Spyderco?

1981 is when the first Worker came out, so they had been out 5 years at the least when you heard that they were junk? Ever had a C01 Worker?
 
cultivateitnow said:
I'm trying to remember, but somewhere around 20 to 25 years ago.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with perceptions of Japanese products in the US at the time. Although even 25 years ago, in the mid 80s, Japanese electronic was becoming the rage and their cars were becoming popular.

Spyderco still uses the same formula for their knives. Innovative materials, good blade steel, function before beauty. For a relatively newcomer like me, if I want a knife using the latest blade steel and high-tech materials, Spyderco is the one to look at.

Believe me, I thought Spydies were ugly as sin and the only reason I decided to try one was to compare to BMs and Kershaws. Even then, I got the Tenacious because it was the most "unSpyderco-like" of them all and I wasn't about to throw too much money on a whim. Boy, was I wrong... :rolleyes:
 
I just went to their site and found a couple fixed blades to try. I'll give them a go and see how they perform.

How is the H1 for an overal steel? That is a new steel I've never tried and I like the looks of the knife.
 
I can't stand the crappieness of my worker who can dispose of it for me :D
d97fa7d6.jpg
 
cultivateitnow said:
I just went to their site and found a couple fixed blades to try. I'll give them a go and see how they perform.

How is the H1 for an overal steel? That is a new steel I've never tried and I like the looks of the knife.
Click to expand...

It's a very interesting and different steel. Here's what you need to know about H1. It is 100% rust proof. All steels, including stainless steels will rust...H1 will not. That's the main draw to H1. It's edge retention is so-so. It will get better as you use it and sharpen it but won't turn into s30v in terms of edge retention. Because of its unique hardening characteristics, the edge is harder than the rest of the blade (like the spine). This is a good thing, generally, because the blade as a whole will be less prone to chip or fracture. H1 is also pretty resistant to rolling.
-In sum, if you want a 100% rust proof knife, H1 is for you. If edge retention is more important, than there are better options.

P.S. H1 with serrations is supposed to have much better edge retention compared to plain edge.
 
cultivateitnow said:
I just went to their site and found a couple fixed blades to try. I'll give them a go and see how they perform.

How is the H1 for an overal steel? That is a new steel I've never tried and I like the looks of the knife.
Click to expand...

There's been a lot of talk about H-1 because it's rather unique.

First, it's rust proof. Not rust resistant, but no rust at all. The steel had a 0.1% Nitrogen added in place of some of the carbon. For whatever reason, this makes it VERY corrosion resistant.

Second, the steel is work hardened. So instead of heat treating to obtain hardness, the steel is pressed multiple times. This is the strange part. When the edge is ground, it adds hardness to that part of the steel. So even though the spine is at around 57-58 RC, the edge on a serrated H-1 is round 68 RC and the plain edge is around 63 RC. And even at this hardness, it will roll instead of chip.

It takes a sharp edge (I can testify to this) and the edge retention is fair. Not as good as VG-10 or S30V but similar to Aus-8. Still very good, it's just not the best.

All in all, a pretty incredible blade steel. I have several Salts with H-1.
 
Sounds like I need to skip the H1 because that isn't what I want from a blade. I'll do some more looking on their site to see what else I can find. Right now I'm pretty happy with D2 performance on my fixed blades.
 
cultivateitnow said:
I've been away from knife stuff for awhile and reading some of these threads surprise me a bit. When did Spyderco jump from Frost status to BenchMade Status? I 'bout fell off my chair the first time I read about someone recommended the Spy over BM.
Click to expand...

The fog of time may be clouding your memory.
I too was away from knives for a long time (about 20 years or so) and just returned to them a couple of years ago.
But even long ago I would not have put Spyderco in the same class as Frost...not to disparage Frost, they are what they are and are priced accordingly.
Early on I got a serrated Delica clip-it, one piece handle and clip, which I still have and carry.

20+ years ago I was never that crazy about Spyderco...don't really know why. After returning to knives, I tried to love Benchmade, but just got tired of their iffy quality control.
Started picking up Spyderco's and kept getting more and more impressed by their consistent quality and performance.
 
dsmegst said:
There's been a lot of talk about H-1 because it's rather unique.

It takes a sharp edge (I can testify to this)
Click to expand...

Everything you said was right on. As far as H1 taking an edge, I've seen numerous hair whittling edges on H1.
 
dsmegst said:
All in all, a pretty incredible blade steel. I have several Salts with H-1.
Click to expand...

I've heard H-1 is rather soft tends to scratch or show surface scratches more than other steels. Has that been your experience?
 
Alann45 said:
I've heard H-1 is rather soft tends to scratch or show surface scratches more than other steels. Has that been your experience?
Click to expand...

Yeah that's pretty much the case because the bulk of the blade is not ground as hard as the edge and is therefore softer and will scratch.
 
cultivateitnow said:
No I'm not talking about looks. I like the looks of a couple models they have, but they, in the past, where known as lowend knives. I owned one back then and quickly replaced it.

Reading about the types of steel they offer now and the price being asked, along with recommendations found here lead me to believe maybe they are good knives now. I don't see too many threads about them breaking or now holding an edge. I'm just trying to figure out where they fit in the overal quality picture now. Can they be used and abused?
Click to expand...

They are designed for use first and foremost. They aren't designed for abuse. This of course depends on your definitions. Are you talking about stabbing into a rock and prying? What uses and abuses are you talking about? Whatever the case, if your Benchmades can do it, Spyderco is most certainly capable, assuming you're comparing apples to apples.
 
Just got my 1st fixed Spydie! After collecting 100+ spydie folders I thought I give a FB a try. Got a Temperance 2 for a good price and could not be happier, what a knife!
 
cultivateitnow said:
No I'm not talking about looks. I like the looks of a couple models they have, but they, in the past, where known as lowend knives. I owned one back then and quickly replaced it.

Reading about the types of steel they offer now and the price being asked, along with recommendations found here lead me to believe maybe they are good knives now. I don't see too many threads about them breaking or now holding an edge. I'm just trying to figure out where they fit in the overal quality picture now. Can they be used and abused?
Click to expand...

I don't know who would have labeled them as "low end". I've been collecting and using knives for 55+ years and I've been following Spyderco since the early 80's. Every place I saw them (sporting goods stores, cutlery shops, etc.) from the beginning until now has always pushed them as high end knives.

To answer your question about use, yes, they can be used hard and stand up to it. When my wife and I head out to the woods for a trip, 98% of the time, Spydercos go with us for any kind of trail or camp use we might have.

I take a ZDP189 D4 or a VG10 Caly 3 to work in a warehouse with me much of the time. I've dropped one onto a concrete floor from 10-12 feet up, spilled stuff on them, cut computer and electrical cabling with them, and accidentally run into steel racks and staples. There's no visible damage from any of these things, just normal wear from sharpening and use.

If that's the kind of hard use you have in mind, I don't think a Spyderco will disappoint you.
 
Last edited:
cultivateitnow said:
Truth be told it will mostly clean fish or skin and then process deer. I cut wood from time to time if I have a knife up to the task and want something I can beat on (baton) if necessary.

When I'm in the woods I normally carry two knives, a folder and a fixed blade. I want both to do whatever needs done should something happen to the first.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a Gayle Bradley, a Manix 2, or a Paramilitary would be what you're looking for in a folder. The GB will be the heaviest of the lot but it's a double tough knife with an M4 blade. The Para will probably work best for fish and skinning (although I've never skinned anything so I can't comment from experience) and will probably be the easiest to clean. It'll also be the lightest. The Manix 2 is just an all-round favorite of a lot of people for general outdoor use.
 
cultivateitnow said:
Truth be told it will mostly clean fish or skin and then process deer. I cut wood from time to time if I have a knife up to the task and want something I can beat on (baton) if necessary.

When I'm in the woods I normally carry two knives, a folder and a fixed blade. I want both to do whatever needs done should something happen to the first.

After looking over the spydie web(site) I surely must not be remembering correctly. It looks like they have a couple of really nice fixed blades.
Click to expand...

It's also possible that you may have had a bad experience with one of their folders in the distant past and then wrote them off as "low end knives." Every company that produces as many knives as Spyderco puts out some percentage of defective knives. If that's the case, I'd say it seems more reasonable to me to rely on the statistics rather than personal experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top