Donut wrote:I was looking through my "storage" for Foliage Green stuff to compare the Elmax Para with... and I didn't trade both ATS-55 Rookies away!
I will try to give it some use. :)
I found the Cricket (it was right infront of me) and on close inspection, the tip was banged up and someone straightened the tip out. I will probably use my arc'd DMT stone and try to make it a hook again.
The Rookie was truly a hallmark model from the ATS-55 era. I actually thought that the Rookie was destined to be thee quintescential Spyderco pocket knife. The size coincided with most state laws and it was available in stainless and G-10 handle scales. I was truly disappointed that it didn't in a way because it was truly evolved from the iconic Police model which itself a bit too big for most folks to EDC even though it is one super design.
I don't think any fixed blades were in the ATS-55 cycle and I don't think there were any specialty blades made with it either. Some will argue that many of the ATS-34 models were more collectible and more noteworthy over time. But I will put the Rookie and big C-44 Dyad up against any of them with the possible exception of the original skeletonized "R" model.
Also don't forget the first run of the C-46 Lum Tanto model because they were made with ATS-55 till they flipped overr to VG-10. I have one of those for a user and it has never disappointed.
Warhammer 40000 is- basically- Lord Of The Rings on a cocktail of every drug known to man and genuine lunar dust, stuck in a blender with Alien, Mechwarrior, Dune, Starship Troopers, Fahrenheit 451 and Star Wars, bathed in blood, turned up to eleventy billion, set on fire, and catapulted off into space screaming "WAAAGH!" and waving a chainsaw sword- without the happy ending.
Yeah I've got a Matriarch that is also ATS-55. I used to have the Gray one dedicated to South Africa but I ended up trading that one regretfully. I believe that the Matriarch got it's debut with ATS-55 >> I'm pretty certain of that but correct me if I'm wrong.
I never heard any complaints about the Civilian with ATS-55 blade steel. There were a lot of Hawkbills and a few Reverse S blades in ATS-55 but they are even getting tougher to find.
JD Spydo wrote:I believe that the Matriarch got it's debut with ATS-55 >> I'm pretty certain of that but correct me if I'm wrong.
I believe this is correct. I have a CC numbered one in black that is ATS-55, and the ones I bought when they were first released (black and grey) are also ATS-55.
I think Spyderco also transitioned to the Boye dent around the same time as the ATS-55 -> VG-10 switch, so those variants are probably out there as well, though I don't have them all so can't confirm.
bengaiser wrote:I believe this is correct. I have a CC numbered one in black that is ATS-55, and the ones I bought when they were first released (black and grey) are also ATS-55.
I think Spyderco also transitioned to the Boye dent around the same time as the ATS-55 -> VG-10 switch, so those variants are probably out there as well, though I don't have them all so can't confirm.
This just goes to show that the ATS-55 era was not only a landmark era for Spyderco but it was also a time of transition for them as a company. It also was an era which really saw their product line grow and evolve like probably no other time did.
The models that were made during the ATS-55 era were really some of the stalwarts of their product line at that time. Because when VG-10 stole the show for the Japan made Spyders is when we really witnessed a lot of change>> and for the better I might add. It also ushered in a new era of many exotic blade steels and new materials. Just tell me of one ATS-55 Spyderco model that doesn't have some collector interest?
angusW wrote:Got my first knife with ATS-55. A Merlin. It's not in perfect shape but I've been wanting another hawkbill for a while now.
Holy Mackeral BATMAN :cool: !!! WHO could forget our beloved Merlin. It truly was the predecessor to our modern day TASMAN without a doubt. I made a lot of friends with that knife because at one time I had about 6 of those models and I gave a few of them away to fellow forum members. The last time I talked with my buddy Manix Guy he told me he still had his.
Now I heard that the Merlin actually had a few units made in VG-10 and I tried like a dog to find one in VG-10 but I never could. That's probably a major collector piece if you could find one in VG-10. But I always loved the ol' Merlin model and I had it both PE & SE. Its one hawkbill that was relatively easy to find in PE unlike the Harpy>> it about as easy finding an honest politician as it is to find a PE Harpy.
Brother I'm glad you put that one up there because I hadn't even talked to anyone with a Merlin in quite some time. It used to be that you could always find dozens of those with many dealers at the big Atlanta, Georgia BLADE SHOW every year in the early going of the show. And you could pick them up for $40 or less all day long at the show>> back in the good ol days.
Regretfully I have nothing but TASMANs now but I hope to snag a VG-10 Merlin someday or I might just settle for an ATS-55 model. That's a great little hawkbill to use as a companion EDC for a standard plain edged Spyder.
I've heard some talk of corrosion with the ATS-55.
I purchased my Police model with ATS-55 steel in 1997 or 1998. It has been an off and on EDC. I don't carry it very often these days, now that I have other good knives.
I'm a deputy and I was assigned to recruit a gentleman to play Santa Clause for our Christmas party. He looks like Santa and that's what he does at Christmas time. I stopped by his house to meet with him. Well, I lost my Police knife at about that time. I was really bummed.
Well, a couple of months later, Santa gave me my knife back at the Christmas party. He said he found it in his driveway after the snow melted. He saw it was a "Police" knife and realized it must have been mine.
There was no sign of rust or corrosion on this knife. It was deep snow when I lost it at his house. It sat in snow for some time.
I really like this steel. I also have an Endura with VG-10 and I like that steel just as well.
roadrashgixer wrote:I've heard some talk of corrosion with the ATS-55.
I purchased my Police model with ATS-55 steel in 1997 or 1998. It has been an off and on EDC. I don't carry it very often these days, now that I have other good knives.
I'm a deputy and I was assigned to recruit a gentleman to play Santa Clause for our Christmas party. He looks like Santa and that's what he does at Christmas time. I stopped by his house to meet with him. Well, I lost my Police knife at about that time. I was really bummed.
Well, a couple of months later, Santa gave me my knife back at the Christmas party. He said he found it in his driveway after the snow melted. He saw it was a "Police" knife and realized it must have been mine.
There was no sign of rust or corrosion on this knife. It was deep snow when I lost it at his house. It sat in snow for some time.
I really like this steel. I also have an Endura with VG-10 and I like that steel just as well.
ATS-55 = good steel!
Chad
Welcome to the forum, Chad. Nice to have you here. :) I agree--ATS-55 was always good to me too. I honestly never had any complaints using this steel. My brother has an ATS-55 Police model (SS/CE) and I've got one too (G10/PE). Great knives.
:spyder: -Michael
"...as I said before, 'the edge is a wondrous thing', [but] in all of it's qualities, it is still a ghost." - sal
I really like ATS-55, and carry and use it frequently in a SS dragonfly. Very similar to VG-10, but has always seemed a little tougher and toothier to me. It sharpens up great on the Sharpmaker with the standard rods.
Donut wrote:I was looking through my "storage" for Foliage Green stuff to compare the Elmax Para with... and I didn't trade both ATS-55 Rookies away!
I will try to give it some use. :)
I found the Cricket (it was right infront of me) and on close inspection, the tip was banged up and someone straightened the tip out. I will probably use my arc'd DMT stone and try to make it a hook again.
I had two friends of mine who really were not Spyderco fans like we are at all. But both of them said to me that they believed that the original Spyderco ROOKIE model may be one of the very best proportioned EDC folders ever produced. The ROOKIE is another stalwart model and one highly sought after by collectors that came forth from the ATS-55 era.
You can also throw in the Carbon Fiber Cricket model in ATS-55 and the very first Peter Herbst model was also >> you guessed it!! ATS-55.
Donut wrote:... and the very first Peter Herbst model was also >> you guessed it!! ATS-55.
Pretty sure these (the original German made Titanium models) were 440C, but I don't have mine in front of me to check at the moment.
From there they went to VG-10 on the Aluminum handled variety.
The German made, titanium handled version with 440C blade steel was a Sprint Run and from the best of my memory was also a collaboration with Boker if my memory isn't in need of a major overhaul :rolleyes: . The first run Peter Herbst model in the main line up with the aluminum handle indeed had ATS-55 blade steel. I know I've owned every variant of the Peter Herbst Spyderco models. They made quite a few ATS-55 models before they ended up with VG-10. I'm sure of that one
I didn't realize that fact about the Aluminum model (ATS-55 later gave way to VG-10). Once I got my hands on the Titanium version I was pretty much set. That knife is amazingly smooth and beautiful and is one I will never give up.
clovisc wrote:I really like ATS-55, and carry and use it frequently in a SS dragonfly. Very similar to VG-10, but has always seemed a little tougher and toothier to me. It sharpens up great on the Sharpmaker with the standard rods.
I'm glad to hear you say all of that Brother Clovisc :) Because I've always sort of thought that ATS-55 never really got the respect it deserved. When you think about it several coveted, classic collector pieces came forth from the ATS-55 era. Not to mention that you're not the only Brother here at Spyderville who has told me that they still carry and use more than one of their older ATS-55 models. I just counted the ones in my rotation and there are 6 of my older ATS-55 models that I carry and use occasionally.
I was just sharpening my C-46 Lum Tanto folder they other day and it blows me away how good that knife cuts when sharpened properly. Now Spyderco did go on record saying that VG-10 was superior when they tested it against ATS-55. But in that brief era you've got to admit that the ATS-55 era left us with some nice collector pieces and some super good users as well ( that are still being used by the way).
The clip point PE blade on my C-44 Dyad literally cuts meat like a laser when it's been well sharpened. It's been about 15 years since they quit using ATS-55 but I still maintain that even Spyderco's older/discontinued ATS-55 is still superior to what many major knife companies offer even today as we speak. ATS-55 truly never got the widespread respect that it much deserved in my humble opinion.
