Spyderco Caly3 vs Benchmade HK 14210

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sleeper3

Joined
May 7, 2007
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Guys, I am absolutely torn between two knives that I want to purchase for a high end EDC. I've narrowed down my choices between the Spyderco Caly3 and Benchmade HK 14210, both have G10 handles and comparable blade materials (VG10 and 154CM respectively).

From reading past information on this forum, both are great choices in terms of quality and performance, but as you can see the designs are substantially different.


SpydercoCaly3.jpg

Spyderco Caly3


HK14210eBay.jpg

Benchmade HK 14210


I have relatively small hands so I know both will offer a secure grip and the EDC friendly nature of a 3" blade.

If any owners of one or both of these knives could please help me decide I would greatly appreciate it. Even if you don't own either one and have handled these products feel free to comment. Obviously I'd like to avoid any Spyderco vs Benchmade arguments, I am a big fan of both companies and plan to purchase products from both.

Thanks in advance.
 
I tend to lean away from most Spydies due to the fact that for a certain blade length, most Spydies have longer closed lengths, are considerably wider taking up more pocket space, and have shorter cutting edges. My favorite Spydies are closer to the proportions of other folders like the Native and Wayne Goddard. I've handled both and if I were to pick amongst only these 2, I'd go with the BM 14210 for a bit more cutting edge and less width in my pocket. There are aspects of the 14210 I don't like either tho. However, I decided on a Lone Wolf Harsey T1. Closed length is 4", so between the 14210 and Caly3. The blade is the longest at 3.25" of S30V, very smooth, and solid lock. I have the CF version, but the G10 version is very nice also. The LW Harsey T1 is also lower priced...can be found for $72 online. The S30V stays sharp!

In the end, if possible, handle all of them and see which you like best in person and in your hand. I prefer my LW T1 over the other two, but it comes down to personnal preference in the end.
 
I do have Caly 3 G-10 version. It's a very nice knife. The reason why I wanted Caly 3 so bad was I want a knife can be clipped deeply in my pocket. If you are concern about letting people know you carry a knife in your pocket, Caly 3 will be a good choice ;) .
 
For me it's a no-brainer for the Caly 3, but that knife is one of my faves of all time. The BM is a great knife, I've held a few. If I remember right, the sabre grind and thicker edge give it a slightly beefier feel, most likely at the cost of a bunch of cutting performance. Do you want a pocket scalpel, or something you also want to abuse a bit more.
 
I have owned both.

Both are very good knives but I prefer the Caly 3.

The HK can be hard to open because the thumbstud is so close to the handle, the re-curve is also a pain to sharpen. The HK does feel much stronger than the Caly but it won't cut as well.
 
The ergonomics on the Caly 3 are my absolute favorite. I have a couple of BM's, but not this model. I really, really, dislike the axis lock, so for me, this is a no-brainer.
 
I've stayed away from Spyderco knives because of the exact same issues JSR mentioned. I'd lean toward the Benchmade because of the Axis lock and general overall sleekness in comparison. Opening it would be a snap, literally, with proper tension on the pivot although KamSingh may have a point about sharpening the recurve, although I've had no problem with recurves and my Lansky sharpener.
 
I'd say go with the HK. I have a Caly 3 and never use it. The Spyderco has awesome blade geometry, awesome blade steel (Spyderco VG10 is a real winner for edge retention, ease of sharpening and initial sharpness), price acceptable fit and finish, quality of materials and usefulness of design. Benchmade in general produces a knife with a little more "WOW" appeal in non to mid knife people. In my opinion, Benchmade would be much better off going with thinner grinds that would only showcase the stellar designs they produce. Anywho, Benchmade makes aesthetically pleasing knives out of quality materials that won't cut a paper bag while Spyderco makes abominations out of quality materials that could cut out an appendix a quarter mile long.

For some reason the Caly 3 just doesn't feel right in my hand. I love everything about it except the ergos. For some reason, the Caly Jr. feels much better and finds it's way into my pocket much more often. A lot of people will disagree with me but I find the Caly3 to be too thin, awkward, uncompromisingly short and provides a scary finger losing choil when combined with their tenuous Boye Dent lock mechanism. Unless you want to whittle individual letters out of newsprint, I think the BM HK would be a better choice if only for comparable materials, F&F, appeal and a vastly superior and enjoyable lock. Either way you're going to get a fantastic knife so just pick the one that calls to you.
 
Laceration said:
Anywho, Benchmade makes aesthetically pleasing knives out of quality materials that won't cut a paper bag while Spyderco makes abominations out of quality materials that could cut out an appendix a quarter mile long.
Click to expand...

:D :thumbup: hilarious!
 
The HK is a great knife. I used to have one. I liked the texture of the G-10 and the Axis lock. It is thicker than the Caly. I prefer the ergonomics and blade shape of the Caly.
 
I appreciate everyone taking time to post information, very useful and I am taking all of this into consideration. I will be ordering one of these knives tonight and will let you guys know which one I end up going with and why.


P.S. Awesome avatar Death's Head, very sheeple friendly. :D
 
Caly3 is the one of best EDCs I ever owned. I would like to point on couple of advantages of Caly3 over HK 14210, at least in my opinion. This is full flat grind for better slicing, finger choil for precision cuts and I will take VG10 over CM 154 at any time.
 
After much consideration I decided to order the Benchmade 14210.

Thanks again for all the feedback.
 
I have the caly 3. I like the knife but it has some vertical blade play which bothers me so I dont edc it anymopre. I tend to stick to BM mre just because i find the fit and finish of the knives to be more to my taste. I really hate blade play and spydies tend to have more in my experience.
 
I like both a lot. The choil for choking up on the blade is one of my favorite things about the CJ besides the great blade thinness and profile. The shape of that blade is quite useful too.

I love the HK though and its a great smooth opener with a superb lock up. You can't go wrong with either of them. For the money though I'd probably buy the CJ more than likely over the HK if I were wanting a user but I have both of them in my collection of folders. I've said many times that I think that particular little HK is one of best made knives around. I must have a thin one because my HK is ground close to the same as the CJ and quite nice. It cuts side by side with it easily enough. Its just a matter of the feel I guess.

One thing stands out to me though. The grip is better on the CJ. A little texturing on the HK would not have hurt it and as it is from the factory the scales are a bit smooth. The CJ is also lighter and thinner, therefore less noticed in the pocket. The only thing I don't like about the Calypso Jr. is the tip down pocket carry of the pocket clip mounting. I switch all mine to tip up almost immediately.

OOOPs. Correction. I see here after having my coffee that its a CIII not a CJ. Dahhhh!

The CIII is a fine knife. It would sway my decision personally though. I find the thumb hole slant is a little vertical for my thumb and kept wishing it slanted forward more and didn't stick up as high as this model does. For most people this is not an issue but I've seen this same problem in other knives. My CQC14 that I converted to a frame lock had that Wave on it from the factory and I took it off just for that reason because it seemed to be in the way of my thumb and impede proper use of it when open to me. I'm sure its just me. Not much I could do with the CIII though so I sold mine.

I've had some other knives that the SpyderHump as they call it kind of bothered my thumb rather than help me handle the knife so I can't say its unique to the CIII. For what its worth though I broke my thumb as a youth and if it bends back just right its uncomfortable to me. So again I'm sure its just my own hand in this case.
STR
 
Thalestin said:
I have the caly 3. I like the knife but it has some vertical blade play which bothers me so I dont edc it anymopre. I tend to stick to BM mre just because i find the fit and finish of the knives to be more to my taste. I really hate blade play and spydies tend to have more in my experience.
Click to expand...
This is one reason I went with the HK, I researched and found several instances of minor bladeplay on the Caly3 from other users. My Native is also starting to have some side to side movement, I wish I could fix it but all the screws are non adjusting. It may not bother others, but like you, I absolutely hate even minor bladeplay.
 
I got in this late, but wanted to say the HK 14210 is a very cool little knife, amazingly strong and amazingly smooth. You won't be dissappointed.
 
The BM HK 14210 is a good knife but it was a little thicker than I like for a EDC. Also, the blade on mine was a little thicker and was not a good a cutter as my other BM. A fine knife but just my preference. Now for the CalyIII. My favorite Spyderco and cuts like a razor because it has a wonderful edge geometry and that outstanding VG10 steel.
RKH
 
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