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- Oct 5, 2006
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I received three Spyderco knives today courtesy of the passaround here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=680081
Mine were from Group 2, which included Tom Krein regrinds of: Caly 3 ZDP PE (FFG), Manix 2 PE (FFG), and Native G2 PE (Full Convex Grind.)
Spyderco Native in GIN-1
This one reminds me of the 2009 Spyderco Forum knife, which features a full flat ground blade. The Forum blade is similar to that on the Native IV (carbon fiber) but has no swedge. The blade on the Krein version is slightly smaller and has less "belly" than the Forum knife. The edge follows a relatively straight line to the point, rather than the curvier line of the Forum knife. Also, the Krein has a very slight recurve near the choil -- perhaps from sharpening.
I don't have a micrometer, but the Krein knife blade seems a little thinner - especially the part starting about halfway through the Spyderhole. I just did a little cutting and found that while both knives would be classified as "scary sharp" by most folks, the Krein version cuts a little better. Both of them shave arm hair better than my Gillette razor, but the Forum knife tugs a little. You don't feel anything with the Krein. When I tried cutting copier paper, the Krein won again. The difference is subtle, but the Krein cuts a little cleaner.
Spyderco Caly 3 in ZDP-189
The Caly 3 is one of those knives I wanted to love, but didn’t, so when the Krein reground version came, I no longer had a Spyderco factory version to which I could compare it. While the Krein version came very sharp, it seemed like more of an incremental improvement over the factory version than an exponential one. One a 1-10 scale, the factory version came as a 10. The Krein version is a 10+, I suppose. This one has the most “re-ground” appearance of the three knives, with the Spyderco bug worn away some and the edge bevel extended quite a bit. Overall, I’m not sure if the Caly 3 regrind produced the level of improvement in cutting performance that it did in the Native.
Spyderco Manix 2 in 154CM
The Manix 2 was my favorite of the bunch. I once owned an original Mini-Manix and have been intrigued by the Manix 2, but the sabre grind kept me from buying one. The Krein flat grind seemed like a perfect solution. This knife came straight from Tom’s shop and is everything I would have hoped for - aesthetically pleasing and laser sharp. It is noticeably sharper than the Native or the Caly 3 and it’s only competition in my collection is a brand-new Spyderco Stretch 2 in ZDP-189. One the whole, I think the Stretch was slightly sharper when I compared them side by side, but the Manix 2 is a stonger, harder use knife.
One note on the regrind - the Spyderco bug has been entirely ground off the blade in this one.
For those of you who haven't handled a Manix 2 yet, it reminds me of a ParaMilitary on steroids, as shown in the photo. The ergonomics are terrific. I've found the liners on some recent Spyderco Carbon Fiber models to be sharp and uncomfortable and I thought the new "sawtooth" jimping throughout the Manix 2 might be more of the same, but it feels great. It's grippy without creating hot spots.
The ball bearing lock works great - like a Benchmade AXIS lock, but feels stronger. It is stiffer than the ball-bearing locks I've had on the D'Allara, Phoenix, and Poliwog and doesn't lend itself to one-finger closing. I'm not crazy about the plastic slider over the lock. It looks a little cheesy to me.
I’m going to get one, though.
Pacific Salt
I played with the Salt some tonight. My first thought was that it was really, really, light and might be perfect for those times when light weight is important, but you still want a bigger blade. According to my postal scale, my Endura 4 with the Emerson Opener weighs 3.6 ounces, my factory version Atlantic Salt weighs 3.0 ounces and the Krein Regrind version weighs just 2.6 ounces (only .1 ounces more than my Spyderco Native.)
Much of the light weight comes from the Salt's lack of skeletonized liners (as compared to the Endura). I also suspect that H1 steel is lighter than VG-10, though I can't prove it. Still more weight came off of the blade in the regrind process. Taking the factory saber grind down to a (really skillfully done) full flat grind has really thinned out the blade. The spine near the tip is less than half the width of the original and I can flex the blade a little, where I can't do that at all with the factory grind. I didn't want to push the flexing too far, lest I break a blade that's not mine, but it would be something to watch in the field.
The blade wasn't quite shaving sharp when I got it, but a dozen or so passes on the white SharpMaker stones at 30 degrees brought it back to shaving immediately. The edge is a little sharper near the tip and middle than toward handle. My conclusion after a few hours a some light cutting is that while this one heck of a slicer, it may be a little too thin now for the proverbial "hard use." We often hear that about the Spyderco Military -- especially the tip -- but it is even more pronounced here.
Thanks to GunMike and ChapmanPreferred for making the passaround happen and to Tom Krein for his work.
Mine were from Group 2, which included Tom Krein regrinds of: Caly 3 ZDP PE (FFG), Manix 2 PE (FFG), and Native G2 PE (Full Convex Grind.)
Spyderco Native in GIN-1
This one reminds me of the 2009 Spyderco Forum knife, which features a full flat ground blade. The Forum blade is similar to that on the Native IV (carbon fiber) but has no swedge. The blade on the Krein version is slightly smaller and has less "belly" than the Forum knife. The edge follows a relatively straight line to the point, rather than the curvier line of the Forum knife. Also, the Krein has a very slight recurve near the choil -- perhaps from sharpening.
I don't have a micrometer, but the Krein knife blade seems a little thinner - especially the part starting about halfway through the Spyderhole. I just did a little cutting and found that while both knives would be classified as "scary sharp" by most folks, the Krein version cuts a little better. Both of them shave arm hair better than my Gillette razor, but the Forum knife tugs a little. You don't feel anything with the Krein. When I tried cutting copier paper, the Krein won again. The difference is subtle, but the Krein cuts a little cleaner.
Spyderco Caly 3 in ZDP-189
The Caly 3 is one of those knives I wanted to love, but didn’t, so when the Krein reground version came, I no longer had a Spyderco factory version to which I could compare it. While the Krein version came very sharp, it seemed like more of an incremental improvement over the factory version than an exponential one. One a 1-10 scale, the factory version came as a 10. The Krein version is a 10+, I suppose. This one has the most “re-ground” appearance of the three knives, with the Spyderco bug worn away some and the edge bevel extended quite a bit. Overall, I’m not sure if the Caly 3 regrind produced the level of improvement in cutting performance that it did in the Native.
Spyderco Manix 2 in 154CM
The Manix 2 was my favorite of the bunch. I once owned an original Mini-Manix and have been intrigued by the Manix 2, but the sabre grind kept me from buying one. The Krein flat grind seemed like a perfect solution. This knife came straight from Tom’s shop and is everything I would have hoped for - aesthetically pleasing and laser sharp. It is noticeably sharper than the Native or the Caly 3 and it’s only competition in my collection is a brand-new Spyderco Stretch 2 in ZDP-189. One the whole, I think the Stretch was slightly sharper when I compared them side by side, but the Manix 2 is a stonger, harder use knife.
One note on the regrind - the Spyderco bug has been entirely ground off the blade in this one.
For those of you who haven't handled a Manix 2 yet, it reminds me of a ParaMilitary on steroids, as shown in the photo. The ergonomics are terrific. I've found the liners on some recent Spyderco Carbon Fiber models to be sharp and uncomfortable and I thought the new "sawtooth" jimping throughout the Manix 2 might be more of the same, but it feels great. It's grippy without creating hot spots.
The ball bearing lock works great - like a Benchmade AXIS lock, but feels stronger. It is stiffer than the ball-bearing locks I've had on the D'Allara, Phoenix, and Poliwog and doesn't lend itself to one-finger closing. I'm not crazy about the plastic slider over the lock. It looks a little cheesy to me.
I’m going to get one, though.
Pacific Salt
I played with the Salt some tonight. My first thought was that it was really, really, light and might be perfect for those times when light weight is important, but you still want a bigger blade. According to my postal scale, my Endura 4 with the Emerson Opener weighs 3.6 ounces, my factory version Atlantic Salt weighs 3.0 ounces and the Krein Regrind version weighs just 2.6 ounces (only .1 ounces more than my Spyderco Native.)
Much of the light weight comes from the Salt's lack of skeletonized liners (as compared to the Endura). I also suspect that H1 steel is lighter than VG-10, though I can't prove it. Still more weight came off of the blade in the regrind process. Taking the factory saber grind down to a (really skillfully done) full flat grind has really thinned out the blade. The spine near the tip is less than half the width of the original and I can flex the blade a little, where I can't do that at all with the factory grind. I didn't want to push the flexing too far, lest I break a blade that's not mine, but it would be something to watch in the field.
The blade wasn't quite shaving sharp when I got it, but a dozen or so passes on the white SharpMaker stones at 30 degrees brought it back to shaving immediately. The edge is a little sharper near the tip and middle than toward handle. My conclusion after a few hours a some light cutting is that while this one heck of a slicer, it may be a little too thin now for the proverbial "hard use." We often hear that about the Spyderco Military -- especially the tip -- but it is even more pronounced here.
Thanks to GunMike and ChapmanPreferred for making the passaround happen and to Tom Krein for his work.
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