My first Spyderco!

S

Salamander42

Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
945
I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the PE Dragonfly that I won on ebay! :D I've been looking at Spydercos for a few weeks now, handled a couple in the local sporting goods store and reading up on them on line. I narrowed it down and was deciding between a Delica and Dragonfly. I did search on ebay and there was a Dragonfly with one minute left 'till it ended. . . I had just enough time to log in and place a bid and got it for 28 bucks with shipping included.

I've been a knife enthusiast for as long as I can remember, but until recently the appeal of Spydercos eluded me. I guess I just couldn't get my head around the unusual shapes and contours of most of the knives. Also, for some reason, I just had to have a liner lock on any folding knife that I owned and Spyderco didn't have many.

Well, I've been thinking about the knives that I carry and use, and I've decided that it's time to make some changes. I've leaned toward tactical and tacti-COOL knives until recently, but since I've managed to step back and look at things a bit more subjectively I can see that these knives aren't really suited to what I really use them for.

I work in a warehouse and the three things I cut most are cardboard, plastic strapping and plastic wrap. The Dragonfly is going to replace a CRKT Crawford/Casper folder for these tasks. If I like it as much as I think I will then it will most likely be joined by several other Spydies before long. I'll definitely be wanting to add a couple of the larger models to my arsenal. I like the looks of the Native and Remote Release, and I'll probably have to get a Delica and Endura so I can see first hand why they're so popular. Where it goes from there, who knows?

I'll let you all know how the Dragonfly works out and maybe ask for some advice and opinions when I'm ready to buy my next Spydie!
 
Congrats on the purchase. I absolutely love my SS dragonfly and carry it quite often. However, reading your intended tasks and looking up the specs of your current EDC, I can't help but feel you would've been better off with a delica.
 
I kind of thought the same thing briefly, but I have a feeling that the profile of the Dragonfly is going to allow it to cut cardboard and plastic wrap much more efficiently. It will almost definitely not do as well on the strapping since the Crawford/Casper is partially serrated and tears through straps like you wouldn't believe, but the serrations just get in the way for almost everything else, so I think it'll be a fair trade. I think I'll also enjoy the smaller/lighter nature of the Dragonfly. . . The Crawford/Casper is really more of a self defense knife in my opinion, and as such is really tough and stiff and HEAVY! And, as I said, I have a feeling that there are more Spydercos in my near future, so if I find that the Dragonfly doesn't quite meet my needs I'll have another one to try soon! :p
 
I've always been a Benchmade guy but I recently got an Endura as a gift from my dad and I love it. I'm hooked, and this is one of their cheapest knives. I can't wait to try one of their higher end knives..
 
Congratulations on your first Spyderco!!
Now, just leave the forum, don't ever come back. Be happy with the one Spyderco you have, don't look at pictures of other Spyderco's. Don't go to gun/knife shows, just be happy with your new Spyderco. :) :)
Nevermind, it won't matter, you'll find out that Spyderco is a great knife, and start buying/trading for more. :)
Enjoy!!


Blades
 
Blades said:
Congratulations on your first Spyderco!!
Now, just leave the forum, don't ever come back. Be happy with the one Spyderco you have, don't look at pictures of other Spyderco's. Don't go to gun/knife shows, just be happy with your new Spyderco. :) :)
Nevermind, it won't matter, you'll find out that Spyderco is a great knife, and start buying/trading for more. :)
Enjoy!!


Blades
Click to expand...

LOL. . . It's too late. . . I don't even have the first one in my hands yet and I already have my next 3 or 4 Spydies picked out. I don't know when my tastes changed, but they all look awesome to me now instead of weird/awkward like they did when I first remember seeing them. I just need to wait 'till I have some extra money in my budget. :o
 
Happened to me, too. I looked at spyderco knifes when I was probably 12-13 and though what awfully looking things they are. Then, my dad got me a ladybug when I was 15 and that's the end EDCing my SAks. I'm now 27, that's already over a decade of having a spyder in my pocket.
 
My first Spyderco was an Endura. Got it in 2005 I guess. Ugly knife but feels great in the hand and I fell in love with VG-10 steel. EDC'd it for about six months until I got a Native. A Benchmade 710 replaced the Native as EDC, but I still carry both the Endura and Native from time to time.

The third Spyderco is a SS PE Cricket that I plan on putting an exotic wood scale on the non-lock side. Also thinking about getting a few more Crickets for other modifications.
 
Well, I got my Dragonfly in the mail yesterday and I'm pretty darned impressed. I'll take some pics later this weekend and write a little compare/contrast review with it and my CRKT Crawford/Kasper folder, but my first impressions are pretty positive. I used it at work today and it did everything I needed it to do with ease. I have no problems with the smaller blade. . . It's actually just a bit longer than the non-serrated section on my Crawford/Kasper that I've been carrying, and I only really used the serrations to cut strapping anyway, so in a way I gained 1/8 of an inch or so of blade in a much smaller package.

My girlfriend loves it. This is the first knife I've ever gotten that she's really shown interest in. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to just let her have this one once I get something bigger or if I'll buy her her own because I do really like this knife and can see myself still carrying it even after I have another couple of spydies in my arsenal.

More later. . . I'm gonna go shop for my next Spydie now! :p
 
I's a couple of days later than I had intended, but here are a few pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38624080@N00/774376656/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38624080@N00/774376678/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38624080@N00/774376716/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38624080@N00/773520475/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38624080@N00/773520595/

I put the Dragonfly next to my Crawford/Kasper folder since the C/K has been my EDC for a while. . . I wanted to compare/contrast the two.

I'm quite happy with the smaller blade on the Dragonfly. I rarely used the serrated section of the C/K anyhow, so the dragonfly is actually easier to use/control since the part of the blade that I use isn't separated from my hand by an inch and a half of serrations. The Dragonfly blade is thinner than the C/K and goes through cardboard much easier. . . it's almost like a brand new razor blade on a utility knife. The one thing I used the C/K serrations for regularly was to cut plastic strapping. The Dragonfly takes a little more finesse - lifting the strap and cutting from the edge instead of just slashing through - but it goes through the straps like warm butter. When cutting plastic wrap - another common task at my job - it almost seems like the wrap separates before the blade even touches it. With the C/K I always had to be careful to keep the serrations away from the wrap if I wanted a nice clean cut. . . Not a necessity since the wrap just goes in the trash anyway, but it just feels good to make a clean cut instead of shredding the material I'm cutting.

I thought I was going to find the handle of the Dragonfly to be way too small, but after using it for a few days and getting used to it, it seems to be working just fine. If I had to do any kind of prolonged cutting I think it would get uncomfortable, but as it is I only have to open new cartons of product periodically so it's no problem.

The Dragonfly is soooo much lighter than the C/K. . . I hardly realize that it's there. I mostly consider this a good thing, but it has been a little disconcerting a few times when I don't feel that weight in my pocket and have to reach down to see if my knife is still there.

I'm all around very happy with my Dragonfly. There have been a few things that have taken some getting used to like the integral pocket clip and the Spyder Hole, but there is nothing that I don't like about the knife.

Incidentally, it's the first knife that I've ever tried a lanyard on and decided that I like it better with the lanyard than without. . . It just works with this knife for some reason.

I can't wait to try a couple of the bigger Spydies. I think I need to invest in a Sharpmaker first though, and I need some kydex to make sheaths for a couple of my fixed blades, so unfortunately it's going to have to wait 'till next month. I think I've decided on a Native for my next knife though. . . Unless anyone wants to try to talk me into something else. I have at least a few weeks in which to change my mind, and I'll probably do so at least a dozen times! :o
 
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