Junior users chime in

[Evil D]

Who owns and really uses a Junior? Does anyone use them hard? I don't mean batoning and chopping, but everything else. I ask because It looks like the pivot doesn't have a lot of meat around it, not in the blade or the handle, so I wonder how strong that whole area is and how susceptible it is to blade play.

[spyderedge]

I don't have a Junior but what I have heard of it is that it is made for EDC for younger people. It was designed essentially for "kids" hence then name Junior.
It is not meant for very hard use but will hold up to normal/heavy EDC usage.
If you are thinking about buying one, you may not like it. The handle is too small for most adults. But your millage will vary.

[paladin]

Evil, I bought mine for the unique design and the comp. lock primarily. I've used it to cut tape and break down cardboard. It performs really well, not perfect, but really good for that chore. I've torqued it a bit cutting boxes around corners and edges...no blade play. Most people would not call that heavy or even moderate use...but that's my experience. My favorite EDC are Caly, jr., Stretch, & Kiwi... on 1-10 they rate 9 for their specific niches in my world. On that same scale the Junior would grade out at about 6.5 or 7...just my limited experience....adios amigo

[donutsrule]

Ours usually gets used for food prep by my daughter and me. Not quite hard use. I usually Edc my PPT because it's more subtle in-pocket at work. I have no complaints about the Junior, though. It's a nice knife and not too small for my hands.

[Onionman]

I carry the Junior regularly in my rotation. I typically use it to open boxes and envelopes, cut twine, and slice fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. It is a great slicer and of all the VG-10 knives I have, it is the sharpest and keeps an edge longer than any other. When I went up the mountains for vacation last summer, I brought a number of my Spydercos (Endura, PPT, Police G10, Military SE, and Pacific Salt, SE), my al mar eagle ultralight, my Benchmade 530, and my DPx Hest 2.0. There was a fire pit in the backyard, and I decided to collect some shavings to start a fire. I decided to have a whittling contest to see which knife was the best. I used all my plain edge knives and after trying each one on small to medium size sticks, and purposely going after the knots to see how the knife performed, I was surprised to find that the Junior won by a good margin (the DPx Hest was the worst of the lot). The Junior would make the smoothest cuts and had the least resistance through the knots in the wood. The blade also held up well, and sharpened up quickly on the sharpmaker.

So I have to say that the Junior performed well outdoors as well as indoors. I also remember Alex saying something about his own tests on the Junior in another thread so you may want to look that up as well.

[Ferris Wheels]

I am planning to add a Junior to the rotation before deer hunting this fall. I am thinking it will make an excellent skinning knife but there is only one way to test out that theory.

[xceptnl]

I'm sure plenty of size comparisons have been requested before, but does anyone have a Dragonfly or Native or Chaparral vs Junior comparison picture?

[Evil D]

I really really really wish this knife could get the XL treatment...just give it another 1/2-1 inch of blade and it would be a really nice food prep blade. I'd also love to see a wharnie blade in the same handle but that's probably a pipe dream.

[donutsrule]

I am planning to add a Junior to the rotation before deer hunting this fall. I am thinking it will make an excellent skinning knife but there is only one way to test out that theory.

I imagine it would do pretty well, other that being slightly harder to clean than a fixed blade. I went to a feral hog butchering class with one, but used my Bushcraft when it got to be my turns at the pigs. If I had more time cutting, I still would have tried it but once my hands and the Bushcraft were goopy I didn't want to stick my hand in my pocket to get the Junior. Shape an steel wise it should be a good one, though.

[Onionman]

I really really really wish this knife could get the XL treatment...just give it another 1/2-1 inch of blade and it would be a really nice food prep blade. I'd also love to see a wharnie blade in the same handle but that's probably a pipe dream.

+1 on that. I've seen on past threads that Alex considered something bigger, and Sal chimed in that it was too early to do anything just yet, so there is still hope.

[JLS]

I can't say I've used mine hard, but it gets used consistently. It's one of the knives I have on me when I lounging around the house.

It does do well for food prep, breaking down boxes, and even light electrical work. It visually looks a bit thin compared to the handle, but the comparison picture to a Delica trainer blade should put things in perspective. You have to remember that we're talking about hardened steel with very high strength. When I think of the abuse heaped upon Delica 4's, not to mention the unlined Delica 1's and Delica 3's, I have no concern about the strength of the Junior.

[Evil D]

That's a very good pic...explains a lot. Thanks for that.


Now I want a Junior even more lol.