Spyderco Fred Perrin: any review?

Not a review as such, but look at the package. VG-10 and its a Fred Perrin design made by Spyderco. This will make it an ideal fighting knife in a super steel. The lack of tang thickness would prob make it a slightly weak prybar...;)

Don't want to sound like Cliff Stamp as I have yet to test one myself!:p :D

Looks good IMHO
 
Might the picture only help you somewhat? :rolleyes:
perrin_02.jpg
 
Nice pic Serg! I'm glad I got see how it looks in hand. How does it feel?
Matt
 
I just recieved my Spyderco Fred Perrin a week ago and am impressed! The handle is comfortable in hammer, saber, and reverse grips. This knife screams for the saber grip though and is secure with the kraton inserts and the pronounced choil. The handle inserts are fit decently (especially for the price) with very little if any space between the two different materials.
The knife is exceptionally light weight and would handle very quickly as a defensive tool if one were to be so inclined (I'm no expert, but I imagine this would be the case). As light as it is, the blade APPEARS to have sufficiant spine to do many chores and I think the blade type allows for many uses; you can grip this knife closer to the tip for finer control with the choil and textured spine.
This is my first VG-10 blade and I was very impressed with its sharpness out of the box (probably the sharpest I have had). Closer inspection of my blade reveals faint swirl patterns in the steel not unlike some damascus, but more blended. I'm not sure this is a characteristic of this steel or that this reflects on the polish or finish of the knife. The sheath with the tec-lock system was decent, nice design though not as tight as I would like. I tested it by holding it upside down, with the blade inserted, and shaking it up and down vigorously without the knife coming loose (guess thats all that counts, however there was some rattle). The sheath adjusts to vertical, horizontal, small of back, and upside down carry (all out side waistband type carry). I did notice some sight profile differences between 2 different knives, mostly in the grind (I guess) of the false edge near the tip (small, but easily visible to the eye). One of the knives had a serial # on top on the spine and mine did not, wich may be the reason for the differences.
Overall, I think this is a well thought out, user friendly knife that can meet alot of demands put on it. I have not nor will not attempt to torture test it, but intend on using the snot out of it and having a blast. Hope this helps. Chris
 
Nice knife, sheath sucks.

Anyone know how far in the tang goes? "They" didn´t even know the answer to that one in the Spyderco forum.

/Colinz
 
There was an old thread I remember reading about this and a question of its strength. If memory serves, it extends very close to the back of the handle and Mr. Perrin was said to make a guarentee about its strength even without a FULL tang.
 
I've had mine since early last spring, and I can't heap enough praise upon it. I carry mine as often I can for EDC, and it is the most stunningly versatile knife I've ever owned. I'm pretty sure if I can't conquer the world with my Spydie Perrin and a Swiss Tinker, i can at least take a small continent.

It carries pretty well for me in the factory sheath, although the sheath admittedly lacks in aesthetics. I carry mine on the right hand side in a reverse grip draw. Not sure if it's cause of my body type, previous injuries or what, but that is about the only draw that doesn't resemble a herniated primate for me. Well, just for shucks and grins I carried it a few days in a uhmmm...gee..not sure what to call it...Jerry Vancook wonder bra rig and it was very well concealed, and easy to draw as well. (wonder bra rig consisted of some paracord in a figure eight tightened across the back with the knife placed similarly to a neck knife with no chain to give away the knife, and it also did NOT move) Primarily though I just carry it in the reverse grip with my work shirt covering it up. Sometimes I put the end of the sheath in my pants pocket to be extra sneaky. (that carries more comfortably than it sounds)

One thing that eased my mind tremendously when stompin' through the woods with it was taking some very narrow diameter shock cord, doing some common whipping on it, and running it in the sheath hole opposite of the choil. I could then slide it over the choil to be sure the knife stayed put, and slide it back down fairly efficiently for a not too slow knife draw.

As far as the construction of the knife mine got a pretty brutal breaking in period. The first real thing I used it for was pulling up some nasty a$$ 25 year old carpet out of a total of about a $2400 sq. ft. home the wife and I had just bought. (just needs some TLC...famous last words of a fool)

Anyhoo, I cut and carried carpet until I was walkin' 'round like the hunchback of Notre Dame, and it never lost an effective cutting edge. We were in a very rush rush kinda deal to get this work done, and I had forgotten a pring device when I'd returned from a dinner break, so..I decided I'd pry up some staples and nails with my knives rather than lose out on a $5K carpet allowance cuz the work wasn't done. (long drive back to my truck with the toolbox) For some reason I CAN NOT get "brittle" outta my head when I think or VG-10, but I can tell you it is anything but. the knife worked WAY better than I had any right to expect, and only got some very tiny minor dings. After flat out abusing it for the day I was able to bring it back to hair poppin' sharp in about 20 minutes with my Sharpmaker. Meanwhile one of the #1 hard use knives in the world was due for some SERIOUS resharpening by the time we were done.

The soft stuff in the handle didn't impress me until I tagged it with a crowbar and watched it seal shut, now I hardly notice the damage done.

Since then, I do carry it as frequently as I can (not into Anchorage, but usually around my hometown) The knife has pulled MANY hours of construction duty while giving our new home "just a little TLC:barf: "
and the Perrin has always been up to any task I've ever asked of it.

It sharpens pencils, cuts shoe strings, skins and slices tomatoes,and every other little mundane task with aplomb, and though I've never tried it, I'm pretty sure it would ventilate a person rather well, should the absolute need arise. as someone else said earlier, it BEGS to be held in a saber grip, which usually is a rather weak grip for retention, but thanks to the deep choil it would be pretty darn difficult to have this one knocked or pried from yer forepaw, and it's VERY well balanced and fast feeling to me.

To summarize all my blather here...the Spyderco Perrin is the best damn fixed blade knife you can spend $80-$100 on. I have a way of trying to buy champagne knives on a beer budget, and selling them later, or just plain trading 'em off cuz I'm bored, but this one is MY knife, and I've never been once tempted to make it go away.
 
RWS, I couldn't have said it better. My Spyderco Perrin is the best darn lightweight under $ 100 fixed blade knife in the world.

I may speak heresy here but after owning a dozen Spyderco's I find that I don't care for their folders. On the other hand I'm awe struck by their fixed blades. Their Moran was my favorite small fixed blade until the Perrin came out.

A five inch blade that cuts like a seven inch. A superb kitchen or trail knife and I'm sure a deadly self defense tool as well.

If Spyderco supplied it with a better sheath they would sell twice as many. Wish I could get one cheaper without a sheath and send it straight to Normark for one of his great designs. The supplied sheath is just OK but not not worthy of the knife that's in it.
 
Please explain, Folks, what do you mind about the sheath?
IMO it is pretty suitable to entire knife design, it is low profile, lightweight and easy to carry, it provide multiple carry positions. My only minor reservation is that it might retain the knife a small bit better requiring somewhat more force to draw it. As well as Moran Featherweight sheath does.
But “sucks” or “not worthy” seems as some kind of exaggeration for me. Could you explain, please?

Again, no flame, everybody is entitled to have his or her own opinion and to express it in civilized form. I’m just curious...
 
Matt, thanks for the compliment. It feels like one damned piece you can do everything with what you like to do. The stability, balance and controllability in saber grip are really superb for light to medium cutting force applying, maybe even somewhat onto heavy side but rather somewhat only. Also for something like knife fencing and straight thrusting in forward direction. Fred and SPYDERCO folks seem to knew exactly what they should do and did their job really well.
Some problems could be experienced with very hard cutting in hammer grip. Maybe even not as much problems as some discomfort... However this is my presumption only, I didn’t make such tests so far and seems that RWS didn’t have too much problems with that nasty carpet :)
Anyway I would like the finger choil to be somewhat shallower, I suppose this would work better in hammer grip and not any worse in saber one.

Colinz, the blade tang runs slightly more than halfway of the handle length, maybe between 1/2 and 2/3. I heard Fred promised at least 2 minutes of french sex for someone who would manage to pull the handle off the blade tang with plain hands :D
 
Um, I think Fred promised to magically appear and deliver a 2-minute french KISS to anyone who managed to dislodge the tang from the handle. But whether it's a kiss or full-blown Perrin-love, I think I'll pass. Nice to know he cares, tho' . . . .
 
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