Hello yall, I'm new to Spyderco. I've heard great things about the brand, and finally have enough money to splurge on one. I bought a Ladybug, but I would like something a little more substantial. I was thinking about either getting a blue FRN UK Pen Knife or a black FRN Dragonfly. Which would you recommend?
I live in Moscow, Russia where a $60 Delica (in America) costs around $160 here. It sucks. So this (and the Ladybug) will probably be my only Spyderco for a while. I am a design student, so if you'd like to recomend something else (please do ) keep in mind aesthetics are important to me.
Welcome to the Spyderco Forum and enjoy your stay here.
I know how it feels, I bought my first Spyderco (a Ladybug) in Romania and it costed a lot.
There are many attractive places where it is better to order online. Even with the shipping charges and everything, it's still cheaper than buying from Russia.
I would go with the Dragonfly, becauseI like it better and it locks (the UKPK is a slipjoint, therefore it doesn't lock).
BTW, I like your nickname (it's Nozh, like in Нож?)
The mind commands the body and it obeys. The mind orders itself and meets resistance.
Hi Nozh,
Welcome to the Forum. Enjoy your stay here.
I will second Alex advice to buy on-line in US. There are plenty reputable dealers who will ship oversears. Just to name few: Cutlery Shoppe, Knife center of internet, New Graham knives.
Regarding your choices, I would go with Dragonfly. I prefer full flat grind, lock and VG10 vs. to mo lock, hollow grind, BD1.
If you buy on -line, probably you will have enough $$ left to get in addition to your knife one of best Spydercos ever - Sharpmaker. You need to keep knives sharp.
Good Luck, Всего хорошего
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf"
I have both the UKPK and the delica which is sorta like the dragon fly. I like both. For a first I'd go with the dragon fly to get the lock and the VG-10.
George Spear
Fat Goat Forge
Master Farrier (horseshoer)
Apprentice Knifemaker
My Spyderco's: Delica Orange 4 FFG, Gayle Bradley C134CF CMP-M4, UKPK Maroon Drop Point FRN CTS-BD1, Dragonfly 2 ZDP-189.
Have a look at the Squeak ... it is closer to the Dragonfly - it is small and has a good steel but it is a slipit. The UKPK FRN is a very nice, useful knife but I wouldn't rate it high for aesthetics because I prefer the lines/profile of a full-flat grind. :)
ChrisR wrote:The UKPK FRN is a very nice, useful knife but I wouldn't rate it high for aesthetics because I prefer the lines/profile of a full-flat grind. :)
+1
I like older UKPK models. I have orange G10 and CF. Couple month ago I bought blue FRN UKPK at bargain price, like $27 shipped and sold it in two day because just didn't like the look of the blade.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf"
I carry my Dragonfly 2 every day ( along with other Spydies of course :D ). It is a very capable little big knife. VG-10 is very decent and the fact it is ffg and has choke up choils and jimping makes it awesome. I personally prefer a locking knife as well.
-Ryan
-Techno, cruwear Mule, Dragonfly 2 FRN, Assist, Endura FRN ATS-55 SE, Endura SS aus-6 PE, Persistence(Wife's)
-Wicked Edge
bh49 wrote:+1
I like older UKPK models. I have orange G10 and CF. Couple month ago I bought blue FRN UKPK at bargain price, like $27 shipped and sold it in two day because just didn't like the look of the blade.
Yeah, I have 2 FRNs and I love them - they are a great beater of a slip-joint that works well, sharpens easily and wouldn't cost much to replace if you lost it. But for looks something like the Terzuola and the CF/Ti/G10 UKPKs beat hands down ... and the Squeak comes in as a very nice budget "looker" too :)
I say UK PK for sure.It is light and has the same ergonomics of the famous Caly 3.It has no lock,but is safe when you use it properly ( finger choil ). Dragonfly is great little knife,but the cutting edge is almost the same as on the Ladybug,that you allready have. I do not know how much they cost in Russia,but in the USA they cost about the same. You get bigger blade with great ergonomics and reasonable price. I live in Slovakia and Spyderco knives are very expensive here.Not so much as in Russia.( Delica about 100EUR ) Thats why I bought all my knives online from USA.Try it on ebay or Whitemountainknives.com
The D'fly is a great knife, and I prefer it over the FRN UKPK. I'm still waiting for a stiffer spring on the FRN UKPKs; otherwise it is a very nice knife as well.
So many knives, so few pockets... :)
-Nick
Last in: N5 Magnacut The "Spirit" of the design does not come through unless used. -Sal
I'd go with the Dragonfly. All of it's models (H1 or VG-10) come with a steel that will beat BD-1, IMO. I think the blade shape is much more aesthetically sexy. The only thing you might find is that, it too, is a small knife. The UK will give you, IMO, a fuller size for the hand.
I hope I don't get stricken down for blasphemy here :D , but......for the outrageous money the OP is having to fork over for a tiny little pocket knife,( $160 Delica means maybe a $150 Dfly) I think he might be better served by not getting a Spyderco right now, and instead buying a nice locally made blade, and waiting till he can get someone ( maybe from this forum) to bring him a decently priced Spydie.
Sure, if money was no object, then fine, go for it. But it sounds like the money is a major factor, or he wouldn't be polling a bunch of strangers on which ( normally) very inexpensive knife to get.
As to the OP's question, I'm torn betweeen the two. I never fell in love with my Dfly2, but I did really like my UKPK. Yet, the locking mechanism, and superior steel of the Dfly are hard to ignore.
I'm thinking, if the OP doesn't have lock-laws to deal with, I'd kinda lean toward the larger UKPK. Plus, I would think "Made In Golden,Colorado" would be a little more presitigious over there than the Japanese built knife.
Still, tough call.
Wow, I’m going to like it on this forum :) I wasn’t expecting so many answers so quickly!
I’ve decided to go for the UKPK! I know the anticipation as to why I chose the UKPK over the Dragonfly is too much for some to handle, so I’ll jump right in. I looked at the cutting edge of the Dragonfly. It is .3 of an inch longer than the Ladybug. So it looks like I get more knife for the money with the UKPK (almost an inch longer). As far locking is concerned, having a non-locking blade doesn’t concern me too much. I treat all knives like they don’t lock anyways (you tend to respect a knives after cutting yourself badly with one). As for the steel difference.. I enjoy sharpening my knives very much, so it will have a razor edge no matter what kind of steel it is. Plus it was made in America! I am American, and it makes me proud to carry a high quality knife that’s made in the US of A.
I do like the looks of the Dragonfly very much, and as soon as I come across some money, it will defiantly be a contestant for my next knife purchase (WHY does Spyderco make so many cool knives??? It makes choosing so difficult!). Cheddarnut, MIL-DOT was right on the money (HA!). In Moscow the Dragonfly is around $150.
MIL-DOT, I have thought about getting a Russian knife. Russian Folding knives are expensive compared to the American market, but they’re cheap here (~$50). However, they’re heavy, made of wood, and the craftsmanship… Just isn’t. They don’t feel solid. Russians make beautiful, high quality Damascus fixed blade hunting knives, but their starting price is around $400. My wife would kill me if I didn’t buy her shoes with that kind of money :P
Skatenut, you are correct about the name! Nozh means knife in Russian :) (Say “pleasure”, the middle “s” sounds like the Russian letter “Zh” or “ж” )
спасибо Большое to my friends who know Russian, and thank you to those who don’t :)
I think you really can't go wrong with a UKPK. It gives you much more blade for the money. The Dragonfly is a cute knife but when it comes to ergonomics the UKPK easily comes out on top, at least in my opinion.
As for buying American knives, I usually get my Spydercos through ebay since they are just fricking expensive here in Germany. I would prefer one of the big name knife retailers but many don't ship internationally or if they do they charge very high shipping costs. It might be okay to pay 50$ shipping on a 400$ knife but it really gets out of proportion on a 30 bucks UKPK. I know from experience that it can be troublesome to get stuff to Russia sometimes. Might be worth to check out the international ebay listings though.
Love your nickname, by the way. It's been a long time that I employed any Russian. Жела́ю прия́тно провести́ вре́мя в фо́руме! :-)
She: Did you say pink :spyder: sprint run?! - He: Yeah. - She: Wow, wouldn't this go great with my purple Delica?! - He: ? - :D
:spyder: Delica 4 FFG purple ::: Dragonfly Salt Yellow SE ::: Ladybug Foliage Green PE ::: UK Penknife Safety Orange G-10 ::: Byrd Robin G-10 PE ::: Delica 4 FFG pink - modded to non-locking ::: Squeak ::: Grasshopper ::: Kiwi - got snagged by the husband ::: Endura 4 FFG Orange ::: Delica ZDP-189 ::: Centofante 4 ::: Byrd Tern ::: Manix 2 Blue Lightweight :spyder:
) keep in mind aesthetics are important to me.
Ffg ukpk
