which one should I go with

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dakota1820

Joined
Nov 20, 2011
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96
Hey all. My spyderco delica vg10 needso replacing the blade has always nicked easily and now has trouble taking an edge. I want to get another knife of similar size. I have a buck but the handle is all metal not good for greasy oily hands I am am auto mechanic. Don't want to spend to much maybe 60 bucks. Give or take a little. The Brands I am contemplating against is spyderco buck benchmade kershaw ckrt. What brand do you guys lean towards? Also I need a decent new sharpener don't want to spend a crazy amount but want a decent average sharpener. Any recommendations is greatly appreciated. Thank you all.
 
Can't go wrong with a Kershaw Blur in S30V and a spyderco sharpmaker to keep it healthy.
 
In my experience, the "easily nicked edge" and difficulty getting a sharp edge is typically the result of:

-Unrealistic expectations for the performance of a knife. Some people do unreasonable things with blades and maybe due to Hollywood or whatever, these folks are ignorant of how well a quality knife should perform under various circumstances.
-Not well trained/ignorance on how to actually sharpen a knife.
-(if the knife comes from a quality maker like Spyderco) they have a bad knife (shouldn't have passed qc, bad heat treat, etc.).

For the money, Spyderco and Kershaw have the best value IMO.
 
If you're not sure if your problem is your sharpening skills, there are plenty of folks on these forums who can sharpen your knife for you.
 
Maybe try something with a bit softer (i.e. more forgiving) steel? How about a RAT-1 in AUS-8? I find them very easy to sharpen, and the knife performs very well, especially considering the price. You can get 'em new for about $30+/-, so you can try it out without spending a lot. Plus, they come in several colors and variations:

 
I've been sharpening knives since I was a young kid and never had a problem. I need a new sharpener is my biggest problem and the knife seems to chip easier Than I am used to.
 
I'll go ahead and chime in that chipping a thin edged VG10 blade has nothing to do with "ignorance". It can just happen more in some lines of work when the knife is used a lot.

As to your query, OP, for $60, an Ontario Utilitac II and a DMT 2-sided folding sharpener can be had. The Utilitac uses AUS8 steel, which is less brittle than VG10 in my experience and the blade is more robust than a FFG Spyder knife.
 
You can find a Spyderco Salt around your price range (~$70)... texture FRN handle and H1 non-corrosive blade.
 
Kershaw junkYardDog v2.2. Great heavy duty but pretty cheap.
Contact the kershawman on bf and maybe get a blem cheaper. I've had three....great.

...and Spyderco sharpmaker...cheapest perhaps at your local Walmart, or one of bf advertising knife-shops...about $52 or so.
 
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You should send your knife to spyderco to have it resharpened. It's free other than shipping I think
 
I find my fallkniven vg10 chips easy as well. On factory edge it was terrible. It gets better after being sharpened a lot but still chips easier than my s30v and I'm equally as hard on them both.

Sharpmaker is a good sharpener.
 
dakota1820 said:
Hey all. My spyderco delica vg10 needso replacing the blade has always nicked easily and now has trouble taking an edge.
Click to expand...

Not to dissuade you from getting a new knife...

But stainless steels often hold up better with a steeper edge bevel. You might try going with 20-25dps. If it were my knife I'd take it to a diamond stone and just hand-hone it at a higher angle. Spydercos often have very acute edge geometry.
 
daizee said:
Not to dissuade you from getting a new knife...

But stainless steels often hold up better with a steeper edge bevel. You might try going with 20-25dps. If it were my knife I'd take it to a diamond stone and just hand-hone it at a higher angle. Spydercos often have very acute edge geometry.
Click to expand...

+1. Yeah I'd say have someone re-do the bevel and widen it out a bit
 
I've had a lot of spyderco knives over the years. This sounds more like someone else said:

1) Expectations of knife not matching what knife is capable of. (not the fault of the maker, is the fault of the user in not matching tool to job)
2) Not sharpening it in a manner befitting use, or not adequately removing burr/wire edge before use

I'd reprofile that sucker to a more obtuse edge geometry.

If it's still not performing like you like, get a high carbon steel next time.

What exactly are you cutting anyways? I've used my spydercos on a lot of materials, and the only way I could see getting nicks in the blade edge would be if I was using it to cut electrical wires, stereo wire, that kind of thing. Mine have been used in the woods extensively on small wood situations (whittling, etc), at home, etc.
 
Is it an FFG Delica? Those can have awfully thin edges.

If you're looking for a tough folder that won't break the bank, maybe something from Cold Steel could work for you. A Voyager, American Lawman (or Mini Lawman), Recon 1, Tuff Lite, etc.

Perhaps a small fixed blade like the ESEE Izula or Becker BK-14, they are made from simple carbon steel that will hold up well to hard use.

For sharpening, I don't like any jigs or system. Just get yourself some quality stones (I like Spyderco's ceramic stones, I used their Profile set, as well as an ultra fine Syderco bench stone and a strop for most of my knives).
 
Grab a combo edge blur and with your next check get the spyderco sharpmaker. Use the serrations when you have to cut wire or anything that might mess up the plain edge. The serrations on the blur are nice and the knife it self is very solid and strong. Also the recurve isn't a problem with the combo edge in my opinion because of the serrations.

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I bought anothe buck for now. I an surprised by the number of people recommending Kershaw I've always had bad luck with them. I guess others haven't but me personally I have. I've had great luck with buck and the 420hc steel. Which I know they say is an inferior steel but I've always done well with it
 
co556guy said:
What exactly are you cutting anyways? I've used my spydercos on a lot of materials, and the only way I could see getting nicks in the blade edge would be if I was using it to cut electrical wires, stereo wire, that kind of thing. Mine have been used in the woods extensively on small wood situations (whittling, etc), at home, etc.
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I know know this wasn't directed at me but I think its probably just the VG10.. If I had OCD or something I'd go mad looking up close at my Fallkniven F1 (VG10) if I run my fingernail along it I can feel them all.. End of the day it doesn't bother me much because it still performs but I have to spend a lot longer on it getting the blade right than all my other knives. I don't think its a dud or badly treated I just think it's more prone to tiny chips than other steels.

I like the fixed blade carbon suggestion, if you don't mind sharpening it more often for the pay off of way easier sharpening and don't put it away wet or work with salt water its a great choice.

I love stainless because of how long the edge lasts and the lack of care it wants, but sharpening can be no fun.
 
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