benthughes
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2006
- Messages
- 428
I'm a long time fan of Spyderco knives and, in general, love overbuilt hard use knives. I've owned a few Striders, a Hinderer XM-18, some Microtechs and have handled several knives such as Zero Tolerance. That aside I've sold them because they usually seem cumbersome and don't cut efficiently. I don't rely on my folders as pry bars , choppers or shovels and often find the beefiness a detriment to what I want in a folder. My favorite folder is the Spyderco Military of which I own 5.
The Tuff arrived in the mail yesterday, my first impression was upon grabbing the package and thinking "Holy crap that's heavy!". 6.6 Oz doesn't seem like much but it's substantial, especially for a Spyderco, the Military which I consider the benchmark is 4.2 Oz; still not as heavy as a Strider SMF though.
Upon unboxing I was struck by the looks of the knife. It's straight up Spyderco but then you have the overbuilt pivot point, dimpled handles and fuller on the blade. Ive heard people gripe about how stiff the action is with opening and closing. I agree that it is stiff but reassuring at the same time, I'm confident that it will loosen up slightly but at this point it's a chore to open and close it compared to my other folders. As an aside, the nicest action of any production folder I've handled is the ZT 0561...buttah! That being said, the lock up is rock solid at about 25% engagement; this sucker opens with a solid 'thunk' unlike the comparatively anemic 'click' of the Military. This knife does have a stainless insert where the lock interfaces the blade and a Hinderer style disk on the inside of the lock.
In hand the Tuff feels substantial without being bulky. The G10 isnt the sandpaper type found on some knives and is grippy without being aggressive. You don't really notice the dimples. I personally dont care for the large fingerguard before the choil and see that as a possible hot spot for my index finger. The choil does take away from the overall blade length but offers more grip options for more delicate work which I find to be a fair trade. The thumb ramp is gimped with fairly fine gimping like the Military allowing for a positive grip. The blade position relative to the handle looks unusual but puts the blade in a natural position for cutting tasks. This blade thickness at 0.157 runs a fine line between hard use beefiness and thin enough for efficient cutting. The handle and blade relation put it in a cutting position similar to the military. Cutting vegetables was easy although it doesn't slice as well as the Military, the different grip options allow for fine work such as peeling a carrot. I find the fuller to be handy for gripping with my thumb and index finger fine work.
General carry impressions are this: It sits low in the pocket with multiple options for clip position. It is only slightly thicker than the military and sits comfortably in the pocket without excessive bulk. The clip is stiff at this point but not a huge concern. I do wish the Spyderhole was the same size as the Military for easier opening, this may be less of an issue if the thing loosens up a bit.
This won't replace my Military as my favorite folder but definitely fills the niche of a heavy duty folder with similar ergos at a reasonable weight. It definitely would give you more peace of mind in heavier tasks as opposed to the more delicate blade of the military while sacrificing only a bit of cutting efficiency. It's a great knife and a very reasonable price for what you get. I'd probably swing for the Zero Tolerance 0561 for the money but definitely don't regret it at all.
The Tuff arrived in the mail yesterday, my first impression was upon grabbing the package and thinking "Holy crap that's heavy!". 6.6 Oz doesn't seem like much but it's substantial, especially for a Spyderco, the Military which I consider the benchmark is 4.2 Oz; still not as heavy as a Strider SMF though.
Upon unboxing I was struck by the looks of the knife. It's straight up Spyderco but then you have the overbuilt pivot point, dimpled handles and fuller on the blade. Ive heard people gripe about how stiff the action is with opening and closing. I agree that it is stiff but reassuring at the same time, I'm confident that it will loosen up slightly but at this point it's a chore to open and close it compared to my other folders. As an aside, the nicest action of any production folder I've handled is the ZT 0561...buttah! That being said, the lock up is rock solid at about 25% engagement; this sucker opens with a solid 'thunk' unlike the comparatively anemic 'click' of the Military. This knife does have a stainless insert where the lock interfaces the blade and a Hinderer style disk on the inside of the lock.
In hand the Tuff feels substantial without being bulky. The G10 isnt the sandpaper type found on some knives and is grippy without being aggressive. You don't really notice the dimples. I personally dont care for the large fingerguard before the choil and see that as a possible hot spot for my index finger. The choil does take away from the overall blade length but offers more grip options for more delicate work which I find to be a fair trade. The thumb ramp is gimped with fairly fine gimping like the Military allowing for a positive grip. The blade position relative to the handle looks unusual but puts the blade in a natural position for cutting tasks. This blade thickness at 0.157 runs a fine line between hard use beefiness and thin enough for efficient cutting. The handle and blade relation put it in a cutting position similar to the military. Cutting vegetables was easy although it doesn't slice as well as the Military, the different grip options allow for fine work such as peeling a carrot. I find the fuller to be handy for gripping with my thumb and index finger fine work.
General carry impressions are this: It sits low in the pocket with multiple options for clip position. It is only slightly thicker than the military and sits comfortably in the pocket without excessive bulk. The clip is stiff at this point but not a huge concern. I do wish the Spyderhole was the same size as the Military for easier opening, this may be less of an issue if the thing loosens up a bit.
This won't replace my Military as my favorite folder but definitely fills the niche of a heavy duty folder with similar ergos at a reasonable weight. It definitely would give you more peace of mind in heavier tasks as opposed to the more delicate blade of the military while sacrificing only a bit of cutting efficiency. It's a great knife and a very reasonable price for what you get. I'd probably swing for the Zero Tolerance 0561 for the money but definitely don't regret it at all.
