Too many Spyderco Steels, confuse me

akapennypincher · #1

Broke the point off of a BYRD Knife last week, and want to replace it with something NEW.

Blade under 3.5 inches, EDC. but I want something that is not brittle steel, keep a good edge, and will tak abuse.

Was trying to Pry Something when the Byrd Blade BROKE. :mad:

chuck_roxas45 · #2

Tuff might be what you need...

TomAiello · #3

You're looking for a knife that can be used as a prying tool without fear of breaking the tip?

Honestly, I think the best strategy for that is the one you were using before--buy a cheap knife and abuse it, so when it breaks you can just buy a replacement.

Another option is to use a pry bar (or a screwdriver) for the prying.

chuck_roxas45 · #4

TomAiello wrote:You're looking for a knife that can be used as a prying tool without fear of breaking the tip?

Honestly, I think the best strategy for that is the one you were using before--buy a cheap knife and abuse it, so when it breaks you can just buy a replacement.

Another option is to use a pry bar (or a screwdriver) for the prying.

He wants to pry with a knife... :)

The Deacon · #5

Plan A - Keep using your Byrd as is.
Plan B - Regrind the point on you Byrd's blade and continue using it.
Plan C - Buy another Byrd for cutting and a $6 Stanley Wonder Bar II for prying.
Plan D - Buy a considerably more expensive "hard use" folder, preferably one guaranteed to be suitable for prying.

Liquid Cobra · #6

Don't pry with your knife seems like the advice you need here.

Holland · #7

Strider ppt

Invective · #8

If you absolutely must pry with a knife, I'd look at a Techno. 4.5 mm of XHP is nothing to scoff at, gives you the toughness of D2 and the stainless of 440C. Either that or the Tuff, which has 3V, one of the toughest steels Spyderco, and other companies are working with in folding knives.

akapennypincher · #9

What I was prying was not steel, it was part of a piece of 1" x 3" x 1/2" Oak Molding, I have done this many times. but this was the last time. Tip broke 3/4' from int, maybe it was from use, and abuse. I do know Spyderco make many steel, for a reason. So I am sure will take more FLEX.

That was the question, most Flex without Breaking.

Cujobob · #10

I hate to say this, but I probably wouldn't go with a Spyderco. Spyderco knives are designed to cut and they do it exceptionally well, but as they are designed as cutting tools first and foremost, they likely wouldn't be the best knives for hybrid activities (cutting/prying). If you do stick with Spyderco, any of the steels are optimally heat treated. They're generally a balance of edge retention/sharpening time. Most are very stain resistant, but most of them are ground thin which is optimal for cutting though not necessarily for prying.

I'd recommend a cheap beater knife for something like that or get a good knife for cutting and something else for prying activities (they make mini prybars for keychains, for example).

senorsquare · #11

Cujobob wrote:I hate to say this, but I probably wouldn't go with a Spyderco. Spyderco knives are designed to cut and they do it exceptionally well, but as they are designed as cutting tools first and foremost, they likely wouldn't be the best knives for hybrid activities (cutting/prying). If you do stick with Spyderco, any of the steels are optimally heat treated. They're generally a balance of edge retention/sharpening time. Most are very stain resistant, but most of them are ground thin which is optimal for cutting though not necessarily for prying.

I'd recommend a cheap beater knife for something like that or get a good knife for cutting and something else for prying activities (they make mini prybars for keychains, for example).

Yeah, I'd recomment the ESEE Candiru, Izula or Izula 2. These are small EDC size fixed blades that are very pocketable and tough as nails. If you manage to break an ESEE they will replace it no questions asked.

The Spyderco Tuff might be a good option if you must have a folder.

Donut · #12

For the sake of keeping your fingers, I suggest not prying with your knife. There are many things out there you can pry with that won't remove your fingers when you slip.

Asking for a knife you can pry with, to me, seems like asking for a screw driver that can be used as a hammer.

xceptnl · #13

$11 and you are in business. Now you can buy a knife that will cut well without concern for it's ability to pry.

senorsquare · #14

xceptnl wrote:$11 and you are in business. Now you can buy a knife that will cut well without concern for it's ability to pry.

That's a funny looking knife xceptnl :rolleyes:

xceptnl · #15

senorsquare wrote:That's a funny looking knife xceptnl :rolleyes:

I thought so too, but I tried it. Cuts butter well (when it's hot) and you should see the tip strength in action :rolleyes:

rodloos · #16

xceptnl wrote:I thought so too, but I tried it. Cuts butter well (when it's hot) and you should see the tip strength in action :rolleyes:

LOL.

I too recommend a pry bar. I keep a micro-widgy pry bar from County Comm on my keychain all the time. Gave each of my daughters a mini-pry bar (the next size up) so they wouldn't break their knives by prying with them.

I remember seeing a post on the Off-Topic section some time back, something to the effect of wondering if anybody actually *used* their pry bars. I *do* use mine. Whether it is to open a can of paint, tighten a screw on my tripod, extract a nail, whatever, the pry bar is cheap *and* effective, it is made for prying, not likely to break. And so small that it is easy to keep with you all the time. I also have a titanium prybar from STR on blade forums. It is light and strong, but I usually end up using my little micro.

I'm just not fond of the idea of applying a lot of force to a *sharp* blade, could do a lot of damage if it slipped even if it didn't break.

JacksonKnives · #17

"The right tool for the job." Unfortunately, sometimes the job is an unexpected one; in an emergency situation, I might feel the need to pry with a Spyderco, but most of them will break at the tip fairly quickly.

One thing to remember about "flex" in steel: whether the steel will flex or break is a function of how thin it is, given a force sufficient. (Thin but hard materials can have plenty of flex: see fiberglass, watch springs, etc. They're hard and brittle, but they flex without breaking because they're thin.) Any blade the same thickness and shape as your Byrd would have broken; you loaded the steel with enough force that it couldn't "give" any more. Sometimes it seems like harder steel should be able to take more force than it can, since it stops flexing as much right before it breaks, where a softer steel would start bending, but the amount of force required to damage the steel is the same.
A steel that was softer would have failed by bending instead of snapping, and will still be in one piece with a greater overall amount of load, but a bent knife in my opinion is even more worthless than a broken one (especially since a soft knife won't stay sharp as long.)

Sure, there are ways to mitigate this (differential tempering especially) but for a prying tool you need something that's built not to fail with the amount of prying force you want to use. (i.e. use something really thick, like a prybar, or something that's going to go exactly where you need the prying force, like a really thin wedge that will easily go all the way behind the moulding.)

I like these tool for moulding: http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 67021.html since they're less likely to scratch stuff than a steel prybar. You've still got to know where to apply the force, though.

Surfingringo · #18

akapennypincher wrote:What I was prying was not steel, it was part of a piece of 1" x 3" x 1/2" Oak Molding, I have done this many times. but this was the last time. Tip broke 3/4' from int, maybe it was from use, and abuse. I do know Spyderco make many steel, for a reason. So I am sure will take more FLEX.

That was the question, most Flex without Breaking.

Don't you hate it when you can't get an answer to your question? :) . Try a salt 1. H1 is a very tough (non brittle) steel and the salt 1 has a big fat tip. Should be significantly more resilient than the Byrd you broke. Easy to sharpen, takes a screaming sharp edge and it's 100% rust proof to boot! Pry all you want. If you break it then buy another one! Good for business!

Strong-Dog · #19

You could try the Vallotton. Good luck breaking that tip off. As other people have mentioned, the Techno or Tuff are also good choices. The Gayle Bradley will still cut great but the M4 can take abuse. Of you could try to find a saber-ground manix 2.

However, if you want to stick with cheaper knives, I would suggest getting a cheap pry-tool and then focusing on a cheaper knife with excellent cutting performance (which Spyderco makes a lot of).

xceptnl · #20

As Chuck stated in post #2, perhaps if you must choose a knife to carry with prying capabilities, maybe a Schempp Tuff (opposite Strider SMF in photo)