Byrd Pelican

[Zac]

I bought these simply because I have wanted to do a personal review on them (I have done a lot of reviews with this type of knife) with pictures and a good review means you need to be able to play with them a bit and take personal pictures. After this review, they will go up for sale.

The Pelican (which does not have the Spyderco name or insignia on it but just 'byrd' in all lower case letters) has an overall length of 7 13/16 inches with a blade length of 3 1/2 and a weighs about 5.8oz (bit on the heavy side). This 3.5 inch blade means it is legal almost everywhere as many laws allow up to 3.5 inches. The blade steel is 8Cr13MoV hardened to 61 HRC. It offers tip up or tip down carry. The handle is similar to that of an Endura and the lockback is strong. The tip itself appears to be very robust but is designed for utility and not piercing. As far as sharpness, they are just as sharp at VG10/S30V shipped knives and I have heard edge retention is decent. Initial openings are difficult, however, over time and with lube this can easily be fixed. The opening is by a curved hole that looks similar to the head of a 'bird'. As said earlier, the handle resembles an Endura and grip is excellent. The knives are warrantied for one year. The production is in China and this is Spyderco's response to the inexpensive knife market and these will likely wind up not just at your local knife dealer but in Walmart.

While they are definately not the knife for me, the Pelican is a great utility knife for light to moderate users who do not have a lot of money to spend on knives, cosmetically attractive, easy to open, and utilizes a steel supposedly better than AUS-8. Overall, I rate this knife very well for the money as you can buy 10-20 dollar flea market knives and have them as absolute crap. Spend just a few more bucks (really, only a few) and you will have a nice knife that will serve for years. Spyderco is making a big bang into the lower price market for quality knives.

Pictures are as follows:

[Zac]

Maybe I should have named it "a closer look"...

My friend liked the combo edge so much he bought it. It fits his hand and price range perfectly.

[Zac]

as a follow up, both sold to users who work in stores where string and boxes often need to be cut. satisfaction is very high and edge retention is impressive for a 20 dollar knife. Look out Gerber, Benchmade Red Class, Kershaw, and Buck!

[smcfalls13]

I missed this first time around. Great review Zac :D

Why did you sell them though? Anything in particular you didn't like about them?

[Zac]

simply lighter usage design than what i do and i prefer G10 handles over anything. ive sold a lot of knives i dont use...by manix/chinook/civilian or a combo fill my pockets 99% of the time

[Zac]

in update....

The steel has exceptional edge retention on a par with 440C or possibly better. For a bargain steel, the edge retention is highly impressive...moreso than AUS-8. However, it did chip in the middle of the blade (very small) and the opening becomes stiff easily (that is easily fixed). In terms of corrosion resistance, there is not a spec of it and the knife is never cleaned!

Now, in defense, the user has used it as a screw driver multiple times and as a pry bar...they beat knives badley as they are not aware of what can and cannot practically be done. This steel seems to be extremely flexible.

In terms of sharpening, I have not sharpened it yet because simply said, it is still sharp enough to make a rather clean cut in paper and the serrations are still razor sharp. I sold a PE version to a guy and he said he loves it for a medium duty version knife. I sold it at a price in which I made no profit under terms that he would get back to me on how it works a month or so later. He gave it great reviews too for its edge retention and said sharpening was easy.

I will be distributing a few more Byrds (not for profit but to attain them in order to photograph and review them). So far, it appears that the Byrd line is superior to the Benchmade Red Class, Gerber, Leatherman, Buck, and even entry level Kershaws. These knives are going to make a bang very soon once the word reaches the general public!