Kershaw Skyline vs. Spyderco Tenacious? (probably done to death on BF)

ON ANOTHER SIDE NOTE (this time deviating from the Skyline): Among the Kershaws, if one wanted to look at an alternative (maybe for a few dollars more -- already did that gag already) to the Skyline (BLASPHEMY!!!), what might you suggest? Leek? Knockout? Piston? One of the Kershaw Emersons or ZT?
 
In the price range the Skyline is very good, I would swap out the clip for a deep carry and sand down the g10 that's what I did with mine. It's a really great slim carry knife but not my favorite. The blur is a little beefier and I find it to be almost perfect. A smaller flipper version of the Blur is the Camber. They're all by and large a great edc to someone on the forum and you should definitely have some fun and try them all. I've gone up to mid tech and have found that I really LOVE knives in that $50 to $110 range. Pretty much any knife with s30, CPM 154, Elmax, cts-xhp, s35v, 3v etc... For just a bit more or sometimes double the price of say a budget folder goes along way in terms of me wanting to keep the knife.


S35v and Elmax are my two favorite users. For others different factors are going to oat their boat like blade length etc...
 
Skyline and tenacious are apples and oranges.

Skyline is thin light weight ,Light work.

Tenacious is stout.

Steels nothing to brag about.

But Kershaw upped the anti with higher end skylines.
 
I actually don't find VG-10 to be much of an upgrade, if any, to 14C28N - 14C28N is really an excellent steel in my experience, better than it's price tag suggests. Kershaw is really hard to beat at that price bracket; I'd take a Skyline over a Delica, personally. If you go a bit higher, though, the Native5LW is an incredible value; you suddenly jump up to S35VN steel for a bit over $80. And when you inevitably take the plunge into ZT territory, if you like the Skyline you'll probably like the 0770CF.
 
Like others have suggested, I'd save up the extra $20 and get the Delica over the Tenacious. Both the Skyline and Delica are noticeably smaller than the Tenacious. You could also look at the Blur for something closer in size to the Tenacious. If you're looking at ZT's as well, check out the 0450. It is close in size to the Skyline.

Here are some various shots of some of the knives mentioned...

Tenacious, Skyline, Delica, Mini-Griptilian:
Tenacious_Skyline_Delica_MiniGrip_800x570.jpg


ZT 0450 and Skyline:
ZT0450_Skyline_open_800x509.jpg


ZT0450_Skyline_closed_800x528.jpg


Endura, Manix LW, Griptilian, Stretch, Blur, Tenacious, Skyline:
Endura_Manix_Grip_Stretch_Blur_Tenacious_Skyline_open_800x510.jpg


Endura_Manix_Grip_Stretch_Blur_Tenacious_Skyline_closed_800x372.jpg


ZT 0780, 0566, 0770, 0750, Skyline, OD-1, Zing, Blur, Shallot, Leek, Scallion:
1169685_comparison1_open_800x437.jpg
 
Ecchi-Spud said:
ON ANOTHER SIDE NOTE (this time deviating from the Skyline): Among the Kershaws, if one wanted to look at an alternative (maybe for a few dollars more -- already did that gag already) to the Skyline (BLASPHEMY!!!), what might you suggest? Leek? Knockout? Piston? One of the Kershaw Emersons or ZT?
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I bought two skylines - one for my brother and one for myself. Those were our first knives! My second knife was the Delica, and I never carried the Skyline again after that, so I gave it to my dad. As far as other Kershaw suggestions? Nope, lol. :D


As far as the Endura goes, it's really cool, but it's way too big for me to EDC.
 
I've got the tenacious, as well as I have a Damascus skyline and Damascus shallot on the way. The tenacious is awesome in my opinion. It fit my hand well, feels solid, but it's definitely not small.
 
Ecchi-Spud said:
how about the Endura?
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The Delica and Endura are Spyderco's top sellers. They're essentially the same design, one in the 3" class, one in the 3.5" class.

The Endura is a fanastic slicer but, unfortunately, it's just a bit too long for me to EDC.

It's just a matter of fit. If the Skyline fits your hand, the Delica would be best. If the Skyline feels a bit small, then the Endura would be best.
 
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The Skyline has better blade steel but is for light to medium duty tasks. The Tenacious is more robust and can handle heavier tasks but weighs more and takes up more pocket space. So it depends on what your priorities are.... Personally I prefer the Tenacious between the two, but there are quite a few inexpensive Kershaws that I like better than the Skyline, because light weight and small size aren't usually my preference. YMMV
 
Ecchi-Spud said:
:eek: YIKES!! What have I done here? ;)

Didn't really give much consideration to the Delica at first, but only because of the price point (over the $50 -- but, if you look around, not TOO much more). Certainly one to consider (how does VG-10 steel compare to 14C28N?). Still haven't ruled out the Tenacious; like Leftytwogunz put it, it's something to try out -- and, if I wind up liking it, pursue other Spydercos (FYI, that Skyline has certainly gotten me interested in other Kershaws).
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Have you checked out the Kershaw Cryo or Kershaw Cryo II?.
 
Dry-cell said:
Have you checked out the Kershaw Cryo or Kershaw Cryo II?.
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To be honest, not at first. When I first started looking at getting a Kershaw, I was initially focused at the $20-25 range (from Amazon). Some of the ones I considered at the time were the Chill, the Swerve, the OSO Sweet, the Volt II, . . . even the Burst (discontinued, but you can still find it). I asked some others (not on BladeForums; this is before I signed up -- wouldn't surprise me if they're here, though), and a couple of them suggested one or two of those -- but they also suggested that, if it was still within my budget, to take a look at the Skyline. So I looked . . .


. . . And it's just dawned on me that I REALLY need to control myself with the punctuation. AND to maybe take a look at the Cryos for later on.
 
Got my skyline today. I'd have to say, holding both in my hand, they feel like completely different knives. The skyline definitely feels more like a gentleman's knife to me because of how light it is. The Spyderco feels like a workhorse. I would say the way the spyderco sits in pocket carry with the clip is significantly lower than the Skyline, but that can be remedied with a deep pocket clip which I plan on getting. They both feel like good, durable knives. Both are centered well from the factory. I would trust the spyderco with heavier cutting tasks more than the skyline, but that's just because of how fragile it is. I haven't used it solidly yet to know how well it will hold up as an EDC. I think both are good values for an inexpensive knife though. And as many offers as I've gotten for my spyderco, I don't think I can part with it. So I say if you are still debating between these two at all, look at how you will carry/use it and that should help.
 
I like my Tenacious. I really like my Endura. It has a useful long blade that carries much smaller than it is. Light for it s size but a good heavy use knife for its size. 63 dollars new at one of my favorite shoppe s for cutlery.
 
I've got the Spyderco Persistence and the Tenacious, but I don't carry them with me much. I wish they came with a deep carry pocket clip instead, and coated black like a Benchmade Mini-Grip or Griptilian. If I was thinking about every day carrying one of them, I'd prefer the Persistence due to the smaller size blade.
 
I've owned Spydercos and I've owned Kershaws.

Neither one really outshined the others as far as cutting things, needing to be sharpened, or ease of carry / deployment.

I've had issues with both manufacturers at some point in my knife-using / purchasing history.

I found Kershaw to be easier and cheaper to deal with than Spyderco.

FWIW, there are going to be folks who dive right in and say they've had impeccable service with Spyderco... and I believe them. There will be folks that state that they've had it up to HERE with Kershaw... and I believe them as well. There will be those that will tell me that my feedback toward both these companies is without merit and I should have blah blah blah.... I don't care. I am merely relating my experience to the OP and anyone else in the same position, and using said experience in my recommendation betwixt the Kershaw Skyline and Spyderco Tenacious.

The blades you have mentioned are perfectly capable pieces. I suggest that you try to seek out a physical location where you can handle the selections you mentioned. That will solve it for you, in my opinion. If you have no such option, then buy them both. You will easily sell the one you don't want to keep.
 
I've always thought the Skyline to be overpriced for what it can do vs. knife's in the same price range or just below. With that said, I've always loved the look of the Skyline, and would like to own one if the price ever goes down. Until then, I'll continue to enjoy my 420HC Buck Vantage Select Small. :P
 
SURVIVAL&WEAPONS said:
As someone said, you'll eventually own all the ones being talked about.
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Did you hear that?

OH, maybe you can't. It's the Sound of Ultimate Suffering. Like the sound of Inigo Montoya's heart when his father was slaughtered by the Six-Fingered Man. My wallet is making that sound now. ;)
 
If you can still find it, the Kershaw Zing (non-SS) is a superior knife to both. One of the few manual folders (budget) that Kershaw really got right. However, Zytel scales a tad slippery (RAT series of folders suffer from same problem).
 
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