Spyderco construction question

AKADave

AKADave

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2002
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152
I have only one Spydie, one of those original skeleton logo blade cheapies that I got years ago for display only. Spydies are very popular and now it looks like the military is going to use them. The one thing that bothers me is that the ones Ive seen dont have liners. The scale material IS the handle so you dont have a metal skeleton under the scales for rigidity and strength. This seems like a shortcut to me. Can anyone enlighten me as to why Spyderco is the only one out there that seems to do this?

Thanks

Dave
 
I have a FRN Endura, and it can flex if you really put some force into it. Mostly though, there's no difference in the handle performance between the linerless Spydies and my liner folders. However, the blade on the Spydie is superior compared to many of the knives.
 
Never had a problem with Native II or Navigator. Both have metal handles :D :D
 
I would say that I don't think that it is just Spyderco that makes knives that way and that there is no way that you, with the pressure from your hands, could ever break the handle on a linerless G10 handled knife (maybe on some of the FRN/Zytel/plastic handles, but I would want to see it, to believe even that).

Take a look at the up coming Strider SnG. Titanium slab on the locking side and a G10 slab the other. Strider SnG. Now someone tell me that this is a cheaply made, weak knife prone to flex and breakage.

As for a reason, the only thing that I have heard (OK read) is that it's a weight issue (as in too much) when using steel liners.
 
Logan5, your link doesn't work for me.

AKADave, Spyderco makes various handles: FRN, FRN/nested liners, G-10/one liner, G-10/double liners, G-10/nested liners, stainless steel, titanium, what did I miss?

Pachucks
 
I was at our state fair this weekend and I was looking at the Matriarch because they didnt have Civies. It didnt strike me as a durable design, delrin or some plastic handle with no liner. I want a Civilian but not having seen one I wonder if its made the same as the Matriarch. I want a stout knife with the hook blade design with serrations. I think It will be a good utility (for what I do) as well as a good visual deterrant if I evern need to pull it. I have many many other tackticals and handmades but I dont have a Spydie and I have always liked the Civilian.
 
The thin profile of the Spydies is one of the several reasons that they are my favorite knives for every day. Very comfortable to carry. Strength has never been a problem.
 
What Pachuko said- Spyderco produces various handle types, for their FRN handles they minimize the loss of strengthe usually gained by metal liners by having higher fiberglass content in their FRN than most any other manufacturer.
If you don't like the FRN, try one of their G10 or Almite, they are lite yet very very strong. For "traditional strength" try their stainless steel handles-
Martin
 
well although it looks like cheap plastic, the frn, zytel etc stuff spyderco uses is near indestructable
 
Originally posted by AKADave
I was at our state fair this weekend and I was looking at the Matriarch because they didnt have Civies. It didnt strike me as a durable design, delrin or some plastic handle with no liner. I want a Civilian but not having seen one I wonder if its made the same as the Matriarch. I want a stout knife with the hook blade design with serrations. I think It will be a good utility (for what I do) as well as a good visual deterrant if I evern need to pull it. I have many many other tackticals and handmades but I dont have a Spydie and I have always liked the Civilian.
Click to expand...

A) Neither the Matriarch nor the Civilian are intended for utility use. As a matter of fact, it voids the warranty if you do so, and you're pretty likely to break the tip off. It's really not designed to be used more than once -- and hopefully not even that.

B) If you want a stout knife with a hook blade design with serrations, get a G-10 Harpy. Or an SS harpy. Or a Merlin -- they don't have liners, but I've had quite a few linerless Spydercos, and they're good knives. Very, very durable. I've beat the heck out of my Ladybug (!!), abused it more than any other knife I own, and it's a tiny, light duty lockback with no liners, just FRN scales. And it's absolutely fine.

I believe the reasoning, do not quote me, was that the scales are as strong (in some cases) or nearly as strong as the liners ANYWAY. On the G-10 Harpy, it does have one liner, but I believe that's just there to give the clip something solid to anchor into.
 
AKADave,

When you compare a Civilian and a Matriarch, you get what you pay for. Go with the Civilian, it is NOT made the same as a Matriarch and is a lot stronger knife. I've seen new ones selling on eBay for less than $100 in the last week.

By the way, other comments here are correct, it is not a good EDC because of the tip design. (It IS great for what it was designed to do.)

By the way, has anyone heard anything more about the SpyderHawk? Sal's comments led me to believe it was a helluva hawkbill knife for EDC and was on track for a trial run one of these months.
 
I agree I wouldnt use the Civilian as a utility knife but it sure looks like a cracker jack or a box opener!:)


Im actually pretty carefull with my knives. Its a problem too, I get attached and I like knives too much and I end up grabbing my keys when I open a box rather than whip out my Marlowe Tactical which Im sure would stand the indignity. I like the idea of a big gnarly hooked blade knife with serrations that will cut just about anything. I may have someone that will trade a NIB BM42 for a Civie but I havent heard back. I may give the Harpie a look.

Thanks

Dave
 
Well, Well, I have the Merlin and it's a crazed slicer. It's not really meant for deep cutting I think but it really slashs like no tomorrow.
 
"By the way, has anyone heard anything more about the SpyderHawk? Sal's comments led me to believe it was a helluva hawkbill knife for EDC and was on track for a trial run one of these months."

I haven't seen anything lately. Alot of people are waiting for this one!

Pachucks
 
AKADave - the Civilian may be eye-friendly, but if want a durable box-cutter, go with the Stainless Steel Harpy.

They are now being sold with VG-10 steel, a lock-back cut out, and they are extremely durable. You will be satisfied with the sturdiness and weight of this time-tested design.

You can pick them up at a very good price at a number of internet dealers or Ebay.

I recommend:

www.knifeworks.com

or

www.newgraham.com

either will give you the best of service.
 
AKADave says:
The scale material IS the handle so you dont have a metal skeleton under the scales for rigidity and strength. This seems like a shortcut to me. Can anyone enlighten me as to why Spyderco is the only one out there that seems to do this?
Click to expand...

The only one huh??....Well, besides Benchmade, Gerber, Al Mar, Kershaw, Buck and SOG to name a few that have models like that.
 
My Kershaw Onion models all have a frame, as do my BM CQC7 and Elishiwitz, my Microtek LCC, CRKT Falcon and all the others I have. My Spydie Q (I know it doesnt count) is the only one I have. Since I dont have every knife made I will agree that many other manufacturers make knivew where the handle material (other than metal) is the frame too but I will say this none of the recent or higher end knives that I have seen from the middle to high end makers (excluding Spyderco) seem to have a frameless model. Again not saying that its a bad thing, I was just wondering why this is.
 
Cold Steel also uses unlined zytel in their Twistmasters and Voyagers. Lockbacks generally don't need liners.

And A.G.Russell has this to say about "AirWeight construction" --

Jess (Horn) has designed a series of knives using what Bill Davis and I called AirWeight construction. It was in the early 1970's that we first used this method of making high end folders. Using the very strong Westinghouse Micarta® for the sides of the knife, we could eliminate liners and bolsters and have a knife that worked smoother and was as strong as a traditionally constructed knife. I applied for a patent, but the patent office told me that a solid handle of a plastic material was no different than a solid handle of metal, and that a British company had patented a solid metal handle years ago. I did not have the money to pay an attorney then, so that slipped away. The idea was quickly picked up by Gerber and Blackie Collins, and then by everyone in the knife business. Molded plastic handles, without liners and bolsters, have been the rage ever since.
 
Let me be blunt: The notion that any of the lightweight FRN model Spydies are in any way weak or flimsy or sub-par or not up to <i>any</I> reasonable task thrown at them is simply bogus. They're great knives that are tough as hell. And they're designed like that for a reason - not to cut corner$, but because the material is light and strong as hell.

I love when guys around here write something like "the FRN handles just seem too flimsy, like they couldn't handle any real pressure." Gosh, you can't get a more-precise engineering analysis than THAT, can you? :rolleyes: Jesus, guys, man has been to the moon and back! In fact we travel to space all the time - I live in Florida and have seen the shuttle go up. We have satellite television and the internet. We can microwave our dinners and carry a phone in our pocket! I promise you, modern plastics are strong enough for anything you want to throw at a pocketknife.
 
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