Which Spyderco, or other to start with for a ~$50 EDC

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pjmaxm

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Nov 29, 2005
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Well I think it is about time to upgrade my EDC. In my TBBF (Time Before BladeForums) I bought a Gerber Mini-Covert. While I really like the size and the overall design, I am not a big fan of the blade and that little "Taiwan" is starting to drive me crazy. My general guidelines for my edc are:

1. Either a fiberglass or similar synthetic material handle. I LOVE G10 handles but at ~$50 it seems that a G10 handle is out of reach.
2. Blade of between 3"-4". 4" must be the maximum because I live in CT.
3. Strong lock, not looking for fighting folder strongest ever, but a good strong lock.
4. Going to be an every day knife, nothing to crazy or expensive. Doesn't have to really be personal protection suitable, I just got a Camillus Cuda CQB2 to carry (by the way thanks to the forum for turning me onto that knife, NICE knife especially for the $50 I paid).
5. Made in the USA

With this price range, my list of guidlines, and looking to step up in quality from the Gerber Mini-Covert; Spyderco seems to me to be my answer. They have a few models that look appealing to me and was wondering which you all would recommend. If you have another suggestion other than a Spyderco, I am open to hearing some other options. The Spyderco's I have been looking at are:
Delica
Centofante III
Calypso Jr

Thanks everyone for any and all input.
 
The Spydeco Native in CPMS30V from Wal-Mart at $40 is a good one to consider, especially since you have the advantage of a hands on purchase so you can assure the lock up is strong, the blade centered when closed, and the fit and finish are as you want, even if it means looking over all of the ones in stock. The Native is made in Golden Colorado.

Otherwise a Salt 1 is a great choice but they are made in Seki Japan. I sure like mine and it is perhaps the least expensive maintainance free knife in existance. The H1 steel absolutely will not rust or corrode and I've been very happy with the edge keeping and the ease of bringing the edge right back to a razor sharpness with just a few careful slow strops on the back of a cardboard from a standard legal pad.

STR
 
You can't go wrong with any of those knives. My personal preference is the Calypso, love the design and it feels great in hand. They are hard to find now, they are only being produced in limited runs. There is a grey handled calypso in vg-10 which may be in your budget if you can find it, and there is a burgundy one with a zdp189 laminated blade which is out of your budget, but a very nice knife.

For value and ease of purchase I second STR's recommendation of the Native at walmart.
 
For the buck, hands down the Native, is your best choice. Spectacular steel. Simply put, you can't find a better knife with S30V steel for the buck. Run don't walk to Wally World and pick one up ... IMO :thumbup:
 
:thumbup: Another vote here for the Native (Wal-mart if available), you couldn't go wrong for the price. Great steel.:thumbup: :cool:
 
Many of Spydies are made in Japan, but have excellent quality, many of us on the forums place the Seki Japan Spydies over in quality than the USA made ones. If you want to buy American I'd go with the Native, s30v for $40, and you can handle one in person, can't beat that.
 
The Native and Centofante are some of my favorite Spydercos at any price. I prefer the S30V native both on steel and on looks, but they're both good. I'm ordering a d`allara drop point wednesday myself, but never used one, so we'll have to wait and see, but from the specs, awesome deal.

Don't forget about the Byrd lineup. I think they're very attractive knives, especially the Crow, and they're all ~20.
 
You can not go wrong with any of those knives on your list!! I would say go for the Native.
 
caly jr. ZDP if you can find one....native is good too...s30v!...but i cant find a wallmart one that has them
 
My first choice is the Calypso Jr. The Native is good too. I have both, and use both, but the Calypso Jr. is my favorite.
 
Hiya Gang,

The Native is my all around fav.. thats about all I can say... I like the shape of this knife, the feel the handle etc... smaller blade than most.. about 3 inches but its cuts and just feels so good
Calypso jr with zdp steel is the scariest sharpest knife I think I have ever held. I like it a lot, cut myself twice on it already
D'allara is a larger knife, has a larger handle than the others
Celefonte feels good longer blade the the native or calypso has a "tactical" feel to it thumb grooves and ramp I like this as edc when camping use for cutting food etc camp chores.
Delica all around good use knife. nothing fancy but does the task over and over and over cant go wrong for edc.

Good knife hunting
Jack
 
Any of the knives you posted will serve you well. You can't go wrong with a Spyderco. Pick the one that hits your fancy most.
 
Ahhh that is a fun post! The Native II (the one with S30V) is a great knife. The Caly Jr. is one of my favorites, in the ZDP version maybe even THE favorite knife of mine. They are hard to find but if you can find them, they are worth every penny. Also, do not overlook the SaltI, Atlantic Salt. Aside from the ZDP Caly, they would actually be my first choice. Woops, I missed your last qualifier....Made in the USA is only the Native II. Sorry.

Any of those will serve you very well indeed. Good luck!
 
Calypso or Native isn't a bad choice, but if you want a knife that's a little larger but not over your limit, and meets all your specifications, I'd go with the Centofante III or IV.
 
I already check couple places like Ansonia and Naugatuck, they don't have it and even after I gave them bar code still can not order or find one in CT.
So if you will find please, let me know where.
Thanks
 
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