Spyderco Balance

Nathan Ihrke

Nathan Ihrke

Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
864
This seems like a cool knife that could really handle some tasks... however... does anyone else think for that price tag you should be getting better steel then VG-10? (not knocking spyderco's vg-10 btw)
 
It's pretty hard to beat VG-10 for a folder. It's comparable to S30V....nothing to sneeze at.
 
I agree it's on the spendy side. I think VG-10 is fine, but it's price tag is a bit heavy for my budget. :o
 
The only VG-10 i have is a Spydie Delica with G-10. Great knife, but I don't feel it holds as good of an edge as my Sage 2 or Seb or Um.
 
I would have totally jumped on this knife, price be dammed, but it was too small for my medium-sized hands and it is a bit awkward to open/deploy.

I love the shape and the balance concept but just too small for my medium/small hands for me to justify the cost on a knife that doesn't fit my hands right.

BTW, I love VG-10, very forgiving and easy to sharpen. I have no issues using it or suggesting it to anyone for EDC
 
Looking at the knife, it doesn't really appeal. For not much more money I could buy a Spyderco Military - that appeals to me much more. The balance looks like a knife that should sell for $60-$80 IMO.
 
Be careful not to judge too much solely based on appearances. Ed Schempp's designs may look unusual, but are very practical and useful. The Khukuri is case in point, it is an excellent knife, well built, great lock, impressive fit and finish, but looks different. Further, how it fits the hand is incredible. Same with the Balance, which packs a punch for such a small package. The downward pointing blade works great for opening packages and pull cuts.
 
Vege-Taco said:
It's pretty hard to beat VG-10 for a folder. It's comparable to S30V....nothing to sneeze at.
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I've seen the opposite hold true in my use. Especially when breaking down cardboard. I've never actually documented the results, but it mgiht be a fun thing to start doing.
 
jurisprudence said:
Be careful not to judge too much solely based on appearances.
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Meh. It's my money and I don't like to spend it on something I don't like the look of. I don't spend much time opening boxes and I can't think of anything that my Endura doesn't handle well enough. I don't feel a need to collect hundreds of Spyderco knives (but still wouldn't mind a Military). All I know is you can get more VG-10 steel for less money on an Endura - for the specs you get this Balance seems to be very pricey.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
Meh. It's my money and I don't like to spend it on something I don't like the look of. I don't spend much time opening boxes and I can't think of anything that my Endura doesn't handle well enough. I don't feel a need to collect hundreds of Spyderco knives (but still wouldn't mind a Military). All I know is you can get more VG-10 steel for less money on an Endura - for the specs you get this Balance seems to be very pricey.
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+1

If it were a longer blade, I could understand. If it were titanium and CF, I could understand. As it is? I won't buy it for the same reason I'd rather track down a SS Poliwog than buy a G10 one new, too much money for too little return.
 
jurisprudence said:
The downward pointing blade works great for opening packages and pull cuts.
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$100 or so for something dedicated to opening packages? :p

Good workmanship, nice design, excellent f&f, but in the end just not useful and versatile enough to be other than an afi knife.
 
The Balance has more than enough appeal for me. The shape, materials, design, F&F, all these things work well in that one knife.

Regardless, it seems to me that the main issue is the size vs price. "Too little knife for too much money" is something I've heard a few times regarding the Balance.

I do agree to a point but I don't think size always equates proportionally to price. Sometimes, a smaller package costs almost as much in time and money as something bigger. Also, being made in Japan doesn't help with the price.

So if the same knife was made in Taiwan for 2/3 or 3/4 the price with S30V, would there be more appeal?
 
RevDevil said:
I've seen the opposite hold true in my use. Especially when breaking down cardboard. I've never actually documented the results, but it mgiht be a fun thing to start doing.
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I don't think the style of the knife is made for long tasks like breaking down a bunch of cardboard. I see it more for perhaps a couple light tasks over the course of a day--more a backup or "gentleman's" knife than a true utility blade. In that case, I'd rather have VG10 over S30V, since (in my experience at least) VG10 holds a razor edge a bit longer than S30V does. I don't plan to get one, though, so maybe I'm wrong about its purpose.

More towards the topic, for the price, I would have liked to see some ZDP189 in there, which would have lent itself to holding a razor edge for light duty tasks longer than VG10.

singularity35 said:
$100 or so for something dedicated to opening packages? :p
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Don't mention that to anyone who owns a CRK Mnandi :p
 
The Balance CF is a limited production run. It will eventually sell as a SS scale version for far less money. Ala, the Cricket and Spin. I will wait till then and buy one. It's so cool.

If you are intrigued but think it's pricey, I suggest waiting until then. Nothing cooler than the frame lock on a Cricket and Spin. Such precision at such a small size. This plus the cool design of the balance will make an awesome little big knife.
 
quattrokid73 said:
The Balance CF is a limited production run. It will eventually sell as a SS scale version for far less money. Ala, the Cricket and Spin. I will wait till then and buy one. It's so cool.

If you are intrigued but think it's pricey, I suggest waiting until then. Nothing cooler than the frame lock on a Cricket and Spin. Such precision at such a small size. This plus the cool design of the balance will make an awesome little big knife.
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Bingo. That's exactly what I'm waiting for. I'd love the gentleman's folder looks of the CF version, but the SS version would be a lot closer to my price range for such a small and somewhat limited knife.
 
When I designed the Balance I was hoping for a much lower price point.

But the knife is a limited run, so the costs are amortized over 600 units rather than 1200. The all stainless steel version will be from the same maker as the Cricket and will also be a frame lock so it should have a similar cost.

This is a high leverage knife with a very secure grip...Take Care...Ed
 
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