starmate, been out for awhile, how do you like them now?

shootist16

shootist16

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Now that the Starmates have been out for a little while, I would like to get some opinions. I find that I get more realistic views once the new has worn off.

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Dennis Bible
 
surely someone here has had one for a little while.

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Dennis Bible
 
Dennis - You might have to wait a while for a greater response. We've not been able to meet demand yet and are still increasing production. We should have a pretty good number out there by the end of next month.

sal
 
Dennis: I love the way my plain Starmate looks and feels. I haven't really used it for anything yet, preferring to carry other (cheaper) knives for general use (which, for me, is light usage, anyway). It's a stunner, though. Glad I have it.

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It's always darkest before the dawn. So if you plan to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
 
I own 2 plain edged Starmates and think the are great. The lockup is the best of any linerlock I own. The blade steel is EXCELLENT. The only close competition is the Military (very close).

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Dale Richmond
AKTI Number A000949
 
I've got a 50/50 Starmate they made me buy a couple months ago at the SFO. I haven't carried another knife since then. I like the way it fits my hand, I like the way it holds an edge, I like its weight. I've got a bunch of Spydercos, mostly the custom collaborations, this is the best yet.
 
I've had my plain edge for about 8 months. I am so impressed with Bob T's design, I bought a Terzuola ATCF in Ti. (As an aside, I like the Starmate better than the ATCF in G-10 or the Starfighter. The SM's handle slabs are thinnner and the nested liner results in an overall thinner knife, making for less bulk. I'm still thinking about an ATCF-3A in Ti.)

Sypderco's implementation is excellent and it locks as tightly as everyone says. I prefer it over the Military - the handle fits my hand better and lends itself for more comfortable carry (YMMV).

I wonder if the "Star Mate Jr." I heard about in November is still in the works?
 
I've had my Starmate for 3 days and I still like it
smile.gif
 
Hello Dennis,
How do I like my Starmate?
Well, I just went out and bought a plain edge so now I have a combo and a plain.
They are both keepers, even though I don't care too much for the combo-edge format in general.

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My new bumper sticker:

Let me tell you about my SIFU!
 
Great Knife. Solid Lockup. You can choke up on it for fine work . Solid for tough stuff. Works quite nicely for pull cuts ( branches, rope etc). Sharpening took a little getting used to as I believe the factory bevels were not aligned with the shapemaker. Touches up easy now. Overall a great knife

Ken
 
I am strongly considering a purchase of a Starmate (I've heard great things about it and Spyderco in general). I just read the review of the knife in Tactical Knives magazine (May, 2000 issue). In his generally very favorable review, the author states: "...serations at the rear of the blade compensates for the plain edge's lack of extreme keeness." He also notes the potential for "tiny chips" in the plain edge when hitting bone, etc. (due to the 440V).

1) Do those of you with the Starmates feel the serrated edge is essential? and 2)has anyone chipped the blade in real world applications. If so, are they easy to repair? and 3) Do you need a diamond sharpener to properly sharpen this blade?

Thanks in advance for your help, and sorry for the length of this post.
 
SGGO - Welcome to the Spyderco forum. We are honored that your first post would be here.

We haven't had much in the way of chipping problems on CPM-440V. Rockspyder managed to chip a Native. Anthony Lombardo a Starmate. Haven't heard of any others yet. For the Record, there are thousands of Spyderco CPM-440V pieces "in the field".

Sharpening shouldn't be a problem, although we recommend the Sharpmaker.

sal

[This message has been edited by Sal Glesser (edited 03-29-2000).]
 
I chipped the blade on 50/50 Starmate last summer while clearing weeds out of my lawn. The blade hit a rock. I was able to take the chip out very easily and the knife is fine cosmetically. I dropped my plain Starmate and blunted the tip. It is not quite as poiunty as it once was but it functions quite well. CPM 440V is odd stuff. It is a bit soft but it holds edge real well. I guess this better than having a knife with an RC 59-60, 440V that hard can probably only be sharpened on a wheel.
 
Thank you for all the responses. They must be popular, there aren't too many to be had.

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Dennis Bible
 
Originally posted by sggo:
1) Do those of you with the Starmates feel the serrated edge is essential?
Click to expand...

The reverse, actually, I think it's mostly useless. On some other knives the serrations have cut some materials better than the plain edge, but in this case the plain performed better, at least when it comes to ease of cutting, than the serrated, and better than either edge on those other knives.
Cut something else and perhaps they do come in handy, but not in my case which includes cardboard, plastic bands.

2)has anyone chipped the blade in real world applications.
Click to expand...
One of the teeth on the serrations got bent a little when I accidentally struck a steel table, but it didn't break off so I don't worry about chipping.

3) Do you need a diamond sharpener to properly sharpen this blade?
Click to expand...
No, a ceramic stick worked just fine.



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Urban Fredriksson
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
Latest updates Moki Hana, Fällkniven WM1 neck sheath, Moki Blossom and Fällkniven S1

"Smooth and serrated blades cut in two entirely different fashions."
- The Teeth of the Tyrannosaurs, Scientific American, Sep 1999
 
I have had # 389 50/50 Starmate for several months now and have been very pleased with its performance.I had Derw Gleason do the liner lock modification and put a tip-up carry clip on it.It is probably my favorite day-to-day carry knife now.I feel it is a better all around knife than the military,because the handle shape is more comfortable in the pocket.I also thing the blade shape is more universally suited.
The 50/50 thing is personal preference only.I find it to be very helpful on fiberglass-reinforced packing tape and aluminum backed HVAC tape. This is the stuff that is shiney,with fiberglass reinforcement as well.
As far as chipping,I have not had a problem with that but I avoid any really abusive applications with it.Normally,I use a less expensive ATS 43 steel for such things.There are trade-offs with any steel and it seems to me that the CPM440v steel is better in overall edge holding,but not as good at chip resistence as ATS 34.For the way I use a knife,it is a good trade off.
Your mileage may vary.
David


AKTI#150
 
Originally posted by Sal Glesser:
....Rockspyder managed to chip a Native. Anthony Lombardo a Starmate. Haven't heard of any others yet. For the Record, there are thousands of Spyderco CPM-440V pieces "in the field".
Click to expand...

Also, for the record, I have been much more impressed with the 440V in my Military; must be some sorta edge geometry thing
redface.gif
.

I did do my dangdest to break the tip off my Military. Well, actually, it was a friend who did this. He was trying to pry apart a gingerbread house over Christmas (don't ask). The knife slipped, and the tip BANGED! down into the glass plate that the house was sitting on.
eek.gif
eek.gif
mad.gif
Bent it, just a little (maybe a 0.5mm of the tip). But no chips. I just took it to the 203, and sharpened it out. Yeah, there is a little bit that you can notice missing, but only if you look really close.
frown.gif


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iktomi
 
HI!
When I got my starmate (plain-edge) I retired my c-15. My first impression was: What a large knife (compared with the C-15 Spydie-Terzuola). Today I can't imagine how I lived without such a large knife.
Greetings
red

P.S.: the Starmate is my only everyday-carry-knife.
I only edited some spelling-error's
red

[This message has been edited by red mag (edited 04-01-2000).]
 
Hi,
I had one for about a week, it was brand new and got it in a trade. I don't know what it was, I thought there was something missing with the handle, it felt lacking to me, the construction to have a tactile feel that made me feel as though the knife would stand up to more than any other folder. I would have preferred some kind of liners to the construction for sturdiness, but that probably would have upped the cost and weight a bit. I don't really like inlaid liners either...The blade shape was beautiful and very utilitarian looking however and was of surprisingly thick stock..well that's my two, sorry to be a downer when there are so many singing it's praise.
take care all,

jon
 
Dennis - We'e had very few problems come back to us with this model.

Jon - Nested liners are considerably more expensive to produce than slab liners, but they are stronger, stiffer and produce a thinner piece.

The machine work necessary to "fit" (.001 tolerance) the liner combined with the 2nd depth (for the ball bearing relief) is more difficult than just drilling holes for pins.

sal
 
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