New Caly3 Carbon Fiber ZDP-189

CaptainT · #1

Hi,

This is my first post, so please shoot me if you must.

Today my new Caly3 arrived. On all pictures I've seen of it, the blade is marked "Seki-City" which I like being a VG-10 fanboy and all, but my new blade is only marked "Japan" on the SAL side and Spyderco ZDP189/429J2 on the Spider side.
The box is marked:

C113CFPE
Caly3
LK
1346

Have I received a second edition example, or are they not marked Seki-City any more? :-(

Clip · #2

The ones made in Moki are not stamped Seki for certain reasons

welcome to the forum!

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... ade-knives

CaptainT · #3

Thanks for the prompt answer!
I think I will have to look Moki up then. :-)

RadioactiveSpyder · #4

Welcome to the forum CaptainT, excellent choice there with that Caly! Any new posters that mention buying Caly's are immediately held in very high regard! :)

VeloWeave · #5

Welcome aboard CaptainT, just pulled my Caly 3 ZDP-189 out of my front right pocket to have a look. Mine only says Japan as well. You have fine taste, I'm sure you're going to love the Caly.

CaptainT · #6

Great to hear that my choice was not all that bad. :-)
Also nice that all Caly3 are marked "Japan" and not Seki-City, I felt cheated there for a while.
Have I understood it correct if I think that a blade made by Moki is a high quality blade?

It's actually the sixth Spyderco I buy. The first was a Harpy SS VG10 for my wife (she got it as a fifth anniversary present :D ), then I've bought four Ladybugs which I had engraved for us in the crew. The Caly3 is however my first own Spyderco and I bought it for a rather special occasion, I will use it to open oysters. :-)

I've read all of the magnificent "Show off your latest purchase"-thread and will post some pictures of my own too.

phillipsted · #7

Welcome to the Forum, CaptainT! All the members of the Caly family are absolutely fantastic knives!

TedP

Holland · #8

Welcome to the forums! And great knife pickup :)

remnar · #9

Careful with those oysters. They can do a number on your blade. Someone on one of these forums has a Techno to prove it.

-remnar

spyder_happy · #10

I just noticed the blade was listed as a zpd-189 laminated with 420j2, any one have some insight as to why or the benefits it has? most other zdp-189 blades appear to be just that, no laminating.

Also question to the original poster, how are the CF scales on your model? the only negatives I have seen for this knife are comments that the edges are sharp/ rough.

thanks!

CaptainT · #11

Thanks for all the encouraging comments and greetings!

remnar wrote:Careful with those oysters. They can do a number on your blade. Someone on one of these forums has a Techno to prove it.

-remnar

Scratches does not bother me, a good tool should wear proof that it indeed isn't for looks only.

However the ZDP might be too hard for the job, maybe they will brake the blade, but there's only one way to find that one out, isn't there? :-)

spyder_happy wrote: Also question to the original poster, how was is the CF scales on your model? the only negatives I have seen for this knife are comments that the edges are sharp/ rough.

thanks!

The edges of the scales are smooth and nice. Though I thought that the scales should be a bit more shiny than they are.

spyder_happy · #12

CaptainT wrote:The edges of the scales are smooth and nice. Though I thought that the scales should be a bit more shiny than they are.

Cool, thanks for the reply. I got a surprise Christmas check, and the forum always seems to say "buy a caly3/3.5" :D

remnar · #13

CaptainT wrote:Thanks for all the encouraging comments and greetings!

Scratches does not bother me, a good tool should wear proof that it indeed isn't for looks only.

However the ZDP might be too hard for the job, maybe they will brake the blade, but there's only one way to find that one out, isn't there? :-)...

Here's the thread with the oyster shucking Techno.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... hno+oyster

3rdGenRigger · #14

The black G-10 handled Caly 3.5 with VG-10 steel says Seki Japan on the blade. You have the other version with carbon fiber handles and the ZDP-189 laminate blade (I have the 3.5" version of the CF ZDP-198/420J2 which also says only Japan). ZDP-189 is harder than VG-10 and will take longer to sharpen (Light strokes really help), but will hold an edge longer. Of all of my knives, it and my ZDP-189 Dragonfly are the two from my collection that I can get sharper than any other. I'm waiting on a SuperBlue Stretch though, and may have to get some ultra fine rods for my Sharpmaker to really see which of the two I can get sharper...though my sharpening skills are still not very good compared to a lot of what I've seen on this forum, though I'm trying to learn what I can. Oh, and ZDP-189 contains 20% Chromium which is more than enough to be considered stainless (From what I read ~12-13% is enough to consider a steel as stainless, though if I'm wrong about any of this I don't doubt it'll be corrected before too long), but also has 3% Carbon, which is really high (SuperBlue 1.4-1.5%, VG-10 0.95-1.05%, CPM-S30V 1.45%), and as a result it will develop a patina over time. My Dragonfly has a plain ZDP-189 blade, and I've noticed no patina thus far, but I haven't gotten blood or salty/chlorinated water anywhere near it, nor do I let it get wet without drying it off. From what I read, it'll slowly turn very slightly darker, and may pit slightly if seriously neglected. Given how long I've had it I'm not at all concerned. If you really look closely at the spine of your Caly3 at the right angle you'll be able to see the core in between the cladding...the ZDP-189 is VERY slightly more tan coloured than the cladding, or at least it is on mine and was like that when I got it.

black · #15

CaptainT wrote: On all pictures I've seen of it, the blade is marked "Seki-City"

I've never seen one with seki-city stamp. Would you share those pictures with us?

CaptainT · #16

black wrote:I've never seen one with seki-city stamp. Would you share those pictures with us?

Nah, I was seriously mistaken. The pictures I remembered was of the VG-10 blade which was my first choice for a while.

phillipsted · #17

My Brother-in-Law, who is a Knife Knut, always uses a dedicated blade for oyster shucking. He says that he doesn't want to tear up his good knives - but also that it is a safety issue. If you slip when cranking on an oyster with an ultra-sharp blade, bad things tend to happen. His oyster knife is thick and relatively soft steel. He just gives it a short steeling to straighten out the edge before extended shucking sessions and it works like a charm.

TedP

CaptainT · #18

phillipsted wrote:My Brother-in-Law, who is a Knife Knut, always uses a dedicated blade for oyster shucking. He says that he doesn't want to tear up his good knives - but also that it is a safety issue. If you slip when cranking on an oyster with an ultra-sharp blade, bad things tend to happen. His oyster knife is thick and relatively soft steel. He just gives it a short steeling to straighten out the edge before extended shucking sessions and it works like a charm.

TedP

Well, the Caly3 is going to be my dedicated oyster opener.

If I screw up and cut myself it should be with a good knife, why do you think we have that many fingers anyway? :-)

The Deacon · #19

FWIW, if you ever saw any Spyderco Caly 3, Caly 3.5, Calypso Jr., or Calypso with a Seki or Seki City marking on it, the knife was a fake. Those four models are all made by Moki, and Moki only ever stamps Japan the knives they make for Spyderco.

anthonyc · #20

Japan here
heres a pic of my "old" caly 3 zdp cf