Spyderco and Carbon Fiber?

BMCGear

BMCGear

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Thinking of getting something a little more dressy for the office. Something with CF maybe? How does CF do against keys and things like that? I imagine it looks bad when it gets scratched.

Anybody have experience or pics?

Thanks!
 
Whether or not it looks "bad" is a matter of opinion, really. I have a number of CF knives (Spyderco Caly3, Brous SS, TAD MK4CF, etc) that see pocket time, and while all of them show some wear, none of them look "bad" to me. In fact I find the scratches and snail trails that show up on titanium (especially bead blasted) to be more noticeable/distracting than anything on the CF bits.

If you're worried about the damage, just be mindful of what goes in the same pocket. I usually try to keep coins and keys in a different spot.
 
bRIBEGuy said:
Whether or not it looks "bad" is a matter of opinion, really. I have a number of CF knives (Spyderco Caly3, Brous SS, TAD MK4CF, etc) that see pocket time, and while all of them show some wear, none of them look "bad" to me. In fact I find the scratches and snail trails that show up on titanium (especially bead blasted) to be more noticeable/distracting than anything on the CF bits.

If you're worried about the damage, just be mindful of what goes in the same pocket. I usually try to keep coins and keys in a different spot.
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Yea, for whatever reason I just don't think carbon fiber will look good with wear and tear.
 
It is very resistant to showing signs of wear in my use. I would recommend it over any other material.
 
It really depends on the finish of the carbon fiber. A smooth, semi-polish like that on the Caly 3 will show scratches, but it is hard to scratch. Mine has seen a good bit of pocket time. The Nishijin glass fiber will show them. The rougher carbon fiber like that found on the Chaparral gents knife does not show scratches easily at all. Tough stuff. Mine has seen a lot of pocket time and I do not use a clip so it is in with coins and all sorts of paraphernalia.
 
DocT said:
It really depends on the finish of the carbon fiber. A smooth, semi-polish like that on the Caly 3 will show scratches, but it is hard to scratch. Mine has seen a good bit of pocket time. The Nishijin glass fiber will show them. The rougher carbon fiber like that found on the Chaparral gents knife does not show scratches easily at all. Tough stuff. Mine has seen a lot of pocket time and I do not use a clip so it is in with coins and all sorts of paraphernalia.
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Doc,

I'm looking at possibly the Caly 3 or the Chap. I'm leaning towards not using the pocket clip as I don't think that it comes off as very professional. Which of these two do you prefer?
 
I've been carrying my Dice in my pocket with keys 5 days a week for the past few weeks with zero ill effects.

Although I am toying with the idea of making a few different replacement scales for it just for fun.
 
The Air is clipless and the right size for pocket carry, and the glass fiber is very hard to see scratches on since it is so light. It is my preferred office knife - it is about as discreet as you could want while still getting a lot of cutting power.
 
The CF Chaparral on the left is brand new and unused. The one on the right is a bit over four years old and has been carried and used quite a bit. Was also my "go to" knife when I was packing to move and unpacking afterward. There's some gunk on the blade, probably tape residue, and a bit of pocket lint on the lockbar, but the CF looks as good as the new one's.

cf%20chaps.JPG

Anything can be damaged if you're careless or destructive enough, but the CF on the Chaparral is quite tough.
 
I have the Caly 3.5 in CF. Blade has some scratches after about a year of carry and use, but the CF looks like new. I tend not to carry anything else in my knife pocket, though.
 
My CF isn't shiny so it doesn't show any scratches.

And IMO, CF does well for office because your hands aren't wet or slippery o anything.

I love the CF look on my southard but if my hands are even slightly wet, it is very slippery.

 
nccole said:
It is very resistant to showing signs of wear in my use. I would recommend it over any other material.
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+1

I have found this to be true as well with my CF Spydies, (Chaparral and GB) as well as with my 940-1.
 
as a habit i just keep my change in the left pocket and knife in right side,as not to bang-up the finish! its been working vary well foe me.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
Doc,

I'm looking at possibly the Caly 3 or the Chap. I'm leaning towards not using the pocket clip as I don't think that it comes off as very professional. Which of these two do you prefer?
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Well, if I wanted a straight gentleman's folder then the Chaparral is the one I would choose and it will show scars less. If I wanted one knife to do it all I would take the Caly3. I like both knives. The Caly 3 has a handle the same exact dimensions as a Kershaw Leek and more blade than a Delica. The Carbon fiber is muted. They polish it so that the fibers do not stand out much, so you do not get as much of that 3-D effect. It is nice and under stated. The Chaparral is much slimmer and the carbon fiber has more traction and has that 3-D effect. It is also a lit lighter than the Caly. Both are keepers, but the Chaparral gets more pocket time these days.
 
I can absolutely recommend the Chapparal. Mine looks amazing and performs just as well, and I personally would rather have something a little smaller for a dressier knife. Caly3 is great but for what you're talking about I'd say Chapparal. And it's cheaper.
 
Spyderco's CF is pretty durable. I've had my Sage 1 for going in a year, with every other day use and there is little to no wear present. It will last.
 
I recommend the chapparal for the office. Small and thin, disappears in the pocket.

For me the Caly 3 is an awkward size, kinda small but kinda big and doesn't fit my hand well. I have big hands though.

I much prefer the sage 1 to the Caly 3 as it fills my hand in a better way but is still very pocketable.... Not as much as the chap is though.

My chap is a good office knife and sage 1 is the weekend knife.
 
I love my CF knives, of all brands. Spyderco have two different "CF" styles. One is solid resin impregnated solid sheet material, the other is a CF weave cloth laminated onto G-10, like the Chaparral. The original texture of the carbon cloth adds unique feel to it. I think the solid CF in high polish is most susceptible to scratches. But it is also very easy to polish out when needed. I've never been able to scratch the laminated type, but would think if it were to happen, it would pretty much be permanent. But as the Deacon shows above, it's almost impossible to damage without crazy use or carelessness.

Go for it. And if not using the pocket clip, I'd lean toward the Chaparral because it's a better size for pocket floating. My Chap gets tossed into a pocket every few days or so, when I don't want the bulk of the PM2.
 
All of the carbon fiber knives from Spyderco I've had have held up really nicely. I'm the kind of guy that keeps lots of stuff in my pockets and work in dirty environments (Crawlspaces). I wouldn't think twice of the durability. The Gayle Bradley as well as the sage one have great laminated cf, I believe it's the same on the chapp and other spidies. As for the caly, domino, and the glass nishijin they all wear extremely well too. Here's some pics. They have all seen lots of pocket time.

 
That last picture reminded me that I totally love my Blue Weave CF Domino too. Quite a bit bigger than the other knifes discussed, but in my mind, every bit a Gentleman's Knife. Just darn good looking and as tough as anyone would expect from a titanium framelock.

And come to think about it, I've carried it quite a bit in my key pocket. Was worried about the CF at first, but nothing ever happened on the face. The only thing that happened was a bit more "stonewashing" on the already stonewashed titanium. To me it looks even better now than when new out of the box. :)

Edit: That middle blade is the Chaparral. So you can see how thin it is overall and would be great in a pocket with other things.

2n16cn4.jpg
 
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