New EDC: Spyderco Tenacious, CIVIVI Dogma, or Ontario Rat I D2

[Chronovore]

Heh, you talking about a Tenacious and say you don't like blades under 3.5", you need a Resilience. After what I've put my Tenacious through, any of the Chinese spydercos get a thumbs up from me. People will complain about the 8cr13mov all day long but the fact of the matter is the heat treat is damn good and performs a lot better than you'd think.
Just one man's opinion though. Take it for what it's worth.

I've seen comments like this in defense of Spyderco's 8Cr13Mov. I haven't tried a Tenacious but I did try a Byrd Meadowlark in 8Cr13Mov. Performance wasn't noticeably different from the 8Cr13Mov being used by everyone else. Is the 8Cr13Mov on a Tenacious actually better?

I'd have trouble believing that it is. I'd have even more trouble trying to justify $50 to find out. Petrified Fish might have the best 8Cr13Mov I've tried but it's really no better than the average AUS-8 you'd get on a RAT. Chinese D2, 14C28N, Acuto 440, and 9Cr18Mov all offer a noticeable upgrade to edge retention. With the exception of D2, those steels also offer an upgrade in corrosion resistance and aren't very hard to sharpen.

Coincidentally, 9Cr18Mov can vary a lot based on heat treatment. I'd previously given up on it due to bad experiences with Schrade and CRKT. Getting 9Cr18Mov from Civivi or Real Steel is like getting 420 from Buck.

 

[timberweasel]

Another vote for the RAT...

 

[BJ987]

Well, I ended up getting what I could.. Couldn't find a Rat I in D2 in the color/price that I wanted. The Code 4 is for size comparison.

I'm sorry, but I would like the Tenacious...if it was $15. Knowing I spent $50 on this thing--it's going back ASAP. Also, I accidentally got the Lightweight, but I can't imagine G10 will make a big difference for me, not a $35 difference for sure.
This CIVIVI Dogma is probably the smallest knife I own. It is also just under 3.5" blade length, and yes, I know I've said several times on this forum that I don't like knives under 3.5" but I'm trying it out guys! Like I said, this is for a specific use, my "basketball short carry".

Back to the Dogma... as expected from CIVIVI it feels like a $100 knife. I want to love this knife (look at that beautiful clip point!) but it has three annoying little cons. First, the handle size. The handle on the Dogma is small... like in every way (except for thickness). I tried to capture it in the pic but it really doesn't convey what it feels like IRL. When open, I wonder how the blade even fits in the handle. If the handle was just a few mm bigger in width and length, I would love this knife. Right now, I really like it. Second, the thumb opening. I was really looking forward to Spydie-flicking this thing open like my Vexer (which Spydie-flicks better than a Spyderco). I have small hands and I can't even do a "classic" slow opening with my thumb. It's that small. Like it's only there purely for aesthetics. Third, no jimping. Some CIVIVI knives have fantastic jimping. I don't understand why others, like the Dogma, have the smoothest most polished back/spine you can make.

Well, guess I gotta be on the lookout for a Rat. I think I'll keep the Dogma anyway... I have 3 CIVIVIs now and even with my little complaints about each one of them, I can't see myself getting rid of them...

 

[soc_monki]

I've seen comments like this in defense of Spyderco's 8Cr13Mov. I haven't tried a Tenacious but I did try a Byrd Meadowlark in 8Cr13Mov. Performance wasn't noticeably different from the 8Cr13Mov being used by everyone else. Is the 8Cr13Mov on a Tenacious actually better?

I'd have trouble believing that it is. I'd have even more trouble trying to justify $50 to find out. Petrified Fish might have the best 8Cr13Mov I've tried but it's really no better than the average AUS-8 you'd get on a RAT. Chinese D2, 14C28N, Acuto 440, and 9Cr18Mov all offer a noticeable upgrade to edge retention. With the exception of D2, those steels also offer an upgrade in corrosion resistance and aren't very hard to sharpen.

Coincidentally, 9Cr18Mov can vary a lot based on heat treatment. I'd previously given up on it due to bad experiences with Schrade and CRKT. Getting 9Cr18Mov from Civivi or Real Steel is like getting 420 from Buck.

The Byrd models are good from what I hear, but I've never tried one. I can only comment on the models I do own, and those are the Persistence, Tenacious, and Resilience, and I find them to be great knives that have good steel with a great heat treat. I have many more expensive Spydercos, and many other more expensive knives, along with Civivis, Chinese Kershaws, and an Artisan. I still enjoy carrying and using my cheap spydercos and they perform as well as any of the others, steel included.

Sure they won't hold an edge like my knives in M4, but I don't expect them to. Edge geometry makes a big difference.

 

[BJ987]

The Byrd models are good from what I hear, but I've never tried one. I can only comment on the models I do own, and those are the Persistence, Tenacious, and Resilience, and I find them to be great knives that have good steel with a great heat treat. I have many more expensive Spydercos, and many other more expensive knives, along with Civivis, Chinese Kershaws, and an Artisan. I still enjoy carrying and using my cheap spydercos and they perform as well as any of the others, steel included.

Sure they won't hold an edge like my knives in M4, but I don't expect them to. Edge geometry makes a big difference.

If you can get them cheap. Like I said I would like the Tenacious or Tenacious lightweight even if it was $15-$30 (for the G10, wouldn't pay more than $25 for the lightweight). I too own more expensive knives and specifically more expensive Spyderco's. I just can't live with $50 for the Tenacious lightweight, especially with that cheap black coating. I immediately compare it to my Manix 2 XL w/ DLC black coating for a little more than 3 times the price? Doesn't seem proportionate to me.