An 'Astute' assessment

[Skywalker]

On the topic of aftermarket deep carry clips, I was comparing the Astute's clip hole pattern to various clips I had on hand and noticed that for the two outer screws, a standard Benchmade clip seemed better aligned than any of my other Spyderco clips (though the Astute seems to use larger (diameter) clip screws than the usual (which I believe are #2-56)).

So I went with a Benchmade two-screw deep carry clip from MXG (for their standard 3-hole clip models e.g. 551/940/710, not the 908/916 pattern), and it works great on the Astute. Clip aligns right at the end of the handle and no need to bore out the holes or tweak them in any direction - just plug and play.

However, other folks on here have said that aftermarket deep carry clips for the Manix2 have worked on their Astute, so maybe just check your specific Astute before ordering if you're looking for an aftermarket clip.

[StuntZombie]

Just playing around with my Astute today, and they really should have saved the Efficient name for this one. I swear the blade looks longer than the handle when it's open.

I really wish this had been a Taiwan or even Japanese model. This thing would be amazing in M4 or K390 with that thinly ground blade.

[olywa]

Agreed, there's a lot of room for this great design to evolve. I'd like to see it 'grow' just a bit. It seems like it's 7/8 of what it could be.

[ladybug93]

sorry for the revival of an old thread, but i finally got an astute and i'm really impressed.

forget all the talk about little big knives... this is it. the astute is only 0.6" longer than a dragonfly when both are closed, but it has more cutting edge than a manix. you have to let that sink in... it's insane! i'll try to post some comparison pics later.

the handle, although i think it looks a little effeminate, is very filling in my hands. i can easily get all four fingers on the grip, but the grip isn't long enough to stick out of my hand.

this is seriously a huge little blade in a very small package. it doesn't even seem possible.

as far as the 8cr13mov complaints... no, it's not the greatest steel, but in my experience (resilience), spyderco does this steel far better than makers like kershaw. for a "budget" knife, it's a great steel and is especially great for people that are learning to sharpen and take care of steel.

[MyelinSheath&Borborygmi]

S35VN Astute for the win!

[Manixguy@1994]

I handled the Astute when it first came out that a friend bought on a whim . I played with it a bit and was very impressed for a budget knife I think it’s a great model and really like how much blade it has for being so small yet feels good in hand . The only downer for me is I don’t buy dedicated right hand liner locks . If I was still working it would be a knife I would recommend to someone new getting into knives who didn’t have a lot of funds or had much knowledge of quality knives . Great design .MG2

[thewoodpecker]

Though I find 8CR13 to be a very underwhelming steel, I finally had to pick up an Astute, and it's a pretty impressive little pocket knife. I was surprised at how svelte and diminutive it actually is. I thought I'd share my initial thoughts.

...

What I would like to see:
- maybe an upgrade to BD1N?
- how about a blue FRN in S35VN?
- this knife would be a great candidate to be scaled up with an XL model

The Astute is a real sweet design with a lot of potential to be a really great knife.

Yes to all the above. Larger version, premium version, upgraded budget version, lightweight version...I just want more Astute in my life. It is probably my most carried and used blade for 2021 and definitely for 2022. The edge to handle ratio is just fantastic and despite the 'meh' steel (works fine for me) the geometry on this knife delivers.

[ladybug93]

some comparison pics because i don't think there are enough out there...

[Manixguy@1994]

Great shots! Perfect knives for comparisons . MG2

[ladybug93]

Great shots! Perfect knives for comparisons . MG2

i honestly was shocked to see the astute has more edge than the manix. it won't replace the manix for me because it's my favorite knife, but that's insane for how small it is.

[StuntZombie]

Great shots! Perfect knives for comparisons . MG2

i honestly was shocked to see the astute has more edge than the manix. it won't replace the manix for me because it's my favorite knife, but that's insane for how small it is.

I think Spyderco bent some rules for space/time with the amount of edge they fit into the Astute.

[olywa]

The Astute is just plain sexy. I love the blade profile.

[Airlsee]

The Astute is too good of a design to be budget only.

[ladybug93]

finally putting the astute through some work. this isn't much cardboard compared to what some people have to get through in a day, quite a bit for what i'd consider normal edc.

as you can see, it's still plenty sharp and it's time for a break. pro tip: don't hold the knife in your hand like this while grabbing cardboard to move out of your way. as mr. shabazz would say, "#notabrilliantman." more to come later...

[olywa]

Ouch, but it ain't your sweetheart till it kisses you...

Any hot spots to mention after extended use?

[ladybug93]

Ouch, but it ain't your sweetheart till it kisses you...

Any hot spots to mention after extended use?

the only hot spot i found in my use was the blade.

[vivi]

Great shots! Perfect knives for comparisons . MG2

Agreed, this knife is a little small for my radar, but boy does it have an impressive edge to overall size ratio. Those pictures show that off perfectly!

[Manixguy@1994]

Every time I look at the Astute , I think no way that blade fits , but it does . Really a complete small package . MG2

[ladybug93]

alright... filled up the box. i didn't count cuts, but every cut in this box was made with the astute factory edge with no touching up.

a few passes on the sharpmaker and it's shaving. still rough, but as you can see, i didn't even bother cleaning it. the point is this edge is so easily restored that it's silly.


i should probably start a new thread, but my point in doing this is to show that 8cr13mov is not slouch. none of the steels spyderco uses are bad, they just excel at different things. 8cr13mov doesn't have the edge retention of more expensive steels, but it made it through all of this cardboard and then was shaving sharp again after just a few passes (10 per side) on the brown rods.

if you cut more than this in a single shift at work, you should seek a steel with better edge retention. (actually, you should just buy a box cutter and quit fooling around with pocket knives for this kind of work.) if you cut less than this in a day, there's no reason 8cr13mov isn't adequate. if you need to practice sharpening, this steel is amazing for that as well.

as far as the astute goes, no hot spots whatsoever. it was very comfortable through the whole process. if you have really large hands, it's probably not for you (sorry, vivi). i wear medium to large gloves and i can get a 4 finger grip on the astute. the swell in the handle is also very nice when gripping the knife hard for tough cuts. that was especially nice as the blade started to dull and i had to push harder.

finally, the thin blade was really nice for this kind of work. again, it's not as nice as a box cutter, but it was way nicer to use than my magnacut mule, which has a significantly thicker spine.

i wouldn't hesitate to recommend the astute for any of the reasons i've mentioned in this thread. it's possible to get knives in d2 for less money, but they will be harder to sharpen and may not hold an edge much longer. the astute really is a great budget option.

[olywa]

Thanks for sharing this, much appreciated. I get 3 1/2 fingers on the Astute at best, but it's 'the little knife that could' in my book. Be a shame if they didn't XL this great design. Another 1/4" to 1/3" of handle would prolly yield a 3 1/2" blade if it scales up proportionately.