- Joined
- Feb 3, 2009
- Messages
- 1,342
This was a long time coming. Thanks to Sodak for the knives to test and patience in waiting for the review. Well, I wouldn't really call it a review; more so just some thoughts and ramblings of mine on the various knives.
Spyderco Caly 3 (w/ Krein regrind)
I have a Caly 3 of my own but always wanted to try a Krein regrind. This wouldn't be my first choice of knives to have Tom work his magic on, as it's already a relatively thin slicer in its own right. It's usually thick monsters--like SNG's and XM-18's--that benefit most from a Krein thinning. But this little guy proved me wrong.
The VG-10 edge was left almost paper thin, but as long as it isn't pushed past its capabilities, it will laser through cuts like nothin' you've likely ever experienced before. By capabilities, I'm referring to things like opening letters, packaging, thin cardboard, food (no bones or shells, though), etc. Things you'd probably be cutting anyway with an unmodified Caly 3, a knife not really meant for "hard use" tasks anyway. So the Krein regrind really just refined an already awesome slicer.
The odd blade shape left by the regrind immediately reminded me of my (now belated) small Sebenza Insingo. But when I laid them next to each other the resemblance was fleeting.
Here's a shot that tried to capture how crazy-thin the regrind is. It didn't succeed
. However, the picture does show how very little of a secondary bevel there is (some call it primary... regardless, what I mean is the actual cutting edge). The main flat grind has been so drastically but expertly thinned out that it could still "cut" most things even with a blunt edge.
Spyderco Caly 3 (CF ZDP-189)
Again, I have my own Caly 3, but its VG-10 blade, while adequate, sometimes leaves me lusting for more. Enter this Caly 3 on steroids. Also "upgraded" on this version is the carbon fiber scales from G10. "Upgraded" with quotation marks because I personally don't feel that CF is any better than G10, either functionally or aesthetically. This particular CF is twill, not peel ply, and very smooth [read slick]. But I don't see this as an inherent drawback on this particular model of knife because I can't see anyone using a Caly 3 so hard that grippiness is an issue. In fact, I quite like the smooth feel of it in my palm.
The gentleman who loaned me this knife said it still had its original factory edge and hadn't been touched up in any way. Now, I'm a Spydie fan to the nth degree, and their excellent edges (at least in terms of sharpness) are no small reason why. But this thing was mind blowing. It literally redefined sharpness for me (until I got a Murray Carter knife, but I digress). I have a certain test for edges called the Butt Test. It involves slicing through a cigarette filter. It sounds like an easy pass but you'd be surprised. Most new knife edges can slice through the outer paper portion but quickly seize up once they hit the inner fiberglass filter. This ZDP-189 cleanly and quickly guillotined the cig butt in half. Over and over again, without any discernable loss of sharpness.
I always hear horror stories about sharpening ZDP-189. You can't tell from the pic, as it clearly shows a deep scratch pattern from factory belts, but I somehow managed to improve the edge sharpness by stropping on leather charged with 1 micron HA diamond spray. I gotta get me some of this steel sometime soon.
Syderco Delica 4 (ZDP-189)
Even though this knife has a ZDP-189 blade too, it seemed to naturally fill a completely different role. Probably unnecessarily, I treated the Caly 3 ZDP with kid gloves, pushing it not much further than I did the Krein'd Caly 3 w/ VG-10. But the thicker edge on the Delica and its saber grind gave me enough peace of mind to make it my "work" knife for the duration of its time in my possession. It must be noted, however, that the Caly 3 (3mm) has thicker blade stock at the spine than the Delica (2.5mm).
I didn't think twice about ripping through plastic zip ties, thick corrugated cardboard, and even some carpet I happened to be laying at the time. And it wasn't just the stronger saber grind with its thick edge that made me think of this knife as a workhorse. There's something about about the Delica/Endura line that lends itself well to beating on. Cost is certainly part of it. But the FRN handle goes a long way in classifying this knife as a beater. Yeah, it's bomb proof. But in my opinion it's also very unappealing and unpleasant to handle... so I wouldn't mind if got trashed and had to buy another knife. That's admittedly pretty twisted logic considering it wasn't my knife
. In my defense, the owner seemed genuinely happy for me to be putting it though its paces.
As far as touch-ups went, I found that the ZDP-189 on the Delica didn't respond as well to stropping on leather/diamonds as it did on the CF Caly 3. Maybe the Caly's thinner edge had something to do with it. Nevertheless, it sharpened up just fine on the Sharpmaker medium rods (not so much on the fine white rods, though
). Stropping on the leather/diamonds after that did smooth out the scratch pattern left from the medium ceramics, making it a much smoother cutter. Nothing compared to the amazing laser-like Krein'd Caly 3, though. Here's one more parting shot, as it were...
Sodak, you, sir, are a gentleman, a scholar and an acrobat. Sincere thanks for the initial favour, and then for sitting tight through my technical foibles and general laziness.
Spyderco Caly 3 (w/ Krein regrind)
I have a Caly 3 of my own but always wanted to try a Krein regrind. This wouldn't be my first choice of knives to have Tom work his magic on, as it's already a relatively thin slicer in its own right. It's usually thick monsters--like SNG's and XM-18's--that benefit most from a Krein thinning. But this little guy proved me wrong.
The VG-10 edge was left almost paper thin, but as long as it isn't pushed past its capabilities, it will laser through cuts like nothin' you've likely ever experienced before. By capabilities, I'm referring to things like opening letters, packaging, thin cardboard, food (no bones or shells, though), etc. Things you'd probably be cutting anyway with an unmodified Caly 3, a knife not really meant for "hard use" tasks anyway. So the Krein regrind really just refined an already awesome slicer.
The odd blade shape left by the regrind immediately reminded me of my (now belated) small Sebenza Insingo. But when I laid them next to each other the resemblance was fleeting.
Here's a shot that tried to capture how crazy-thin the regrind is. It didn't succeed
. However, the picture does show how very little of a secondary bevel there is (some call it primary... regardless, what I mean is the actual cutting edge). The main flat grind has been so drastically but expertly thinned out that it could still "cut" most things even with a blunt edge.
Spyderco Caly 3 (CF ZDP-189)
Again, I have my own Caly 3, but its VG-10 blade, while adequate, sometimes leaves me lusting for more. Enter this Caly 3 on steroids. Also "upgraded" on this version is the carbon fiber scales from G10. "Upgraded" with quotation marks because I personally don't feel that CF is any better than G10, either functionally or aesthetically. This particular CF is twill, not peel ply, and very smooth [read slick]. But I don't see this as an inherent drawback on this particular model of knife because I can't see anyone using a Caly 3 so hard that grippiness is an issue. In fact, I quite like the smooth feel of it in my palm.
The gentleman who loaned me this knife said it still had its original factory edge and hadn't been touched up in any way. Now, I'm a Spydie fan to the nth degree, and their excellent edges (at least in terms of sharpness) are no small reason why. But this thing was mind blowing. It literally redefined sharpness for me (until I got a Murray Carter knife, but I digress). I have a certain test for edges called the Butt Test. It involves slicing through a cigarette filter. It sounds like an easy pass but you'd be surprised. Most new knife edges can slice through the outer paper portion but quickly seize up once they hit the inner fiberglass filter. This ZDP-189 cleanly and quickly guillotined the cig butt in half. Over and over again, without any discernable loss of sharpness.
I always hear horror stories about sharpening ZDP-189. You can't tell from the pic, as it clearly shows a deep scratch pattern from factory belts, but I somehow managed to improve the edge sharpness by stropping on leather charged with 1 micron HA diamond spray. I gotta get me some of this steel sometime soon.
Syderco Delica 4 (ZDP-189)
Even though this knife has a ZDP-189 blade too, it seemed to naturally fill a completely different role. Probably unnecessarily, I treated the Caly 3 ZDP with kid gloves, pushing it not much further than I did the Krein'd Caly 3 w/ VG-10. But the thicker edge on the Delica and its saber grind gave me enough peace of mind to make it my "work" knife for the duration of its time in my possession. It must be noted, however, that the Caly 3 (3mm) has thicker blade stock at the spine than the Delica (2.5mm).
I didn't think twice about ripping through plastic zip ties, thick corrugated cardboard, and even some carpet I happened to be laying at the time. And it wasn't just the stronger saber grind with its thick edge that made me think of this knife as a workhorse. There's something about about the Delica/Endura line that lends itself well to beating on. Cost is certainly part of it. But the FRN handle goes a long way in classifying this knife as a beater. Yeah, it's bomb proof. But in my opinion it's also very unappealing and unpleasant to handle... so I wouldn't mind if got trashed and had to buy another knife. That's admittedly pretty twisted logic considering it wasn't my knife
. In my defense, the owner seemed genuinely happy for me to be putting it though its paces.
As far as touch-ups went, I found that the ZDP-189 on the Delica didn't respond as well to stropping on leather/diamonds as it did on the CF Caly 3. Maybe the Caly's thinner edge had something to do with it. Nevertheless, it sharpened up just fine on the Sharpmaker medium rods (not so much on the fine white rods, though
). Stropping on the leather/diamonds after that did smooth out the scratch pattern left from the medium ceramics, making it a much smoother cutter. Nothing compared to the amazing laser-like Krein'd Caly 3, though. Here's one more parting shot, as it were...
Sodak, you, sir, are a gentleman, a scholar and an acrobat. Sincere thanks for the initial favour, and then for sitting tight through my technical foibles and general laziness.
Last edited:
