The allure of Spyderco

Are you a Spyderco fan

  • Yes

    Votes: 208 67.1%

  • No

    Votes: 26 8.4%

  • Depends on the model

    Votes: 96 31.0%
  • Total voters
    310
I'm a fan, mostly because of the range of choices in models and steels and their reputation for having excellent heat treats. I currently have a Chaparral LW, Smock, Sage 1, and a PM2 and they are listed in order from favorite to least. I don't dislike the PM2 but I'm generally not a fan of larger folders and it takes up quite a bit of room in the pocket, for a tool it feels great in hand and performs well, I just don't like how it carries. My recommendation would depend on the person but I have no problem whatsoever recommending the Chaparral or the Smock to most people as a basic EDC. The Chaparral LW is the perfect utilitarian knife for my day to day needs, it fits my XL hand perfect and has the thinnest blade stock offered in a Spyderco knife making it an amazing slicer. The Smock is a fidget machine and also a pretty good slicer due to the hollow grind, it's what I'd recommend if you prefer a blade over 3" because it takes up very little pocket space, looks good, and is just downright fun to operate. I did have to replace the pocket clip on the Smock because I didn't care for how it carried with the stock clip, the lanyard tube placement took priority over clip placement on this one for the 10 people out there actually using lanyards lol.

Chaparral LW
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Smock
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Want to find the allure of Spyderco? My advice, Ditch any aversion you may have to plastic knives and embrace the lightweight. That is where Spyderco shines, IMO, and those are the models that to me showcase what Spyderco is all about. Purpose made cutting tools in interesting steels made by a company whose owners have an enthusiasts passion for bringing them to you. Don't get me wrong, there are some true gems among the higher ended material models, but with those you may find yourself comparing them to companies that do that better, and miss the forest for the trees. Just get a simple LW Spyderco in a steel the piques your interest, and perhaps you will see the light

hTNkSIj.jpg
 
20220923_123136.jpgI definitely don't consider myself a fanboy, but I appreciate how Spyderco is constantly evolving with new models, sprint runs, upgrading their steel. I do have three that I plan on keeping for a very long time. I do prefer their USA and Japan made knives. The PM2 was my first quality folder.
 
ac3boyz said:
So this is a rabbit hole my needs nor my budget really need to go down, but here goes. I started out about 10 years ago with a BM mini-barrage which served my needs for many years, Then I gained a passion for Protech auto's and was perfectly satisfied for several more years. Most recently, thanks to BF of course, I have acquired several other models of folders, such as Benchmade, ZT, Demko, Hinderer and most recently, Chris Reeve.

I have no idea why but the one knife that just never appealed to me was a Spyderco.

Well it's evident from spending any time on this forum that a LOT of people are really passionate about them so I thought I'd attempt to find out why they are so loved. I'm interested in what you like about them. I'd also be interest in hearing from owners that like a particular model or two only and why.
Also, If you were to recommend one model to a friend, which one would it be?

Thanks!
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My first Spyderco model was a fully serrated Worker, ca. 1987. My favorite is a fully serrated Endura.
 
Knives&Lint said:
Want to find the allure of Spyderco? My advice, Ditch any aversion you may have to plastic knives and embrace the lightweight. That is where Spyderco shines, IMO, and those are the models that to me showcase what Spyderco is all about. Purpose made cutting tools in interesting steels made by a company whose owners have an enthusiasts passion for bringing them to you. Don't get me wrong, there are some true gems among the higher ended material models, but with those you may find yourself comparing them to companies that do that better, and miss the forest for the trees. Just get a simple LW Spyderco in a steel the piques your interest, and perhaps you will see the light

hTNkSIj.jpg
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You sure seem to have the most awesome background for most of your pictures! Where is this located?
 
Well, with everyone's help, I believe I've pretty much decided to go with what, in my mind, would be the flagship of spyderco, the PM2, in either CruWear or S45VN. I really like CruWear and S45VN and have had good results the edge retention and sharpening knives with those steels. 3.5" is a good blade length for me. I'm finding Spyderco uses a lot of steels that I know nothing about and want to stay with something I'm familiar with. I would also like to try out a compression lock.
I'm generally not real hard on my knives but I wouldn't hesitate to use one of my CR or Hinderer knives on a tough job but I can think of situations where I wouldn't want to use them due to the possibility of losing it, ie yard work, fishing, etc, so that will be the purpose of whatever I end up with.

Thanks for your opinions and suggestions!
 
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I've not purchased a Spyderco, but I've handled one. What's great about Spyderco? The blades! Thin grind for easy sharpening and cutting. Excellent choice of steel. And they feel amazingly strong for open frame. I can't quite figure it out. I will be snagging one up soon, because they're one of the best deals on the market.
 
The one knife I've altered more than any other is my Shaman, just recently darkened the TI scales and hardware.

Shaman 9.23.22.jpg

For me, with the TI scales (being heavier) it has character no so different than a Demko AD20.

Given the almost full flat grind it's got characteristics of a heavy user and a delicate slicer, which some of my other larger folders don't have.

Making it my own, I really like carrying this one.
 
AndrewH60 said:
I don't like the ones with a finger choil using up edge length
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I like them, but find them less than perfect for my uses and preferences. I owned two Militarys, and three Manix 2 XLs, 2 Manix 2s, and I ended up regrinding their finger choils into suable edge, and reshaping the handles accordingly. I don't know where all the pics are but here are a couple:
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David Mary David Mary Nice regrinds. I had a Manix 2. There's a couple of things I cut at work that I like to have the longest edge I can have. In fact I'm considering getting a Stainless Police when they become available as that was my first Spyderco many years ago, partly nostalgia, but also to get the blade length.
 
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Well, thanks to this thread I did it... I went and purchased the other Spyderco I had my eye on, Native Chief, the cutlery shoppe exclusive in xhp...
I've been wanting another orange scaled knife for a while now, and another xhp, so two birds with one stone; and while I understand the practical functionality of the thumb "bump" over the hole on most models, the Native Chief with it's clean line across the top, IMO, is the best looking Spydie in the bunch.
 
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A nice thing about the paramilitary is that there is a ton of aftermarket scales out for them,as well as backspacers and pocket clips,too. Gotta hand it to spyderco too for offering so many different blade steels...
 
I have always been a cheap knife guy, thinking a Kershaw can do everything I need and any more $$ than that was craziness.

A Blade Forums rite of passage for me was spending more than $40 for a folder. I now have three Spyders and a BM. While not all that impressed with the Bugout, the Spydercos (PM2's and PM3 LW) have amazingly smooth action and sharp-edge right out of the box. I'm now a believer.
 
Rusty Shackelford said:
I'm a fan, mostly because of the range of choices in models and steels and their reputation for having excellent heat treats. I currently have a Chaparral LW, Smock, Sage 1, and a PM2 and they are listed in order from favorite to least. I don't dislike the PM2 but I'm generally not a fan of larger folders and it takes up quite a bit of room in the pocket, for a tool it feels great in hand and performs well, I just don't like how it carries. My recommendation would depend on the person but I have no problem whatsoever recommending the Chaparral or the Smock to most people as a basic EDC. The Chaparral LW is the perfect utilitarian knife for my day to day needs, it fits my XL hand perfect and has the thinnest blade stock offered in a Spyderco knife making it an amazing slicer. The Smock is a fidget machine and also a pretty good slicer due to the hollow grind, it's what I'd recommend if you prefer a blade over 3" because it takes up very little pocket space, looks good, and is just downright fun to operate. I did have to replace the pocket clip on the Smock because I didn't care for how it carried with the stock clip, the lanyard tube placement took priority over clip placement on this one for the 10 people out there actually using lanyards lol.

Chaparral LW
Y7QoMy5.jpg



Smock
DmFa9qq.jpg
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Oh man... Now you're making me want a Chapparal, I didn't realise they were .08" thick at the spine. I just did a little looking at the different models, do you know if they made any in another steel than XHP? Not that there's anything wrong with XHP, I'm just curious as I didn't see any and usually they offer more steel choices it seems.
 
LimpCroissant said:
Oh man... Now you're making me want a Chapparal, I didn't realise they were .08" thick at the spine. I just did a little looking at the different models, do you know if they made any in another steel than XHP? Not that there's anything wrong with XHP, I'm just curious as I didn't see any and usually they offer more steel choices it seems.
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Yea It's quite thin, especially for a Spyderco, but plenty strong due to the blade shape and my favorite folding knife that I own. The model was created to showcase new handle materials and the steel always stays the same, to my knowledge it has never changed nor has there ever been a sprint run or exclusive. I think XHP is an excellent steel for this knife but I also wouldn't be one bit opposed to seeing it in a high end tool steel like K390 or even M4 in the future as well.
 
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