Spyderco caly 3 zdp or superblue

B

Brian D

Joined
Mar 10, 2013
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The title says it all, should I get a caly 3 with zdp or superblue? Looking for personal experiences with either of them. This will be my first caly, and first experience with either zdp or superblue.any advice is much appreciated!
 
Welcome to BladeForums! The conventional wisdom around here, when faced with such a decision, is to buy both!
 
Yea, you can't go wrong with either.
I own the Caly 3.5 CF/Zdp and it's a very discrete yet capable gents folder.
Super thin in the pocket, comfortable in hand, and the blade is just wicked sharp.
The gray g10 shows dirt and stuff, but i think it shows a lil character.
 
i own both, and you cannot go wrong with zdp-189, in my experience this steel is superior to SB. but the are both great knives and great steels. Huntbob was right about the grey G-10 getting dirty, but who cares!? just know that the carbon fiber scales on the zdp have no traction (smooth texture) but it has never been a problem with me, since im not using it to hack down trees.
 
If you are a light user like me, you won't be able to tell the difference or even care. They both get sharp and stay sharp for a good while. If you aren't cutting bags of mulch open all day or something like that, the slight variation in these steels becomes less pronounced.
 
I have the SB and like it so far. One thing to note, I keep it in my desk at work to cut up apples and it leaves a distinct smell and taste on the fruit. I can deal with it, but you might prefer not to.
 
You are going to have to be doing a heck of a lot of cutting to really see much of a difference between the steels edge performance-wise. I will note that the Super Blue is going to be easier to sharpen than the ZDP-189. For me, the increase in stain resistance with the ZDP-189 is enough to tip it in its favor.
 
seems to be the consensus is that in use both will hold a very respectable edge, with zdp keeping it longer on hard cutting.

But the two things that will be more noticeable in average use is zdp taking longer to sharpen, and SB staining. So if you have a preference in that regard it should be easy for you. I personally like a carbon steel that will stain a bit and be easy to sharpen.
 
I chose the superblue, but both look excellent. I have not had a problem with my G10 getting dirty. As has been noted, the SB leaves a taste/smell on apples from the carbon steel. I really like the forced patina on mine, and the steel is one of the reasons i chose it. Can't go wrong either way from where I'm sitting.
 
I have the Aogami Super Blue Caly and love it. I've been a long time user of the steel on my Japanese kitchen knives. I can get them unbelievably sharp and they hold their edge very well. I only have a Ladybug in ZDP so I can't really compare it to the Caly but I will probably end up with CF/ZDP version at some point. I never noticed any flavor from cutting with my Aogami kitchen knives and I use them everyday. Mine are all coated in a nice patina.

Tom
 
I have a CF Stretch in ZDP and a Caly 3.5 in Super Blue. Both are nice knives, but I like how the SB performs. It takes a wicked sharp edge, but won't hold it as long as ZDP. It does hold a good working edge for plenty long enough. It is super easy to touch up as well. The ZDP takes a wicked edge and holds it for a long time. It takes patience and teaches a light hand on the stones. I don't much care for the laminated ZDP with the 420. I would get the Super Blue while it is available.
 
ZDP all the way. stainless steel is better in a folder and in the case of ZDP you do not sacrifice any cutting performance.
 
vvk said:
ZDP all the way. stainless steel is better in a folder and in the case of ZDP you do not sacrifice any cutting performance.
Click to expand...

Why is stainless better? And how do you "sacrifice" cutting performance with SB? I've got a ZDP Delica and SB Caly 3 and they are both great cutters..I can get both equally razor sharp..the ZDP does hold its edge longer but the tradeoff is it takes awhile longer to get it sharp..the SB does stain or patina and IMO looks great after it does.
 
I have the super blue Caly and noticed that it gets a little patina on it after cutting anything. If you're going to use the knife, get the ZDP. If you want a sprint run, get the SB
 
Bile Bob said:
Why is stainless better? And how do you "sacrifice" cutting performance with SB? I've got a ZDP Delica and SB Caly 3 and they are both great cutters..I can get both equally razor sharp..the ZDP does hold its edge longer but the tradeoff is it takes awhile longer to get it sharp..the SB does stain or patina and IMO looks great after it does.
Click to expand...

I think the patina looks cool too, but I'm still hesitant to EDC mine
 
ZDP/CF Caly3 is like having a hot model in a little black dress, in your pocket.
 
Not sure where you live, but I have mine in my EDC rotation and have had no corrosion issues. Just a little drop of mineral oil in the in the pivot after use keeps it keeps it smooth and rust free for me.


NateReed said:
I think the patina looks cool too, but I'm still hesitant to EDC mine
Click to expand...
 
I just got my Caly 3 SB. I have yet to use it, except cutting some paper. I've just got several Spyderco knives in the last month, and have yet to get around to using them all. I will say that the build is excellent, handle scales, lock, blade, etc... It feels great in hand, it has some weight and looks great.
OTOH, my Dragonfly 2 in ZDP is my EDC at work. It's just so light and I do sweat at my job. Once I get a patina going on the Caly 3, I'll carry that around more.

To answer the question, get the Caly while you can, later on get something in ZDP-189.
 
You can always try caly 3 in vg-10 as well,they are hard to find but its an excellent choice too.:)
 
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