Which Spyderco are you carrying today?

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Throwback Thursday : Endura 3 from 2002 😊
 
After 4 days with the Mantra 4, I like it even more than I did on day 1. The contoured handle feels good. It feels very light in hand. There is almost no ricasso to speak of, the edge goes all the way to the handle.

The handle length is identical to the Delica, but the sharpened edge of the blade is only 0.5" less than an Endura. Quite impressive packaging.

The action is great, it's very fidgety. The materials, especially the G10, feel very nice to the touch. It's definitely a step above the Tenacious in materials and fit and finish. And Eric hit a home run with the design. This quite poss the perfect edc for the office. Light and elegant and discreet, very non threatening. Perfect for opening packages, trimming threads off your shirt cuff, cutting an apple at your desk. It feels like modern interpretation of your grandfather's trapper.

I feel like it's a great bargain for the asking price of $67.50. And down the road, the Mantra 4 would really benefit from a high edge holding steel like 20CV or HAP40. I look forward to the first exclusive or sprint.

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I'm trying to hold out for at least a S35VN version of the Mantra 4. Spyderco's 8cr is probably as good as it gets and I really will feel foolish eventually if I miss out. But since I bought the S35VN versions of the Persistence and Tenacious the 8cr versions are hardly ever carried. People may scoff at where they are made but Sal and Eric must hold them very accountable for quality control. As thin as it is I don't know if 20CV would be good. Maybe. I'd prefer something with some toughness in the mix. MagnaCut would be the current go to but S35VN would be a bit lower cost. Or go nuts with M4 or K390...
 
The Mantra 4 looks like a great knife.
Judge me as you wish, it’s still hard for me to get onboard personally with the location of origin.
I do understand the benefits to SPYDERCO for having a knife like this at its price point, so no shade to Spyderco or to anyone grabbing a good knife at a good price.

All that said, 2-ish years ago I was visiting a relative in Boulder (air travel) and grabbed an Astute from SFO so I wasn’t pocket naked. Both the design and execution were on-point.
I’m pretty sure it’s been my Boulder relative’s edc since that visit.

<<sorry for the off topic rant>> ☮️
 
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