Three great things about the Persistence

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flash900

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Much has been written about the deservedly popular Spyderco Persistence.

On the downside, it's a bit heavier than many of us would like, and the silver clip would be spiffier if it were black and deep-pocket.

Those are nits for what is otherwise an excellent blade.

Here's three things I really like about this high value blade:

-- The deployment hole: good size and one of the easiest to use.

-- Lockup: tightest of any of my Spydies.

-- Best of all, blade shape: It's my absolute favorite. Other blades are close: Sage, Cat, Chicago, and Dragonfly. But there is something subtly different and IMO, better about the shape of the Persistence.

Sal, may we please have more blades in the same shape as the Persistence? In size, the sweet spot for me is blades from 2.5- 2.75 inches.
 
My Persistence arrived today and this knife has a true winning form! It immediately felt familiar and comfortable. (In part because it's remarkably close to a clone of the Sage 1, which I've had for a few weeks. And in part because it's designed just right.) Not too big, not too small. Great FFG leaf shaped blade. Home run for the money, as far as I'm concerned. While the Sage 1 has better materials... the Persistence makes a great stand-in for the Sage, but at a much lower price. Love it!

I do plan to Flitz polish the tang and bronze washers with my Dremel, just to slick her up a bit, though. Great knife. I'm planning to buy some for my best buddies.

P.S. OH yeah... the clip. It's a MONSTER. Overkill. Personally, I'd vote for the same black wire clip as on the Sage. Minimal perfection and deep carry.
 
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flash900...

I did the fluff 'n' buff on the Persistence. Found there were, count 'em, SIX bronze phosphor washers in there! I wonder why? Careless assembly or intentional? Oh well. Reassembled with four washers. Still have rock solid lock up. The effort did slick-it-up a bit, but perhaps not so much as to be worth the effort, I don't think. Anyway... great knife! I am totally thrilled with the Persistence. And as you can see in the pic, the size is really just awesome for EDC. For $25 or so, it's a slam dunk awesome value.

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In comparison to my Sage 1, I actually prefer the design/form/ergonomics of the Persistence to the Sage 1, though the Sage 1 is a wonderful knife made of awesome materials.

I'll do some comparison pics showing just how similar the Persistence is to the Sage 1 in overall size and shape (quite similar!!!). Yet the Persistence has a totally different (and better, in my view) feel in the hand. Sal mentioned that they spent a considerable amount of time fine tuning the ergos of the Persistence and it shows... it seems to me that, possibly, the Persistence got a bit more perfecting design-wise than the Sage 1 got. Or perhaps I just feel that the resulting design came together better with the Persistence.

If the Persistence were made with CF scales, SV30 or 154CM blade steel, and having the same black wire clip as the Sage 1 has... it would for sure become an instant (massive!) hit and probably a long-run classic best-seller. I think Sal has truly perfected his designs with the creation of the Persistence. No doubt the Persistence, as it is, will sell extremely well. But I'm looking forward to some sprint-run upgraded Persistencees! Or how about.... Pernacious? ;)
 
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ZDHart,

I find myself agreeing with just about everything you post, including the comparison of the Persistence and Sage CF.

Even in its current humble incarnation, without any of the upgrades you mention, the Persistence is a sell-out.

Sal, I hope that you have more in store for us than the promised 4" version of the Persistence.....A smaller blade would also be appreciated!
 
Finally bought my first Spyderco yes it’s the Persistence. I dearly love my Kershaws but everything in Kershaw’s line up at the moment is pretty close in blade shape & size to my Zing. 2 things got me about the Persistence; 1: blade geometry shape & flat grind 2) nostalgia. Let me explain the nostalgia I used to flick(wrist) and drop open lockbacks by the nail nick now I’ve got the same thing in a liner lock and it puts me back in High School mentally with my old 110 and Kershaw Blackhourse. And Sal I finally bought 1.
Now the long term question is if the steel is up to snuff or will I have to upgrade to a different knife. But I am probably done with folders for awhile with this one.
 
I love FFG blades, and I own a whole lot of them, from dragonfly to military size, from VG-10 to ZDP, but persistence is the one in my pocket everyday, weird
 
I love the FFG leaf shaped blade, the G10 scales, and especially, the length of the cutting edge... that it comes fully all the way back to the grip... no need to move your hand up to a choil to get close to the cutting edge... it's already right there at the edge of the grip! Nice.

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I can't stop playing with mine... flicking it open over and over and over... I wonder if I'll wear out the liner lock... but it's so thick and beefy, that even if it moves all the way across the engagement surface to the other liner, it will still be fully engaged. That's awesome! The locking surface is fantastic. Bottom knife in this pic:

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The Persistence is one of my favorite knives among quite a few very nice (and much more expensive) knives.
 
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Thanks for the pics and the review. I just picked up the Tenacious, Persistence's bigger brother. I totally agree about the cutting edge coming all the way back to the grip; It's useful and dead sexy. I nearly bought the "P" instead of the "T", but I have several blades around the same size as the P, and wanted something bigger for variety's sake.
 
TLBS... the "T" is an awesome knife for sure. I bought one, but my first impression was that it felt a little too big for the EDC use that I envisioned, so I returned it (just for the size reason - I was very impressed with it otherwise). Guess what... as soon as I dropped it off at the post office to return it I regretted doing so. I almost called the seller to send it back to me again when they received it, but decided to order a "P" from them instead. No way I'll return the "P"... in fact, I just ordered another "P" to give to my friend for his upcoming birthday. He's going to love it. Pretty sure it'll replace his CRKT Carson M16-12 as an EDC.
 
I saw a post where someone is looking for a blade in-between the Sage and Persistence. At first I thought he meant in size, which would make no sense. No, he meant in quality.

I probably lack the experience, but I couldn't think of anything. Instead, I wondered why the "P" wouldn't be good enough for anyone except a collector.

I own both blades. The Sage CF satisfies my yearnings for an upscale blade. (Not need -- no one really needs a more expensive knife.)

The P satisfies all my other needs for a blade of this size. I'm already thinking about getting a second one before someone makes a mistake and decides to take this gem off the market.

And a bargain to boot. The P and the sold-out Cat aren't just two of my favorite value knives, they're two of my favorites period. Thanks Sal and Spyderco.
 
flash900 said:
The P satisfies all my other needs for a blade of this size. I'm already thinking about getting a second one before someone makes a mistake and decides to take this gem off the market.

And a bargain to boot. The P and the sold-out Cat aren't just two of my favorite value knives, they're two of my favorites period. Thanks Sal and Spyderco.
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Every day I think about ordering a second "P" for myself. Irrational, really. I already have one. Plus plenty of other great knives. Why would I need a second Persistence? Somehow that knowledge doesn't stop me from thinking I should buy another one anyway... crazy, I tell ya, just crazy. :rolleyes:
 
While shopping for the Dragonfly G10 and the Michael Walker Sprint Run I realized I like the shape of the Persistence better than that of either of those more expensive blades -- both of which I seriously want.

So I ordered a second Persistence -- $24.80 at Cutlery Shoppe.

Now if could only find a second Cat.......
 
I finally decided that I needed to have a spyderco in my collection, (never had one before) ...so when I saw the Persistence I thought "WOW! what a good looking little knife, and only $30 ...I'm sold!" Then while checking out other spydercos the Military realy caught my eye, so I had to get one of those too.... :D
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I must say that the military is a MONSTER! I like it, but the surprising thing is that I find myself a bit more impressed by the little Persistence. The $30 knife has a smoother action and more solid looking/feeling steel liners than the $130 knife!

I like the grippy texture of the handles on both knives. The clip on the "P" was a bit too tight so I bent it back just a little so that I can actually get it in and out of my pocket.

I do wish that both clips were set up for deeper carry, but it's not too big a deal for me. ....Oh, and I preffer the uncoated steel finish to a black finish, since every other black clip I've had just rubs the coating off when carried, and ends up looking like crap. :o
 
BryFry,

Might be the first time I've seen the Persistence referred to as little, but what an interesting comparison.
 
flash900 said:
BryFry,

Might be the first time I've seen the Persistence referred to as little, but what an interesting comparison.
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Haha, Well I guess I'm thinking "little" mostly in comparison with the Military, since I received them both at the same time. :) (the Military is HUGE for a folder IMHO)

I should have taken a pic of them side by side. But I guess that on its own I would consider the Persistence to be an "average" sized folding knife. Though maybe a bit wider than most.

Love its wide fully flat ground blade! I'm thinking it would make a decent wood working blade. I'll probably give it a convex edge here soon too.:thumbup:
 
When I got my P, it was the largest blade I had -- and it's still the most portly.

Slim down that P a bit and put me in Spydie heaven. (Oh, and bring back the Cat -- just a bit upscale while you're at, please, Sal and company.)
 
I have a T, but no P yet. I agree that a slightly slimmer P would be the bomb, but only slightly. It's great the way it is though. Thanks, Sal, for a home run!
 
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