looking at getting my first spydie

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kimberfan

Joined
Feb 8, 2011
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so i looked over an endura 4 the other day and compared with a top of knives and fell in love with it, i'm thinking about getting one to replace my EDC kershaw blur (love my blur but it doesnt hold the best edge for very long and i keep chipping the blade)

so what other knives does spyderco have in the 70$ or less range that compare? and i'm not overly sure of VG-10? hows it hold an edge? does it chip easy? thats one thing about the 13c26 on my kershaw it will chip if it even graze a pebble or a staple or chicken wire for one reason or another (my little gerber in ats-34 and benchmade in 440c dont have this problem but i dislike them both for EDC, the gerber is too small and i cant get it as sharp as my others and the benchmade if a fixblade which is a no no here)

was thinking about s30v but i dont think i'd like it much, i prefer carbon steels like 52100 (or SR-101 :cool: ) so VG-10 or H1?

and is it easy to sharpen VG-10 on arkansas stones?

and btw i would prefer a saber grind for a stronger tip, FFG is great but this will be a somewhat hard use knife, i live on a farm and might need it for random things that might break a FFG blade/tip
 
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How about the Manix 2? Can be had for about 5 bucks more than your budget and has 154CM which is similar to the ATS34. 154CM should be able to take a fine edge and get razor sharp and still be fairly tough.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
How about the Manix 2? Can be had for about 5 bucks more than your budget and has 154CM which is similar to the ATS34. 154CM should be able to take a fine edge and get razor sharp and still be fairly tough.
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hows ZDP-189? i know its a pain to sharpen but i might have the option of a delica in it, sierra trading post has them at 87.99 and i have a 20% off coupon to go with it

on the site it says its VG-10 but all the reviews say they got ZDP 189's
 
I really like ZDP but it might not be for everyone. It is run quite a bit harder than the other steels mentioned and holds an edge quite a bit more as well. This means it takes a little longer to sharpen but will need it less and I don't have a problem with it. The best way to go about sharpening it that I have found is to touch it up often and not let it get dull. A couple swipes on a ceramic rod or a quick strop on the days you use it works well. Or touch it up once a week if you don't want to mess with it every day you use it. You don't have to do this but its what I have found works to always have a sharp knife in my pocket regardless of steel.

There have been reports of it chipping but I have never had it happen. However, if you are rough with your knife and hit a lot of metal it might be an issue but probably not even then. There is a fairly recent thread of someone using their ZDP Spyderco to cut the lid out of a coffee can and making quite a few cuts in the side of the can with very little damage and I don't think any was visible with the naked eye.

Basically it is a high end 'super steel' so if you like the knife then you will get a steel that holds an edge for a long time. Just be aware that the Delica is a little on the small side if you have large hands. It is basically the kid brother to the Endura.
 
at the very worst the knife might encounter a pebble or be called upon to make a emergency cut thru chicken wire

normal tasks here is cutting up boxes, cutting vines, maybe cutting fruit, cutting some rope, maybe the odd tree limb

it wouldnt be used as a pry bar but it needs to do the above with minimal chipping and decent edge retention

as for hand wise, the endura 4 felt really nice but slightly large (the handle was an inch and a half big) i do have fairly large hands (i wear large gloves)
 
Hi Kimberfan,

Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

Early ZDP Enduras's were saber, but then we switched them to full flat.

VG-10 is a tough steel, sharpens up well, stays sharp about the same as 154Cm and is corrosion resistant. It's our "basic" steel made in Japan. (One of the best available). It's also available in the Endura with a flat saber.

sal
 
The only thing I would worry about is the chicken wire. I don't normally push my knives that hard and really can't say how it would hold up. Then again I'm not sure how any steel will hold up and I think it would be more a function of the edge geometry than the steel type. The other things it should handle fine.

I would say the Delica is a good EDC blade that is comfortable in the pocket and good for day to day tasks. The Endura is more of a work knife when you need to cut a lot of stuff for extended periods. This is just what I would classify them as and others may disagree. Since everyone has different size hands and preferences its hard to generalize. I also have large hands and wear large gloves. I like a slightly bigger knife but the Delica is one I carry but is about as small as I would EDC.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
The only thing I would worry about is the chicken wire. I don't normally push my knives that hard and really can't say how it would hold up. Then again I'm not sure how any steel will hold up and I think it would be more a function of the edge geometry than the steel type. The other things it should handle fine.

I would say the Delica is a good EDC blade that is comfortable in the pocket and good for day to day tasks. The Endura is more of a work knife when you need to cut a lot of stuff for extended periods. This is just what I would classify them as and others may disagree. Since everyone has different size hands and preferences its hard to generalize. I also have large hands and wear large gloves. I like a slightly bigger knife but the Delica is one I carry but is about as small as I would EDC.
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the chicken wire would be a worst case type thing where some how a chicken got stuck in it and i have to get it out or theres some sticking up that could harm them, this would rarely be the case but it could happen, chicken wire is fairly soft imo so i would think a decent steel could go thru it out much issues

my blur has a handle of 4 and 1/4th inches and fits just about right, open is 7 and 3/4 which imo is a little small it seems but as long as the handle is that size or bigger it would be fine
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Kimberfan,

Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

Early ZDP Enduras's were saber, but then we switched them to full flat.

VG-10 is a tough steel, sharpens up well, stays sharp about the same as 154Cm and is corrosion resistant. It's our "basic" steel made in Japan. (One of the best available). It's also available in the Endura with a flat saber.

sal
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hey sal, what were the older delica's from last year in ZDP? theres a store clearing them out online and i'm curious on the grind
 
singularity35 said:
If you routinely need to cut chicken wires and such, why not add a multitool to your EDC?
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look at the post above my last, it would be an emergency if that was the case and often i just carry my knife and a small flashlight and a small prybar with me, theres an off chance i MIGHT need to but i doubt i will, just in case it would be nice to know if the knife could do it.
 
wish i could afford a Gayle Bradley in CF and with CPM-M4 but at 150$ its wayyyy above my budget

would be the perfect knife for me tho :cool:
 
kimberfan said:
at the very worst the knife might encounter a pebble or be called upon to make a emergency cut thru chicken wire

normal tasks here is cutting up boxes, cutting vines, maybe cutting fruit, cutting some rope, maybe the odd tree limb

(...) it needs to do the above with minimal chipping and decent edge retention (...)
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I should begin with a disclaimer and say that I do not own a ZDP-189 blade, but I've been curious and did a little reading on it. Thought I'd share what little I know... :)

From what I hear, ZDP-189 is able to shrug off tasks that might otherwise roll or chip VG-10. Edge retention is similar, but ZDP will take longer to sharpen and requires more maintenance to keep a razor's edge on it. If you decide on a ZDP Endura, go with the full-flat grind; reprofiling the sabre-grind is a tough job and you'll be at it for a while. In the end, I decided that 'the juice wasn't worth the squeeze' for my needs, and went with the Endura 4 in VG-10 but opted for full-serrations. I'm not sure how the SE blade would handle something like chicken wire, but I think it would be ideal for the rest of the jobs you mentioned.

Good luck! :)
 
My new Endura 4 (Blue) just arrived and I love it. Had never even handled one before I ordered it.
Perfect size for EDC. Long, thin, and solid.
-Hunter
 
My first Spydie,I don't normally buy things made in China but made an exception on the Persistence. All I can say is it's been a great knife for far under the $70 range.Good size,opens fast with good lock up and cuts like a laser.
 
kimberfan said:
wish i could afford a Gayle Bradley in CF and with CPM-M4 but at 150$ its wayyyy above my budget

would be the perfect knife for me tho :cool:
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That was going to be my suggestion, albeit more than you wanted to spend. Spyderco's CPM M4 is good stuff.:thumbup:
 
kimberfan said:
wish i could afford a Gayle Bradley in CF and with CPM-M4 but at 150$ its wayyyy above my budget

would be the perfect knife for me tho :cool:
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If it would be your perfect knife, use some restrint and save to get it. Why settle when you can have what you want by saving just a bit more. Save up and use your Blur for a few more months and get the GB. That is the wise choice and one you should strongly consider.
 
Hawk45 said:
If it would be your perfect knife, use some restrint and save to get it. Why settle when you can have what you want by saving just a bit more. Save up and use your Blur for a few more months and get the GB. That is the wise choice and one you should strongly consider.
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QFT. I would save up for the Gayle Bradley. You won't regret it.
 
the only thing about the GB is that i live on the coast and its wet + salt air, i can pretty much get 440c to rust by leaving it out for a few hours....

my swamp rat doesnt rust because i keep it in the house lol

so thats one worry about it, and seems how it would be on me and used in salt air... idk

tempted to try out a pacific salt in H1 i hear good things about how it becomes better and better with use + sharpening

i also have the option of a CPM-S30V native as well
 
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I hear ya.. You're kind of in between a rock and a hard place. I recently got an H1 Pacific Salt and it is a great knife. I've noticed using it a few times I can see the edge has rounded in a few spots, but having said that, it still slices through everything. I did a quick review if you scroll down a few threads. I love the light weight. If you get into chicken wire with it (at least the plain edge version) you may do some major damage to the edge. It does sharpen up real easy though with the Sharpmaker but not sure the extent of damage something like chicken wire would do to the H1. You could still go with the GB and just put a forced patina on it (mutard or vinager) and do a design that looks cool. That will help protect the blade and give it a cool, warn in look. Then just keep some oil on it and should be fine. Or.. go middle of the road with VG10 or S30V (Sage, Para, Military, Caly).
 
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