Spyderco's best answer to the BM940?

T

TFin04

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Aug 21, 2005
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Long time Spyderco carrier, recently been playing with some Axis lock Benchmades and the sleek 940 has found its way into my pocket quite a bit. I find myself missing the Spyderco edge geometry and opening hole. What I DO really like is the light weight and slim width (closed) of the 940.

With those parameters in mind, what do you consider to be Spyderco's best competitor? Centofante? Something else?
 
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Position, Mantra 2, Southard, maybe the Pattata? Centofante Memory and Air are nice small ones.
 
TFin04 said:
Long time Spyderco carrier, recently been playing with some Axis lock Benchmades and the sleek 940 has found its way into my pocket quite a bit. I find myself missing the Spyderco quite a bit. What I DO really like is the light weight and slim width (closed) of the 940.

With those parameters in mind, what do you consider to be Spyderco's best competitor? Centofante? Something else?
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I love the ergos of the 940 series, but could never reconcile with that thick, saber-ground blade. Personally, I'd recommend either the Mantra 2 (slim, similar weight, narrow blade) or the drop-point UK Penknife (slim, amazingly lightweight). The Mantra 2 is my go-to for daily carry, and I break out the UK Penknife any time I'm doing farm or garden type work.

EDIT: The Gayle Bradley Air is quite similar on paper- I haven't handled one in person so I'll avoid rampant speculation on my part. Maybe the Chokwe as well.
 
That 940 is begging for a (hollow) regrind. Or even better Benchmade could make 'em that way like the base model mini Grip sheepsfoot.
 
For me, it's the Southard. Particularly with the addition of the CF scale which makes it lighter. Very similar profile and carry. Of the 2, I prefer the Southard and it's not close. One of my favorites.

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The Benchmade 940 would have been a much better knife if it had a hollow grind instead of that thick & narrow saber flat grind, and as a consequence a very thick edge that is often not too sharp from the factory.
As it is i also prefer the Spyderco Southard by a large margin.
 
The Caly 3.5 and Southard comparisons are amazing..


I have liked the 940 but wished for something close to from Spyderco.

Now I have 2.
 
As others have said. Caly 3.5 and the Southard. Maybe try a Stretch or Endura. There are sprint runs of these with different steels and some models use full liners with G10/Bone/Titanium/Nishin instead of the FRN handles. I know a lot of people don't like FRN when they are used to G10. So thats an option to try.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe I should have been a been more clear, I like how thin the 940 is when closed (from the spine of the closed blade to the backspacer). The Endura, Stretch, and some others are much more thick in these areas. As a long time Spyderco user, I understand their designs are generally "taller" in this measurement.

The Caly 3.5 appears to be pretty close to what I have in mind. I'll research some of the other suggestions. Thanks guys.
 
My 1st thought, also Bradley2.

Second thought (slim lines, but longer), the C54 Calypso. Fits my hand much better than the BM940.

Regards,
 
It's hard to compare because of the leaf type blade shape of most Spydies. The Southard and GB2 seem similar in shape. Kind of like 940's on steroids. One of the defining characteristics of the 940 is the sub 3 oz weight that goes along with the slender build.
 
My 940 is the best carry-knife I own - it's just so unobtrusive. It doesn't cut cardboard worth a crap though, lol.

I was really interested in a Caly 3 or 3.5, but I got into guns a little bit and back into photography…..so I likely won't be buying any knives for a while. Ha.
 
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