Byrd Harrier (2019)

Discuss Spyderco's byrd knives.
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elena86
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#21

Post by elena86 »

sal wrote:
Tue May 21, 2019 8:56 pm
They're in. First run. Going into QC.

sal

Is it me or you droped that hump near the tip ? It looks quite pointy ! I am in heaven cause I like my blades as pointy as possible :)


P.S This one deserves a LW variant with coloured scales
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sal
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#22

Post by sal »

Hi Marius,

I made it pointy. A LW will depend on demand.

sal
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elena86
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#23

Post by elena86 »

sal wrote:
Sun Jun 09, 2019 6:39 pm
Hi Marius,

I made it pointy. A LW will depend on demand.

sal

Thank you sir ! I only wish Endela was like that but it seems I'll have to mod it myself as I did with my SE Pac Salts. To be onest, the Harrier 2 design is so good that it deserves to be moved to Golden just to receive that awesome backlock and a better steel...one can dream :spyder:
Marius

" A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it "
( Rabindranath Tagore )

Proud member of the old school spyderedge nation :bug-white-red
Frozenspyder
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#24

Post by Frozenspyder »

I'm really looking forward to this one. When it comes out, I hope someone posts a side by side pic with an R. I'd like to see the similarities and differences between the two.
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The Deacon
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#25

Post by The Deacon »

Frozenspyder wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 5:59 pm
I'm really looking forward to this one. When it comes out, I hope someone posts a side by side pic with an R. I'd like to see the similarities and differences between the two.

Well, the Harrier is featured in the latest Spyderco Byte and at least one dealer seems to have them in stock, so I imagine most dealers will have them soon. Photos is the Byte show the nested liners, and I'm pleased to see they're nested deep enough to allow the mod I'm thinking of making when I get one. :)
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#26

Post by hovan2yourknives »

The Deacon wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:49 am
Well, the Harrier is featured in the latest Spyderco Byte and at least one dealer seems to have them in stock, so I imagine most dealers will have them soon. Photos is the Byte show the nested liners, and I'm pleased to see they're nested deep enough to allow the mod I'm thinking of making when I get one. :)
Contours? If so...thinking the same ;)
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#27

Post by The Deacon »

hovan2yourknives wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:47 pm
The Deacon wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:49 am
Well, the Harrier is featured in the latest Spyderco Byte and at least one dealer seems to have them in stock, so I imagine most dealers will have them soon. Photos is the Byte show the nested liners, and I'm pleased to see they're nested deep enough to allow the mod I'm thinking of making when I get one. :)

Contours? If so...thinking the same ;)

Depends on what you mean by contours. What I want to do is change the contour of the grip area by removing the finger separator that's between the palm swell and the rear of the handle to make the grip more like that of my favorite 3.5" blade Spyderco, the Stretch. Top Harrier in the photo below is a stock Harrier with the area I'm talking about circled. The one on the bottom is a rough photo chopped rendering of what I'm looking to do...

Harrier and Mod.jpg
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sal
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#28

Post by sal »

Hi Paul,

That should work ok. Let us know ho it works out.

sal
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#29

Post by hovan2yourknives »

I finally ordered mine yesterday. Looking forward to feeling the ergos on this model! Since it’s only $37 I’m going to have some fun with it and do a few mods.

I really hope the Byrd line gets more love in the near future so we can justify asking for some better steel.
rangefinder
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#30

Post by rangefinder »

This morning Fedex delivered an order that included a Harrier 2, along with a Raven 2 and a Cara Cara 2 rescue model. These are the first byrd knives I've bought, so I wasn't sure what to expect. No local stores carry byrd knives, so I couldn't look at these in person before buying them.

Since I just got them, I haven't used them much yet, but initial impressions are very good: Grinds are even, blades are centered, lockup is solid (no blade play at all), and fit/finish is excellent. For example, on the Harrier (backlock bar and backspacer) and Raven (liners) the transition from the metal to the G10 is perfectly flush. The Harrier and Raven really do not feel or look like $37 or $53 knives.

To be really picky, the open/close (unlocking the backlock) action on the Harrier and Cara Cara is a little bit stiff. But I'm comparing these brand new knives vs. Spyderco backlock knives I've been using for years, so the older knives have probably thousands of open/close cycles on them to smooth the action. I'll carry the Harrier as my EDC for a while and see if the action smooths out with some use before trying to adjust anything.

The G10 on the Harrier has an interesting feel. The "weave" is more open than the G10 on a PM2 or the Raven. But it's still got a good grip texture.

One pleasant surprise was the jimping cuts on the Harrier blade. In the pictures I've seen online, the cuts looked very soft and indistinct and they're actually much better than I was expecting. They're not as clean/sharp as the jimping cuts on my PM2, but that's to be expected considering the steel and price difference.

Also: The Harrier blade needs a signature stamp. The Harrier is a nice design and Sal (and/or Eric?) should get gredit for it.

The only real issue I've encountered is moving the clips to tip-down position. On both the Harrier and Cara Cara, when tightened down the end of the clip screws go past the handle material and drag on the blade. This was most noticeable on the Cara Cara, where the top clip screw was so far past the handle that the lock notch on the blade was actually catching on the screw end. I was able to fix this by filing down the ends of the screws -- it's a tiny amount that needed to be removed, less than 1 mm. But it's an easy fix to do if you have a small pair of Vice-Grips to hold the screw and a file. And obviously this is not an issue if you just leave the knife set up for tip-up carry, where it doesn't matter if the screws go past the handle a bit.
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#31

Post by rangefinder »

Quick picture to show size compared to PM2 and Delica. It fits pretty nicely between them in size.

hset_resize.jpg

The old foliage green G10 Delica is one of my favorite smaller knives. The Harrier is a little bit longer and heavier, but has a very similar "hand feel" due to the G10 and similar handle design. The Harrier is pretty close to the "Delica with a choil" that a lot of people have asked for.
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#32

Post by theboss »

beautiful
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jousmit19
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#33

Post by jousmit19 »

will there be harrier 2 fnr?
rmeron
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#34

Post by rmeron »

I have just received a Harrier 2 lightweight. The blade is very stiff to open, I'm afraid to mess with the tension screw because the blade is perfectly centered. Will some good gun oil and just working the blade do anything
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sal
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#35

Post by sal »

Hi Rmeron,

That's what I would suggest. Oil and some break in before messing with the adjustments.

sal
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Re: Byrd Harrier (2019)

#36

Post by Bemo »

Mine got much smoother with use and oil. It may take awhile. I don't think any of mine are flickable, but that's not my goal.
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