Oldies But Goodies: ATS-34 Spyders

[recoil]

[quote="JD Spydo"]

I'm also surprised to learn to hear that the Military model was made with 440V before it was made with ATS-34. I don't mean to be disagreeable but I'm not completely convinced that was the case. Because 440V was replaced in 2003 by S30V. I think the ATS-34 Mili was first myself but I do wish that someone who has the straight scoop would chime in on that one. I know Mr. Glesser would know for sure. Because I have a 1997 Spyderco Dealer's catalog and it shows the Mili being introduced with ATS-34. And all the rest of the older Spyderco catalogs I have tend to prove that is the case.

JD,
Here you go! The initial release was actually in 1996
I hope this helps to clarify the mysteries of the Military.

dave

[JD Spydo]

That's a very interesting and enlightening piece of information "Recoil". I've got a few of Spyderco's older internal documents myself that I bought on Ebay years ago. It looks to me like the ATS-34 came along very shortly after the initial debut of the C-36 model.

I used to see a lot of ATS-34 Military models back in the mid 2000s but in the past 2 to 3 years I've not seen many of the ATS-34 models. Most of the used older Milis I've seen offered are mostly 440V models. And they don't come to surface too often either.

I've personally always had a love/hate relationship with 440V :rolleyes: I've always said that sharpening 440V is a serious form of punishment :D I do like ATS-34 but I do think that 440V does outperform it in many ways.

The ATS-34 era was truly a very interesting era in Spyder History and it was sort of a pivot point for a lot of major changes.

[nuubee]

My only ATS-34 model is a C71PSTI Ti Salsa with a combo-edge. I have to admit that it has lived the life of a shelf queen, although it is a very compact brute, with that locking system. I like the short, wide blade shape, and the sometimes-maligned 'cobra hood', as well. I have truly enjoyed seeing the photos of all of these old models. I can't give a date for it, but the first year I got interested in Spydercos was the year the catalog had the 'jade green' Almite-handled Bob Lum Chinese folder. I wish I had bought one then. I tried a BM 'Vex', didn't like it, then got a Caly Jr. in ZDP-189. OMG. I was hooked.

[fredswartz]

I made do for years with carbon steel
blades as they were all that were available
at the time. Buck Knives revolutionized
things with their stainless blades. The ATS
series of steel worked great for me as did
the CPM 154 blades. I am at the point
now where my EDC's consist of an H1
Salt, and 2 VG10 Dragonflys and I use
them to the max and keep them sharp.
All the new exotic steels are just icing
on the cake as I collect and BST them.

[Fireman306]

[Fireman306]

I know the topic is out dated. But it untreated me. And I wanted to show a pic of one of my own

[SpyderNut]

Welcome aboard, Fireman306. You've got some excellent Spydies there. :) I especially like the Centofante. The C50 is one of my top five all-time favorite Spyderco designs.

Welcome!

[JD Spydo]

Welcome aboard, Fireman306. You've got some excellent Spydies there. :) I especially like the Centofante. The C50 is one of my top five all-time favorite Spyderco designs.

Hey I want to wish "Fireman306" a warm welcome as well. I already envy the guy greatly because I've been trying my heart out to find another Centofante C-50 model in PE & SE both. I really loved the Centofante C-50 when I had both edge types. Sal said about a year ago that they would never do a Sprint run of the C-50 because all of the tooling for making them was gone

I was pleasantly surprised that someone bumped my old ATS-34 thread from a few years back. I still think a great deal about the ATS-34 and ATS-55 eras. Some of my very favorite Spyders of all time came from the great knife making era of about 1995 to about 2001 or thereabout.

A lot of people don't remember that one of the very first C-36 Military models was in the ATS-34 era>>not to mention the earlier runs of the JD Smith model was ATS-34 as well. Also don't forget the C-27 Jess Horn model in ATS-34 which is now considered one of the top 5 Holy Grail Spyderco models. I still rate ATS-34 and ATS-55 as being superb blade steels for Spyderedged models to this day.

[SpyderNut]

Welcome aboard, Fireman306. You've got some excellent Spydies there. :) I especially like the Centofante. The C50 is one of my top five all-time favorite Spyderco designs.

Hey I want to wish "Fireman306" a warm welcome as well. I already envy the guy greatly because I've been trying my heart out to find another Centofante C-50 model in PE & SE both. I really loved the Centofante C-50 when I had both edge types. Sal said about a year ago that they would never do a Sprint run of the C-50 because all of the tooling for making them was gone

I was pleasantly surprised that someone bumped my old ATS-34 thread from a few years back. I still think a great deal about the ATS-34 and ATS-55 eras. Some of my very favorite Spyders of all time came from the great knife making era of about 1995 to about 2001 or thereabout.

A lot of people don't remember that one of the very first C-36 Military models was in the ATS-34 era>>not to mention the earlier runs of the JD Smith model was ATS-34 as well. Also don't forget the C-27 Jess Horn model in ATS-34 which is now considered one of the top 5 Holy Grail Spyderco models. I still rate ATS-34 and ATS-55 as being superb blade steels for Spyderedged models to this day.

Well said indeed, JD. Another forgotten model of those golden times was the Vesuvius in ATS-34 (PE). In all honestly, I would literally donate a kidney to see a Vesuvius Sprint from Golden--complete with a Compression Lock, just like the original. I don't care what steel or handle material of said Sprint, just as long as it was made in Golden. I would buy two of those immediately today.

Another favorite model of the era was the Tim Wegner in ATS-34. I have a Tim Wegner in CE that I've always highly treasured, both for its functional ability and also for its sweet ergonomics. The Spyderco Tim Wegner remains one of the best hollow-ground Spydies of all time, in my humble opinion. :)

[The Deacon]

I'm also surprised to learn to hear that the Military model was made with 440V before it was made with ATS-34. I don't mean to be disagreeable but I'm not completely convinced that was the case. Because 440V was replaced in 2003 by S30V. I think the ATS-34 Mili was first myself but I do wish that someone who has the straight scoop would chime in on that one. I know Mr. Glesser would know for sure. Because I have a 1997 Spyderco Dealer's catalog and it shows the Mili being introduced with ATS-34. And all the rest of the older Spyderco catalogs I have tend to prove that is the case.

JD, strange as this sounds, it seems like the Military came out in both ATS-34 and CPM 440V at the same time, in 1996. There's no Military listed on the 1995 price list I have, and both are listed on the 1996 price list. MSRP was the same for both, at $174.95 but the ATS-34 version was also available with a black blade for $25 more. 1996 Ironstone catalog shows both as well. Of course, one version may have hit the streets shortly before the other, but it does appear they both came out at roughly the same time.

FWIW, one of the few examples of writing on a blade that I like was that on the ATS-34 Military. Whoever was responsible for it was a true graphic artist.

[MarcusH]

'Though I've retired from knife collecting more than a year ago, it's always nice to come back to the forums from time to time and see that the good old classics are not forgotten.
I remember very well how long I had been hunting for the first production variant with the ATS-34 of the JD Smith without been able to put my hands on of them.
And I also remember very well hunting for years for the C50 with the CPM-440V blade that was shown in the 2000 catalog. How relieved was I when somebody told me a few years ago that this was a misprint and the C50 was only made with ATS-34.

My favorite ATS-34 blades that I've ever owned are the C22, the C27 and the C71.

[JD Spydo]

'Though I've retired from knife collecting more than a year ago, it's always nice to come back to the forums from time to time and see that the good old classics are not forgotten.
I remember very well how long I had been hunting for the first production variant with the ATS-34 of the JD Smith without been able to put my hands on of them.
And I also remember very well hunting for years for the C50 with the CPM-440V blade that was shown in the 2000 catalog. How relieved was I when somebody told me a few years ago that this was a misprint and the C50 was only made with ATS-34.

My favorite ATS-34 blades that I've ever owned are the C22, the C27 and the C71.

Marcus believe me I've looked for the C-50 Centofante model in 440V for almost 8 to 10 years thinking that there might have been a few of them made. I have that 2000 catalog ( even a dealer's catalog at that) and they do list the C-50 Centofante with 440V blade steel but all the ones I owned were all ATS-34. I've talked to a lot of guys and I've never found anyone that owned or ever even remember there being a 440V Centofante C-50 model. There might have been maybe a dozen or so prototypes of the 440V, C-50 models but I haven't even been able to confirm that.

I also seen a small catalog that had the Micarta and FRN versions of the Dyad Jr. with GIN-1 blade steel. But of all the Dyad Junior models I ever owned they were all ATS-35. Oh I definitely think there must have been some embarrassing typos in some of the older Spyderco magazines. I have an ATS-34, SE version of the JD Smith model as well as a VG-10 version of the Spyderedged version of the JD Smith too ( Thanks to a really good Forum Friend of mine ) The Spyderedged JD Smith models are out there but they are getting to be a really tough find for sure.

If you think the SE versions the JD Smith are getting tough to find>> I'm here to tell all of you that any of the C-50 models are getting close to impossible to find unfortunately And Sal said that a Sprint Run of the C-50 is impossible because the tooling no longer exists

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Hi all, I happened across an ATS-34 titanium Delica 3 that Spyderco produces exclusively for the Japanese market (for a fantastic price compared to what I'm seeing online) and I thought I'd share a couple of pics in this thread. The finish has a darker bead-blast finish not used on the Ti Delica 4 (unfortunately), and I really like the lack of clip holes on the presentation side. There's also oddly no Spydie logo...




And the box it came in is super cool too!





Thanks for looking! Cheers, Radioactive :)

[SpyderNut]

Beautiful, Paul! ^^^
That is a great find indeed. I once purchased a NOS Meerkat directly from a distributor in Japan (and it features the same exact style of box). The price wasn't too bad really, but the shipping was around $30 bucks. Ugh.

[JD Spydo]

Beautiful, Paul! ^^^
That is a great find indeed. I once purchased a NOS Meerkat directly from a distributor in Japan (and it features the same exact style of box). The price wasn't too bad really, but the shipping was around $30 bucks. Ugh.

Now I'm a bit confused because I've had four Meerkat models and I've never had one or even seen one for that matter made with ATS-34 :confused: Or I might be misunderstanding you guys :confused: or were you referring to those Spyders you could get directly from Japan through G-Sakai in those white boxes.

Because of all the Meerkat models I've had they were either made in 440C or AUS-6. The 440C Meerkats were made in GOLDEN, CO USA Earth and the AUS-6 models were made in Japan.

But if there is a Meerkat made with ATS-34 I've never seen it :confused:

[SpyderNut]

Beautiful, Paul! ^^^
That is a great find indeed. I once purchased a NOS Meerkat directly from a distributor in Japan (and it features the same exact style of box). The price wasn't too bad really, but the shipping was around $30 bucks. Ugh.

Now I'm a bit confused because I've had four Meerkat models and I've never had one or even seen one for that matter made with ATS-34 :confused: Or I might be misunderstanding you guys :confused: or were you referring to those Spyders you could get directly from Japan through G-Sakai in those white boxes.

Because of all the Meerkat models I've had they were either made in 440C or AUS-6. The 440C Meerkats were made in GOLDEN, CO USA Earth and the AUS-6 models were made in Japan.

But if there is a Meerkat made with ATS-34 I've never seen it :confused:

My apologies for the confusion, JD. I was more referring to the white box Japanese Spydercos. (FWIW, I think my white box Meerkat is ATS-55 or maybe VG-10. I'll have to look when I get home).

[JD Spydo]

Well Spydernut I do believe that the Meerkat model wasn't even introduced until well after the ATS-34 era was already long gone. Because I think that even the ATS-55 era was history when the Meerkat hit the main line up. Now the possibility of a VG-10 Meerkat is a real possibility because there were a lot of models you could get through the G-Sakai website later on that were only available through them.

For instance it was about the only place you could get a plain edged Harpy for the longest time. Also a friend of mine landed a VG-10 version of the Stainless RESCUE model. The only Stainless RESCUE models I've ever got here in the USA were all ATS-55 models. But he got one in VG-10 through them because I actually seen it myself.

You could also get models that were long discontinued models through them and John Jensen both. But I don't know if they ever sold any ATS-34 models :confused:

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Beautiful, Paul! ^^^
That is a great find indeed. I once purchased a NOS Meerkat directly from a distributor in Japan (and it features the same exact style of box). The price wasn't too bad really, but the shipping was around $30 bucks. Ugh.

Thank you Michael! I was kind of shocked to see it listed in stock on the successor website that the Deacon found his on (and for much less than he paid ). I was simply Googling "titanium Delica" and I spotted it on the image search feature. They have another one listed for nearly twice what I paid, go figure! I'm very happy to have it in my collection. :) Cheers, Paul

[JD Spydo]

Well guys I do thank both of you for providing that information on an old Spyder>> because I never ever knew that there was any Delica model with ATS-34 blade steel, much less did I know of one that also had a Titanium handle. I had heard of a Delica with titanium scales but I just assumed it had a standard issue blade steel like ATS-55, VG-10, or GIN-1 for that matter.

That's why I did all of these threads on the older, classic blade steels that Spyderco used. Because each one of those previously used blade steels truly did have their own era. I'm certain that the Titanium, ATS-34 Delica isn't the only hidden classic, super collector's piece out there that had ATS-34 blade steel. I would love to see someone also pull up the ATS-55 era thread I also had going during the same time slot back in 2012 or thereabout. There were a lot of great models that also came from that ATS-55 era as well.

There was also a Titanium POLICE model in the mid to late 90s and I'm now wondering what blade steel it had? I'm willing to bet that it was made during the same time period. I still maintain that the GOLDEN ERA OF SPYDERS was indeed in the 1998 to 2003 time slot. There are arguments and valid arguments to be made that you could also include the year 2004 in that era as well. That Era pretty much encompassed all of the ATS-34 models. The only one I'm doubtful about is the titanium Salsa made which was Taiwan made. Thanks again guys for the info on the titanium Delica :)

[SpyderNut]

Beautiful, Paul! ^^^
That is a great find indeed. I once purchased a NOS Meerkat directly from a distributor in Japan (and it features the same exact style of box). The price wasn't too bad really, but the shipping was around $30 bucks. Ugh.

Thank you Michael! I was kind of shocked to see it listed in stock on the successor website that the Deacon found his on (and for much less than he paid ). I was simply Googling "titanium Delica" and I spotted it on the image search feature. They have another one listed for nearly twice what I paid, go figure! I'm very happy to have it in my collection. :) Cheers, Paul

Wow, that is always a good feeling! :) Well done on that one, my friend. I would really like to see Spyderco come out with another Ti Delica--sans the Damascus blade. Nothing against Damascus, but the "plain" blade appeals to me more in that combo.