Spyderco Forums

Aloha all!



Just got a Toad, and it is my first knife w/ almite coat.



How well does it stand up to scratches and stuff? And does anybody REALLY use their Toad for EDC?



God Bless ya 'mites!



God will put you over...if you let Him! Mark 11:23!

Well, keeping in mind that all handle materials can be damaged, Almite does tend to scratch more easily than stainless steel. On top of that, because it is a colored coating, scratches and small dings cannot be buffed out of Almite the way they can on stainless, most natural materials, and most plastics. So the only realistic choices are to either avoid damage, or accept it and consider it adding character to the knife.


We do tend to give our knives a tough set of expectations to live up to. On the one hand we want to be able to use them as tools, and on the other, we want them to look like jewelry. I try my best to avoid the problem. While I've carried darn near every Spyderco I own, I always carry any knife in a pocket by itself, or at worst, in the same pocket with my wallet. Either way, this eliminates the chance of the knife getting scratched up by other objects, such as keys, lighter, roll-box, or change. My lighters fare much worse. I also carry most of my knives loose in my pocket rather than clipped and the ones I do carry clipped are clipped to the inside breast pocket on a sports coat. That way the clip cannot snag on something and either be damaged, cause damage, or cause the knife to come out and land on the ground and get dinged up, or even worse, fall unnoticed and be lost. Almite, however, does present a special problem even with that kind of care. Eventually the coloring will be worn off the "corners" of the handle just from the minute amounts of abrasive material bound to be embedded in the fabric of the pocket.

All that being said, I'm sure there are folks who use a Toad for EDC and probably considerably more who carry an Almite Navigator or other Almite handled knife.

Paul

Congratulations on your newest acquisition. I remember the days they were saying the Toad is the ugliest knife Spyderco ever made... <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
I have only one Spydie with Almite coating (a blue Lum Chinese) but I can't tell how well the coating performs, as it's still NIB. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>

Thanks again Paul for your insight.

OBTW, the Toad IS the ugliest knife Spyderco has made Dialex! LOL! But man...the thing really "grows" on you.

Mahalo guys!

God will put you over...if you let Him! Mark 11:23!

the toad blade shape is classed by a g russell as "un classifiable" or "undefined"(haven't checked the site in the last week).

However ugly it may be, it cuts threads in a 1" hem nicely.

<img src="http://www.members.shaw.ca/pjharyett/sp ... pyder5.gif">
Mei Fides, Mei Victus
Coffee Before Conciousness
Vampyrewolf@yahoo.com

Hi Daywalker, did you get the plain-edged or serrated? Numbered?

I've read where someone here carries his Toad in the watch pocket of his jeans. What's that you say? "What's a watchpocket?" Yes, me too--I haven't worn pants with a watchpocket for decades. I guess if you keep it isolated there (away from keys and coins) you can minimize scratches to the Almite finish.

Although I don't carry any one knife repeatedly for long consecutive periods (days), my experience has been that the Almite holds up well. It's not an EDC for me since I have a SAK Night Messenger (for its multi-tools) on my keychain. I like the Toad but I don't use it often enough to open the blade efficiently with one hand. But that's just me.

Forget about keeping your knife in "cherry" condition so that its high resale value in the future is preserved. You're not going to get rich this way. Nor should you deny yourself pleasurable use just so the next owner, if any, will have a pristine knife. Use it, enjoy it and don't worry about scratches--that's good fung shui!

Edited to add: "Do as I say, not as I do." <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Edited by - toothed on 1/27/2004 6:28:37 PM

Aloha Toothed,

I got a PE, no serial#. Yes, I normally don't wear pants in Hawaii...

Yes, I've been carrying the lil' guy around since I got him but I must admit, I have been babying him too much.

Thanks for your input! OBTW-Your "do as I say, not as I do" is fav of one of the Sgt.'s at my facility...UGH.

Take care!

God will put you over...if you let Him! Mark 11:23!