Where Spydercos Fall Short

Little boys worry about measuring their tools and making comparison charts to prove they measure up.

Men just use their tools as nature intended, and don't worry about proving their measuring or Excel abilities to the locker room.
 
marcinek said:
Mixing "qualitative" and "quantitative" always seems to do that.

And I have a graph to prove it.
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Haha! Speaking of the graph and the math...

One thing That got me was that OP stated that 0.5 is his ideal ratio. Well a folder needs to pivot. When you measure a blades cutting edge, the pivoting area is not included. It will be included in the OAL or included in the handle length. So the math just really doesn't work out to begin with!:confused:
 
newdebate said:
The brown one looks like it gets carried more than the lavender one. Maybe because the lavender one has that huge flat spot on the edge?
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Huh? Flat spot?

And looks can be deceiving. The clip looks more worn because the cheap paint wears off just by looking at it. Also I have had the Delica for 3 years and the CH3001 for less than a year. Which one had the most opportunity to be carried? Which actual has been carried more.... the CH3001. Why does it get carried more? It has more blade for the same length on handle and uses less room in my pocket. That is my preference.
 
Preferences aside, I think a case for Spyderco being the most open to evolution of their designs can be made. First off, the Delica that keeps getting used in this thread is on its FOURTH iteration. Also they embrace the concept of CQI, Constant Quality Improvement. If anything Spyderco designs are the most refined. They make a knife, take real user feedback then go back to the design table and put out something better. Over and over again. Delica/Endura 4, Paramilitary 2/Para 3, Native 5... you get the point.

marcinek said:
Men don't resort to name calling either.
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Now THAT is rich!
 
RLDubbya said:
Little boys worry about measuring their tools and making comparison charts to prove they measure up.

Men just use their tools as nature intended, and don't worry about proving their measuring or Excel abilities to the locker room.
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I'm not sure how to reply to this but dial it back. Your post is bait and really adds nothing.
 
Danke42 said:
I wonder if that edge length calculation included or excluded the area taken up by the thumb studs?

They take a big chunk of usable real estate away from the real world cutting stroke.
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Well, not if it's a hole in the blade, I suspect.

And I've never had a thumb stud detract from any of my real world cutting strokes.
 
Aldebaran said:
Huh? Flat spot?

And looks can be deceiving. The clip looks more worn because the cheap paint wears off just by looking at it. Also I have had the Delica for 3 years and the CH3001 for less than a year. Which one had the most opportunity to be carried? Which actual has been carried more.... the CH3001. Why does it get carried more? It has more blade for the same length on handle and uses less room in my pocket. That is my preference.
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I gave plenty of numbers for why a Case trapper is superior. What's your response?
 
'Where Spydercos Fall Short'

The looks department? Sorry, I know the Spyderco fanboys will burn me at the stake for this but, they're just not good looking knives imo. Ugly looking camel hump on the spine of the blade and the big hole in it. Think I've seen better looking troll dolls. o_O
 
Indoril said:
I hear you about the analysis not being useful to you. Many people feel that way. Obviously there is a lot more in a knife than these types of metrics, but I feel that enthusiasts could pay more attention to them than they currently do, because many folks don't think about it at all. But perhaps only people with a serious case of knife-tism care about metrics like these.
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I don't know OP. Not trying to suggest your ratio couldn't be interesting to somebody, but just not to me. I don't think there's any correlation though with how serious a person is about knives and whether they buy into this analysis. I think I'm serious about knives and I don't buy it. :p My basic issue with it is that, for my usage, the ratio you're talking about doesn't make a difference in the real world. It's a theoretical metric that would have zero real-world impact on how I select, hold, or use general purpose blades.

A great similar example of this is the "caliber wars" in firearms. For years and years, enthusiasts would debate endlessly on forums about the merits of .45 acp versus 9mm as a self-defense cartridge. Years ago, maybe there was a difference due to the state of the tech at the time (ballistics, projectile design, gunpowder, etc.). In the last 10 to 15 years though, it's become almost entirely irrelevant to debate about the merits of .45 vs 9mm purely based on the diameter of the projectile. The tech has brought them to the same level of performance, and the ONLY differences that matter are now that .45 makes a bigger hole, and 9mm gives you more rounds in the same pistol. Given a choice, EVERY SINGLE police officer and service person I know in those circumstances chooses the higher capacity of 9mm because having a higher number of rounds in a gunfight is a far greater practical game changer than some theoretical debate about what differences it may make to have a slightly larger diameter bullet.
 
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IMO, ratio is secondary. The issue I have with certain knives with small b/h ratio has less to do with length and more to do with wanting a blade edge closer to my hand for more leverage. Since many of the mid range, very popular Spyderco's are designed to use such a prominent finger choil on the blade, it pushes the blade further away from my hand in a hammer grip. For those who primarily use a saber grip or palm reinforced grip in their daily tasks, I don't see where the choil reduces cutting ability and may give more options.

The box cutter was a good example of this, as it has great ergos for multiple grips, yet keeps the main cutting area (point) very close to the hand. I do love me some good box cutters for utility cutting tasks. This is also why I prefer a folding knife over a folding box cutter for my personal EDC tasks. Most folding box cutters move the cutting edge further away from the hand, reducing leverage and increases energy usage for long, arduous tasks... although the Wharncliffe style blade helps considerably in that role.
 
That short ratio on spydies is what makes them so great. i believe that ratio gives you more control over and leverage on the blade. I also echo the fact that spyderco has never disappointed me in any way. I EDC a spyderco military because of its incredible cutting performance, ergos, intuitive deployment and ease of carry (especially for its size).
 
Jack_Burton said:
'Where Spydercos Fall Short'

The looks department? Sorry, I know the Spyderco fanboys will burn me at the stake for this but, they're just not good looking knives imo. Ugly looking camel hump on the spine of the blade and the big hole in it. Think I've seen better looking troll dolls. o_O
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Your not alone. I do "get" Spyderco but my non knife friends usually point out Spydies as weird looking.
 
Jack_Burton said:
'Where Spydercos Fall Short'

The looks department? Sorry, I know the Spyderco fanboys will burn me at the stake for this but, they're just not good looking knives imo. Ugly looking camel hump on the spine of the blade and the big hole in it. Think I've seen better looking troll dolls. o_O
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I don't know man, it kinda gives the knives some personality, like a bird's eye and the blade is the beak. My Lionspy looks like a fat lazy pelican. My waved Endura looks like a heron with a pompadour.
 
Lapedog said:
I don't know man, it kinda gives the knives some personality, like a bird's eye and the blade is the beak. My Lionspy looks like a fat lazy pelican. My waved Endura looks like a heron with a pompadour.
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My millies kinda remind me of the spy vs. spy cartoons too.

spy_vs_spy___black_and_white2_by_cluny91-d65pypi.jpg
 
Unfortunately, Spydercos are not available in any B&M knife stores in the Ottawa area so I've never seen one personally, let alone held one. However, I like the longer handle to shorter blade ratio in an EDC blade. I prefer shorter blades, but not the short handles that are typically inherent with their design. That's probably the reason that my sheepsfoot blade is the blade I use the most on my large stockman. Small useful blade, and plenty of handle to hold it with.
 
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