The epitome of a Spyderco?

ThinkOfTheChildren

ThinkOfTheChildren

Joined
Jul 7, 2000
Messages
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People often ask what the "best" Spyderco is. Sometimes others will ask "if you could only have one Spydie, which would it be?"

Well I've got a question for everyone (especially Sal):
Which model best epitomizes a Spyderco?

I would think that it would have to be an in-house design which has sustained over time. I figured probably one of these three:

The Worker? - Seems like a big possibility since it was the first. But it isn't as big today as it once was.

The Military? - The big boy. The famous "quick-draw" knife for Sal. An extremely popular piece.

The Police? - Father of the AFCK and still popular today. This seems to be a common carry piece for knife knuts I run into.

So which would it be? I don't just mean out of these three I mean out of all of 'em. Which one would you choose to represent Spyderco? Which one would you choose to show to some knife-newbie and say triumphantly, "this is a Spyderco!"
 
This question has come up in one form or another a few times. I think that if you consider innovative design, optimized for ease of carry (righty or lefty), advanced ergomonics, I think that the FRN Native (the G10 Native runs were too limited to count), low price.

I really can't think of another Spyderco that hits all the points quite like the Native.
 
I have a few suggestions; the first is the Police because it is in many ways the quintessential Spyder. It was the knife that I think really popularized the Spyderhole and clip, and is a classic design. The second is the Military, because it embodies much of the innovation that I feel is an important hallmark of Spyderco. The first-in-class use of a CPM steel, the innovative eccentric-pivot liner-lock, and the supremely easy-to-use 14mm hole, coupled with that distinctive Spyderco humped shape all combine to make this perhaps the knife that holds within itself the most important qualities of Spyderco. Third, and maybe not quite so obvious is the Gunting. Sure, many companies have produced all-out "combat" designs, but it takes a rare company to combine the innovation of the Compression Lock with the amazingly high levels of fit and finish of all the Guntings I've seen, and the balls to make a knife with such a seemingly specialized niche (though it is really a very versatile knife).
 
I'd have to say the Military was what grabbed my attention. I was all over the 'Net looking into steels that various manufacturers were using at the time, and the CPM 440 jumped outta the text and screamed "quality" at me. So I got a Military, and now I find it hard to think of any other brand of knife. Although I do remember using a friends Police model a while before I bought a Spyder, that left a good impression on me.
 
The knife that I consider the quintessential Spyderco is the serrated, stainless steel handled Police model (C07S).

The Spyderhole, the teeth, the pocket clip and that ultra-cool and classy stainless steel handle all just scream "Spyderco".

I hope that's enough justification for my choice.

Cheers, Jeff/1911.
 
The Delica. Why the Delica? Because it seems there are so many actually out there - being used. My Dad carries one, my wife carries one, my brother carries one - I carry one. It is an excellent, all-round folder for everyone and this is how I think of Spyderco - excellent, all-round tools for anyone and everyone. The Delica personifies this.
 
The Delica is a knife you could give to anyone. It has a blade size for a multitude of task(You can cut a bagel with it, no problem.) It's the right size for carry in most, if not all, 50 states. It is more people friendly than bigger Spyderco's. It carrys well left or right side, IWB, or in the bottom of your pocket(I have a friend who carrys it on his keychain.)
For me, its the one.


Blades
 
If I were to get into this disucssion, I would have to say that the epitome of a Spyderco is not a model, but a concept. A "Spirit dragon devouring knowledge in the eternal quest to evolve reliable high performance products". Sounds good, huh? Well, maybe that's a little far out. But I would say that the epitome model would be the "next" one....always the "next" one.

Also try to keep in mind that we service more than one area of the knife industry. The "epitome" or a large legal folder might be the Lil' Temperance, but it is certainly not the epitome where a light small folder is the goal.

sal
 
.....for the same reasons mentioned previously. :)


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
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