The knife for "Work" vs "Town" dilemma

[JAfromMN]

Chaparral
Give it a try and if you don't think it fits Your needs sell it and buy a dragonfly.or keep it and buy a dragon fly :spyder:

[HarleyXJGuy]

Chaparral
Give it a try and if you don't think it fits Your needs sell it and buy a dragonfly.or keep it and buy a dragon fly :spyder:

This.

Can't have to many lightly used Chaparrel's around for me to buy.

[Evil D]

The H1/SE Dragonfly is one of my most used knives. I'd definitely call it a work knife. For knives this size I'm not sure I'd choose anything over a Dragonfly.

[endgame]

Does no one like the cricket but me.lol

[rodloos]

I want them all! Although having 2 dragonflies is something i'll want to avoid...

Yes, having *only* 2 dragonflies is something to avoid :D :D :) .

Out of my hundreds of Spydies I own, my Dragonfly Salt PE is probably my most-used knife. Cuts well for its size, small and light enough to always have with me, won't rust even if I cut acidic food and don't get it cleaned right away. It does not hold an edge forever, but is very easy to resharpen.
The G10 Dragonfly is definitely heavier, but just has a wonderful "quality" feel to it. And there is nothing wrong with Spyderco's VG10 steel either.
For a classier look for dress-up, you might look for the Nishijin ZDP-189 Dragonfly. Looks very classy, and the ZDP holds an edge well.
And if you come across a Santa Fe Stoneworks - decorated Dragonfly, those are beautiful too.

My daughter loves her purple FRN Dragonfly, uses it tons opening boxes in the restaurant where she works.

Of course I love the whole Chaparral series too. The CF one is really quite affordable.

[Holzfaeller]

You are not alone, Endgame. The Cricket has been one of my favorites for years.

[endgame]

You are not alone, Endgame. The Cricket has been one of my favorites for years.

+1 on that

[endgame]

You are not alone, Endgame. The Cricket has been one of my favorites for years.

+1 on that

[vlawson]

So....Of course I went into a shop recently and played with the Delica and Endura for the first time...

Whoops. Now I want them both as well!

This would seem like a great line-up:

DF G10 for Town AND Work! Whoa. Mind blown.
Chaparral for Classy Townin'
Delica 4 Saber ground for Workin'
Endura for, well, who knows what? SD? Pure big badassness? Rural outdoor odd job work?
But...What will I do with my poor persistence if it's replaced by the Delica? Truck console backup-knife? Gift to a buddy?
And what about wanting that small beater blade? Should I add a DF in FRN too?
And the SAGE 1 is probably my all time favorite Spyderco I've held...but it's basically the same exact size as my Persistence...

AHHHHHHHHHHHH! (Sound I make before and after spending money...)

I know from pics of some of your collections on here, that many will disagree, but I really really want to have a role and purpose for every knife I own...

[Waco]

So....Of course I went into a shop recently and played with the Delica and Endura for the first time...

Whoops. Now I want them both as well!

This would seem like a great line-up:

DF G10 for Town AND Work! Whoa. Mind blown.
Chaparral for Classy Townin'
Delica 4 Saber ground for Workin'
Endura for, well, who knows what? SD? Pure big badassness? Rural outdoor odd job work?
But...What will I do with my poor persistence if it's replaced by the Delica? Truck console backup-knife? Gift to a buddy?
And what about wanting that small beater blade? Should I add a DF in FRN too?
And the SAGE 1 is probably my all time favorite Spyderco I've held...but it's basically the same exact size as my Persistence...

AHHHHHHHHHHHH! (Sound I make before and after spending money...)

I know from pics of some of your collections on here, that many will disagree, but I really really want to have a role and purpose for every knife I own...

My justification for having an Endura is that it carries comfortably and the blade length works better than my Manix for slicing things like red onions and bell peppers. So, I'm more likely to carry it on the weekends when I'm preparing food 2 or 3 times a day.

[jackknifeh]

I don't know if you would be interested but I have a FRN D'fly2 that you can have if you want it. I have disassembled this knife I have no idea how many times. I assumed I rounded out the "D" shaped hole in the handle for the lockbar pin because I cut a slot in the pin head to get the knife back together at some point. This knife has been used pretty hard for a small folder I think. The blade and edge is in great shape. I'll use the wife's toothbrush to clean up the handle some. :) I have the pivot adjusted to have no side to side play. There is the tiniest bit of vertical play but you have to look for it to notice it. I would consider this knife on the work side of the work/town comparison you mentioned. It's not pretty anymore but it will perform like a new one. I can flick the blade open as any as any knife I've "flicked". :) I don't normally open a knife that way though. If you are interested I'll provide pictures. If you want it send me your address in a PM.

Have you ordered anything yet? D'fly's are great knives. I was thinking if you had my D'fly as a work knife you could get the CF Chaparral as your town knife. That is about as perfect an EDC folder I've seen. If you REALLY need anything for harder work there are other forlders or even a fixed blade. You mentioned camping or hunting, etc. in your first post. If you consider a fixed blade I'd recommend a Mule. The #20 out right now is great. It's the only one I've bought but I love the blade steel. Gets VERY sharp and stays sharp under pretty tough work. Even better, it seems to be hard to get this steel to rust. I've used and carried it when sweating BAD. I've gone into a swimming pool with it still on me. I have not done anything to prevent corrosion other than just keeping it clean enough to use. I bought 3 of them. One I have G-10 on the handle and use. The first one I put a wooden handle on it and the wife has it in the kitchen. The third is sitting waiting for me to put a handle on it. I have some pretty wood. Now I need to get some motivation. :o

Good luck in your search and let me know if you want the D'fly.

Jack

[vlawson]

I don't know if you would be interested but I have a FRN D'fly2 that you can have if you want it...

...Good luck in your search and let me know if you want the D'fly.

Jack

Wow! Thanks for the offer, I'm very grateful! No, I have not purchased one yet. Was pretty close to pulling the trigger on the G10 DF, but then felt the Delicas recently and now I'm all confused. Ha. In any case, I would love to accept your offer, even if it's just for me to try out for awhile and see if the size and ergos work out while I'm deciding on scale material. After my trial I can send it back to you, or perhaps pass it on to someone else if you don't want it back?

How cool. :D

[jackknifeh]

I don't know if you would be interested but I have a FRN D'fly2 that you can have if you want it...

...Good luck in your search and let me know if you want the D'fly.

Jack

Wow! Thanks for the offer, I'm very grateful! No, I have not purchased one yet. Was pretty close to pulling the trigger on the G10 DF, but then felt the Delicas recently and now I'm all confused. Ha. In any case, I would love to accept your offer, even if it's just for me to try out for awhile and see if the size and ergos work out while I'm deciding on scale material. After my trial I can send it back to you, or perhaps pass it on to someone else if you don't want it back?

How cool. :D

I'll get it in the mail to you tomorrow. I don't need the knife back. I don't collect knives AT ALL. I have no interest in collecting. But when I have looked at the knives I have accumulated off and on I have had knives I absolutely loved for one or more reasons. But, when some have not made it into my pocket for a while for one reason or another, I sell, trade or let go of them somehow. I have 3 other D'fly's I would use when I want to carry that model. I have two superblue blades. One is still in the same handle and the other SB blade is in a handle I made. I have made 3 or 4 one-piece handles for a D'fly and this knife handle was the mold (so to speak) I used to make the others. The last D'fly is a serrated salt model. Anyway, selling this knife isn't really an option because no one, including me, would pay any significant amount of money for this knife. That leaves trading it or giving it away if I don't keep it. I have no one to give it to that I know of. So, letting you have it covers a couple of cool things. It gets an "unused" knife out of my knife box. And hopefully it can help you with the "which knife" dilema we have all seen. This knife fills the "work knife" role perfectly. First, it's a great knife fully capable of many years of cutting. And second, it's no longer pretty enough to worry about getting it scratched. I have HATED buying a really strong (and beautiful) knife then not using it for it's intended use because of it's beauty, cost or both. Right now I'm out of the knife buying mode and am "into" an old hobby I've had off and on since the third grade. Music. I now have a set (not a collection) of knives I use for any cutting need I have. Except one they are all Spyderco's. Since I got into knives a few years ago I've only seen one company that provides a knife model for every type of use I can imagine. Spyderco supplies all needs. And the company backs up their products with as good a customer service attitude I've seen anywhere. There's a knife the size, strength and type for any knife need. I only have one knife that I love as much as the Spyderco's I own and use now. The "other" knife is truely a great knife. It is EXPENSIVE however. Worth every penny I do want to say. But every single, outstanding feature of that knife can also be gotten for half the price in a number of Spyderco's or some other brands probably. When people value a particular type of thing, like a pocket knife for example, we tend to overlook the fact that just to open my mail or a box or any other light duty tasks that may make up 90% of our cutting needs we can spend a lot less. I don't even want to get into an item's "worth". That's completely an individual's option.

You mentioned in your PM that your girlfriend thought Spyderco's were a bit on the "ugly" side. Not the first time we've heard that or even felt that. Some of them are some funny looking knives. The Caly3 for example just looked "funny" to me. But I finally gave in to a multitude of praises and got one. Once I carried and used it I no longer think it looks "funny". It's just about as fabulous a tool as there is. I would add that to your list of future possibles. I haven't gotten the Caly 3.5. That's just a bit big for my primary EDC knife. For me the Chaparral is perfect in a lot of ways. Also, the sprint run Worker recently is a TOP favorite of mine. It's the knife as a whole I love. Not any one feature (handle material, blade steel, etc.). One thing I've come to demand in an EDC knife is it HAS to be able to be used 100% one-handed. All my life an EDC knife meant a Case, Old-Timer or similar traditional pocket knife. I may carry a knife from time to time that requires both hands to open but it will probably not become my main EDC knife. I ABSOLUTELY HATE to talk about self-defense because I am completely disgusted in the human race because we are capable of creating a world where self-defense is not even an issue. However, in the "real-world" the human race has CHOSEN not to create a place where we can trust each other completely. Therefore, I think it might occur that an EDC small folding knife can save someone's life (or even the $7 in their pocket :) ). So I think a knife that can be operated 100% with one hand is important when we do need a weapon. Even if it is "ugly". But this is another subject. Sorry, I'm rambling. I'll get the knife to you soon. I hope you find a use for it and if you see the opportunity to pass it on to help someone in a similar situation so much the better.

Jack

PS
I won't use wife's toothbrush to clean the D'fly. You don't need to worry about her beating my A$$ (again). :)

[vlawson]

Man. I'm beside myself with gratitude. Thanks again.

[Nasgul]

Nice attitude jackknifeh !!!! :cool:

Vlawson, enjoy this lovely "little" blade !

[PiterM]

****..... still one of my favorite sub-3" REAL WORKING folder of all time....

[vlawson]

Well, I received jackknifeh's gift today. Wow, talk about fast shipping from FL to CA. Amazing. THANK YOU! :D

This little thing is pretty sweet! It does in fact disappear in the pocket like so many have said. I can't wait to use it for "Work." I will also be able to use it for "Town" over Thanksgiving when I visit my GF in Vermont and we head to Boston for a day or two. They have a sub 2.5" blade limit there. Nice.

My initial impressions leave me very happy with the ergos, the look, the flickability factor, the fit and finish, the details like jimping, etc...but I am also left a little wanting. I by no means like carrying heavy knives (at least in the pocket) but the Dragonfly 2 in FRN is super duper light, maybe too light for an ideal EDC? My compound bow scale reads it at 1.1oz. I think that the G-10 version would feel more substantial, and thus perhaps "better" in pocket and hand. But, maybe it's not the weight at all, but the size? It's so short that, in pocket, it feels like it will just fly out (I know it won't...) That said, this little guy is perfect for dropping inside the pocket, for backup, or for throwing in a backpack or loaning out. Perfect for my current jobs as well. I will use it at the grocery store, where I squat and kneel a lot and having bulky things in the pocket is annoying. It will also be good for pizza delivery where I keep 2-3 pens, a flashlight, a knife, OC spray and coins in my front pockets. This little knife will rule there.

Even though I'm PSYCHED on this thing, all told, something with a little more weight would prob. suit my personal pref. a little more...

Guess that Chaparral is calling my name!

[vlawson]

And now for some comparisons...
Sorry for the lighting quality. Harsh gun cleaning lamp was all I had handy.
Knives are the Persistence, Dragonfly 2, and Ladybug 3

[vlawson]

more

[vlawson]

And last, but not least: Jackknifeh's beautiful polished edge.