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Spyderco Dragonfly?

D

DanMan4142

Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Messages
62
What do you guys think of the spyderco dragonfly? I have been looking for a smaller, more discrete locking folder to carry in place of my benchmade 550 on some days, and I have been thinking the dragonfly would suit my needs. However, one thing that concerns me is the fact that I cannot adjust the tension on the blade because it does not appear that the pivot pin is accessable. Is this something to worry about? Will the blade develop some wobble over time that is uncorrectable or am I just being paranoid?

Also, what other compact locking folders in the 40-$60 range should I consider?
Thanks

Daniel
 
Nothing wrong with the Dragonfly. At $31 + shipping (newgraham.com), don't fret about it too much. :)

Others to consider in the price range you mention are the Spyderco Delica and Benchmade mini-Griptilian. The Delica is my favorite.

I've posted this pic too much, but here it is again anyway:

b13.jpg

Dragonfly with Arc AAA.

cheers
 
I would go for the Delica 4 as well, better yet, wait for the Caly 4. I really don't care for not being able to adjust the pivot. Using pinned knives always developes play in my Spyders and I've used many. The play doesn't compromise the knife at all, in my experience, but having an adjustable pivot is superior design in my opinion.
 
The Dragonfly is a good knife but I have one problem with it. It's too small.

I have trouble opening the Dragonfly with one hand because of it's smallness.

About the smallest Spyderco that I can open successfully with one hand is the Calypso Jr. or the Delica.

It may be fine for people with small hands, but even my wife has trouble opening it with her small hands.

Just my two cents. ;)
 
Thanks for the info so far guys. I held a FRN dragonfly and while it is fairly small for one handed openeing, I was able to do it without any real problem. However, if I decided to purchase this knife I would get the stainless steel handles. Would that make it even more difficult to open?
 
I'm not positive but I think a stainless DF would be harder to open due to the lack of grip you get on stainless vs. FRN.
 
Not much harder to open because most of the gripping is done on the clip during opening.
 
The Dragonfly is one of my all time favorites. Incredible design of a small knife. My girlfriend is carrying hers every day.

Well there have been many discussions about rivited pivot vs. screw pivot and I don't think I will be convincing any of the hardcore screw pivot lovers, but personally I think that you'd better not get on an airplane if you don't trust rivets, 'cause they are all rivets. A rivet construction is probably also easier to get right tension wise than a screw construction. Of the ones the I have held there were fewer problems with the riveted ones that with the ones that had a screw pivot. But those are just my $0.02.
 
The Dragonfly is certainly a classic. Its blade geometry is just about perfect. The handle doesn’t really fit my hand that well, but it’s not uncomfortable.

IMO, to properly clean and lube a knife, you have to completely take it apart. Having said that though, riveted folders do have advantages. You don’t have to worry about screws backing out and they’re very low maintenance. The pins are also stronger than screws.

I personally haven’t had any riveted folders develop blade play over time. Once though, I bought a Spyderco Navigator that had some side-to-side play when it was new. I sent it into Warranty & Repair and they fixed it up nicely. There are also ways to tighten the pivot yourself, if you want to try it.

I’d definitely go for the stainless steel handled Dragonfly over the FRN version. The finish, and especially the fit, of the SS handled Spydies is fantastic. Another advantage of riveted folders is that the pins are barely visible in a knife with a stainless steel handle, which creates a clean, streamlined appearance that I find attractive.
 
My SS Dragonfly is pretty much my go-to knife and I think it's great. I have a couple of Spyderco's little knives and you might want to look at the NavigatorII as well, in addition to the Cricket. I don't really think you could go wrong. The Nav. and the Cricket sit lower in the pocket, though.
 
My wife & I both carry a dragonfly on our keyrings - they are on quick-release kydex micro-rigs by eric of On-Scene Tactical

http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel/micro_rigs.htm

This is my wife's only pocket knife & is a companion to whatever I am carrying in my pocket.

The only problem is that it is so light & comfortable, you almost forget you have it.
 
I've had a SS Dragonfly for a couple of years and I'm very pleased with it. I find it easy to open and close one-handed, even with the clip removed. For a knife of this size, the ergonomics are outstanding. The flat ground leaf-shaped blade is an excellent cutter. Think of it as a small version of the Calypso Jr.

Although I've never handled one, the Navigator seems similar and has a VG-10 blade.
 
I have the FRN Dragonfly loose as well as a Meerkat clipped on my right front pocket. I love the Dragonfly for those "little" jobs and it's so light you almost don't know it's there. Meerkat is discontinued, but both are a lot more knife than their size seems to dictate. Definitely heavier. One thing I'm finding about those "l'il guys" is they have their place and definitely well worth the money. One of those things about Spydies - until you use them, it's really hard to tell how good they really are.

- gord
 
It is one of the best knife designs I have ever seen. I have 5 of them...2 FRN, 2 SS and a carbon fiber version. Fantastic knives. My daughter confiscated one of the FRN versions. I have had my FRN for probably 8 years and it is still perfectly tight. I have yet to see any other knife this size that I like as much...
 
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