Spyderco Tenacious - Full Review

hey Mikel, when you get your CaraCara/Robin.....you'll be able to see if you like the 8Cr13MoV steel.....It's not as "good" for edge retention as VG-10, S30V but it "more than good enough" for my slicing needs ... holds an edge better than AUS8 steel imho.....the Ergos/build quality of the Tenacious far exceeded my expectations.....one of the best knives under $35.00 USD street price imo ;)

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The Tenacious is a superb knife, at a great price.

It's one of my favourite Spyderco designs ever. I'd love to see a Golden-made premium variant in peel-ply CF and a CPM super steel!
 
Does the Tenacious have a "China" marking on it? I bought a BM VEX about a year ago. Great knife but the rather large China marking on it is a downer.
 
coop1957 said:
Does the Tenacious have a "China" marking on it? I bought a BM VEX about a year ago. Great knife but the rather large China marking on it is a downer.
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Yes it does, but it is not very visible in my opinion. China on one side, type of steel on the other side, both etchings run vertical rather than horizontal.
 
Just got my Tenacious and all I can say is WOW! Unbelievable knife for the price!

I'm interested to see how the steel perfroms long term and what my rudimentary sharpening skills can do with it, but it shaves out of the box.

I love the ergos and the blade shape, grind and length. It may replace my Delica as my EDC for a while.

I only wish it had a black pocket clip instead of the shiny stainless one.
 
CHP5 said:
I'm interested to see how the steel perfroms long term and what my rudimentary sharpening skills can do with it, but it shaves out of the box.
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In my experience it has better edge retention than steels used in similarly priced knives, has slightly lower corrosion resistance, has given me no toughness issues and takes an acute, reprofiled edge quite well. I find it very quick to sharpen, though it does tend to burr a little more than I prefer.

I'm in the process of reprofiling my Tenacious. I'll update this with more information, photos etc. once that's done.
 
Vivi, great review!

CHP5 said:
Just got my Tenacious and all I can say is WOW! Unbelievable knife for the price!

I'm interested to see how the steel perfroms long term and what my rudimentary sharpening skills can do with it, but it shaves out of the box.

I love the ergos and the blade shape, grind and length. It may replace my Delica as my EDC for a while.

I only wish it had a black pocket clip instead of the shiny stainless one.
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I did a side by side comparison cutting manila rope between a Byrd Flight and a KaBar Large Dozier in AUS8. Both blades measured 59HRC. I found no difference in edge retension. The result agrees with Spyderco's statement that 8Cr13MoV steel has similar performance to AUS8.

From Vivi's report and comparing the fit and finish of my Flight, it sounds like the Tenacious is a step up. I found that my Flight had sharp edges on the handle (steel handled version). Vivi's pics and report show the care that has gone into the edges of the Tenacious. That pretty much cancels Brownshoe's negative comment. Actual data normally does that to his statements.
 
Liam Ryan said:
Hail the next superpower!
I think the old stigma of chinese made stuff being crap is slowly eroding away.
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Well, there was that dog food incident. And then the poisoned wheat gluten incident. And the poisoned rice gluten... And the adulterated pharmacueticals incident. And the lead paint.
Oh, and the Ghb coating on children's toys. And there was a shipment of Paul Chen sword blades that shattered. And there was a shipment of fencing masks that were substandard. But yeah, they're doing lots better. And they -did-execute most of those gluten plant managers, which shows they're trying.....
 
Good review on what I've heard is one of the best deals around.

I may have to pick one up soon for a cheap user. Thanks for the review.
 
knifetester said:
Nice review. How does it compare to the para-millie in terms of performance?
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The steel has lower edge retention and corrosion resistance. The knife is slightly heavier and wider in the pocket but comes with a 4 way clip while the Para is right hand tip down only. The liner lock would be easier to disengage is heavy use, especially when twisting the knife, compared to the compression lock.

The G10 isn't textured as aggressively and the overall grip security rates a little bit lower than the Para. The Tenacious has a much better blade / handle ratio. The Para has a smaller blade and gets your hand closer to the tip and cutting edge. The Tenacious has a 3mm blade and the Para a 4mm blade. Judging by eye the factory edge on the Para was thinner right behind the bevel than the Tenacious. The Para's blade is a gradual curve while the Tenacious is straight then has a larger belly up front.

The jimping on the Para (Most recent models) is more effective than the Tenacious with no gloves on. The larger opening hole of the Para makes opening easier.

Both are good knives overall. The Tenacious strikes me more as a general utility knife while the Para seems like a knife designed for control and precision in a very strong handle. If there's anything else you need to specifically know just ask.
 
Vivi said:
In my experience it has better edge retention than steels used in similarly priced knives, has slightly lower corrosion resistance, has given me no toughness issues and takes an acute, reprofiled edge quite well. I find it very quick to sharpen, though it does tend to burr a little more than I prefer.

I'm in the process of reprofiling my Tenacious. I'll update this with more information, photos etc. once that's done.
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Vivi,
Try N690 in the Benchmade Monochrome. I found it to have noticeably better edge retention than 8Cr13MoV. Costs pretty close to the same.

There are several knives available in AUS8 in that price range. I have found no differenence in edge retention between AUS8 and 8Cr13MoV.
 
Thanks for the tip, I'll order myself a Monochrome sometime to try out that steel. I've heard good things about it.

In my Cara Cara and Tenacious the edge seemed to hold better than my Trance and Kabar TDI. This is just day to day use though, not measured testing. The difference wasn't huge either.
 
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