Spyderco Civilian

iTz Schmiedy · Dec 18, 2011

I really am considering to getting the Spyderco Civilian, simply because it looks so like a bada** blade. But i came to realize that there is a lack of popularity with that blade. Or has it just been around for that long?
I would carry it around for self defense purposes and collectability. I know its not intended for anything else but self defense. But does anyone have the civilian or have heard stuff about it? (or if there is anything wrong w/ it?) Thanks a lot!
I am fairly new to Spyderco

singularity35 · Dec 18, 2011

The civilian is an excellent blade designed for self defense. It has limited utility for everyday cutting chores though, which is probably the reason it's not carried by a lot of people.

JNieporte · Dec 18, 2011

I really like mine. I think the reason it's not mentioned a lot is because it's a big blade that isn't designed for everyday use. I tried mine out on cardboard, I said that if I broke the tip, I'd just regrind it. There was no problem slashing through.

heresthedeal · Dec 18, 2011

i have one, i like it. a few people on another thread mentioned they use it and know others that use it in rigging. so it does have some use other than self defense, I haven't tried it but I'll bet it cuts through rope pretty well.

harkinstritonnc · Dec 18, 2011

I have two of the plain edge matriarchs which are very similar and I must say that just running the one that I carry of the two over a sharpmaker really quickly made it amazing and I love it for cutting, it is another route you could go that wouldnt be quite as expensive as the civilian and have the plain edge for more usability in my opinion

Alann45 · Dec 19, 2011

singularity35 said:
The civilian is an excellent blade designed for self defense. It has limited utility for everyday cutting chores though, which is probably the reason it's not carried by a lot of people.

+1 Spot on.

I've had the serrated edge version for a couple of years. Honestly, I bought it because I had heard (incorrectly) that is was being discontinued. But, I probably would have picked it up at some point. I tend to have a thing for Spyderco's hawk blades.

The Deacon · Dec 19, 2011

G-10 version is not of any real interest to collectors unless you manage to land one of the extremely rare plain edged ones. Older Aluminium versions, both Almite coated and plain, are collectible as is the CF version. As mentioned, the Civilian is a purpose built self defense knife. They evem come with a tag attached warning the buyer that the tip is fragile and not intended for utility use. They are excellent for what they were made for but not very useless for much else, unless you count the mushroom farmer who has purchased a few of them for harvesting his crop.

Dr Heelhook · Dec 19, 2011

I don't own one myself, but from what I've heard, they also excel when it comes to pricking a hole in the plastic of frozen ready meals. :thumbup:

iTz Schmiedy · Dec 20, 2011

Thxs guys! i still have trouble deciding since it is expenive and Spyderco has so many other temptations.....its so hard to choose, especially when u only have money for one

I didn't know that the plain edge even existed.

Alann45 · Dec 20, 2011

iTz Schmiedy said:
Thxs guys! i still have trouble deciding since it is expenive and Spyderco has so many other temptations.....its so hard to choose, especially when u only have money for one

I didn't know that the plain edge even existed.

Decisions, decisions....always hard to make.

As has been noted, it is rather pricey and pretty specialized...maybe not the best choice. But then, we want what we want...nothing wrong with that.

The plain edge has not been available for some time, but the SE is available and not going away anytime soon. At least its not on Spydercos 2012 discontinued list. So theres no rush for you to get one.
You might keep an eye on the Exchange here at BF, no telling what might show up.

You might want to take a look at the Spyderhawk. Very similar. H1 steel, yellow handle, PE or SE. Recently discontinued but still available at around ~$80.

Something else that might also suit you for the moment might be the Harpy. Not as big, but very nice in all stainless steel and kind of mean looking in a more subtle way..and its only about ~$80.

stabman · Dec 20, 2011

The Civilian was the very first Spyderco I even saw in person.
Hence, when I think Spyderco, the Civilian pops to mind.
My wife bought me one, which makes it doubly awesome.

It's an iconic knife of the Spyderco line-up...buy it!!!