What’s your preference and what do you use it for?

[JoviAl]

I’ve noticed that folk on here often have firm favourites from the Spyderco line up or dream knives, but what is less obvious is what characteristics in use make you such a fan. What I’d really like to know is what about that knife makes it stand out to you as a favourite? (Collectors out there feel free to weigh in too).

For example -

My favourite current Spyderco is hands down my S30V PM2 tanto. I use it outdoors for pruning, wood carving, feather stick making and occasionally preparing food. What really sings to me is the utilitarian blade shape and the wicked hollow grind belly and flat grind tip.

I’m interested to see if there are any common themes that begin to present themselves matching particular knives to use cases.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts

Al

[WyoJon]

Like the endura a lot. Find my tasman salt to be one of the best all round utility knives.

[ladybug93]

manix:

i use it for anything and everything. it's a great edc knife because it can handle light to heavy tasks and be pushed to outdoor/survival if necessary. it fits my hands like it was custom designed for me personally.

manix attributes that make it perfect:
leaf blade
negative blade angle
slight belly
robust blade and thin tip
larger spydie hole
finger choil
palm swell that fills the grip under the ring finger and pinky
cbbl
handle narrows at the clip to make it easier getting into your pocket around the knife
fully ambidextrous

[Tristan_david2001]

the calypso/Caly series is my main preference, I think it’s a true Sal glesser masterpiece of a design series. The prospective behind it seems to be like all of sals knife design characteristic biases merged into an edc folding knife in a few variety of sizes. A leaf blade shape, one of the most used and iconic blade shapes from spyderco, full flat grind-most common grind, finger choil and thumb-ramp, another one of the most common spyderco design features, and a slimly refined handle shape for ease of carry and pocket-ability, which is something they first started doing with pocket knives and still continue to do. they aren’t your do it all knives by no means, they wouldn’t really hold up in performance in a bush craft or survival setting, but in that scenario I’d always prefer packing a fixed blade. But for the main use and purposes for a modern edc pocket knife, I’ve found the Caly line suits me the best. (Just a real shame we haven’t been seeing more releases of them in quite some time now)

[JoviAl]

Like the endura a lot. Find my tasman salt to be one of the best all round utility knives.

What do you tend to use them for?

[aicolainen]

If there was an easy answer to this, I wouldn't be approaching 30 Spydercos.

I do see a pattern, though.
For typical EDC it's hands down the DF2 wharncliffe in k390 that dominates. Slim, light, unobtrusive and ridiculously effective.
It was my first wharncliffe, and I've found it to be the ideal compromise for a one knife only, light work carry. It retains some of the benefit of my Ladybug hawkbill to go under straps and cable ties, while still allowing for super precise cutting when working with cables etc. For what I want in my typical EDC, I don't see how this can be beat, and I've more or less stopped looking. There's still the odd days out where I may need something specific, so there is still some justification to keep alternatives around.

The other big bucket is the outdoor category. This one is so diverse, it's really an endless rabbit hole. There's no end to the justifications that can be made within this category.
If we keep fixed blades out of the mix, I'd say the Native 5 salt is probably my most versatile outdoor folder. I have some issues with the ergos, so it always pains me a little to have this as my top pick, but the proof is in the pudding and time in pocket speaks the truth here.

Honorable mentions to the Salt 2.
While the DF2 and Native 5 are the champions of time in pocket, the Salt 2 is probably the champion of km/miles in pocket. At this point I have obtained 3 versions of the Salt 2, and those stats are only beat by the DF2, so that alone indicates I find much value in this "package". It's been my primary carry for search and rescue for about 5 years, I take it for hikes, backpacking, workouts, walks with the dog. Just about anything that involves a certain amount of suffering :)

[skeeg11]

Depends upon what activity is on the agenda.

EDC...........Mantra 2

Big game skinning.....SpydieChef

Cleaning fish.......depends upon the cut. Lately, my new toy for that important outlining cut before filleting a fish is a Byrd Hawkbill with a small bead on the tip.

[WyoJon]

Like the endura a lot. Find my tasman salt to be one of the best all round utility knives.

What do you tend to use them for?

Cutting

[JoviAl]

Like the endura a lot. Find my tasman salt to be one of the best all round utility knives.

What do you tend to use them for?

Cutting

touché! I meant what sort of stuff do you tend to cut most, or is it just general all sortsa stuff (maybe I should write that next time instead of opening myself up for humorous retorts)? I hear so many good things about the Endura and would like to try one in k390, but so many knives so little time (and money )

[ladybug93]

Like the endura a lot. Find my tasman salt to be one of the best all round utility knives.

What do you tend to use them for?

Cutting

touché! I meant what sort of stuff do you tend to cut most, or is it just general all sortsa stuff (maybe I should write that next time instead of opening myself up for humorous retorts)? I hear so many good things about the Endura and would like to try one in k390, but so many knives so little time (and money )

maybe he means the emo way?

[JoviAl]

What do you tend to use them for?

Cutting

touché! I meant what sort of stuff do you tend to cut most, or is it just general all sortsa stuff (maybe I should write that next time instead of opening myself up for humorous retorts)? I hear so many good things about the Endura and would like to try one in k390, but so many knives so little time (and money )

maybe he means the emo way?

Yeesh, I hadn’t considered that. I assumed their wit was just super dry and razor sharp. Fingers crossed it’s cutting in the conventional sense - I wouldn’t wish that level of sadness on anyone (or the hair styles).

[apollo]

Manix line, especially the Original lockbacks.

I use them for everything a knife can be used for. Cutting all kinds of cardboard , plastics , and yardwork. And a little carving from time to time.

The full flat grind in that leafblade makes it exellent for every task you can think off.
Many people here say the OG manixes there blades were to thick but probably most of those people never used one in there life if you ask me its just as much of a slicer as the newer manix 2's. Also the s30v is extremely well done

Then there is the Ergo's of the handle.
No knife is as good in my hands. Ist like a custom glove. The g10 is perfectly textured and gives amazing grip even wet. It has zero hotspots even while using force.

And then there is the lock.
Fully ambidextrous with a quality that isnt around anymore. Spyderco's lockbacks now are formidable but these are just a step above anything else. Besides there strenght they are as smooth in action as can be.

So this is the reason i have a deep love for the Manix family and i am blessed to have 2 OG c95's and 2 OG Mini Manixes.
The Manix 2 and Manix XL's are worthy successors and i have a great love for them aswel otherwise i would not have 16 of them.
What makes the Manix 2 and XL also very fun to collect is the easy acces to customization.
Put some custom scales on it and you have a knife as beautiful as a real custom and with a quality only spyderco can provide.

[MrBerle]

Deleted

[JoshLikesSekiCityKnives]

I use the Endura for.EDC tasks for the reason I cannot at present afford anything nicer from Spyderco. $95 was about all I could afford for the next six or 7 months for a pocket knife with decent quality.

[huyfishin]

i used a tasman salt for the whole month last month. its my first hawkbill and i gotta say its become a favourite for sure. it worked great for cutting boxes and tape on packages. I've used it for dispatching and gutting salmon I caught. Cutting zip ties on my crab trap is a breeze compared to using the standard utilitarian blade shapes.

Definitely have fallen in love with it.

[Manixguy@1994]

What ever is in my pocket . MG2

[kennethsime]

Great question.

I think most of my favorites are my favorites because they melt into my hand. The Stretch, Shaman, and PM2 are all favorites.

For my uses, which is mostly opening boxes, cutting tape, breaking down boxes, and occasional food stuff, the Manix and Dragonfly are probably the most useful. He lead shapemblade is just killer. I don’t carry either very often - the Manix doesn’t sit right in my hand, and I just prefer a larger knife than a Dragonfly most days.

I’d really love to see a Manix blade on a Shaman handle.

[Netherend]

I use my knives for all kinds of things. For example: I used my manix lw to slice some pepperoni yesterday. Earlier in the week I used my native to prune my small lemon tree that I have indoors for the winter. Today I used my PM2 to open and break down a box. Over the weekend I used my Manix G10 to open a giant bag of cat litter. Last week I used my shaman to peel and slice plantains.

Preference really can vary and my tastes have changed over time. I own quite a few knives from several companies but they do not all regularly make it into my EDC rotation. I suppose that the most consistent traits that I prefer on my EDC knives are a secure grip in hand(which Spyderco does better than anyone), easy to clean, ease of sharpening (helps), ease of carry(size and weight in pocket) and a strong lock.
With that criteria in mind I think that my top two most carried EDCs are the Native 5 Salt and the PM2. I would place the Pacific Salt and Manix 2 right behind them .

Native 5- Small enough to carry anywhere, strong, super easy to clean and is mostly carefree. Sharpens in 5 minutes at most. I also love the grip on the N5. I can slice a tomato with the N5 (LW or G10) in blindfolded in a swimming pool of mineral oil and not cut myself. It works well for my hands and it might be my favorite EDC.
PM2- It wins on averages. It is not the best at anything but it is better at everything as an average (for my preferences). It is always enough to get the job done and I think that is partly why it is such an iconic model. It also has the best execution of the compression lock that I have handled. The open back construction makes it easy to clean and the size fits right in the middle of the N5 and Pac Salt.
Pacific Salt- Great knife for hiking , camping and gardening. Lightweight, durable, The only reason it is not my top EDC is because it is a bit large for some occasions such as going into an office meeting or opening a package in a crowded public place. It is not exactly a low key knife but it is one of the safest that I own. If I was not concerned about perception of blade length I would rate it the perfect EDC.
Manix 2- Tank of a knife. I use it for housework and tough jobs. The lightweight model is a go-to for me in the summer. The manix 2 (G10 or LW) has the most secure grip and lockup of any Spyderco I have handled.

Lately I prefer back locks over everything else because they are less likely to involuntarily open, are durable and do not have many hot spots when gripping the knife.

If spyderco ever made something like a Stretch Salt (or similar size) I think that it would likely take the top spot for me. Linerless backlock, easy to clean and maintain, easy to sharpen, choil for choking up...


With that said- At the moment when I am writing this, I am carrying my N5 Salt in my right pocket.

[Senfkarte]

manix:

i use it for anything and everything. it's a great edc knife because it can handle light to heavy tasks and be pushed to outdoor/survival if necessary. it fits my hands like it was custom designed for me personally.

manix attributes that make it perfect:
leaf blade
negative blade angle
slight belly
robust blade and thin tip
larger spydie hole
finger choil
palm swell that fills the grip under the ring finger and pinky
cbbl
handle narrows at the clip to make it easier getting into your pocket around the knife
fully ambidextrous

This.

[BeggarSo]

My top Spyderco Knives in order of most often EDC are:

Manix XL DLC S30V & The PM2 Wharncliffe S30V DLC both are pretty much always in use.

PM3 S30V fully Serrated

Military / Multiple steels & Half Serrated

Stretch PE & SE

Police 3 Fully Serrated

All of them see use as Card Board cutters, in the kitchen and for anything I can think of that needs cutting, zip ties etc...

There is no such thing as a user that does not get used for everything with me.