Looking to buy first Spydie

[wendysman8888]

I am looking to buy my first Spyderco knife and I am wanting to know what you all would recommend for a solid EDC knife? This will be a beater knife but I am also looking for one of the knives made in Colorado.

Having said all of that....I just want a plain edge not a serrated edge and would like to keep the price around $60 if at all possible

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[jabba359]

Not really many choices that meet these criteria:

* EDC beater knife
* PE
* ~$60 or less
* made in Colorado

You could get the FRN UK Penknife. It's available in multiple colors, blade shapes, and edge configurations. It's cheap enough to be a beater, but I wouldn't put it to super hard use since it doesn't have a lock.

The other option is the Manix 2 FRN. Much more solid in my opinion (has a tough lock) and if you shop around you can land one for around $60 (used, or new for a few bucks more). There are a few on eBay right now at that price point.

I might be missing another model, but those are the two that come to mind.

[wendysman8888]

Are the made in USA knives that much better than say the Tenacious or any of those?

[BadFish]

Manix2 lightweight is made in Colorado and you can find it for around. 67-74 dollars.

[jackknifeh]

Are the made in USA knives that much better than say the Tenacious or any of those?

All Spyderco knives are high quality. The Manix2 is a great knife and made in Colorado. However the Bradley Folder is also an outstanding knife but it is made in Taiwan. IMO the knives made at the Taiwan factory are just as good as any. The fit and finish attention to detail is supurb. The Tenacious is what they call a value folder. There are 4 of those I think. My son has a Tenacious and it is a great knife. The main thing that makes it a value folder is the blade steel which is 3Cr13MoV. This steel doesn't hold an edge as well as some of the others Spyderco uses but still it is a very good steel. There are some people who prefer a steel like this because it can be easier to sharpen. VG0-10 is also easy to sharpen but holds an edge a bit longer. S30V is one of my personal favorites. A big difference in the Spyderco company than most is the wide variety of blade steels they use.

If you were thinking you wanted a knife from the Colorado factory thinking it is better than the knives that come from the other factories I recommend you drop that requirement. If you want a knife made in America because you want your money to go to a factory that employes Americans that's a different story. But the knives made in Japan and Taiwan factories are top shelf IMO.

The Delica is about as perfect an EDC knife you'll find I think. Another series is the Sage series. The Sage is basically the same model with the main difference is the lock. Dragonfly2 knives are great also for a bit smaller knife.

I decided to get a good knife about 6 years ago and ended up buying 30 to 50 knives most being Spyderco. I don't have most of them any more because if I had a knife that I didn't carry much I'd sell or trade it for something else to try. Now I have 8 or 10 that I really like and I use them all. The most important thing to me deciding to get a "good" knife compared to the pocket knives I've had all my life was wanting a knife that would stay sharp longer. What do you use your pocket knife for mostly? Do you work in an office or are you a lumberjack? Knowing what you will be doing with a pocket knife makes it much easier to make recommendations. The Stretch really a great EDC knife and you can choose either VG-10 or ZDP-189 balde steel. VG-10 is great. ZDP-189 is great also and holds an edge longer but it takes longer to sharpen and if you haven't been sharpening knives a long time or if you are less than average in sharpening skill it can be hard to sharpen. Anyway, the persistance or tenacious is a great choice but a Delica or Stretch is a bit better knife IMO. Both of those come in VG-10 and ZDP-189.

It's easy to take a simple thing like buying a knife and making it a fairly hard decision. It's different for everyone. But since you are willing to spend $60 on a knife I think you want a good one. But, if you only want one you may want to up the price goal to $100. If you do that and not worry about which factory the knife is made your options will really open up. All the factories, no matter where they are still need to meet the high quality demands of the people at Spyderco.

Good luck with your deciding. :)

Jack

[jabba359]

Are the made in USA knives that much better than say the Tenacious or any of those?

I think the US made Spydercos are better. But a USA-made Manix 2 FRN being almost twice the price of any out of the China lineup, I wouldn't say that the US knives are twice as good. The Chinese made Spydercos are crazy good values, with really good fit and finish and nice materials considering the price. That said, the US made Spydercos use slightly better materials (though you only find G-10 scales on their US knives costing closer to $80+), offer better blade steels, and generally have slightly better fit and finish to them.

I still wouldn't hesitate to offer someone a China made Spyderco as an example of the kind of quality they can expect from any Spyderco, regardless of country of origin.

[racer88]

The first thing that came to mind for me was the Manix 2. Fits the criteria except it may be more like $80 - and well worth it.

Also, in the same price range, but a smaller / lighter model: Native.

[SpyderNut]

The Native FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) just about meets all of your criteria: EDC beater knife, plain-edged, and made in Golden, Colorado. Pricewise, you'll be looking at $65 or more for the Native FRN. (There are a few variations currently available, so overall price will depend on your preferences). The Native is a solidly built model that has been around since about 1997. The ergos are sweet on the Native too. As a matter of fact, I have a Native5 clipped to my lounging pants at this very moment. Here’s a link to more info on the Native from Spyderco’s website:

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=20

Hope to see you around!

[wendysman8888]

Why doesn't the Delica come with g-10 handles?

[Knivesinedc]

The Native FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) just about meets all of your criteria: EDC beater knife, plain-edged, and made in Golden, Colorado. Pricewise, you'll be looking at $65 or more for the Native FRN. (There are a few variations currently available, so overall price will depend on your preferences). The Native is a solidly built model that has been around since about 1997. The ergos are sweet on the Native too. As a matter of fact, I have a Native5 clipped to my lounging pants at this very moment. Here’s a link to more info on the Native from Spyderco’s website:

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=20

Hope to see you around!

+1

[jaypowell0185]

Frn native

[SpyderNut]

Why doesn't the Delica come with g-10 handles?

The Delica was offered with G-10 handles, but it has since been discontinued (unfortunately) (see this link: http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=303). They still have the Dragonfly model available in G-10, however. You can still find the G-10 Delica's if you search the Web and hound the 'Bay. They're not too terribly hard to find. They are a bit pricey now, though, since they've been discontinued.

Here's the link to the G-10 Dragonly: http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=428

[Blerv]

If it's not too large, I would look at the Manix2 or Manix2 lightweight.

[Chris_H]

Native LTWT was my first thought followed by the Manix 2s (LTWT or the standard, if you up your budget some).

[Blue Possum]

I would agree and drop the made in USA requirement.

Go with a Delica or Dragon fly if you want something smaller - with the VG-10 Steel.

[FCM415]

Check out my post here, hehe!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showt ... erCo-Knife

[Pockets]

I agree that you should not require that your knife be made in the US. The Spydies made in Japan and Taiwan are very good.

[KrisOK]

I can understand the "Made in USA" preference. As a general rule, way too much spent here goes to pay the wages of folks outside of our borders. I try to "Buy American" as much as possible, with the exception of my knife and watch collection. At least in the knife category a person CAN buy US made products. Try to buy a DVD player made here.

All that said, the guys here are right. The Spydies made in Japan and Taiwan are VERY high quality. I'd probably give the edge slightly to the Taiwan made Spydies.

[Screwdriver]

I bought my FRN Native from Spyderco when I was in Golden earlier this year....paid around $60. Great knife!

[xceptnl]

As many of my fellow forum members have already said, US made Spydies are not the only ones worthy of praise. I would rank my suggestions based on price (lowest to highest) yet keeping with your US produced request:

FRN Native Lightweight
FRCP Manix 2
Manix 2 (154cm or S30V)
Paramilitary 2
Military