- Joined
- May 18, 1999
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- 1,709
I have the privilege of taking part in the pass around of the Spyderco Caly 3.5, and I figured I'd post my thoughts on it here.
The Steel:
The VG-10 takes a screaming sharp edge and holds it very well. It wasn't quite hair shaving sharp when I received it, so I took my Edge Pro to it and put a 30º inclusive edge on it last night. After slaying a pork loin steak with ease, I took it to the back yard to see what it could do to help me eradicate the honeysuckle that has overrun my fence.
For those of you who don't know what honeysuckle is, it's a vine that is very thick and proliferative, and will take over your fence/bushes/garden/yard. After tearing some out, I discovered that it is choking out a couple rose bushes that I thought had already died. Trying to rip out any more could end up killing the rose bushes (and make the wife very unhappy), so I resorted to cutting with the Caly. Honeysuckle isn't like other vines, in that it can get very tough and woody -- almost sapling-like in thickness and toughness. The knife handled the smaller vines just fine. Thicker vines (slightly less than a pinky-width) were too much for it, and that is probably due more to the thin design of the blade, as I don't think this is the task it was designed for -- can't fault the knife for that. What I am impressed by is the fact that it still shaves hair off my arm after being used to cut through woody vines. Spyderco does a great job with VG-10! The blade shape and design is great for slicing, and I like the FFG.
Ergonomics:
It wasn't the most comfortable knife when using it to cut vines, but then, I prefer thicker handles like my Rift and M390 Barrage for harder tasks. For edc things, it fits the hand very well. Spyderco was nice enough to make the clip left/right reversible, and since I'm a lefty, that is important to me. The back lock is a bit of a pain for me, though. Maybe I've just been spoiled by the Axis lock, but this back lock is not something I would want on a knife. I value one-handed closing, and this lock is very clumsy for one-handed closing (at least for me it is). I can't close it without getting my fingers in the way of the blade, and there's simply no need for me to buy a knife like that when I can get the Axis lock that keeps my fingers out of the way completely. I don't doubt for a minute that the lock is strong enough for what the knife is designed for, but it is not user-friendly for one-handed closing. I think Spyderco's ball lock would work better for a left-handed, one-hand closing.
Opening the knife is a bit awkward due to the stiff action of the blade combined with the distance of the hole from the pivot. I have to hold the knife in an unnatural position to open it without overextending my thumb. If I hold higher on the knife in a more natural position, then I have to bend my thumb more than 90º, and the sharp edge on the SpyderHole actually shaves part of my fingernail, making it rough and jagged. Spyderco needs to bevel/round the edge of the hole some. When open, the handle ergonomics remind me of my mini-AFCK that fits my hand so well. The knife feels the most comfortable in the hand when you choke up and use the finger choil, but I don't feel comfortable having my finger millimeters from the blade with no protection. That is probably a personal preference, though.
Fit & Finish:
Pretty good, for the most part. Loosening the pivot screw enough to smooth out the action a little bit induced considerable side-to-side play in the blade. Even after lubing it with some WeaponShield, the action is still pretty stiff. When things are tightened down, there is just a slightly perceptible side-to-side play, but that is to be expected of just about any folder. It is very slight and does not detract from the fit of the knife, in my book. If you tighten it down enough to eliminate that, then the action is way too stiff and is almost impossible to open one-handed. That being said, I get the same amount of blade play in my mini-AFCK, but it is much smoother and faster to deploy than this Caly3.5. Other than that, the fit & finish on this knife is very good.
Overall:
For the same price point, I can get a knife that is sturdier with equal fit & finish, ergonomics that are equal or superior, and equal or better steel and a lock that is more one-hand friendly. Specifically, I'm thinking of the Benchmade Bone Collector (large one), Griptilian, Presidio, 580 Barrage, Ritter RSK Mk1, and even my wonderful Rift is close to the same price, as is a Spyderco Manix 2 (which I would really like to try some day), or a Paramilitary2, which looks like it would work better for one-hand use with the compression lock (just not sure how well for lefties). Overall, this is a decent knife, but not one I would spend my money on.
(oh, and pics will be added after dinner)
The Steel:
The VG-10 takes a screaming sharp edge and holds it very well. It wasn't quite hair shaving sharp when I received it, so I took my Edge Pro to it and put a 30º inclusive edge on it last night. After slaying a pork loin steak with ease, I took it to the back yard to see what it could do to help me eradicate the honeysuckle that has overrun my fence.
For those of you who don't know what honeysuckle is, it's a vine that is very thick and proliferative, and will take over your fence/bushes/garden/yard. After tearing some out, I discovered that it is choking out a couple rose bushes that I thought had already died. Trying to rip out any more could end up killing the rose bushes (and make the wife very unhappy), so I resorted to cutting with the Caly. Honeysuckle isn't like other vines, in that it can get very tough and woody -- almost sapling-like in thickness and toughness. The knife handled the smaller vines just fine. Thicker vines (slightly less than a pinky-width) were too much for it, and that is probably due more to the thin design of the blade, as I don't think this is the task it was designed for -- can't fault the knife for that. What I am impressed by is the fact that it still shaves hair off my arm after being used to cut through woody vines. Spyderco does a great job with VG-10! The blade shape and design is great for slicing, and I like the FFG.
Ergonomics:
It wasn't the most comfortable knife when using it to cut vines, but then, I prefer thicker handles like my Rift and M390 Barrage for harder tasks. For edc things, it fits the hand very well. Spyderco was nice enough to make the clip left/right reversible, and since I'm a lefty, that is important to me. The back lock is a bit of a pain for me, though. Maybe I've just been spoiled by the Axis lock, but this back lock is not something I would want on a knife. I value one-handed closing, and this lock is very clumsy for one-handed closing (at least for me it is). I can't close it without getting my fingers in the way of the blade, and there's simply no need for me to buy a knife like that when I can get the Axis lock that keeps my fingers out of the way completely. I don't doubt for a minute that the lock is strong enough for what the knife is designed for, but it is not user-friendly for one-handed closing. I think Spyderco's ball lock would work better for a left-handed, one-hand closing.
Opening the knife is a bit awkward due to the stiff action of the blade combined with the distance of the hole from the pivot. I have to hold the knife in an unnatural position to open it without overextending my thumb. If I hold higher on the knife in a more natural position, then I have to bend my thumb more than 90º, and the sharp edge on the SpyderHole actually shaves part of my fingernail, making it rough and jagged. Spyderco needs to bevel/round the edge of the hole some. When open, the handle ergonomics remind me of my mini-AFCK that fits my hand so well. The knife feels the most comfortable in the hand when you choke up and use the finger choil, but I don't feel comfortable having my finger millimeters from the blade with no protection. That is probably a personal preference, though.
Fit & Finish:
Pretty good, for the most part. Loosening the pivot screw enough to smooth out the action a little bit induced considerable side-to-side play in the blade. Even after lubing it with some WeaponShield, the action is still pretty stiff. When things are tightened down, there is just a slightly perceptible side-to-side play, but that is to be expected of just about any folder. It is very slight and does not detract from the fit of the knife, in my book. If you tighten it down enough to eliminate that, then the action is way too stiff and is almost impossible to open one-handed. That being said, I get the same amount of blade play in my mini-AFCK, but it is much smoother and faster to deploy than this Caly3.5. Other than that, the fit & finish on this knife is very good.
Overall:
For the same price point, I can get a knife that is sturdier with equal fit & finish, ergonomics that are equal or superior, and equal or better steel and a lock that is more one-hand friendly. Specifically, I'm thinking of the Benchmade Bone Collector (large one), Griptilian, Presidio, 580 Barrage, Ritter RSK Mk1, and even my wonderful Rift is close to the same price, as is a Spyderco Manix 2 (which I would really like to try some day), or a Paramilitary2, which looks like it would work better for one-hand use with the compression lock (just not sure how well for lefties). Overall, this is a decent knife, but not one I would spend my money on.
(oh, and pics will be added after dinner)