Tenacious Lighweight in 8cr13mov VS s35vn

[TakaBKK]

I would go with the upgrade. 8cr is a great better steel. I gifted my brother my Resilience as a work knife. He uses it super hard. However, about once every two weeks he drops it on my desk for me to sharpen. It's a butter knife by then.

The S35VN should give you better performance. However, in the case of my brother, he won't learn to sharpen since he knows I actually like doing it The 8cr works for his needs, and if I am going to have to take a blade to a serious stone, I prefer it to be easier to sharpen. It'd take me way longer to get the S35VN up to the same level of sharpness.

It just depends on how much maintenance you're going to invest in keeping the edge poppin'.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting to hear that 8cr stands up to so much hard use. (Much more than I’d be using it, realistically.)
Still considering easy/regular sharpening VS fewer/harder sharpening. I’m leaning towards the s35vn.

 

[TakaBKK]

Going to chime in once again... I have had corrosion issues with 8Cr13MoV in the past. It's not terrible, but for a "stainless" it does leave something to be desired. Used a Tenacious as a fishing knife for a while and did find occasional rust spots on it. S35VN is superior to 8Cr13MoV in corrosion resistance in my personal experience. If your knife will experience humid/wet/corrosive environments often, S35VN will probably be a better choice.

Thank you. That’s what I was thinking. It’s so humid where I live. Having to worry less about rust is definitely a plus point.

 

[TakaBKK]

How many times a day average do to pull your knife out to use? Be realistic.

If <1, then your 8CR will be adequate.
If >1, then you would want the S35VN.

It's quite a big jump from 8Cr to S35VN. For 100 however, you're getting pretty close to more premium (plastic lol) spydercos.

Good points. Ouch, it hurts having to be realistic and honest with oneself.
Nowadays, it’s =0 as I never carry a knife with me. Though I do often think “I wish I had one now.”
Anything ‘above’ the Tenacious is so expensive here. I remember the Caribbean in LC200N (probably my grail knife) is, like, $300.

 

[Chronovore]

How many times a day average do to pull your knife out to use? Be realistic.

If <1, then your 8CR will be adequate.
If >1, then you would want the S35VN.

It's quite a big jump from 8Cr to S35VN. For 100 however, you're getting pretty close to more premium (plastic lol) spydercos.

Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear that the s35vn is not terribly difficult to sharpen. I’m not a Spidey guy either and, aesthetically, don’t really like most of their knives (too much blade “wasted” with the finger choil) which is whay drew me to the Tenacious.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting to hear that 8cr stands up to so much hard use. (Much more than I’d be using it, realistically.)
Still considering easy/regular sharpening VS fewer/harder sharpening. I’m leaning towards the s35vn.

It's not that S35VN is necessarily harder to sharpen. Generally, it just takes a little longer. That can mean keeping your angle consistent for more strokes but if you are using a guided system (or just enjoy sharpening), then is that really an issue? Lots of people find it quicker or "easier" than S30V.

Going with higher edge retention doesn't just mean sharpening less often. It means having more time in which you can count on your knife being sharp when you need it before maintenance becomes mandatory. That said, maintenance isn't always sharpening. You can get more life out of an edge by stropping as needed. You'll also have an easier time if you never let it get down to "butter knife" levels in the first place.

As far as Spyderco, I sometimes love the company more than I love the knives. Sure, they aren't always the prettiest knives. Some models have thicker stock than I care about. Knives like the Sage 5 and Kapara would be amazing except their choil/groove placements force me into an unnatural grip. While the Dragonfly and Rockjumper work for my hands, I don't usually like back locks either. Maybe I need to get an S35VN Tenacious...

 

[MolokaiRider]

Well David Mary I finally caved and ordered a standard Resilience.

I also admire the design quite a bit, but was always tenative of the budget steel.

This thread has confirmed I am probably over-thinking it too much.

 

[David Mary]

Standard as in G10? If so, I wish you had told me you were thinking about it, and I would have encouraged the FRN instead. The G10 on the Spyderco Chinese folders is already more slick than Golden folders, and gets even more so as time goes on. In fact, I am pretty sure that once my FRN arrives, before I even think of selling my G10, I will probably dremel some texture on there to make it more grippy for the next owner.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Standard as in G10? If so, I wish you had told me you were thinking about it, and I would have encouraged the FRN instead. The G10 on the Spyderco Chinese folders is already more slick than Golden folders, and gets even more so as time goes on. In fact, I am pretty sure that once my FRN arrives, before I even think of selling my G10, I will probably dremel some texture on there to make it more grippy for the next owner.

Yes, the standard G10 version in 8cr13mov. Thanks for the heads up concerning the lack of traction.

I really do admire the size and profile of the blade though. Maybe I will throw some aftermarket scales on to spruce it up.

 

[TakaBKK]

It's not that S35VN is necessarily harder to sharpen. Generally, it just takes a little longer. That can mean keeping your angle consistent for more strokes but if you are using a guided system (or just enjoy sharpening), then is that really an issue? Lots of people find it quicker or "easier" than S30V.

Going with higher edge retention doesn't just mean sharpening less often. It means having more time in which you can count on your knife being sharp when you need it before maintenance becomes mandatory. That said, maintenance isn't always sharpening. You can get more life out of an edge by stropping as needed. You'll also have an easier time if you never let it get down to "butter knife" levels in the first place.

As far as Spyderco, I sometimes love the company more than I love the knives. Sure, they aren't always the prettiest knives. Some models have thicker stock than I care about. Knives like the Sage 5 and Kapara would be amazing except their choil/groove placements force me into an unnatural grip. While the Dragonfly and Rockjumper work for my hands, I don't usually like back locks either. Maybe I need to get an S35VN Tenacious...

Makes me wish for a bigger selection at reasonable prices (but, alas, that’s not going to happen) so one could actually try out different handles/grips and steel types. We have to order online from local dealers so we can’t even hold a knife to see how it fits into the hand before buying it.

 

[TakaBKK]

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and advice. Much appreciated.
I ordered the s35vn… which is what I wanted. (The 8cr was already sold out.)
And the dealer even sent me a picture that the blade is nicely centered.

 

[TakaBKK]

Standard as in G10? If so, I wish you had told me you were thinking about it, and I would have encouraged the FRN instead. The G10 on the Spyderco Chinese folders is already more slick than Golden folders, and gets even more so as time goes on. In fact, I am pretty sure that once my FRN arrives, before I even think of selling my G10, I will probably dremel some texture on there to make it more grippy for the next owner.

That is why I sold my Persistence in blue G-10 witthout ever using it (so I could sell it ‘like new’). I really didn’t like the feel of the G-10. Still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. A weird slickness too it.

 

[Chronovore]

Makes me wish for a bigger selection at reasonable prices (but, alas, that’s not going to happen) so one could actually try out different handles/grips and steel types. We have to order online from local dealers so we can’t even hold a knife to see how it fits into the hand before buying it.

On the one hand, I'm glad that so many great knives are available online. On the other hand, that usually means you don't get to try them before buying. Sure, you could probably return one that doesn't fit your hand but I'll only do that if I really have to. I appreciate and respect the dealers who make that possible. So I've gotten better at eyeballing ergonomics and features that I like.

A place like Walmart is good in that you can handle most things. A main problem there is that they don't tend to carry a lot of good modern knives. Brands like WE, Kizer, and Bestech are totally absent. That in turn shelters brands with a spot there from competition (such as Kershaw, Gerber, and CRKT) and keeps them from improving. So while you might find a decent budget knife at Walmart, it's largely a quality desert. I actually visited the sporting goods counter at the closest Walmart yesterday... The nicest things they had were a Blur and a Buck 119. Otherwise, it was a sea of garbage, assisted knives, lots of 8Cr13Mov and 7Cr17Mov, and even one in 5Cr15...

I've heard that things are better at dedicated knife shops but those can be few and far between geographically.

 

[Dergyll]

Theres a shop in a mall near my house that sells ninja stuff and incense, etc. They have a few spydercos, kershaw, CRKT, and price them astronomically high. I think they're assuming the people that buy knives there dont know much about it.

On the flipside, the walmart near my house prices buck110 at about 30$, blurs at 40$, minimalist at 20$, etc. They have SAKs that are also priced exceptionally low.

Best to find a "hand model" on YouTube to get a sense of how the knife handles... my personal hand model is nick shabazz as we have similar sized hands.

 

[TakaBKK]

On the one hand, I'm glad that so many great knives are available online. On the other hand, that usually means you don't get to try them before buying. Sure, you could probably return one that doesn't fit your hand but I'll only do that if I really have to. I appreciate and respect the dealers who make that possible. So I've gotten better at eyeballing ergonomics and features that I like.

A place like Walmart is good in that you can handle most things. A main problem there is that they don't tend to carry a lot of good modern knives. Brands like WE, Kizer, and Bestech are totally absent. That in turn shelters brands with a spot there from competition (such as Kershaw, Gerber, and CRKT) and keeps them from improving. So while you might find a decent budget knife at Walmart, it's largely a quality desert. I actually visited the sporting goods counter at the closest Walmart yesterday... The nicest things they had were a Blur and a Buck 119. Otherwise, it was a sea of garbage, assisted knives, lots of 8Cr13Mov and 7Cr17Mov, and even one in 5Cr15...

I've heard that things are better at dedicated knife shops but those can be few and far between geographically.

Our online selection is very limited. We have 3 online dealers. Across all of them, there are maybe 10 models of Spyderco and 5 models of BM available. And then mostly high-end CF or m390/etc models. Civivi/etc only at one shop.

Wallmart (or our equivalent) does not carry knives. Weapon stores carry some knives, but at horrendous prices and basically a no-no for foreigners to enter. There’s one mall that I can think of, but even less variety and even higher prices.

Returns are NEVER possible (online or store). Under no circumstances.

It’s like you said, eyeball the ergonomics and aesthetics, watch YouTube videos… and (I should have done that much earlier) ask on Bladeforms for advice. Then it’s buy, pay, and accept what you get.

A while ago I ordered a Rat-2 in orange. It was so off-center that it totally destroyed all enjoyment. I sold it at a fraction of the price as “as new buy severely off-center”.

Add to that the unfortunate reality that, when buying online, one never knows if they’re real or not. The market it swamped with fake Spydies, BM, Cold Steel, etc. Common sense will tell you if it is a fake (cheap price) but many are sold at “full price” to compound the issue.

And then there’s the mystery Chinese steel cheap-o knives. It’s nice when they say ‘3cr’, but often they’ll say ATS34, m390, CPM-xx. So one knows this is real junk.
(Off topic: I could be quite happy with Ganzo. They might copy Spy/BM but at that price they are obviously not. 440c and axis lock are all good. But they are soooo heavy. Thick stock, thick liners. I tried drilling holes into a liner with a big drill press - only to break the liner. Impossible to even make a tiny center-punch dent.)

Coming full circle, this is pretty much why I want one folder that I can be happy with “forever”.
I say forever with a

 

[Wandering_About]

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and advice. Much appreciated.
I ordered the s35vn… which is what I wanted. (The 8cr was already sold out.)
And the dealer even sent me a picture that the blade is nicely centered.

I think you've made a good choice. The Tenacious is a solid knife, and with S35VN it should be even better. Hopefully you end up liking it when you get it in hand. There may be a bit of a learning curve for sharpening (may want to start learning on a different knife) but S35VN with the right skills and equipment is not all that difficult to sharpen. It responds very well to diamond stones, if you are able to get hold of those.

 

[TakaBKK]

I think you've made a good choice. The Tenacious is a solid knife, and with S35VN it should be even better. Hopefully you end up liking it when you get it in hand. There may be a bit of a learning curve for sharpening (may want to start learning on a different knife) but S35VN with the right skills and equipment is not all that difficult to sharpen. It responds very well to diamond stones, if you are able to get hold of those.

Thank you. Can’t wait for it to arrive. I bought a Worksharp Precision Adjust a while ago (still not used, but I think they’re diamond stones). So now I’m all set up.

 

[Bob Denman]

Throw another vote on the S35VN pile from me.
It is a VERY worthwhile upgrade.

 

[TakaBKK]

Throw another vote on the S35VN pile from me.
It is a VERY worthwhile upgrade.

Thanks for sharing. I’ve never had s35vn but everyone has spoken so highly of it. I’m anxiously waiting for it to arrive. (Christmas present for myself.)

 

[Bob Denman]

Christmas has come early, and in a really great way for you this year!

 

[TakaBKK]

Christmas has come early, and in a really great way for you this year!

Thank you. Glad to hear you also think highly of this folder. I am very happy too.

And I am grateful for all the comments and feedback. After watching (too many?) YouTube viseos I was getting the impression that the Tenacious is ‘not good’ and that the s35vn version is ‘not worth it’. This platform is much more down to earth and a place where users can share/exchange their experiences and opinions.

 

[David Mary]

You will find a lot of people even on Bladeforums who will say the Tenacious is no longer "relevant" given the variety of quality knives offered at the same price point. For me, it is a question of all the design elements of the Tenacious coming together in a way that I really like. Full length cutting edge, neutral handle that you can get all the way up to the cutting edge on, but safely without undue risk of slipping up on the blade, a blade shape and geometry that has a great balance of strength and cutting ability (though I tend to regrind mine for even more cutting ability at the expense of some strength), negative blade angle for added leverage, a locking mechanism that is quite strong, and very user friendly, including easy to use left handed... Combine that with the fact that I detest flipper knives (which seem to be invariably the types of designs that people tout as "better" than the Tenacious) and you have a knife that, while some may turn their noses at it, will work, and cut and work and cut, and feel great in the hand doing so.