Is it worth getting an expencive spyderco knife?

I wouldn't hesitate to spend the money on a spyderco in that price range. I have a PM2 and a manix 2 and have been nothing but satisfied with both of them. I had always wondered what the big deal was with spydie knives until I bought my first one. I rotate what I carry often, but those are always on my list of choices.
 
19-3ben said:
I know my opinion is in the minority, but I am just not generally a Spyderco folder fan. I've handled a couple of their fixed blades (Mule team and bushcraft) and was very impressed by the fixed blades, but don't like their folders. Primarily, I am just not a huge fan of the plastic/GRN handles they use. On a knife in the $60-70 i find it cheesy compared to the nice aluminum scales you'd get from Kershaw or the G10 scales from Buck on the knives in that same range. You have to get up into the $100+ category to get G10 handle scales.
Also not a huge fan of the lock back they use on most of their knives. The ball bearing lock is great and I wish they used on more of their knives.
Far down on the list of reasons is the look. For some reason, and I realize it's my own irrational thing because function should always come before looks, I just can't get past what I perceive to be looking goofy.

Again, my opinion is in the minority.
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The difference between your opinion and that of a certain other individual is that you have at least tried Spyderco knives. I disagree with most of your points, but they are your opinion and I can't say my opinions are superior - they're just mine. I like Spydercos a lot, and I do hope the OP will give one a try, then he can form his own opinion based on experience.
 
I have a folding knife that has, over the years, opened many tin cans without dulling the blade even a little. The blade steel is thin and mid 50's Rc hardness, and it doesn't even lock. Amazing, huh? It only costs $25 to buy a new one, and it is made in a very clean country with a high standard of living. I have never hurt the knife or myself when opening cans with it, even though the blade is sub-3". What's my secret? Easy. I use the can opener instead of the blade. Swiss Army Knife.

Oh yeah, Spyderco knives are awesome and they dominate my collection. Delica/Endura are ideal first Spydercos.
 
blades&wrenches said:
I find most Spydercos to be well worth, and beyond their price. They are designed to cut efficiently and be comfortable in hand. They are not meant to pry, baton, open cans of beans, etc. If you desire a knife that will be a great cutter/slicer, then Spyderco will rarely disappoint. If you desire a knife that will do things knives are not meant to do, then I suggest looking elsewhere.
I currently own four, and will not part with any.
Manix 2 S30V FFG
Manix 2 Cruwear
Native 5 G-10
Delica Titanium/Damascus
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Besides the obvious quality and value per product category , I think this is an important point since the thread has been derailed so many times.

Spyders are designed to cut and slice, and perform very well for what they are engineered for. But if someone's friends, neighbors, dog sitters, great aunt....in-law tried to use a thin, well designed slicer as a pry bar.....maybe sort of....or so I heard........well, who would have guessed that they would end up with a couple of odd shaped pieces of metal? Definitely rocket surgery.

There are knives that are designed as partial pry bars. And I think they are popular for people looking for such.

But if you want a well designed knife to cut? The knives mentioned in the OP are definitely great options.

And sorry to mention again, but I really laughed at how many "last posts" a certain non-Spyderco owner/user has had here. [emoji23]. Some day when I go shopping for a Mercedes, I'll be sure to ask the opinion of a 25 year old Chevy Cavalier owner. 🤓
 
Let's break down the OP's question.

Is it worth getting an expensive knife? Yes for sure; as always one man's floor is another man's ceiling but we're in a really amazing time of "you get what you pay for".

Is it worth getting a Spyderco knife? Yes; without any reservation yes. Read the many threads in their sub forum and read what the people who work at the company say and do for their customers.
 
SCWillson said:
The difference between your opinion and that of a certain other individual is that you have at least tried Spyderco knives. I disagree with most of your points, but they are your opinion and I can't say my opinions are superior - they're just mine. I like Spydercos a lot, and I do hope the OP will give one a try, then he can form his own opinion based on experience.
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Absolutely, and having tried them, I'd never denigrate them. They are, objectively, very good knives that offer great performance and good value. I just find knives that offer more of what I prioritize with the products of some other companies. It's all a matter of opinion and I realize it's more about me and my own quirks and preferences than anything inherently bad about Spyderco. And as I said, I think their fixed blades are da' bizniss. I'd love a Spyderco Bushcraft.
 
I don't think so because I do not foresee any events occurring in which case I would need a knife to hold an edge for a week. I would rather a knife cheaper that holds an edge for a day but can easily take a working edge from naturally occurring things like rocks
 
Yes it is in short, I just got one of my friends a ZDP-189 Delica for Christmas that's how much I like that particular line of Spydercos. The Delica/Endura is very lightweight for what they are partially because of the FRN handles. The handles have stainless liners nestled inside them for added rigidity so they are pretty sturdy as well. The full flat grind featured on many Spydercos lends itself to being very "slicy" as well making them excellent cutters and they are easily resharpened in my experience. OP if you do get any of the knives listed I am sure you will not be disappointed.
 
Leftytwogunz said:
According to my reading that while Spyderco was fonded in 1976 their first knife, the CO1 Worker, wasn't produced until 1981. Same year the Army went to MRE's.
No cans in here.
mre-overview.jpg


SpydercoC01WorkerLimitedEditionOriginal.jpg
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Well, that explains why the $200-$300 Spyderco broke opening cans of beans...time travel obviously weakens the blade. :D

There have been pictures posted by other members who opened cans of beans with their Spydercos, and strangely, the blades did not break.
They were using base models as well; Delica, Endura, Native.

My Spyderco Military survived an 8 hour stretch of continuous use carving wood when I was working on a walking stick during the night at the cabin...sadly, it cracked over the next days as drying had not been evenly achieved (damned wood-stove!), but the knife was fine.
It didn't even need a sharpening. :)

And if you want to pry, get a Spyderco Tuff before they're gone...good luck breaking that while prying.

I'm basing my recommendations--my opinions, if you will--upon years of actually using the product, not what some other guy told me about it.
I feel quite confident when I suggest Spyderco that the person who buys the product will also be satisfied, and will not end up with missing fingers or a broken blade. :thumbup:
 
[video=youtube;yreMpHyT0s8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yreMpHyT0s8[/video]
 
stabman said:
Well, that explains why the $200-$300 Spyderco broke opening cans of beans...time travel obviously weakens the blade. :D

There have been pictures posted by other members who opened cans of beans with their Spydercos, and strangely, the blades did not break.
They were using base models as well; Delica, Endura, Native.

My Spyderco Military survived an 8 hour stretch of continuous use carving wood when I was working on a walking stick during the night at the cabin...sadly, it cracked over the next days as drying had not been evenly achieved (damned wood-stove!), but the knife was fine.
It didn't even need a sharpening. :)

And if you want to pry, get a Spyderco Tuff before they're gone...good luck breaking that while prying.

I'm basing my recommendations--my opinions, if you will--upon years of actually using the product, not what some other guy told me about it.
I feel quite confident when I suggest Spyderco that the person who buys the product will also be satisfied, and will not end up with missing fingers or a broken blade. :thumbup:
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Not sure how one would break a knife in half opening a can of beans in the supposed military rations.

One would have to be really trying to break the knife on purpose with the can in a vise of some sort and then prying so the blade was up against the inside of the can and then with both hands tug like hell to break it.

Other than that, well it would be hard to break a knife in half opening a can of beans.
 
the guy never said it was issues rations.

i mailed my soldier family member a bean of the cans last year.
there is no bean can ban

the point should be that opening a can with a knife properly (and thats a questionable task that has sent many a eater of bean cans to the medics) does not put the kind of stress on a blade for there to be snappings in half.

I would point out that any knife can fail if abused.

id also like to point to the notion that the bean can blade could have been counterfeit since the poster speaks very garbled english.

i dont however believe that its not possible for even a US soldier to find himself in need of a can opener to "get his bean on".

lets also remember that extrordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,and this epeen vs bean debacle certainly qualifies.
 
For anyone who feels like the FRN is not a good handle material, a buddy of mine has an old serrated delica that was recovered from the flooded basement of his home after a house fire. It had been in the upstairs, there wasn't much left of the house. While the heat has definitely taken some of the hardness out of the blade, and the scales are not quite what they were, its still a functional knife. Just one anecdote, but an idea of how tough FRN is. It may not be for everyone. But its tough stuff. Just to reference another thread, and sorry if it opens a wound, but that delica with a failed lock, the LOCK failed, not the FRN! That speaks to me of the engineering of the knife that the pivot didn't blow out the side, as might have happened if the plastic was not up to the task.

That said, you like what you like, if G10 or micarta is your jam, then thats covered, Ti, CF whatever floats your boat, that's the joy of it. I'm late to the spyderco bandwagon, but I can honestly say that I can look back at other knives I've bought and some of them have not been up to what I could have gotten from spyderco, had I been smarter. right now I've got a spy-dk and a roadie, and a couple bigger ones on the wishlist. Are spyderco knives worth what you pay for? Given that I paid a conversion rate and shipping, yeah, I'd say so.

One of the things I have learned to do over the past few years of knife buying is try to think about where the money went into the knife. For example, is there a lot of extra flare and design in the handle? that costs money to produce. Is the blade steel really good, or tempered in a unique way? Or is there a complex opening mechanism that will require extra time during assembly? Or are components simple, is the money in the engineering of the design, Is a component made in a high volume way to cut cost, like an injection molded sheath. when I look at most spyderco knives I don't see a lot of extra complications, what I do see is really good steel, good finishing, and a lot of planning and thought. nothing there that doesn't need to be. What that does for me is lets me decide, maybe I want to spend a few extra dollars on something that looks nice. But a cheap knife with a fancy handle, might not have a great blade, so whats my priority? It also means that sometimes you see a knife that you just wonder what they spent the money on. In that case, might be time to look somewhere else.
 
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Serious guy is in Europe, so who knows what his situation was in his country's military. Beans or not, he doesn't like Spyderco knives. His opinion, he's entitled to it. I think in this entire thread there have been two "no, not worth it" responses. The rest have been yes votes. I'm guessing the OP has his answer by now.
 
I think a Delica would be a great choice for a first Spyderco. The flat ground, leaf shaped blade is a traditional profile for Spyderco and makes for a great slicer or for many other tasks. Yes, there are several different blade shapes, steels, etc. but the Delica is a cost efficient knife which will give you a feel for the knives that are produced by a great knife company. If you don’t like it…well, move on to a different maker and ask questions like you did here.
One more thought on a comment that was made about the back-lock being rather hard to close one handed. That's not been my experience. The Delica can easily be closed with one hand. Common sense will dictate that your forefinger needs to be placed where the non sharpened portion of the blade (tang) will make contact when the lock is disengaged with the thumb and the blade falls toward the closed position. If the blade doesn't fall, a small snap of the wrist will work.

Just my 2 cents worth.
 
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My answer to this question is always a doubtless "Yes!", as Spyderco offers a quality, user-friendly product made to function well in the maker's intended role. Furthermore, Sal Glesser, the owner of Spyderco, is a real gentleman and a stand-up guy who stands behind his product, personally interacts with his customers right here on the forums, and cares what they think. :thumbup:
 
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