Spyderco knives - did a bit of research this morning and learned quite a bit!

[chief38]

About 5 years ago I received a Spyderco Delica K390 knife as a Birthday gift. This knife is the only Spyderco I have ever owned and was quite unfamiliar with them. I knew of their existence but not much else. I always thought of them as "ugly" knives - lol. Still not the best looking but I "get it" now! Although I have carried this Spyderco knife as my EDC for 5 years, until this morning I knew very little about the company and its history. I was also unaware that they make over 400 different models and variations and thought they were only made in 3 Countries - the USA, Japan and China. As it turns out, they also have factories in Italy & Taiwan. When I started looking at their online website and saw all the models it made my head spin! It's a good thing that I am not in the market for a new one as I'd have to study their catalog for a week to decide - lol. So many models, blade steels and choices!!

As it turns out the Spyderco Delica K390 that I have was actually a perfect choice for me made by my Daughter's BF (at that time). It is ultra lightweight (2.3 oz), has a great shaped usable blade and the K390 steel blade is not hype! K390 is not a stainless steel but is very durable and holds an edge much better than pretty much any of the many knives I own. I can actually shave with this knife and it is not hard to keep in that condition. I am a stickler for a super sharp EDC knife! I gave it a real torture test 3 1/2 years ago when we moved to our current home. We had just under 400 double strength cardboard boxes to open, unpack and cut up so they could be stacked and tied up for the garbage men to remove. That number does not even include all the new outdoor furniture and accessories we bough here. Those boxes are pretty tough! Incase anybody is in the dark about this, cardboard is one of the worst things you can cut with a knife blade. Most cardboard moving boxes are now made of recycled garbage so who knows exactly what is in it. I also had to cut many of those black or white bands you get on new appliance boxes, TV's, shelving, etc. etc. To say this Spyderco knife got a true torture test is an understatement. It stayed sharp for weeks on end of using it this way and when I had to sharpen it - it took under 5 minutes. Don't ask me how many times it fell off a table or got dropped on the garage cement floor - I lost count but no damage at all.

Today we are all settled in but I still use it on a daily basis for everything from cutting up cardboard to cutting cheese to sharpening a pencil when outside. While I don't normally abuse any knife, I have on rare occasion used it for something a fine knife should never be used for - at the spur of the moment when too lazy to get the right tool. I take care of it but that is minimal task. All I do is hone it every month with a leather strop and when it is time for a sharpening - it takes minutes - maybe twice a year at most.

Anyone who is into knives and unaware of just how many models this company makes should at least just look at their website for grins. There are so many good quality knives out there today that like me, some may know of Syderco's existence but not much else. If nothing else it will be an education just to see how many models and variations they make. It was very interesting to me.

Pictures below are from when the knife was brand new.

 

[GnarlsR2]

The subject of knives is very fascinating and I enjoy viewing MelissaBackwoods YouTube videos.

Here’s just a very brief part of my experience with pocket knives.

Over the past 5 years, I did some research and bought a half dozen.

I did not like how difficult it was for me to open the flip open style knife.

While I was researching the OTF style, my good friend had a name brand knife in is back pants pocket open - spontaneously. Luckily he noticed it and removed it without getting cut.

I decided on the Kirshaw Livewire OTF knife, and we both ordered one. I carry mine nearly every time I leave the house. It’s clipped inside my pants waistline and is completely unnoticed after a few seconds.

As a self-defense weapon, for me it’s too difficult to handle quickly and get my hand, thumb and fingers to grip and then actuate it. Also, if the blade is being deployed, and not fully locked open, and comes in contact with a solid object, the blade will not fully deploy.

For me, a fixed blade knife is much quicker to access, and safer to use in a self-defense situation.

That’s just my worthless opinion.

 

[Shrek Of The Arctic]

I'm a pretty big fan of Spyderco. In a time when there are still a lot of edged pry bar-knife looking things out there, Spyderco consistently has real decent edge geometry. I'm a big fan of the K390 steel I carry a K390 Endura on the daily. It's one of the easiest steels to get hair splitting sharp. If you like the K390, you'd probly be real happy with CruWear, CPM 3V, and CPM M4 as well.

 

[22hipower]

I like Spyderco too and have several. However, unless buying from a reputable dealer check carefully for counterfeits. Some of the counterfeit ones are easy to spot, Colorado stamp variations for example, others not so easy to identify. I have one of the counterfeit ones and it is actually a very nice knife too.

 

[David Sinko]

I'm not a fan of the locking mechanism on that Delica. Years ago I carried a Spyderco Harpy (fully serrated hawkbill type slashing utensil) and used it to cut the throat of a deer that had been hit by a car. One slash was all it took to get the job done but afterwards I realized that my fingers were across that unlocking mechanism and I was lucky the blade didn't close on my hand. I had a friend of mine solder it in the open position and it's now a fixed blade neck knife.

 

[chief38]

When I buy items that are known to be commonly counterfeited (such as Spyderco, watches, sunglasses, certain tools and instruments, cologne's and perfume's, etc.) just to mention a few I will not buy them from eBay or online sights. I will buy them from only a known, reputable source that has been in business for a long time and has a stellar reputation. I have learned long ago - bargains are usually not bargains! In today's corrupt world, pretty much any retail item in demand is counterfeited!

Years ago my wife wanted a fancy designer Gucci wallet and my kids offered to chip in and buy it for her for Mother's Day. I loaded them in the car and we went to Macy's where we purchased the wallet (I paid for most of it - lol). Just under a year later the stitching came out and the plastic license cover cracked. I called Gucci in NYC and they said to drop it off when I was in Manhattan, so I did. They were apologetic and said they would repair it. Just a few days later they called me and said they would not fix it because it was a fake! I said but I bought it at Macy's...... They told me it was common for someone to buy a real one and then return the fake for a full refund. I got caught up in the scam and apparently the Macy's employees never even knew! I brought it back to Macy's along with the Gucci letter and they refunded my money. I truly have to believe they did not know that what they had sold us was a fake. At least I had some come back because of where I bought it. Since that time I have been pretty much on top of counterfeit goods.

 

[chief38]

I'm not a fan of the locking mechanism on that Delica. Years ago I carried a Spyderco Harpy (fully serrated hawkbill type slashing utensil) and used it to cut the throat of a deer that had been hit by a car. One slash was all it took to get the job done but afterwards I realized that my fingers were across that unlocking mechanism and I was lucky the blade didn't close on my hand. I had a friend of mine solder it in the open position and it's now a fixed blade neck knife.

Glad you did not get cut.

I suppose any company can have a weak knife go out the door. That said, I have never had any issues and at least my personal copy locks in very positively - you really have to positively push the unlock in to fold it back up. You could have had a poorly heat treated spring (easily disengaged) or shallow engagement in order for that to possibly occur. I would have sent it in and had them make the spring tension greater.

I have noticed that on certain Ruger LCP Max pistols some of the magazine release springs are a bit weak. Two of my students would unknowingly release the magazine under recoil when their finger unintentionally hit the button! On the very newly released upgraded model, they made it a bit stiffer. Sometimes company's need to tweak their products. They sent theirs in and Ruger corrected the issue.

 

[serger]

When I lived in the Denver Metro, old man Glesser who started Spyderco would man the booth at the Merchandise Mart gun show. Real neat guy and quite a gentleman. If you go to the outlet store on 820 Spyderco Way in Golden CO. you will see him coming and going. He's still nice.

I used to go there and get knives sharpened. Now, State Highway 93 that's the access road to their complex is a speed daemon road with all the traffic running the Boulder/Rocky Flats/Golden corridor.