What's your favorite Byrd, and why?

Caffeinepirate

Caffeinepirate

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Jan 29, 2009
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For me, and this is the only byrd I have at the moment, is the Crossbill.

Why? well, let me count the reasons:

1. I have always dug hawkbills, and here is a good quality one that only costs $20!

2. It's awesome how strong it is built. I think I only have one or two other knives that have such a massive handle that screams "I will not fail!!" It locks very solidly, too.

3. When closed, the top part of the handle has a dull point, almost like a skull crusher, except on the opposite end. Very cool.

I had fun abusing it by destroying an old computer. I repeatedly slammed the tip of the blade into the hard plastic that covers the computer tower, and it wouldn't break. It was only after slamming the tip into the metal grating on the back of the computer that the very end broke off. 5 minutes on the sharpening stones, and I remade the tip.


What is your favorite Byrd, and why?
 
Of the 4 I own - Cara Cara, Raven, Crossbill and Flight - I like the Raven best. I prefer the liner lock, its light weight and easy to EDC, I like the G-10 handles and the shape of the blade. Blade size is good for EDC also. They are all great for the price but the Raven is my favorite, especially for an EDC knife.

I do love the Crossbill too - it's just too wide for me to EDC.
 
I gave a Raven (black blade and G10) to my brother in law, and a Finch (FRN) and a Robin (G10) to my wife.

Of those I would prefer the Raven, very useful blade. My wife prefers the Finch for cutting a ton of cardboard and packaging at her job, but the Robin (clip removed) does get some pocket time with her as well. She likes them so much that the purple Ladybug and pink Delica I gave her rarely gets used. Much to my annoyance ;) She thinks they are too nice to use, first step towards becoming a knut..
 
Without a doubt, it's my FRN Cara Cara. It's a very light, stout, easy to grip, super sharp fistful of blade. I loved it out of the box, loved it even more when I convexed the edge, but, after flattening it out, I am just stunned at how this under $20 blade performs. The Byrd's are great.
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I really like the Wings Slipit. Plain and serrated blades in a single, small convenient package. Total win.

The Crossbill's pretty good too, though I prefer a tighter radius on hawkbills (More of a curve to the blade).
 
I've been wanting to pick up a Crossbill for a while now.

My favorite is the Cara Cara though. I love my G10 handle and I prefer larger knives. It's got a solid lock and good enough steel for most chores.
 
Catbyrd, no question. I love framelocks and the ergos on this one are just super. If only it were titanium instead of steel---it's a heavy bugger!
 
Crossbill, for the same reasons that you mentioned. Additionally:

4. It sharpens very easily and holds its edge acceptably. Better steels will likely take a finer edge and hold it longer, but I don't bother progressing past a medium EZE-Lap stone's finish and the sharpening process goes quickly enough that neither issue is really a concern for me.

5. Corrosion resistance. I don't oil mine, I just wipe it off when I'm done using it. Whatever surface rust develops also wipes off. Other things are obviously better but this seems to be good enough, even in a maritime environment.

6. It was only $20 and is commonly available. If it ends up in a bilge or the bottom of a drydock, I won't cry myself to sleep that night. In fact, I would be happy; it would give me an excuse to buy another one with a G10 handle. ;)

What don't I like? The stainless handle. Hot when it's hot out, cold when it's cold out, slick when it's wet out, and heavier than a handle needs to be. Still good, but could be better. G10 ought to solve the problem.
 
Offbeat but my 2 favorites are the all-steel Finch and the FRN Robin. Good ergos, good performance, and I paid less for the pair than for almost any other knife in my collection. I got two duplicates of each and the set of six only totals most of the individual knives in my collection.

That said, I've got a Flatbyrd, a Crossbill (I sense a theme here), and at least one other all-steel version (maybe a Cara Cara, not sure). May have to get a FRN Cara Cara based on Beckerhead's post.

EDIT: The other knife, FWIW, is a Meadowlark.
 
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Chap,
I used a Norton India Combo coarse/fine to flatten the hollows, then slicked it with a Arkansas stones & wet/dry paper. I took it to zero, but it was just too fragile, so I put a convex microbevel on it, and so far it has held up nicely. Here is a shot about midway through, showing just how much I had to take off to get where I wanted.
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I cheated with a belt sander :D.

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I find it cuts alot better now, but the steel handles hurt my hand when I use it hard, my favourite Byrd is the Raven, I find it to be the most comfortable and it doesn't have a shitty grind like the Cara Cara.
 
What a great question. I love most Byrd knives and dislike a few. I have maybe 10. I love to experiment with them on cutting medium and getting wild and crazy with my sharpening technique. They sharpen easy, don’t hold and edge all that well but there is something about the ease of working with this steel 8Cr13MoV that makes it ok. In fact I just plain like this steel. I’m no steel snob. Plus built overall better then anything in their price. I will always have a Byrd…….so to speak. :D
OK, My favs.

Meadowlark, G-10 & FRN

Catbyrd- but why bother at this point. Same price as the Tenacious

Cara Cara- Everyone’s fav.

Flight, G-10 wow what a cool blade.

Crow, I have one in G-10 and black aluminum and use them both often, sharpen the hell out of them but am done with this model for new purchases. Not that I don’t like them. It’s just that other models are better because the liner lock is poor but the blade is perfect.
C1
 
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