What's your favorite tiny Spyder?

D

DeadManWalking

Joined
Apr 3, 2004
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How about the little guys? The Ladybug, the Jester, the Cricket, and the Kiwi, which do you prefer and why? What edge configuration? What handle material? DeadMan wants to know! :D
 
Favourite: The Cricket, because it's a very big knife in a small package. Always makes me ask why do I need a bigger knife in my pocket.
Second place: the Kiwi, well thought out and sheeple friendly, another little knife with a big heart.
Third place:The Jester, only beaten by the Leatherman Micra on a keyring.

Edited to add:
I prefer stainless on the handle and since I learned to sharpen properly, plain edges. However, the cricket that lives in my pocket is serrated with carbonfibre handle.
 
Have a goodly number of the smaller Spydercos, of the four you mention, here's my take...

Love the Kiwi, it's the smallest knife in my work day EDC rotation. Have the all stainless, jigged bone, a malachite one from Santa Fe, and now a dino bone Santa Fe is on its way to me. The jigged bone sees the most use, as it offers the best grip.

A burgundy micarta Jester is always on my keyring, light and classy looking. Does not see too much real use, as I usually have something bigger with me, but when I do need to use it, I find the ergos fantastic for something that size. Have the all stainless version too, prefer the micarta both for the weight and the feel. Weight? well, I once read somewhere that the heavier your keyring, the faster your ignition switch wears out. May or may not be true, but made sense to me.

Own PE FRN Ladybug. Cute, but to me inferior in almost every way to the Jester.

Do not, and probably never will, own a Cricket. From all accounts, it's a great little knife for the 90% of the population who are right handed, but I'm in the other 10%.
 
I carry a SS Cricket in my Mission Wallet everyday/everywhere:) It loves to eat blister packs!
 
lets see...
small spydies...

Aug 20, 2001-still going... SS Dragonfly, now on neck carry for a long time, 24/7 365 carry. Ergos are great, takes a stupid sharp edge, has made it though 3 yrs of abuse. Hasn't scared too many sheeple.

CE Ladybug: bought one, used it for about 3-4 months and my mother grabbed it from my keys and it lives in her purse now. I've given away 5-6 of em as gifts.

SS PE Jester: still lives on my keys. When I need a super small knife it's there waiting

FRN SE Jester: lives in my first aid kit, great little guy for cutting tape and bandages

Cricket:
Tufram: got me started on my heavy buying, used it for a couple years before upgrading
SS: put a scale overlay on it for more grip, have a bone one on right now. Customized the clip, don't get any reaction till I open it, still sees carry about 20-25% of the time.

Toad: got it, used it at work cutting threads, not much else... back in storage

Kiwi: one of 3 sheeple knives that get rotated in my right pocket dropped in... Usually depends what my left side and fixed carry is. This last time it lived there for about 2 months, just changed it out last week.
 
Almite Navigator

60rc VG10 with oh-so-slight rolling belly, Spydie's most ergo small handle yet, solid lockback (still goes THWAK! with zero blade play), and gunmetal grey Almite scales... a classic. But its popularity seems to have dwindled as it became more affordable. (Funny how that happens, as if its lower price must mean it's "cheaper"?!)

Glen
 
I have to say that my favorite lil' knife that Spyderco has produce has been the Spyderco Wegner Mouse PE w/ aluminum handles. I have used different variations of the Q, dragonfly, cricket, ladybug, jester, navigator, and spur. And they all have pros and cons though I've not really found any cons other than its lil' which is the whole point to the mouse. Thanks again to Jeff Smith for a wonderful trade on this lil' guy. I swapped him a Spyderco Native Blue G10 PE Bladeforums variation for it and have not once regretted the deal. The mouse I have is reportedly one of the hundred or so that has the <>< engraved on the blade. It is an all around knife to carry from a formal to the workshop. The feature I enjoy the most are the notches on the back of the hump where the spydie hole is for your thumb that allows great control in cutting things. I vote for another production run of this lil guy!!! :D
 
As far as small Spyderco's go,I've owned Jesters,Ladybugs,Ladybug II's, Crickets,a police tie clip and a Spyder-Key.With the exception of the Crickets,all were too small to deploy the blade using the Spyder Hole feature.I daily carry an FRN SE Cricket in my PJ pocket.I also bought a S/S Cricket for use as a Gent's knife (weddings,funerals,opening Christmass packages,etc.)and am looking to obtain a couple of Delicas as we speak.tom. :)
 
The Deacon said:
Do not, and probably never will, own a Cricket. From all accounts, it's a great little knife for the 90% of the population who are right handed, but I'm in the other 10%.
Click to expand...
So am I but I really like my SS cricket. It's easy enough to open one handed but, admittedly, a little tricky to close left handed. It is permanently clipped to the inside top pocket of my jacket. Great little knife.

I have a Ladybug/LED light combo on my key ring, the perfect attachments.

Nobody else here has mentioned it, which surprises me a little but I also have a Meerkat. This was actually my first ever Spyderco. It fits perfectly in the front pocket of my jeans. Not so big that it gets in the way but big enough for any small cutting job. It's only downside is the really bad clip.
 
The Ladybug in PE would be my pick.
However, my favorite (really) tiny Spydie has Ti handles and ATS-34 blade, full flat grind and SE. Guess what it is? ;)
 
Are you talking about the Police Necklace or tie pin knives? BTW my favorite tiny Spydercos are the plain edge Ladybug and Ladybug II sheepsfoot.
 
For a guy would likes big knives, I consider the Native to be the best small Spyderco!!! :-)

BUT if push comes to shove... The Dragonfly is nice... not too small and fits my hand well. And I have a soft spot for the old Co-Pilot, as it was one of the first couple of Spyderco knives I bought.
 
I have my SS Cricket with me all the time and it is my favorite small spydie. The thing is amazingly solid, stout, smooth, and handy.

I did add cocobolo scales, remove the clip, and added a lanyard. All of this makes the grip just right for me, and it's very nice to look at too.

[edited to add] I try to be as ambidexterous as possible with knives, and do not have any trouble opening and closing it left handed. Different motion and grip for each hand but works fine either side.

Chris
 
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