Ladybug blade style

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
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I've decided that my lil' guy (four years old now) is showing alot of responsibility, so I'm thinking maybe it's time for his first knife, please bear in mind this is a knife used under VERY close supervision, and stored in daddy's gunsafe when not being used, but...his knife nonetheless. I was looking at the lady bug with a sheepsfoot style blade. small handle, small blade, lack of a point, a lock...seems perfect, except for one thing....all the ones I've seen (and I've been shoppin' purty darn hard) have at least a half serrated blade, which I really don't want. Just don't seem ideal for whittlin' on sticks an' what all. Is this knife available in a non-serrated configuration? where would I find one if they are? Input as always is greatly appreciated!
 
I wish I knew for certain the answer to your question. I had decided to buy a Ladybug for my keychain to replace the kubotan that has been there for 16 years. I spent half an hour or more on the web, trying to find a plain-edged Ladybug. It was in vain. Everything I found was half serrated, or, I think in the case of the sheeps foot model, fully serrated.

I applaud your decision to get your boy involved with knives at a young age, and providing him some real responsibility. My Dad gave me a "jacknife" when I was 5. I've always been grateful for that.

I'm not as familiar with the smaller Spydercos as I would like to be. Frankly, I think that the majority of them have pretty wide -- top to bottom -- blades, that might be a bit much for a youngster to handle. I sure as heck would get him an FRN/Zytel handle, or even G-10, to maximize his grip on his knife.

I can see the wisdom in using a lock of some sort, but almost invariably, that entails a wider blade. You might consider the Russlock by Case. With the SS blade, it's not likely to get so crazy sharp cutting is inevitable. I saw the new green-handled bone one for about $37 the other day somewhere. That, of course, may have a longer blade than you'd like him to start out with.

The Kershaw Double Cross might be a very good knife, since it is slim like slipjoints, but has a liner lock. From my limited experience, Kershaw puts out extremely sharp knives. And, that knife has 2 blades, and is fairly expensive -- don't know your budget.

Off the top of my head, I think the two other knives I'd recommend would be the smaller CRKT LUS, and the Paragee by Outdoor Edge. Not Spydies of course. The LUS has a 2.5" blade, the Paragee about 3". The Paragee is pretty slim, and the LUS not too stocky, though the Paragee would likely fit a small hand better. My Paragee was extremely easy to cycle and unlock OOB. Much more so than most knives in that size or price range.

Only other thing would be a plain old slip joint. A Case Copperlock might work okay. Forgot them. They do have a lock, and a single blade.
 
RWS, I checked my Baby Goddard, and while it has a little over 1/8" more plain edge (with same length serrated section), it is the more slippery Micarta and is probably not as easy to open one handed. John Jensen may still have some left.

How about the Dragonfly or even the Navigator? Both are listed in plain edge, and aren't too much bigger.

If that doesn't help, you might try the Gerber Micro LST. I think the LST series are pretty good knives, and the price is right. A good basic lockback. My first lockblade was an LST.

I'd much prefer a plain edge LadyBug though. Especially YELLOW! Why aren't they sold here? It would make an excellent first knife.

Karl
 
Aww heck, Why not go ahead and get the little guy a serrated Military or maybe a Civillian :)

(Kidding of course)

--Matt
 
Hi Run. I would opt for the plain edge dragonfly. more purchase, plain edge, easier to learn to open. It has been my choice for yongsters just learning knives. I also found that engraving their name on the blade brings some ownership. Just a thought to share.

sal
 
of course, I'm sure if you asked nicely(or paid for it), they could grind the serrations off at SFO...
or if you are careful not to ruin the heattreat, it could be done at home...

the ladybug would be a great knife for your little guy...
 
I'm in agreeance with Sal in that the Dragonfly would be a better choice. It is way easier to open than the Ladybug and the hole is much larger. You can also get a better grip on the Dragonfly because of it's size and the larger volcano grip. Plus, you have the plain edge as opposed to the 50/50.
Good luck and great going,
Matt
 
thanks for all the suggestions! I had wanted the Sheepsfoot Lady Bug actually due to it's lack of a point, the small handle, and the lock. oh yeah...and the fact that it's pretty inexpensive. I hold no illusions here, I fully expect this knife to be lost eventually. (so call me a pessimist) Once I get over my paranoia about the point I think the Dragonfly would be a heck of a good choice. Especially like the idea about putting his name on the blade. Hope y'all have a good 'un!
 
I wish I knew why Spyderco doesn't sell the plain-edged Ladybugs in the US. Can you enlighten us, Sal?

I am the happy owner of a plain-edge Japanese Ladybug that I got from the wonderful folks at BladeArt. (You can see a picture of it on my web page, listed below.) I posted on BladeForums asking if anyone knew where to get one and Larry replied that he had one he'd picked up while over there that he was willing to sell me. It's great! :D

Thanks again, Larry and Vince!

--Bob Q
 
Actually, from another post...

Sal says (sort of like Simon Says?)... the Plain Edge will be released to the US in late 01-early 02
 
here's a couple highlights... Strangly enough, it came right after me saying I might have to file the serrations off to make a plain edge.
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Our vendor in Japan is also our distributor in Japan. Serrations don't sell well in Japan so the models offeed here in serrations are only offered in plain edge over there.

We looked into bringing in a few hundered pieces for the forumites a while ago. Unfortunaely, they do not inventory many and it would have to be a special run. Since we're working on an upgrade of the Ladybug that will be offered in both a plain edge and a serrated version, we opted not to make the special run. The new version will be out late '01 or early '02.

sal
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Hi Tightwad. There will be black and two other colors to start with. More colors will be added if the response is ok. The colors wll be different than the Ladybug colors. I think there is purple and a green, but don't quote me on the colors. I designed the knife, but left the colors to those that have a better eye for it.

sal
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http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=167559
 
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