Thinking of Spyderco Byrd

thejamppa

thejamppa

Joined
Aug 20, 2009
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Hi all!

I am quite curious about this Spyderco El-cheapo-china line. I'll probably get one of the smaller knives of Byrd line, just to see how they fare.

Two I am looking now are:

Spyderco Byrd Robin Steel Handle plain edge.

Spyderco Byrd Starling.

Both fit my bill: Under 3" blade and under 3,5" when closed. Which one would be better for Urban EDC?

I am bit leaning to Starling since its far cheaper in here than Robin... Its roughly half of the price of Robin. So I am kinda thinking getting Starling and if quality is satisfactory I might think Robin.

But does anyone here has experience of either knife. How they have fared, their quality and sutch. Thank you advance
 
thejamppa said:
I am quite curious about this Spyderco El-cheapo-china line.
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That is probably not how I would characterize them. They might not be the same quality as the much more expensive Spyderco main line knives, but they are very good blades for the money.

But does anyone here has experience of either knife. How they have fared, their quality and sutch. Thank you advance
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Not with those particular knives, but I do own a couple of Byrds. I was very impressed with the quality of the knives considering their low cost and would not discourage anyone from buying a Byrd.
 
I have several Byrd knives including the Robin. My current favorite in the Byrd line is the Crow as that size fits my needs best.

As for the blade steel, it's a good performer that takes a really good edge. I think Spyderco did an excellent job heat treating it. The only thing I would consider is to get the G-10 handled versions. I also have a Crow with the FRN handle and it's too slick compared to the G-10 version.

Which ever Byrd knife you decide on, it's a great value knife. Cheap in price but not in quality. That's what I think of them.
 
I have four Byrds, they are simply awesome knives for the money. The Cara Cara doesn't even deserve the reservation, it's simply a very nice folder, and my favourite Byrd. Solid lockback, razor sharp, good steel, good scales, nicely shaped blade... It makes you wonder what possesses people (like me) to spend 10x that money on another folder. Practically speaking there is very little left to desire.
One advice: Go for the models with the lockback. I personally do not care for their liner locks.
 
Robin is OK, but for a small SS pocket folder you'll do heckuvalot better with a Dragonfly.

dragonvinci.jpg


I think the main problem with Robin is that there's an awful lot of steel and weight for a tiny, yet thick blade. Robin is solid as hell, no problem there, though. I'll get you a photo of the two side by side later.
 
The blade length is deceiving cause of the finger guardl. So the Robin actually has a 2" blade rather than the 2 1/2" thats advertised. I got a meadowlark cause it's advertised as 3" but is actually 2 1/2 " (legal for my Chicago trips ). But they are very good knives for the buck. Absolutly no blade play and G10 scales....
 
I've been thinking Dragonfly... but price:
19€ Byrd Starling
35€ Byrd Robin
39€ Meadowlark
69€ Dragonfly

So its huge difference between Byrds and Dragonfly in here, behind God's back.
 
Here ya go

spydiesmalls.jpg


Dragonfly in FRN and SS, Robin in SS. Robin's handle is twice as heavy as the Dragonfly's, although the edge lenght is identical. Robin also has a very thick blade:

blades.jpg


Robin is pretty massive for a small knife!

robindragon.jpg


... but it is rock solid and a great little cutter.
 
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Have one of the larger hawkbill Byrds. It's relegated to box cutter status only since I have no other use for that blade type.
Works extremely well. I touch up the edge on a crockstick setup after every use (I get a lot of boxes that need to be dealt with) mostly just in case and it's held up fine. It can go through several boxes in a session without edge loss.
Solidly constructed and well made.
Denis
 
Sturdy is good. I am impressed by the Robin... I perhaps order cheaper Starlinger for EDC urban in early next month and if I get paycheck in next month for erxtra work today not not month after that I will buy Robin (when ever the paycheck comes of these extra hours )
 
The Byrd line is alright, good for the money. I have a crow which was my EDC for 6 months. I beat the knife up pretty good and it still works well. That being said, it still is a cheap knife, and it is most evident in the bushings. I haven't had the knife apart but they feel like delrin or something. Mine are starting to wear and the action is getting choppy.

For 20 bucks it's hard to beat, but I'd spend another twenty bucks more and get something like the Tenacious(which I now EDC).
 
thejamppa said:
I've been thinking Dragonfly... but price:
19€ Byrd Starling
35€ Byrd Robin
39€ Meadowlark
69€ Dragonfly

So its huge difference between Byrds and Dragonfly in here, behind God's back.
Click to expand...

Wow, didn't realize just how expensive knives are in Europe. :eek:
 
dsmegst said:
Wow, didn't realize just how expensive knives are in Europe. :eek:
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Yeah, especially in Finland where some unnamed... peoples *cough* Ministers *cough* has kept nice VAT in prices. It has been years 22% and they now raise it to 23% ( they planned to raise it 25% earlier ) due economical depression...

Its so much cheaper to buy knives in the states. Even with shipping and handeling they're far cheaper than bought natively...

@slidetechnik:
You speak probably a lot truth in that. I have Tenacious but its too big for Urban EDC IMHO. Its perfect for outdoors but not that much of Urban environment. Pesistence would be quite good option but poor availability atm limits options and the thing called money.
 
thejamppa said:
I've been thinking Dragonfly... but price:
19€ Byrd Starling
35€ Byrd Robin
39€ Meadowlark
69€ Dragonfly

So its huge difference between Byrds and Dragonfly in here, behind God's back.
Click to expand...

They cost less here, but the difference between the Robin and the Dragonfly is still huge.

~$20 for a Robin and ~$50 for a Dragonfly.

Dragonfly is overpriced IMO.
 
One more thing about the Robin: it has an incredibly strong and tight lock for such a midget knife.

However, overall strenght is not what I'm looking for in a small pocket folder, so I EDC the lighter and more elegant Dragonfly. The FRN Dragonfly with serrated edge was in my keyring for years, it's very light, but you wouldn't believe what it does to thick cardboard. It just zips through several layers.

The Robin was my replacement for the FRN Dragonfly, but it was just too heavy and, I don't know, kinda stiff for the small knife stuff that I got it for. And the blade is unnecessarily thick IMO.

But what the hell, just get one.
 
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