11-21-2016

Spyderco Knives

Spyderco has become my favorite knife maker. I'll give you three reasons.

One is the hole. I infinitely prefer the hole to any other way to open a knife. The hole is pure genius. It simply works far far better than a stud. Case closed.

Two is the sharpening. Spyderco takes pride in sharpening their knives and they do it properly. Out of the box, Spyderco knives tend to blow me away. Many (most) other makers are shockingly sloppy about sharpening their otherwise superb knives. Don't ask me why. A sharp edge is what a knife is all about.

Three is the attitude. I am always amazed when Sal from Spyderco contributes to forum discussions. He and his son Eric clearly love knives. For them it goes beyond making money.

My favorite Spyderco is either the Manix 2 or the Paramilitary 2, depending on the day of the week, phase of the moon, and other factors. I have added the Shaman to this list, to make my favorite three.

Sprint runs and exclusives

I called BladeHQ to ask about how to find out about sprint runs and such. They say the way is to peruse their "Coming Soon" page and if you see something interesting, click the link to "email me" when it comes available. This adds it to your "wish list" with the options set to email you when it becomes available.

Knifeworks is where I got one Spyderco Exclusive (a military with CTS204P).
BladeHQ supplied my next via a waiting list (the Manix-2 CF with 154CM and S90V).

G10 vs FRN vs FRCP

I used to think anything but G10 is "second rate", but this is a flawed view of things. I still prefer G10, but FRN and FRCP are plenty strong enough for a folding knife, and lighter! Some people prefer FRN, amazingly enough and scorn G10 knives. It turns out that FRCP is stronger than FRN. Many people prefer FRN because it feels less like plastic. Sal Glesser said:
The CP is new, and offers more of what we want in a knife. It's tougher, stronger, has more color capability and is not significantly more expensive.

Interesting knives

A note on the forums. To add a photo to a post, use the attachment tab below the text entry block.

Lock types

The following makes a first cut at testing various lock types.
  1. Liner lock -- 47 pounds
  2. Frame lock -- 87 pounds
  3. Compression lock -- 109 pounds
  4. Ball Bearing lock - 230 pounds
  5. Bolt lock -- 355 pounds
  6. Back lock -- 300+ pounds
The Back lock test is flawed because of how they rigged the cable, (it may have been stronger) but many consider it one of the strongest locks.

I have always liked liner locks, but I guess just for sentimental reasons. I hear people bad mouth them a lot. A good one is just fine and when it fails the blade may not close on the user (as in the test above). Any lock poorly done is a hazard.

Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Knife Info / tom@mmto.org