How did you develop your preferences?

[vivi]

Lots of talk about what we do and don't like in a knife, but little discussion explaining why.

So what do you prefer? And most importantly, why?

Extreme corrosion resistance. I live in the coastal south, I work physically intensive jobs, I'm extremely active in the outdoors outside of work, and my sweat is very corrosive. I can't count the number of knives I've rusted badly in a single day. For this reason I no longer buy carbon steels, and rarely will I even buy uncoated stainless steel. I also prefer coated liners, lock mechanisms etc., as I've severely rusted stop pins, liners etc. in a matter of days. If it's not an H1 salt series folder, I will rust it somewhere, including DLC coated stainless Spydercos.

IWB carry. It's more comfortable, especially with large folders like I prefer. It opens up my RFP for my big phone. It's the most secure carry method. It prevents the pocket clip from scratching things or getting caught on seat belts. During many of the activities I do, I wear running shorts with no pockets, during which any other clipped carry method is impractical (I hate neck carry). For consistency, I always keep my primary EDC clipped IWB, so the location doesn't change whether I'm in carhartts, slacks, running shorts etc.

Strong self close mechanism. This is my newest preference, and I don't enjoy the fact that it excludes many exciting releases from my to buy list. My enthusiasm for the ATR 2, Lil Temp 3 and any iteration of the Military has significantly waned from this. In the span of a year I had a compression lock open in my pocket twice, and a liner lock open in my pocket once. Years ago I also had a framelock consistently come open in my pocket. In 2017 I decided to stop buying knives with merely a detent to keep them closed, as I consider it unsafe. Going forward I plan to only buy backlocks, CBBL, and Szabo style compression locks. Might make an exception for the Caribbean, but it will not be my daily carry.

No smaller than a Pacific Salt. I've experimented with everything from a Spin to a Tatanka, and I find that the size of the Military and Police 3 is the sweet spot for me. It gives me a big enough handle for my large hands, and allows for the blade length I prefer. I like the tip control smaller knives offer, but I find the longer cutting edge more frequently useful. Also, I have no issues choking up on a Police 3 with my finger indexed on the spine for precise cuts. Any time I pair one of my smaller knives with a larger one (Spin, UKPK, Ladybug etc.) I never use it, I instinctively reach for my primary folder.

Lighter is better. I do not enjoy heft. Lighter is better. Carrying a knife IWB while running or bouldering, 5oz folders are a lot more noticeable than 3oz folders. One thing I love about spyderco is how they refine a design and make it lighter. The Police 4 is lighter than the P3, Manix XL lighter than the C95 Manix, and the upcoming Chinook 4 is leaner than the first 3. In hand, using the knife, 4-5oz is my preference, but I spend more time carrying my knife than cutting with it, so carry comfort is prioritized. This is one reason I like the Salt line so much, the other obviously being their rust proof nature.

Edge holding? Who cares? If my knife does not feel like it was freshly sharpened when I'm preparing to leave the house, I touch it up. I find that in the upper ranges of sharpness, say freshly sharpened to %90 sharp, there is very little difference between steels. I also use very thin edge angles coupled with a truely micro microbevel, so I can touch up my knives in about 10-15 seconds. For this reason I prefer steels I know well to new steels. I want one that I know can take X angle, that I know takes a great edge, that I know touches up fast. H1, S30V and VG10 all fit this criteria, and I have no desire to try any other steels save for LC200N.

I don't care about new steels. See above. H1 and S30V have my bases covered. I am 100% satisfied with their performance and have no desire to try new steels.

I don't care about discretion. For years I fretted over finding the smallest knife I could comfortably use, to avoid scaring NKP's as people like to call them. Over time I realized no one gives a **** anywhere I've lived, and these days I use what I like. I used my Police 3 to cut up apples every day at my last office job nearly a decade ago (they had a strict no weapons policy too), and these days I carry a Szabo folder at least a few times a week. I've never had a single raised eyebrow or negative comment. I don't know if it's my location or the fact I never flick my knives open, wave them around or keep them out longer than needed for the task at hand, but this has never been an issue for me after carrying knives 25 years.

Pointy tips, period. I have never unintentionally broken the tip of a knife. Any knife. Ever. Even as a dumb kid, or an even dumberer teenager. :rolleyes: I want every knife I buy to have a pointy tip like Endura 3's, and if they don't and I still buy it I'll take it to a belt sander to fix it.

I see no reason to make a folder more than 3mm thick at the spine. Continuing from the above, I've never snapped a knife blade in half unintentionally. My 3mm Police cuts circles around my thicker Szabo folder.

FFG on everything. They cut with less effort and more predictability than any other grind I've used. **** aesthetics, give me performance.

Function over fashion. My most carried knife is a Pacific Salt. It's ugly, the "cheap plastic" handles won't impress my friends, and it's as run of the mill as it gets, but it's pure functionality. Knives are tools for me, not pocket jewelry. I don't "pimp out" my Spydercos, I tweak them to make them more functional. If a Spyderco I purchase offers no enhanced functionality over my current stable, it will get sold off. I've tried the Sebenza, Hinderers, Spydercos most elite offerings etc., and the lowly Pacific Salt sees the most pocket time out of the 400+ folders I've tried.


Now that I've likely ruffled a feather or two, how did you arrive at your preferences?

[Doc Dan]

I developed my preferences because of use. I learned the hard way to love back locks. The CBBL is okay as a second choice, but not as good. That bias to close is very important as I have had, and seen, liner/frame locks, and axis locks come open in my pocket and in the pockets and purses of other people. It is true that I once had a Buck 110 come partially open in my back pocket, but I was also sliding/falling down a mountainside at the time. It just opened slightly and then got caught in the material of my jeans when trying to close. I did not get cut. Also, when I worked on the ranch, we found a liner lock would not stand up to the rigors very well. They would often collapse.

I like back locks over anything, but a good slipjoint has its place, too. Where I live, currently, locking knives are not illegal but people and cops wet their pants over them. Anything is illegal if the cop says it is and you have a long and expensive fight to get out of jail. Of course, in reality this means that a Vic Classic can be illegal if a cop targets you.

I want good edge holding, but I do not need extreme edge holding. Long use in the field has taught me that I would rather have a steel that holds an edge for a good while, but that I can sharpen in the field without diamonds (in case I lose my equipment). XHP, S30V, VG-10, and K390 are great in my book.

I do not need extreme rust resistance. I do not (yet!) own anything in H1 or LC200N. I will, but I never have. However, I do have two knives in N680 from BM and have never had an issue with this corrosion resistant steel. Carbon steels require an extra bit of care but my sweat and oils are not an issue. It is strictly environmental (high humidity, a bit of salt, and equatorial jungle). 425M, 12C27, 440C, 14C28N, VG-10, XHP, and S30V have all done well (of course N680 and S110V have, as well). Of course, I no longer make long extended trips into the wilderness and I no longer work on a ranch, nor heating and air conditioning, etc. as I did when I was young. What those kinds of jobs and activities did do was to teach me what kind of knife works best and what kind of steel works best, for me.

As for size, I either like a large knife or a smaller one. I like the Manix 2 XL but sold mine as I prefer the back lock. I like the Military as I like the size and the blade, and still have one. I never carry it, though, because of the lock type. I do not totally trust it. I am waiting on the K390 Police 4, hoping it will meet my Spyderco deficit in larger knives. I do like, and use, a lot, an Endura. I do not like the Para-Military because of the lock and it does not fit my large hand well. I simply love my Manix 2 Back Lock. I mean, I love this knife.

I also carry a Delica quite a lot and if not that, then a K390 Urban LW. I have other knives that are fancier, but none are as practical nor feel as good in my hand. These two knives accomplish the lion's share of things I need a knife for. Small is okay, and so is larger. But the 2.6" to 2.9" range is optimal for my day to day chores. If I need a larger knife it is going to be an Endura or a Manix 2 Back Lock and these are also what I carry when I go walking for exercise.

[Evil D]

My preferences are pretty specific but depending on the knife I'm sometimes willing to bend and break my own rules. My "collection" is pretty varied in size and design except for duplicates. I love my Military's but I also love my Nilakka and I don't think you could make two knives more different than those two. But, here are some of my stronger preferences that at least grab my attention when I'm shopping..

Ergonomics
I have huge hands. I like a handle design that either fits my entire hand size or doesn't "feel" too small, some knives like the Dragonfly are obviously small but I can get enough grip on them to use them efficiently, while other knives seem to be designed for a more specific hand size like the Delica where there are finger grooves that only really work for a particular size of hand, and for me it couldn't feel more awkward. I like "neutral grip designs" that feel good in different grips. I don't mind 50/50 choils if implemented well but I also really love when a knife has a full blade length edge and it comes right to where your index finger rests on the handle. Some choils seem to be dedicated to the grip design, like the Caly 3 or Sage or Kiwi 4 where it just feels weird to grip behind the choil due to the small size, while others like the Military have a choil that you don't ever have to use. I tend to prefer the later. I really like deep guard style handles like the Sliverax.

Blade shape and angle
I like a negative blade angle. It just makes sense. I also like a shallow edge belly like the Manix 2 has. I love wharnies but a blade with just a bit of belly is more versatile while still cutting aggressively like a wharnie does. I like leaf shaped blades the most but straight spines are fine too. I tend to avoid strongly up swept blades (Lionspy for example) and I prefer a blade that has a tip that is very low relative to the spine. I very very VERY strongly prefer FFG and have passed on buying some knives because they were saber/hollow grinds, though some knives I've broke that rule because they're too good to pass up (Yojimbo 2). I don't have much preference to blade stock thickness as long as it suits the knife and grind, so if a blade is tall enough from edge to spine I think it's fine with a 4mm blade but shorter blades definitely need to be thinner blade stock or they become door stops.

Steel
I like a whole lot of different steels so this one isn't very rigid, but it's a preference that has developed over time and has gone from one extreme to the next. I love my extreme wear resistant steels but sometimes I do get lazy and don't feel like sharpening them, despite having aggressively cutting stones and knowing how, there's just no denying that other steels like 52100 are just plain old easier to sharpen no matter what you're using or what your skill level is. I appreciate extreme rust resistance but I also know how to keep it under control and I have no problem delegating different knives/steels for different uses, this is why I have a Military in S110V and a Military in M4/52100, I enjoy experiencing how these different steels behave and the variety tends to justify buying them in the first place.

Lock type
Not a whole lot of hardcore preference here, because all the locks Spyderco use are plenty effective. I definitely like compression locks and CBBL's more than others, but I also think Spyderco have done a fantastic job of choosing the right lock for each knife and this is something I think a lot of people overlook simply because they have strong preferences for their favorite lock type. What I mean by that is, I really don't think the Military would be better with my favorite lock type, and despite the liner lock being a few spots down from my favorite lock, I think it's the best lock for this knife hands down. While I know I would like a compression lock or CBBL Military, for the design and purpose of the knife the liner lock is perfect.

Weight
Meh. Lighter is usually better but some knives have a wonderful heft to them that just feels great (Vallotton, Nilakka). They may not make the best EDC knives because of it but they just wouldn't be the same if you tried to make a lightweight version of them. At the same time I appreciate some knives a lot because of their size to weight ratio, like the Military, so I just can't see those weighing any more than they do for any reason (like Ti handles). I have gone to great lengths skeletonizing my own Manix 2 liners, so I do tend to like things on the lighter side for EDC.

Cool factor
I'm gonna borrow a page from Nutnfancy's book here and throw in the cool factor wild card. Some knives are just too cool to not own and sometimes I'll throw all my preferences aside to own them. The Nilakka is a good example since it goes against most of my preferences but there's something about it that really calls to me. Sometimes that "something" is build quality (which is off the charts good on the Nilakka), sometimes it's something unique like the blade grind (5mm zero grind, check), sometimes it's an overall design that's just worlds different than everything else I own (definitely check). Having preferences is absolutely fine, but "preference" is also just a fancy word for "rules" and if you allow yourself to have too many rules you'll also cheat yourself out of a lot of fun.

[Evil D]

Vivi since you took the time to type all this out, I figured I'd also reply directly to your preferences just for the sake of conversation.

Lots of talk about what we do and don't like in a knife, but little discussion explaining why.

So what do you prefer? And most importantly, why?

Extreme corrosion resistance. I live in the coastal south, I work physically intensive jobs, I'm extremely active in the outdoors outside of work, and my sweat is very corrosive. I can't count the number of knives I've rusted badly in a single day. For this reason I no longer buy carbon steels, and rarely will I even buy uncoated stainless steel. I also prefer coated liners, lock mechanisms etc., as I've severely rusted stop pins, liners etc. in a matter of days. If it's not an H1 salt series folder, I will rust it somewhere, including DLC coated stainless Spydercos.

I have a similar problem but not quite as bad as you seem to have it. I can carry carbon steels but I have to grease them down and give them a bit more care. I can't deny this is sometimes a downer, I'd love to be able to carry 52100 without a care in the world, but until I find steels that are literally stainless counterparts to the non stainless steels I like, I'll live with it. This is why I have different steels in my favorite knife models, I can pick and choose what steel I use for what activity. I work outside so when it rains I get soaked, and I just don't have time to worry about my blade rusting, so on those days I want a more resistant steel, but on my off days I have no problem carrying 52100. All that said,
I am still very interested in LC200N and I'm really open to seeing it in a Military.

IWB carry. It's more comfortable, especially with large folders like I prefer. It opens up my RFP for my big phone. It's the most secure carry method. It prevents the pocket clip from scratching things or getting caught on seat belts. During many of the activities I do, I wear running shorts with no pockets, during which any other clipped carry method is impractical (I hate neck carry). For consistency, I always keep my primary EDC clipped IWB, so the location doesn't change whether I'm in carhartts, slacks, running shorts etc.

Viv buddy I'm pretty sure this is 99% why you have rust issues. At the very least, if you carried in a pocket you should have less of a problem with sweat corroding your blades. I know the struggle though, because I've had S90V spot rust on me when carried in my pocket, but it would at least be a little better. I have carried IWB in the past, and I might still if I'm wearing something like basketball shorts, but I also carry a firearm everywhere I go so unless I'm in a pool I probably have a gun IWB so it tends to compromise carrying a knife there too.

Strong self close mechanism. This is my newest preference, and I don't enjoy the fact that it excludes many exciting releases from my to buy list. My enthusiasm for the ATR 2, Lil Temp 3 and any iteration of the Military has significantly waned from this. In the span of a year I had a compression lock open in my pocket twice, and a liner lock open in my pocket once. Years ago I also had a framelock consistently come open in my pocket. In 2017 I decided to stop buying knives with merely a detent to keep them closed, as I consider it unsafe. Going forward I plan to only buy backlocks, CBBL, and Szabo style compression locks. Might make an exception for the Caribbean, but it will not be my daily carry.

Ehhhh, I get your reasoning for this, but I can't really relate. While I have had a couple knives open in my pocket, one of them was a compression lock (zero close bias) and one of them was a back lock (strong close bias) so for me it's one of the last things I'd consider when choosing a lock type. For me it's just easier to choose a carry method that helps to keep the blade closed.

No smaller than a Pacific Salt. I've experimented with everything from a Spin to a Tatanka, and I find that the size of the Military and Police 3 is the sweet spot for me. It gives me a big enough handle for my large hands, and allows for the blade length I prefer. I like the tip control smaller knives offer, but I find the longer cutting edge more frequently useful. Also, I have no issues choking up on a Police 3 with my finger indexed on the spine for precise cuts. Any time I pair one of my smaller knives with a larger one (Spin, UKPK, Ladybug etc.) I never use it, I instinctively reach for my primary folder.

Well my fav is the Military so I'm mostly on board with this, but I do live around a whole bunch of liberals and I live around a whole bunch of length laws and I do a job where they probably wouldn't love me pulling out a Military around our clientele. I also love carrying a Ladybug on my keys because it's a great little backup and has saved me on the rare occasion that I've forgotten my main EDC. I also think the Dragonfly is the hands down champ of the little-big knives and is so dang capable for it's size there should probably be laws against it.

Lighter is better. I do not enjoy heft. Lighter is better. Carrying a knife IWB while running or bouldering, 5oz folders are a lot more noticeable than 3oz folders. One thing I love about spyderco is how they refine a design and make it lighter. The Police 4 is lighter than the P3, Manix XL lighter than the C95 Manix, and the upcoming Chinook 4 is leaner than the first 3. In hand, using the knife, 4-5oz is my preference, but I spend more time carrying my knife than cutting with it, so carry comfort is prioritized. This is one reason I like the Salt line so much, the other obviously being their rust proof nature.

Yep. Fully with ya for the most part. I tend to wear jeans or Dickie's though so I can get by carrying a pocket brick if I really love the knife, but most of what I carry is at least on the light side for its size and design.

Edge holding? Who cares? If my knife does not feel like it was freshly sharpened when I'm preparing to leave the house, I touch it up. I find that in the upper ranges of sharpness, say freshly sharpened to %90 sharp, there is very little difference between steels. I also use very thin edge angles coupled with a truely micro microbevel, so I can touch up my knives in about 10-15 seconds. For this reason I prefer steels I know well to new steels. I want one that I know can take X angle, that I know takes a great edge, that I know touches up fast. H1, S30V and VG10 all fit this criteria, and I have no desire to try any other steels save for LC200N.

This is the main comment I quoted you for because I've been from one end of the spectrum to the other and I own steels that hold an edge nearly forever and ones that will go blunt before the end of the day. My needs have changed over the last couple years and I've gone from really needing a steel that would go the distance to having days that I don't even use my knife one flippin time so I've loosened up on this quite a bit and I've come back around to appreciating steels that are either really easy to sharpen or also more tough than wear resistant. I think you're on the nose with liking H1 for these reasons, but the lack of FFG has kept me from jumping in with both feet. My Dfly is hollow grind, but it's so thin and such a high grind for the blade that it doesn't hinder slicing too much. If it wasn't for the Military, I probably would have had a Pacific reground into FFG and it would be my go to large folder.

I don't care about new steels. See above. H1 and S30V have my bases covered. I am 100% satisfied with their performance and have no desire to try new steels.

Nah, we're pretty different on this one. While I don't jump in for every new steel that hits the market, I do tend to really like the ones that do particular things really well, like the more extreme wear resistant steels or the ones that are brutally tough (or the ones that absolutely won't rust). At the same time, because my needs have mellowed out a bit, I'm coming around to appreciating the jack of all trade steels too so I'm a little conflicted here lol.

I don't care about discretion. For years I fretted over finding the smallest knife I could comfortably use, to avoid scaring NKP's as people like to call them. Over time I realized no one gives a **** anywhere I've lived, and these days I use what I like. I used my Police 3 to cut up apples every day at my last office job nearly a decade ago (they had a strict no weapons policy too), and these days I carry a Szabo folder at least a few times a week. I've never had a single raised eyebrow or negative comment. I don't know if it's my location or the fact I never flick my knives open, wave them around or keep them out longer than needed for the task at hand, but this has never been an issue for me after carrying knives 25 years.

For me it comes down to work and non work levels of give a crap. I have to play their game when working, despite the fact that I still carry my Military, I just also carry a Ladybug just in case. When I'm off work I don't have a care in the world because my CCW allows me to carry a katana if I choose to. Some days I just don't care, and other days it just isn't worth the hassle dealing with crybaby people who would be offended by my pocket knife.

Pointy tips, period. I have never unintentionally broken the tip of a knife. Any knife. Ever. Even as a dumb kid, or an even dumberer teenager. :rolleyes: I want every knife I buy to have a pointy tip like Endura 3's, and if they don't and I still buy it I'll take it to a belt sander to fix it.

Uhhh, yeah I guess I agree here. If anything I would sooner "Janichize" the tips of my knives and give them a bit of a wharnie-esc tip as opposed to rounding off the tips like on a Delica. I EDC a Yojimbo 2 from time to time so I have no problem with acute or pointy tips.

I see no reason to make a folder more than 3mm thick at the spine. Continuing from the above, I've never snapped a knife blade in half unintentionally. My 3mm Police cuts circles around my thicker Szabo folder.

This is completely dependent on the rest of the blade design. A 4mm Military is fine, but a 4mm Ladybug would be silly.

FFG on everything. They cut with less effort and more predictability than any other grind I've used. **** aesthetics, give me performance.

Hi five bro


Function over fashion. My most carried knife is a Pacific Salt. It's ugly, the "cheap plastic" handles won't impress my friends, and it's as run of the mill as it gets, but it's pure functionality. Knives are tools for me, not pocket jewelry. I don't "pimp out" my Spydercos, I tweak them to make them more functional. If a Spyderco I purchase offers no enhanced functionality over my current stable, it will get sold off. I've tried the Sebenza, Hinderers, Spydercos most elite offerings etc., and the lowly Pacific Salt sees the most pocket time out of the 400+ folders I've tried.

Eh, I pay a lot of money for my knives, there's no good reason they can't look as awesome as they perform.


Now that I've likely ruffled a feather or two, how did you arrive at your preferences?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Very good and informative information, thank you. For my own knife preferences, the two main factors are:
1 Corrosion/Rust resistance.
2 Strong design with as few seams and spaces as possible.

A knife that meets both criteria is the Pacific Salt, and also the upcoming Spyderco Caribbean.

I used to be more into carbon steel, but nowadays, in order for me to go for a carbon steel blade, it would have to be something very unique, such as a Scandinavian puukko, and even then I like their stainless, or a Japanese Higo knife.

I'm sold on H1 and Lc200N. That's the stuff.

Other factors: I admit, I love combo-edges. I like the combination of a serrated and a plain-edged portion to get the best of both worlds. I prefer pointy tips but not too narrow.
I also like thickness and false edges and swedges. One thing I do miss is the old-model Natives with the top swedges.

[ThePeacent]

Well, I'm gonna quote you both as I've got many things in common and you've both taken your time to write down those (very interesting) posts

Vivi since you took the time to type all this out, I figured I'd also reply directly to your preferences just for the sake of conversation.

Lots of talk about what we do and don't like in a knife, but little discussion explaining why.

So what do you prefer? And most importantly, why?

Extreme corrosion resistance. I live in the coastal south, I work physically intensive jobs, I'm extremely active in the outdoors outside of work, and my sweat is very corrosive. I can't count the number of knives I've rusted badly in a single day. For this reason I no longer buy carbon steels, and rarely will I even buy uncoated stainless steel. I also prefer coated liners, lock mechanisms etc., as I've severely rusted stop pins, liners etc. in a matter of days. If it's not an H1 salt series folder, I will rust it somewhere, including DLC coated stainless Spydercos.

I have a similar problem but not quite as bad as you seem to have it. I can carry carbon steels but I have to grease them down and give them a bit more care. I can't deny this is sometimes a downer, I'd love to be able to carry 52100 without a care in the world, but until I find steels that are literally stainless counterparts to the non stainless steels I like, I'll live with it. This is why I have different steels in my favorite knife models, I can pick and choose what steel I use for what activity. I work outside so when it rains I get soaked, and I just don't have time to worry about my blade rusting, so on those days I want a more resistant steel, but on my off days I have no problem carrying 52100. All that said,
I am still very interested in LC200N and I'm really open to seeing it in a Military.

In my case Vivi's experiences are close to mine, as my sweat is extremely acidic and bad for blades, and I sweat a lot in my work and outside. At my garden center we work with plants, hoses, irrigation system, aerosol and floor level sprinklers...lots of water and humidity all the time. 8Cr13MoV and AUS8 tend to patina in a day, and rust kills any carbon steel quick there. My knife also opens fertilizer bags, organic NPK containers, and touches substrates with either very high or very low pH and considerable humidity %, and I usually have no time to dry and clean the knife afterwards. H1 has been a Godsend in that regard

IWB carry. It's more comfortable, especially with large folders like I prefer. It opens up my RFP for my big phone. It's the most secure carry method. It prevents the pocket clip from scratching things or getting caught on seat belts. During many of the activities I do, I wear running shorts with no pockets, during which any other clipped carry method is impractical (I hate neck carry). For consistency, I always keep my primary EDC clipped IWB, so the location doesn't change whether I'm in carhartts, slacks, running shorts etc.

Viv buddy I'm pretty sure this is 99% why you have rust issues. At the very least, if you carried in a pocket you should have less of a problem with sweat corroding your blades. I know the struggle though, because I've had S90V spot rust on me when carried in my pocket, but it would at least be a little better. I have carried IWB in the past, and I might still if I'm wearing something like basketball shorts, but I also carry a firearm everywhere I go so unless I'm in a pool I probably have a gun IWB so it tends to compromise carrying a knife there too.


I agree with EvilD here, as I used to carry my older folders IWB to prevent them from getting wet, sprayed or washed by the sprinklers or water, but at the same time that worsened the corrosion issue because of the sweat and high temp/humidity they suffered there. I switched to pocket carry for comfort and to try out if they came out better that way,
and got so used to taking the folder out from the pocket and back into it that the H1 folders went directly there, instinctively, and there they stay. I also bend over, kneel and squat/crutch down a lot and IWB carry caused pain or discomfort occasionally

Strong self close mechanism. This is my newest preference, and I don't enjoy the fact that it excludes many exciting releases from my to buy list. My enthusiasm for the ATR 2, Lil Temp 3 and any iteration of the Military has significantly waned from this. In the span of a year I had a compression lock open in my pocket twice, and a liner lock open in my pocket once. Years ago I also had a framelock consistently come open in my pocket. In 2017 I decided to stop buying knives with merely a detent to keep them closed, as I consider it unsafe. Going forward I plan to only buy backlocks, CBBL, and Szabo style compression locks. Might make an exception for the Caribbean, but it will not be my daily carry.

Ehhhh, I get your reasoning for this, but I can't really relate. While I have had a couple knives open in my pocket, one of them was a compression lock (zero close bias) and one of them was a back lock (strong close bias) so for me it's one of the last things I'd consider when choosing a lock type. For me it's just easier to choose a carry method that helps to keep the blade closed.


I have been cut twice from a self opening knife, both linerlocks, even having the knife tip up against the seam of the pocket, but have never had an issue with a lockback so that's what I prefer. In my uses (cutting into dirt, soil, sand, watery substrate, roots...) locks that have open construction and/or are close to the blade or edge (CBBL, Axis, Linerlocks, Framelocks) get gunked up, filled with materials and sometimes to the point that they stop working, making it dangerous to put the blade back or retrieve the knife. H1 + lockback makes the system impervious to the elements, places the lock far from the thing I'm cutting into and very very easy to clean, just a bit of water or a fine, thin object is enough

No smaller than a Pacific Salt. I've experimented with everything from a Spin to a Tatanka, and I find that the size of the Military and Police 3 is the sweet spot for me. It gives me a big enough handle for my large hands, and allows for the blade length I prefer. I like the tip control smaller knives offer, but I find the longer cutting edge more frequently useful. Also, I have no issues choking up on a Police 3 with my finger indexed on the spine for precise cuts. Any time I pair one of my smaller knives with a larger one (Spin, UKPK, Ladybug etc.) I never use it, I instinctively reach for my primary folder.

Well my fav is the Military so I'm mostly on board with this, but I do live around a whole bunch of liberals and I live around a whole bunch of length laws and I do a job where they probably wouldn't love me pulling out a Military around our clientele. I also love carrying a Ladybug on my keys because it's a great little backup and has saved me on the rare occasion that I've forgotten my main EDC. I also think the Dragonfly is the hands down champ of the little-big knives and is so dang capable for it's size there should probably be laws against it.

Related to the issues above, my blade is preferably 3.5" or more to
a. be able to reach further and far away without compromising the lock, or getting stuff elsewhere than on the blade itself
b. cut roots, twigs, thorns and plant-based fibers and structures in one swipe, making quicker and cleaner cuts and avoiding doing more than one swipe
c. other uses, such as the blade doubling as a spatula, spoon, prybar, examination "table" or such, in which a broader, bigger and wider blade is much better and more capable
my coworkers have no issues with big blades, but I also carry my DF Salt in case I have to do some of those chores in front of or when attending old ladies or potential blade-scared customers

Lighter is better. I do not enjoy heft. Lighter is better. Carrying a knife IWB while running or bouldering, 5oz folders are a lot more noticeable than 3oz folders. One thing I love about spyderco is how they refine a design and make it lighter. The Police 4 is lighter than the P3, Manix XL lighter than the C95 Manix, and the upcoming Chinook 4 is leaner than the first 3. In hand, using the knife, 4-5oz is my preference, but I spend more time carrying my knife than cutting with it, so carry comfort is prioritized. This is one reason I like the Salt line so much, the other obviously being their rust proof nature.

Yep. Fully with ya for the most part. I tend to wear jeans or Dickie's though so I can get by carrying a pocket brick if I really love the knife, but most of what I carry is at least on the light side for its size and design.

Totally agree. I carry pruners, a belt sheath with a Multitool, a SAK, pens and pencils, often gloves and a flashlight and my wallet + mobile phone, I don't want more weight on me. I love how thin and light the Salts are, they have very little competence in that size/weight ratio in the market today, especially at that price point

Edge holding? Who cares? If my knife does not feel like it was freshly sharpened when I'm preparing to leave the house, I touch it up. I find that in the upper ranges of sharpness, say freshly sharpened to %90 sharp, there is very little difference between steels. I also use very thin edge angles coupled with a truely micro microbevel, so I can touch up my knives in about 10-15 seconds. For this reason I prefer steels I know well to new steels. I want one that I know can take X angle, that I know takes a great edge, that I know touches up fast. H1, S30V and VG10 all fit this criteria, and I have no desire to try any other steels save for LC200N.

This is the main comment I quoted you for because I've been from one end of the spectrum to the other and I own steels that hold an edge nearly forever and ones that will go blunt before the end of the day. My needs have changed over the last couple years and I've gone from really needing a steel that would go the distance to having days that I don't even use my knife one flippin time so I've loosened up on this quite a bit and I've come back around to appreciating steels that are either really easy to sharpen or also more tough than wear resistant. I think you're on the nose with liking H1 for these reasons, but the lack of FFG has kept me from jumping in with both feet. My Dfly is hollow grind, but it's so thin and such a high grind for the blade that it doesn't hinder slicing too much. If it wasn't for the Military, I probably would have had a Pacific reground into FFG and it would be my go to large folder.

My knife uses are often quite rough (hitting abrasive soil, ceramic flowerpots,
plastic trays and nylon or plastic wrapping, rope and plant roots with small rocks and particles around or embedded in the fibers) so few steels would stay sharp in a day's time.
H1 has the added advantage of rust-proof, bendy non-chippy and very forgiving apex, being as well easy to sharpen or bend back in no time. The SE has the added benefit of longer edge holding and saving the inner scallops at the expense of the outer teeth if you hit a ceramic,
nail, gravel or rock, so they keep cutting for loooong time

I don't care about new steels. See above. H1 and S30V have my bases covered. I am 100% satisfied with their performance and have no desire to try new steels.

Nah, we're pretty different on this one. While I don't jump in for every new steel that hits the market, I do tend to really like the ones that do particular things really well, like the more extreme wear resistant steels or the ones that are brutally tough (or the ones that absolutely won't rust). At the same time, because my needs have mellowed out a bit, I'm coming around to appreciating the jack of all trade steels too so I'm a little conflicted here lol.

H1 has dethroned all other steels for me, for the sum of its characteristics, so I can only now look forward for a steel that combines all of that with a longer edge life in PE, as m Pacifics, Tasmans and Spyderhawks are all SE. That steel seems to be LC200N so I'm eager to try it out and maybe have a PE companion to all my SE blades

I don't care about discretion. For years I fretted over finding the smallest knife I could comfortably use, to avoid scaring NKP's as people like to call them. Over time I realized no one gives a **** anywhere I've lived, and these days I use what I like. I used my Police 3 to cut up apples every day at my last office job nearly a decade ago (they had a strict no weapons policy too), and these days I carry a Szabo folder at least a few times a week. I've never had a single raised eyebrow or negative comment. I don't know if it's my location or the fact I never flick my knives open, wave them around or keep them out longer than needed for the task at hand, but this has never been an issue for me after carrying knives 25 years.

For me it comes down to work and non work levels of give a crap. I have to play their game when working, despite the fact that I still carry my Military, I just also carry a Ladybug just in case. When I'm off work I don't have a care in the world because my CCW allows me to carry a katana if I choose to. Some days I just don't care, and other days it just isn't worth the hassle dealing with crybaby people who would be offended by my pocket knife.

At work is no issue, and if there's sensitive people around I have the DF2 on me,
or the SAK. In the city I carry the Salts in the RFP but use the SAK's blade or very small folders if around people

Pointy tips, period. I have never unintentionally broken the tip of a knife. Any knife. Ever. Even as a dumb kid, or an even dumberer teenager. :rolleyes: I want every knife I buy to have a pointy tip like Endura 3's, and if they don't and I still buy it I'll take it to a belt sander to fix it.

Uhhh, yeah I guess I agree here. If anything I would sooner "Janichize" the tips of my knives and give them a bit of a wharnie-esc tip as opposed to rounding off the tips like on a Delica. I EDC a Yojimbo 2 from time to time so I have no problem with acute or pointy tips.

I also appreciate pointy tips and have reground most of my Salts to be stabbier, it's a very important piece of the knife for me and having the ability to easily pierce is key in my cutting chores, so pointy is the way to go. I've broken very few tips, mostly on SAKs and at younger ages

I see no reason to make a folder more than 3mm thick at the spine. Continuing from the above, I've never snapped a knife blade in half unintentionally. My 3mm Police cuts circles around my thicker Szabo folder.

This is completely dependent on the rest of the blade design. A 4mm Military is fine, but a 4mm Ladybug would be silly.

Well, in this case I appreciate the robustness of the blade and grind of the Pacific and other Salts as they give peace of mind and confidence if I have to dig, pry or cut into the unknown, but for other uses and fine plant trimming or dedicated cutting a slimmer and thinner blade is the way to go. in fact I don't use my Salts for flower bouquet preparation,
I use the much thinner and precise blade of the Victorinox gardening knife

FFG on everything. They cut with less effort and more predictability than any other grind I've used. **** aesthetics, give me performance.

Hi five bro


Function over fashion. My most carried knife is a Pacific Salt. It's ugly, the "cheap plastic" handles won't impress my friends, and it's as run of the mill as it gets, but it's pure functionality. Knives are tools for me, not pocket jewelry. I don't "pimp out" my Spydercos, I tweak them to make them more functional. If a Spyderco I purchase offers no enhanced functionality over my current stable, it will get sold off. I've tried the Sebenza, Hinderers, Spydercos most elite offerings etc., and the lowly Pacific Salt sees the most pocket time out of the 400+ folders I've tried.

Eh, I pay a lot of money for my knives, there's no good reason they can't look as awesome as they perform.

I thought Spydies looked goofy and funny at the beginning and now I love their shape and see the beauty in their designs, so in that case I can't see why they can't exist either. Spyderco tends to make both of those meet quite well together in the majority of their designs. As aggressive and lethal as they look, the Spyderhawk, Matriarch and most of the reverse S or curved designs look really sexy to me, and the leaf shape is futuristic, simple and different from 90% of the mainstream folders and shapes available today

Now that I've likely ruffled a feather or two, how did you arrive at your preferences?

[LDB]

I don't know a lot about knives. I couldn't tell more than a thimble full about steels and locks and etc.. I'm a knife carrier and rarely a knife user. I proofread and copy edit for about a dozen authors so there's no work for a knife in my work. For me it's all about is it high quality and does it look good. I like the leaf blade shape. It's the best looking to me. I like the quality of Spyderco and an "unnamed draft pick" from Bradford, PA. Out of a hundred or so I own 2 or maybe 3 knives of any other brand. I may eventually learn more but for me it's mainly if I like it's profile.

[vivi]

I love when a knife has a full blade length edge and it comes right to where your index finger rests on the handle.

I like a negative blade angle. It just makes sense.

I tend to avoid strongly up swept blades (Lionspy for example) and I prefer a blade that has a tip that is very low relative to the spine.

Having preferences is absolutely fine, but "preference" is also just a fancy word for "rules" and if you allow yourself to have too many rules you'll also cheat yourself out of a lot of fun.

Great points that I fully agree with.

My Szabo folder breaks my weight limit rule. It's in my pocket right now

[vivi]

I have a similar problem but not quite as bad as you seem to have it. I can carry carbon steels but I have to grease them down and give them a bit more care. I can't deny this is sometimes a downer, I'd love to be able to carry 52100 without a care in the world, but until I find steels that are literally stainless counterparts to the non stainless steels I like, I'll live with it.

For me any advantages carbon steels offer pale in comparison to the convenience of good corrosion resistance. I'm content with the edge holding of H1 and S30V, and their toughness, and how they sharpen. Worrying about corrosion is a much bigger deal to me than gaining some toughness or edge holding.

Viv buddy I'm pretty sure this is 99% why you have rust issues.

Oh I soak through my clothing completely most days. I'm talking I'll often look like I stepped out of a shower, dripping sweat everywhere. I rust out knives carried in pockets too, clipped or loose in the bottom.

For me it's just easier to choose a carry method that helps to keep the blade closed.

Well I have had folders open on me RFP, RRP, and in a side carhartt pocket, so IWB so far has the best success rate :) Never had a backlock of any sort come open either.

Well my fav is the Military so I'm mostly on board with this, but I do live around a whole bunch of liberals and I live around a whole bunch of length laws and I do a job where they probably wouldn't love me pulling out a Military around our clientele. I also love carrying a Ladybug on my keys because it's a great little backup and has saved me on the rare occasion that I've forgotten my main EDC. I also think the Dragonfly is the hands down champ of the little-big knives and is so dang capable for it's size there should probably be laws against it.

I EDC a Leatherman Squirt should I ever feel the need to use a small, discreet blade. I've never used it though. I live somewhere that OCing a handgun doesn't get a second look. First time I used my Szabo folder at work the only comment I got was how a co-worker felt upstaged since previously he had the biggest pocket knife of all of us :p

I love the blade shape of the Dragonfly but the handle never did work for me. It feels like someone cut out half the width of the handle, there's nothing for me to grip. I get a better grip on a Spin even.

Yep. Fully with ya for the most part. I tend to wear jeans or Dickie's though so I can get by carrying a pocket brick if I really love the knife, but most of what I carry is at least on the light side for its size and design.

If I'm in jeans or carhartts I'm much more inclined to carry my pocket brick, the Szabo. In running shorts though, I feel every ounch.

This is the main comment I quoted you for because I've been from one end of the spectrum to the other and I own steels that hold an edge nearly forever and ones that will go blunt before the end of the day. My needs have changed over the last couple years and I've gone from really needing a steel that would go the distance to having days that I don't even use my knife one flippin time so I've loosened up on this quite a bit and I've come back around to appreciating steels that are either really easy to sharpen or also more tough than wear resistant. I think you're on the nose with liking H1 for these reasons, but the lack of FFG has kept me from jumping in with both feet. My Dfly is hollow grind, but it's so thin and such a high grind for the blade that it doesn't hinder slicing too much. If it wasn't for the Military, I probably would have had a Pacific reground into FFG and it would be my go to large folder.

I would be even more enthusiastic about H1 were it FFG, right there with you on that. I've taking the edges on my Salts down thin enough that it doesn't bother me these days, but LC200N being able to FFG is one of the main reasons I'm interested in it. Other than that I find myself 100% satisfied with H1.

Nah, we're pretty different on this one. While I don't jump in for every new steel that hits the market, I do tend to really like the ones that do particular things really well, like the more extreme wear resistant steels or the ones that are brutally tough (or the ones that absolutely won't rust). At the same time, because my needs have mellowed out a bit, I'm coming around to appreciating the jack of all trade steels too so I'm a little conflicted here lol.

The way I see it, for pocket knife usage, no steel is going to offer more toughness than H1 that I can appreciate. Maybe in a chopper, but I've never seen H1 chip, only roll. Even at the silly thin angles I give it. So toughness is a moot point.

Corrosion resistance obviously is too, you can't improve on H1's abilities there.

So that leaves edge holding. SE H1 holds an edge better than pretty much anything I've tried. While PE is not up there, I still find it satisfactory for EDC.

Any steel I've used that has superior edge holding to H1, while also having what I consider acceptable levels of corrosion resistance, sacrifices both toughness and ease of sharpening. That trade-off isn't worth it for me.

For me it comes down to work and non work levels of give a crap. I have to play their game when working, despite the fact that I still carry my Military, I just also carry a Ladybug just in case. When I'm off work I don't have a care in the world because my CCW allows me to carry a katana if I choose to. Some days I just don't care, and other days it just isn't worth the hassle dealing with crybaby people who would be offended by my pocket knife.

I can 100% understand that mentality. If it was something I had to deal with, I'd keep my Spin in my coin pocket of my jeans or a ladybug on the keychain. As it is, I have not once had to deal with it, so it's not something I take into consideration anymore. Even my girl loves my Szabo folder and thinks its the coolest knife in my rotation :D

Eh, I pay a lot of money for my knives, there's no good reason they can't look as awesome as they perform.

I'm all for it as long as it doesn't come as a sacrifice to performance. e.g. bead blasted finishes can rot in ****, they destroy a blades corrosion resistance. But the green handle of my CTS204P Military is one of the things that made me buy it :)

enjoyed your reply, thanks!

[Ryno]

I see my preferences change due to experience, but mostly by disappointment.

When super steels with high carbides came out, I was sold on the theory that they stay sharp forever. But the reality is that they stay "sharp" "forever". I carry a S110V Paramilitary 2 most days and it will always cut paper and open boxes, but is not what I consider sharp except right after I sharpen it.

There was a time when I really liked carbon steel knives as well. I liked how sharp they would get, but then realized they would lose their edge sitting in my drawer from a micro layer of corrosion. I now feel stainless is well worth the drawbacks; especially ZDP.

I now prefer the compression lock over any of the other locks. I've bit myself with many other types of locks and I don't like the grittiness of the bbl. A second favorite would be the back lock but the one handed closing can be precarious.

I've stopped buying folders for the time being. I'm lurking around this forum, throwing in my $.02 to see if the perfect knife appears one day.

[embry386]

Why my preferences changed: I stopped being a kid who buys knives primarily for the coolness factor, and became an adult who looks first for practicality. Because of that, I now prefer folders over fixed-blades and flat-ground over anything else. Still have a strong preference for blacked-out blades though, they just make a knife look so sleek and pretty...

[curlyhairedboy]

Good topic!

Growing up I had a SAK my dad gave me, and I ended up doing a lot of carving. Still, I had that thing threaten to close on me a number of times, so "cut away from yourself" discipline was something I took very seriously. I kept it sharp on my dad's stones, but I still threw it at the odd tree as a kid...

My first experience with modern pocket knives came as I was working a lab job that generated a lot of cardboard boxes. Over time, they started to pile up in the corner of the lab. Around this period, I was starting to get curious about EDC (having been into mechanical keyboards through massdrop) and bought something modest that would help me deal with the various things that needed cutting in my workday. So my first modern knife was a Kershaw Lifter. Heavy, with an odd blade grind for the short length, but it got me used to both flippers and framelocks.

The boxes started getting broken down. We recovered a lot of lab space!

I kept an eye on massdrop and when the CRKT Fossil was up for a drop, I hopped in on it - not because I needed another knife, but because I fell in love with the aesthetic. Thing looked like it had the soul of a T-rex.

When it arrived, I was impressed by how nice the action was. Ball bearing manual flipper was a big upgrade from a speedsafe flipper on plastic washers. I was also impressed at how much sturdier the tip was. The thicker blade contributed to this, but it was a nice improvement in piercing power for some of the triple and quadruple wall cardboard we had. The hollow grind kept the performance high.

At this point I was hooked. I started reading up on blade steels, and found that the industry had moved on to some of the latest processing and manufacturing techniques. This was a surprising and very relevant discovery, since I'm a materials engineer. I could appreciate not just the design and performance from a user perspective, but from a metallurgical perspective as well.

After buying a few more budget blades and dulling them pretty fast, I determined to get a premium knife in a 'super' steel. The only question was ZT or Spyderco, or more accurately, the 0562CF versus the Southard. Same steel (0562CF was using 204p at the time), same mechanism (flipper), but wildly different blade shapes. Indecision gripped me for a while, and I did get to handle a buddy's 0562CF, but eventually, I looked at my Fossil and knew. The flowing, slightly crazy lines of the Spyderco were a more refined version of the animalistic 'soul' I saw. In fact, every Spyderco seemed to have its own distinct 'soul', expressed in the design and performance.

So I bought the Southard, my first and most treasured Spyderco, and the rest is history!




So why did I like the Southard?

- Hollow grind for excellent, low friction performance.
- Incredible blade length to handle length ratio. The amount of knife edge packed into this thing is insane.
- Super slim pocket carry. Not too tall of a knife, so friendly to using the pocket for other things.
- Comfort. My hands seem perfectly matched to it.
- Thickness. The hollow grind matched with the thicker stock near the tip makes for excellent cardboard wrangling without worrying about flexing or snapping something thinner.
- Belly for days. Ties back into the blade:handle ratio. SO useful.

So for a primary user, I'd say the Southard ticks all my boxes. It's a titanium ball bearing framelock flipper, but that's not why I love it. (and I did have to tweak it a lot to make it a GREAT flipper, but that's for another topic)

For secondary users, I'm really starting to appreciate smaller knives meant for lighter use. My Southard is still my choice for heavy duty work, but increasingly, I love a FFG for parting soft materials. I like a finger choil, I like FRN... Hopefully we get a waved Tasman for a more versatile grip one of these days.

My tastes are continuing to grow....