Spyderco caly 3 zdp or superblue

I have both steel variations in the 3 and 3.5 Caly's and can recommend either version. I think it boils down to personal preferences more than head to head performance. They will both take an acute & refined edge and share the same geometry, so both will cut and slice very well. I find myself pushing my Super Blue's more than the ZDP's, which is another way of saying I tend to baby the ZDP's.

The CF ZDP is definately a looker, so I have a natural tendency to try to keep it that way. The fact that the 420J cladding will scratch easily and the ZDP core is more prone to micro-chipping than SB, in my experience, contributes to the light duty that I assign them. The smooth (not grippy) carbon fiber scales are perfect for that light duty but nothing more. ZDP does have excellent wear resistance and is not that difficult to sharpen if you are using the appropriate abrasives and proper technique.

Super Blue would be a good name for a bird dog, because this knife just begs to play and get dirty. The grippy light grey G10 scales are a dirt magnet and the Aogami steel does not like to stay shiny, so might as well just let the big dog hunt. Once it has a patina, whether natural or forced, I have not experienced any issues with corrosion but I also give them a periodic wipe-down with a Tuf-Cloth for good measure. The carbides in the steel give it a toothy effect even with a refined edge and allows it to dig in whatever it is cutting rather than gliding over. The unique cutting ability of the SB by itself is reason enough to own a knife (or half a dozen and climbing like I do) with this steel. The wear resistance of SB is not equal to ZDP, but it is higher than most carbon steels and is quite easy to sharpen.
 
I have both I put a patina on the dragonfly with mustard to look like a hammon and it looks beautiful not hard to sharpen with 2000 grit sand paper holds the edge boringly long rarely ever do I get to sharpen it
 
I wanted another one to go with my VG-10 caly and picked ZDP..Not for the steel but for the Carbon fiber scales..Should be here Thursday.

I might even put the VG-10 blade in the carbon fiber handle.
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blame it on god said:
Both steels are great performers. If staining bothers you, SB will stain very quickly.
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These have seen about equal pocket time. I like both for different reasons. I think Carbon Fiber looks cool. I like the patina on the Super Blue.

 
I have both, and slightly prefer the super blue. I like that the handle is textured, the blade is easy to sharpen and I like the look of a dark patina. The only downsides are potential rust and dirty G-10. Ive had no rust problems and will probably dye the G-10. The ZDP is nice too. The CF looks great as does the lamination line. Problems here are slick CF, easily scratched 420J over the ZDP core and a little more cost.
 
The blades have been talked about a lot already so I'll go about it from another angle. The handles.
The CF is real nice looking but doesn't offer much in texture, I would prefer the sage 1's CF handle.
The g10 is grippy and textured but does pick up some dirt and stains. It's a working handle for sure.

Something to think about from another angle.
 
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