but sucked for dry trails; they were actually harder to ride the more grip they got, IME.

The new one gets a lot of time helping me with trail maintenance.

 

[David Mary]

It was a tweak influenced by an even more radical mod by mr. Janich

Mine was also influenced by Michael Janich's "wharncliffe" Delica.

(cue the 'just the tip' jokes).

I couldn't possibly. My traditional values do not prevent me from having a sense of humour, but that sense of humour does not include sex, or anything else the Lord created and intended for a noble purpose, modern ubiquitous disregard for anything sacred notwithstanding. Needless to say, I have not once ventured into W&C, except one time by accident after a Google search. I left without delay.

It is a great user. Im a big fan of the Delica. One of my most used knives. So versatile.

Likewise with the Endura for me. The handle on the Delica would be too small for me, and the only reason I stick with the Mantra 3 is because the compression lock makes the small handle size a non-issue. If it were a back lock, I think I couldn't do it.

The dangler clip: I like the dangler clip for flashlights etc. They make a small light sit securely in the pocket with minimal risk of loss.
I wanted to see, if the dangler worked as well with a knife, if the knife was small and light weight enough. It worked a charm with the Delica.
If one wants unobtrusive carry and minimal risk of loss/having the knife yanked up and out by a door jamb, car door, seat belt etc, a dangler clip goes a long way.
It was just an experiment for a while and the Delica is back on the factory clip.
I still use dangler clips on several pocket flashlights.

Very interesting! I have a coast flashlight that I might give this a try with. I don't know if I could use that method for my main edc, though (a Klarus XT2C, which replaced my worn out Fenix PD35).

Nice Endura. I have one with coyote brown scales as well. It was my favorite Endura, until it got bumped by this slicing machine. It gets scary sharp and it instantly shot to the top of my favorite users.

Why not swap the blades? I had a bear of a time reassembling my Endura one time, to the point I thought I wouldn't be able to, but I found a Youtube video (maybe Nick Shabazz, but I prefer to watch him on mute because of his frequent cursing) where a super simple technique was disclosed on how to reassemble it. I'll probably look it up again when my Endura deep carry clip arrives, and swap the blade from my Wharcliffe to the brown handle scales.

 

[BladeScout]

Looks like you bobbed the wave function on that Endura.
After trying out an Emerson and having tried the Wise Men Co Fang, I guess Im about over waved knives as well.

 

[David Mary]

Chad, I see you have your work cut out for you on that trail! Good thing you're kitted out!

I'm not too surprised you haven't heard of the Olympia. I bought two of them ten or so years ago for my parents, and they hardly ride them, so when I had trouble with my Indie falling apart after a couple years of commuting, I was allowed to reclaim one of them. It's a steel frame commuter, so probably not really up your alley. Also likely below your price range, at (if I recall) ~$400 CAD back then.

 

[David Mary]

Looks like you bobbed the wave function on that Endura.

Funny story, actually! First, here is the same Endura, in 2015, before I had tools, and before I knew how to take pictures:

And here it is in 2017, after starting to figure things out a bit:

I still have that Jumpmaster, too, but I really changed that one. I don't even want to show you. I cut the who top of the spine off, including the hole! I would go back and undo that little misstep if I could.

After trying out an Emerson and having tried the Wise Men Co Fang, I guess Im about over waved knives as well.

So, yes, I'm kind over it, at least for knives that will actually be put to frequent daily use in public. But as far as "guilty pleasures" go... behold!

This was a Tanto. But it is superbly balanced now and (for it's size) light as a feather. Notice how the zip tie wave mod is refined. This is the most effective wave method I have ever used. It works every single time, effortlessly. Also note that I did not commit to it by grinding. Some day I may want to remove it, and I have the option.

Anyway, I like the look of my brown Endura. The eyebrow looks good on it, I think.

And go figure. The blade to handle size ratio doesn't bother me on my modded Endura.

 

[BladeScout]

Mine was also influenced by Michael Janich's "wharncliffe" Delica.

He knows knives. Im no knife fighter but I read his articles on knives with interest. I like the Kahr mod and was tempted but did back off and settled for the slight bob in the picture.

I couldn't possibly. My traditional values do not prevent me from having a sense of humour, but that sense of humour does not include sex, or anything else the Lord created and intended for a noble purpose, modern ubiquitous disregard for anything sacred notwithstanding. Needless to say, I have not once ventured into W&C, except one time by accident after a Google search. I left without delay.

Id say a hearty Amen to that, if we did religion in GKD.

First rule of WC in GKD….. and so on and so forth

Likewise with the Endura for me. The handle on the Delica would be too small for me, and the only reason I stick with the Mantra 3 is because the compression lock makes the small handle size a non-issue. If it were a back lock, I think I couldn't do it.

Sidenote; as for back locks, Im a believer. They catch a lot of FLAK these days but I happen to like them. They just plain work. I suspect, they get dissed because they are yesterdays news.

Very interesting! I have a coast flashlight that I might give this a try with. I don't know if I could use that method for my main edc, though (a Klarus XT2C, which replaced my worn out Fenix PD35).

Nope, I agree. Just now looked it up and the Klarus on a dangler clip might become unwieldy in the pocket.
I heartedly recommend clips for smaller flashlights, which you dont have a need to yank out of the pocket i na rapid fashion (like you would a 'tactical' light).Dangler clips wont work well on 6P sized lights. I have clips on several flashlights. A smallish Jetbeam Raptor RRT and the below (even smaller) light amongst them.
For reference, here my NiteCore SensCR on a dangler clip. DF for size comparison. The SensCR is a nifty little light, which regulates the beam automatically depending on the angle. Point it down and the beam goes dimmer, point it level for medium beam and upwards for full lumen. Best thing is, it is an optional feature and it works.

Why not swap the blades? I had a bear of a time reassembling my Endura one time, to the point I thought I wouldn't be able to, but I found a Youtube video (maybe Nick Shabazz, but I prefer to watch him on mute because of his frequent cursing) where a super simple technique was disclosed on how to reassemble it. I'll probably look it up again when my Endura deep carry clip arrives, and swap the blade from my Wharcliffe to the brown handle scales.

You know, at first I was tempted to swap the blades in order to have the coyote brown scales on the V-Toku2 blade but after a while the V-Toku scales grew on me.
Further more, I likewise had my share of problems disassembling an Endura (I must have watched the wrong YT vid) and wasnt tempted to go through that again and as mentioned, I now quite like the V-Toku scales.
I cant listen to NS either but mainly because of the … accent/dialect or what ever it is, he's got going on.​

 

[BladeScout]

Funny story, actually! First, here is the same Endura, in 2015, before I had tools, and before I knew how to take pictures:

And here it is in 2017, after starting to figure things out a bit:

I still have that Jumpmaster, too, but I really changed that one. I don't even want to show you. I cut the who top of the spine off, including the hole! I would go back and undo that little misstep if I could.



So, yes, I'm kind over it, at least for knives that will actually be put to frequent daily use in public. But as far as "guilty pleasures" go... behold!

This was a Tanto. But it is superbly balanced now and (for it's size) light as a feather. Notice how the zip tie wave mod is refined. This is the most effective wave method I have ever used. It works every single time, effortlessly. Also note that I did not commit to it by grinding. Some day I may want to remove it, and I have the option.

Anyway, I like the look of my brown Endura. The eyebrow looks good on it, I think.

EEEEEEKK! Zip ties! EEEEEKK, I see zip ties...! Make them go away!

Okay, that was an involuntary reflex after a flashback to a now banned looney tunes member from Spain, who maniacally slapped zip ties on all his Spydercos and everything else in plain sight (insistent whisper; EEEVEERYTHING!) and posted the same pics about a million times in a seemingly endless succession
As you can sense, Im not a big fan of zip ties on knives but to each his own and all that.

That aside, it was quite a transformation that Endura went though. Waved and more.

Now I want to see that Jumpmaster in its present configuration

And go figure. The blade to handle size ratio doesn't bother me on my modded Endura. ​

Hmmmm, seems … arbitrary
Just kidding. Keep on modding.​

 

[jpm2]

I have very few knives that aren't modified, military no exception.
It's one of the easier ones to make better for me, but still a work in progress.

 

[BladeScout]

I have very few knives that aren't modified, military no exception.
It's one of the easier ones to make better for me, but still a work in progress.

Apropos modding, those jade scales can be RIT dyed a very pleasing coyote brown, I recently learned
I might buy a knife with jade scales just to do that ASAP.

 

[Wowbagger]

Nope, nope, nope.
The Stock Military is the way to go.
The deep cary clip is in the way for gripping the knife with the blade side parrallel to the floor.
Leave the length of the handle alone; provodes more grip opptions.
For a funny flat sided knife the Mili is a master piece.
Sure mode the heck out of 'em until they suit you is my MO. I will be modding another Ti Lite this week end . . . now there's a knife handle . . . but alas another rabbit hole.
PS: the edge length of the Ti Lite IV is the same as my Mili.

 

[jstrange]

Too much handle - what is it, a whole quarter of an inch past the tip?
I guess, it just doesnt bother me. The Military is beautiful as is IMO.

I don’t own a military, I was talking about the Commander, but is something that bothers me on many knives.

 

[jpm2]

Apropos modding, those jade scales can be RIT dyed a very pleasing coyote brown, I recently learned
I might buy a knife with jade scales just to do that ASAP.

Dying will be the last thing I do, if at all. I'm not much on modifying just for looks.

 

[BladeScout]

Dying will be the last thing I do

I would have to agree with you on that one.

 

[David Mary]

You guys crack me up!

 

[BladeScout]