• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Yay ! l got a G-10 handled ATS-55 Harpy

C

carbonsteelfan

Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
382
This month has been going very lucky for me. Aside from getting 11 really nice knives ; ( 6 of them spyderco ) for my birthday on August 25 ; today l got what many of us ; Spyderco lovers consider a grail knife. I got a 1999 G-10 handled Spyderco Harpy with an ATS-55 blade. My maternal grand father gifted it to me. The knife is in mint condition. I absolutely love it. Now there are two things that l don't like :
1) There is no boye dent .
2) l am told that ATS-55 is very inferior steel. Apparently Spyderco was the only company to ever use this steel and they gave up using it after just 5 or 6 years.
Can some one please tell me if these two factors prevent me from.making this knife an user ? How was ATS-55 steel ? Is the lack of a boye dent a big drawback ?
 
It's a great user and best of the breed of small hawkbills. Grippy, sharpens up just fine, and has a slightly thicker tip than the Tasman.
 
In what way do you think ATS-55 is inferior? I have had the G10 Harpy since it came out and it serves me well. It sharpens easy and holds an edge. It doesn't rust easily.

Spyderco played with the concept of a "company" steel, and ATS-55 was it. Busse, Case, and Cold Steel all have "company" steels. IIRC, spyerco discontinued ats-55 when they used up the steel. They did not make more, not due to performance, but due to a change in their direction when it comes to steel. They started using VG-10 and S30V instead, commercial steels, but with panache.

The lack of a boye detent is not a "problem". If you like them, get a round file or use a dremel and make your own.
 
Congratulations! I have no experience with ATS-55 but as a gift from your grandfather, why not carry and use it? It'll be worth it.
 
Cool! I got one last week.

8ca6303c088bcd43a869e3141db7d2ca_zps99e2b3cd.jpg
 
Very nice catch there. Try it out and make up your own knife. I've had, and still have my share of ATS 55 bladed knives. I like the steel and think it sharpens very nicely. You should try it yourself and don't listen to people who haven't tried the steel but consider it inferior in some way. It made very good serrations IMO.

Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top