Spyderco Byrd Series

Jack Black

Jack Black

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I liked the look of a pic of the Crow posted on another thread, and have just ordered a couple. Any thoughts or opinions on the Spyderco Byrd series?


SPBY09BKP.jpg
 
they are the chinese cheap spydercos. get the new chinese spyderco if you want a cheapie
 
Jack Black said:
I liked the look of a pic of the Crow posted on another thread, and have just ordered a couple. Any thoughts or opinions on the Spyderco Byrd series?


SPBY09BKP.jpg
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I have the Cara Cara and for the cost it is easy to get Razor sharp and holds the edge well.
I am thinking about buying the "flight"
 
Hi!
I bought the knife when it came out new. Bladesteel holds up ok, handling
is just fine for a steel handle. But the liner is very thin and went way over the middle of the contact-point. It never saw much pocket-time,so i gave it away as a present for my tattoo-artist and friend. I would recomend the byrd-knives with a backlock, my cara and meadowl. are much better beaters.

rob
 
I have one and it is a great knife for the price I EDC carried for a while and it will probably go back in rotation again soon.Held a good edge and was able to bring it back with just some stopping most of the time when it got a little dull.
I don't think you will find a better folder for the price.
 
Not really a fan of linerlocks in general. I do however own 3 Byrds, an FRN Cara Cara, FRN 'Lark, and a SS Robin. They all came shaving, paper push cutting sharp with good F&F. The blade, while oft compared to AUS8 is perfectly nice, most likely due to the fact that they run it at 61, while many AUS8 knives hover around 56-58. Stick with the backlocks, and try the G10 models. Don't let the snobs spook you, these are good knives. It is basically a $50 knife for 1/2 price ( or less).

Beckerhead
 
Thanks a lot for the info fellers. I've got a few Spyderco knives, and have had them a long time. I hadn't come across the Byrd series before, and didn't realise they were made in China. I'm not a fan of liner locks myself, so I'll see how I go, I can always give them away. The 2 I ordered cost me just under $20 each (currently @ £10 Sterling), so I got them pretty cheap. Figured they might be handy in situations, such as travelling, where I don't want to have to lose a better knife.
 
beckerhead said:
Not really a fan of linerlocks in general. I do however own 3 Byrds, an FRN Cara Cara, FRN 'Lark, and a SS Robin. They all came shaving, paper push cutting sharp with good F&F. The blade, while oft compared to AUS8 is perfectly nice, most likely due to the fact that they run it at 61, while many AUS8 knives hover around 56-58. Stick with the backlocks, and try the G10 models. Don't let the snobs spook you, these are good knives. It is basically a $50 knife for 1/2 price ( or less).

Beckerhead
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That 61 was a single measurement on a single knife. I do not believe it is a specification that applies to all Byrd blades. Gunmike1 measured two Byrds and found one to be 58 and another to be 60. This is still harder than a lot of AUS8, though my KaBar Large Dozier in AUS8 measured 59. Sal Glesser has stated in several posts that he likens the performance of the 8Cr13MoV to that of AUS8.

However, the Byrds are excellent performance for the dollar(er £ sterling), no doubt about that.
 
knarfeng said:
That 61 was a single measurement on a single knife. I do not believe it is a specification that applies to all Byrd blades. Gunmike1 measured two Byrds and found one to be 58 and another to be 60. This is still harder than a lot of AUS8, though my KaBar Large Dozier in AUS8 measured 59. Sal Glesser has stated in several posts that he likens the performance of the 8Cr13MoV to that of AUS8.

However, the Byrds are excellent performance for the dollar(er £ sterling), no doubt about that.
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I understand the 61 to be an average of course, like any blade. 61Rc is what Sal has stated in both here, and on the Spydie forum. My Camillus Heat is listed 57-59, as are the Kabar doziers. I think any quality AUS8 blade would be great at 61. I thinned out my Cara Cara quite a bit with no ill effects, and it is certainly not brittle. It sharpens very crisp, and strops to a wicked edge. I know that Benchmade runs their AUS8 blades at 58-60 with good effect as well.
 
I've got a Crow, and it's a decent knife. Not my favorite Byrd, though. For that, the Robin, especially the G10 Robin, wins it hands down. I'm a big fan of that little knife.

The crow with the aluminum handles is definitely not bad though, and if I didn't have a Robin, I'd probably be a an even bigger fan of it.
 
I have a Byrd Crossbill and was amazed at the quality I got for the money I spent...I would recommend the Byrd line anytime.
 
I held out for a Spyderco. Why have a Byrd when you can have a Spyder? They all work though!
Lycosa
 
I used a G10 Robin to whittle a couple of ball in cage projects. It maintained it's edge with occasional stropping. I could slice thin, micro layers of wood away with it, which was perfect for shaping the ball. I sharpened it up on my Sharpmaker between projects. My only complaint, by the 2nd project, the handle began to dig at my palm. I later bought a G10 Meadowlark, similar to the Robin, but bigger. I haven't had a chance to try it out in a whittling project though. The Meadowlark seems similar in size to the Caly 3, also a lockback, but different blade styles.
 
Another skeptical byrd fan here. My wife got me a ByrdRench for Christmas. I was asking for the SpydeRench, but told her that the Byrd would be OK if she wanted to spend the extra $20 on something else. I have to say, I have been blown away by the quality of this tool and the sharpness of the blade. I have been a long time Spyderco fan, but I had kind of turned my nose up to the Byrd line. It was a mistake. I am fully satisfied with my Byrd, and I plan to acquire more:D:thumbup:
 
I have a G10 Meadowlark and absolutely love it. I know its "cheep" and that's why I use the heck out of it. I just ordered the Lightweight Meadowlark to try out just to save weight in the pocket so we will see. The G10 is a solid knife for its size.

Update: I just received the Lightweight Meadowlark. It's lighter for sure! Less solid feeling than the G10 version but with the smaller liners and FRN its expected. Same blade. Looks and feels a bit "Cheaper" than the G10 but again we know the FRN is nice material. I would say if you wanted a solid feeling Byrd get the G10 version, I have both now and will see how I like the lightweight after some use.
 
I just LOST my FRN Meadowlark :mad: Great knife, replaced my Delica, better ergos, solid, sharp, guess I better start looking for its replacement. Damm!
 
the Byrds, along with the Kabar's Dozierfolders, Bokerplus Subcomfolder/Trance series, and Bladetech's Lite series are all excellent values at their pricepoints (under $30usd) :thumbup:
 
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