Spyderco Forums

I Given that +4" are less versatile, what specialized function does the 5" folder serve that is not better served by a fixed blade? Any function for which I want a larger blade, but don't want to carry a fixed blade. I'll carry a Cuda Maxx to the mall, but I wouldn't carry a fixed blade w...

There's large folders, and there's large folders (yes, that's right: I'm a genius). The large folder I'm in love with, and for which there is no replacement, is the Camillus Mad Maxx, particularly the full flat ground clip-point version. What I love about it is that despite the 5.5" oversized b...

unit's advice has been uniformly sound, IMO. One of the things I recommend: you should be able to get a screaming sharp edge right off the stone. Don't use the strop to try to make up for poor sharpening skills. It is *not* difficult, nor do you need amazing skills, to get a hair-popping sharp knife...

The endura seemed like an obvious answer to me until you mentioned the law. It seems to me that if your understanding of the law isn't extremely clear -- you better know what "concealed" means, for example -- then you should definitely choose the delica

Quick note since I just have a few seconds -- you don't need a belt sander to put on a convex edge. Some wet/dry sandpaper over a standard mouse pad gets you an amazing convex edge.

BTW, having just skimmed the responses, I tend to agree with everything unit is saying. Changes in edge angle can result in significant increases in performance, depending on what you're cutting. I hesitated to say so on a thread where so many people seemed to think 15 degrees per side is too thin, ...

Thanks Sal, always fun to come back. Some kinds of threads I can't resist, I'm a sucker for a lock thread!

Thanks Andrew. BTW, I wasn't discouraging you from trying it both ways. In fact, I'd say grab your knife and a few things you usually cut -- a stick if you whittle, some rope if you cut that, a plastic clamshell if you cut that -- and head out to the garage. Sharpen the knife my way, cut those thing...

I think it's good the thread came up. It's helped further my understanding of locks. Any different style or type of lock, as long as it's mechanically sound, can be made as strong as it needs to be. It seems to come down to a preference question between individual users and manufacturers. Lbs. per ...

I've been pretty happy with simply doing a 30* single edge on my Spydies, using a SM---gray>fine>UF>strop. But, the heart is restless, and I'd be interested in experimenting with a 30/40 edge as well. So, for a 30/40 edge with a SM, would the correct procedure be to sharpen at 30* all the way throu...

S90V will hold an edge better. Whichever of the two is in the thinnest, sharpest, blade will cut better. To annotate a bit, S90V will hold an edge better, unless for your particular usage, your edge tends to degrade due to chipping (because you're doing some light chopping or whatever), in which ca...

I still think a lot must be in the heat treat. I have some Microtech's from 1996-1999 in 154cm that are flat out amazing. Easy to sharpen & hold a hair popping edge for a long, long time. On the other hand, I have some BM's in 154cm that I cant really do much with. Pinch the edge on the Microte...

1. Put edge against something, 2. push :) :) When you are shaving, you're push-cutting.

Steel type matters, but probably not in the way most people think. I mean, yes, a coarser-grained steel might not ultimately sharpen as well as a finer-grained steel, when you're talking about high-end edge accuracy. But much more important will be how abrasion-resistant a particular steel is. AUS-8...

Just a reminder, steels don't have an intrinsic hardness -- it's the maker's heat treat that determines what the ultimate hardness is. 10+ years ago, there was a knife maker taking 1095 up to 65+, I think he even managed to get it near 67. He used to make thin-bladed, super hard knives out of it, an...

Everyone's got the right answer -- the 20 strokes per side thing is a simple process that anyone can do, and works well most of the time. But there are times when doing 20 strokes isn't enough to grind away all of the old edge and re-establish a new edge. When that happens, you need to switch to fun...

Absolutely agree. The Rc test pretty much tests the hardness of the steel matrix, which you'll usually find in the high 50s to low 60s Rc for most stainless steels for folders, although obviously there are newer steels that go much higher, and low-end steels that are often left in the mid-50s. That ...

lol you still get a gold star for paying attention!

I favor keeping the scandi grind. Lay the entire edge bevel down and sharpen that way, rather than creating a new secondary bevel at the bottom. Very easy to sharpen by hand on a benchstone since the bevel is so wide and it acts like its own guide... on the downside, you have to remove a lot of meta...

It's a few years dated but here's the Cutlery Steel FAQ: http://www.zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml *Often* the harder steels trade strength for edge retention. For example, VG10 and H1 will tend to roll an edge before chipping where ZDP189 and S30v will occasionally chip (especially...