If you had to pick just one?

[Enactive]

Thanks, Cambertree, for the detailed response and hunting pics!

[Cambertree]

Thanks, Cambertree, for the detailed response and hunting pics!

Thanks Enactive, no worries at all. :)

[Wartstein]

HAP40 Stretch.

That looks just so great... !!

I plan to put Micarta-scales on one of my VG10 Stretches. I'll probably go with a darker blue.

I'll leave my only HAP 40 Stretch as it is, since I actually really like the burnt orange of the scales.

One of my Enduras has Micarta scales colored like the ones on your Stretch, they just don't have that nicely rounded edges.

[bearfacedkiller]

[dogrunner]

hey Darby,
Nice pic. The handle on yours looks a lot like the handle on mine. But the blade cuts just fine!
Oh, and my answer would be the same.

[MacLaren]

If I had to pick just one....

[missouried]

My PM 2 in S35vn.

[Cambertree]

That looks just so great... !!

I plan to put Micarta-scales on one of my VG10 Stretches. I'll probably go with a darker blue.

I'll leave my only HAP 40 Stretch as it is, since I actually really like the burnt orange of the scales.

One of my Enduras has Micarta scales colored like the ones on your Stretch, they just don't have that nicely rounded edges.

Thanks Wartstein!

Yeah I’ve got a VG10 Endura with slabsided OD green canvas micarta scales by suingab too. The edges are slightly smoothed over but not fully contoured. The Cuscadi scales have more of a bevelled chamfer at the edges. The last three sets of scales (Stretch, Cruwear PM2 and Superblue Delica), I’ve specified fully contoured edges, and I’ll continue to do so in future.

There’s just no comparison in handling comfort IMO.

(Sorry for the OT, Daveho.)

[Wartstein]

Thanks Wartstein!

Yeah I’ve got a VG10 Endura with slabsided OD green canvas micarta scales by suingab too. The edges are slightly smoothed over but not fully contoured. The Cuscadi scales have more of a bevelled chamfer at the edges. The last three sets of scales (Stretch, Cruwear PM2 and Superblue Delica), I’ve specified fully contoured edges, and I’ll continue to do so in future.

There’s just no comparison in handling comfort IMO.

(Sorry for the OT, Daveho.)

My Endura also has the (very dark) OD green Micarta scales made by Cuscadi. The edges are bevelled only very slightly, could be more so for my taste. I only have and attached one very crappy pic of that Endura at the moment (together with my HAP 40 Stretch, and as it happens to be each of those could be the knife I´d choose if I "had to pick just one"...). Unfortunately the edges of the scales are hard to see on that picture (SEE BELOW).
So you specifically ORDERD the edges to be more countoured? Do you happen to know if Cuscadi does that?

/ I´d have a question to you, as you are a hunter: I am not (only assisted in skinning sheep like almost thirty years ago), but very interested in the Stretch and it´s uses in capacities, I haven´t experienced myself.
So, if I may ask:
- When using the Stretch as a hunting knife / for skinning, do you hold it in a "regular" grip or choked up with one finger in the choil most of the time?
- And would you as a hunter see the Stretch 2 as an improvement over the Stretch 1, given that the Stretch 2 is more comfortable and secure in a choked up grip, but in a "regular" grip the hand is further away from the edge (due to the larger choil) and not as much supported by the "hook" on the end of the handle which only the Stretch 1 features? And is the slightly shorter blade and the slightly less pointy tip of the Stretch 2 an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to the use as a hunting knife?

Maybe you find the time to reply, I´d appreciate that!

[spyderwolf]

Stretch 2,basic frn-VG10

[Wartstein]

Stretch 2,basic frn-VG10

Very good choice!

[Igi964]

Delica wharncliffe for me. Keep amaze me everyday. Very usefull blade shape, size, ergonomy, thin edge. Switch the handles with Salt 2. Now its even better:)

[Cambertree]

My Endura also has the (very dark) OD green Micarta scales made by Cuscadi. The edges are bevelled only very slightly, could be more so for my taste. I only have and attached one very crappy pic of that Endura at the moment (together with my HAP 40 Stretch, and as it happens to be each of those could be the knife I´d choose if I "had to pick just one"...). Unfortunately the edges of the scales are hard to see on that picture (SEE BELOW).
So you specifically ORDERD the edges to be more countoured? Do you happen to know if Cuscadi does that?

/ I´d have a question to you, as you are a hunter: I am not (only assisted in skinning sheep like almost thirty years ago), but very interested in the Stretch and it´s uses in capacities, I haven´t experienced myself.
So, if I may ask:
- When using the Stretch as a hunting knife / for skinning, do you hold it in a "regular" grip or choked up with one finger in the choil most of the time?
- And would you as a hunter see the Stretch 2 as an improvement over the Stretch 1, given that the Stretch 2 is more comfortable and secure in a choked up grip, but in a "regular" grip the hand is further away from the edge (due to the larger choil) and not as much supported by the "hook" on the end of the handle which only the Stretch 1 features? And is the slightly shorter blade and the slightly less pointy tip of the Stretch 2 an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to the use as a hunting knife?

Maybe you find the time to reply, I´d appreciate that!

Hey Wartstein,

Thanks for the questions.

-Sorry I don’t know if Cuscadi do that contouring on their scales. I would guess they can do it, but you’d have to check with them. I have some ‘standard’ canvas micarta Cuscadi scales on a Delica and a PM2 and they just have that slight 45 degree chamfer on the edges, similar to how Spyderco do most of their G10 scales. I’m guessing your Endura is the same.

I just deal with suingab at G10.lt for all my custom scales now - nothing against Cuscadi at all - I just like suingab’s work and got used to dealing with him.

You can look at the photos of his past work on his website and specify a similar version by number, or just tell him you want contoured edges along with whatever other details like clip placement holes and material, and he will know what you mean. My scales are listed on his website, if you want the same ones.

-As far as what holds I use on the Stretch for skinning and field dressing - that’s a good question.

I basically shift through different holds depending on the task. The Stretch is so light and nimble, that it’s very easy to change grips while working with it, and you barely think about it, while using it, really.

I’ve noticed that hunters new to the Stretch who have never used a Spyderco before will also instinctively do this without really thinking about it.

I often use a fairly ‘loose’ hold on the Stretch, and keep the blade quite sharp, but not extremely so.

When making the incisions to remove the guts and internal organs I usually just hold the blade edge facing upwards, with my forefinger extended out along the blade spine and run it along underneath the skin - I find you get less loose fur on the meat that way, as opposed to making an incision from outside.

When skinning, there’s such a thing as having a too sharp edge, like there is with paring knives. I find it’s advisable to have a bit of wear on the edge, or ‘strop it down’ a little first, otherwise it can cut a hole through the hide before you know it. I’ll usually hold the knife in a loose pinch grip, with thumb and forefinger on the pivot area and middle finger behind the choil area, but sometimes I’ll hold it a ‘standard’ sabre grip behind the choil, with thumb on the ramp.

When removing sections of meat, I’ll often pinch grip the blade like a chef knife, so the flat of the blade is almost horizontal. Usually my thumb kind of settles into the Spydiehole, and the pad of the first joint of my forefinger curls into the choil area. This hold is used for example in the ‘scooping’ cuts when removing the backstraps. You can actually do a fair bit of work just by following the natural seams between muscles with your fingertips, and using your knife to slice each end free so you can lift it out.

When cutting off the skirts behind the ribcage, it’s usually a firm sabre type grip behind the choil. The balance point in this hold is just on the middle finger, which makes for a very light, nimble feel.

On smaller and medium game, you can open up the brisket area with a knife held tip up in a hammer grip with the edge toward you, if you are careful and know what you are doing - on large deer you need a saw.

There’s an old Chinese story about some Emperor who was watching a famous master butcher dress out a hanging beef carcass in front of him for a banquet. The guy used smooth flowing movements and the perfect cuts of meat are just dropping away. The Emperor asks him about his knife and technique, and the butcher says he hasn’t sharpened his knife since he got it twenty years ago. The Emperor asks how can that be? The master butcher says ‘I’m not actually cutting through the meat with this knife, I’m just cutting through air between the muscles.’

Now there’s obviously some exaggeration in this tale, but it is certainly true that you can have two people working on opposite sides of a large deer, and at the end of the job, one of the blades will be dull and have shiny flat spots all over the edge, while the other knife will still be sharp. Moral of the story: in real world use, technique can have a strong bearing on edge retention as well as geometry and steel type.

The speed and angle of the cut makes a difference. Some people hack and pry at joints, when you can often just relieve ‘material’ around it, make a light nick in the right place, and then twist it out with your hand. Working on your technique, I’ve found, can often result in better edge retention.

-As far as commenting on the Stretch 2, I couldn’t really say, as I haven’t held or used one yet. I will say that my initial response was like a lot of others here, in that I didn’t see anything wrong with the first Stretch - it’s what I’m used to, and I like the nimble, narrow blade and the minimalist choil, which is more like a ‘finger shelf’ to me than a fully fledged Spyderco choil.

One thing I’ve learned from Spyderco though is to just reserve judgment on a knife until I can actually get it in hand and use it for a while first. I have confidence that Sal and Eric and the rest of the crew actually know what they’re doing, even if I’d like to think I know better. :D

I did have the V-Toku Stretch 2 earmarked to try out, but there’s a couple of other new knives that I want to try first. Considering I’m totally happy with my HAP40 Stretch, and don’t have inexhaustible funds, it’s not an urgent model to investigate, but I’ll get a Stretch 2 eventually.

It’s interesting that the Stretch always gets high praise from the knife afi crowd, but doesn’t seem to be a hot seller like the Delica/Endura or the PM2/Para3 series.

I honestly think it’s not the knife design at all. Considering the US hunting market is worth over $35 billion dollars annually, and if the majority of US hunters are like Aussie hunters, most of them don’t have much knife knowledge, and aren’t inclined to do much research on the subject.

Spyderco are a recognised quality brand, and I really think that if they just changed the name of the Stretch back to something like the Hunter or the ProVenator, and pumped up the advertising in the hunting scene to convey the message to non-knife afi hunters out there that ‘this is the Spyderco lightweight hunting folder’ that it would take off.

Sorry for the wall o' text (and apologies for going OT again, Daveho), but I hope that’s answered some of your questions Wartstein.

I’m glad to see you enjoy the Stretch as much as I do.

[kirilpetkov]

This is the knife Spyderco Paramilitary M4 CF :D

[Woodpuppy]

^^ that’s a good one alright, I dinked around and missed out.

[Dingo]

Ukpk
(Legal reasons)

[jimmd]

I know it’s not an original answer, but ...

[Holland]

Pakkawood delica

[steelcity16]

Native Salt for me. In a perfect world maybe a Linerless G10 Native Salt with a Vanax blade? Or a Native with Cruwear, 3V, or 4V would probably kick out the Native Salt. Right now I rotate my Native Salt, Jade/DLC M4 Native, and Chap LW most days depending on factors such as what I am wearing, where I am going, what tasks I think I will encounter, etc.

[Wartstein]

Hello Cambertree, I somehow missed your reply till just right now, thank you very much for it! It was a really good and interesting read. As I love the Stretch and am always amazed how good it works in very different tasks, I absolutely liked to learn about it´s performance in a "realm" I am not familiar with: Hunting. Though initially this model was exactly designed for that, as far as I understand.

Its not easy to hold myself back and NOT discuss the Stretch lengthy and in detail once more; I´d be very tempted to, but have done this on this forum maybe a bit TOO often already.

Yes, you should absolutely try the Stretch 2. When it comes to comfort in hand, it is even better than it´s predecessor, especially for bigger hands.

/ As for custom scales: I´d really like to try suingab, cause the scales on your Stretch look really amazing. But that would mean either shipping my knife from Europe to the US (and having it shipped back) or installing the scales myself, which I hesitate a bit to do...

Thank you again for taking the time and give all that information to me!!
And I like, that there are obviously people both in AustrAlia and in Austria (my homecountry gets sometimes confunded with your much bigger ones by foreigners actually, so there are even T Shirts for sail that have printed to the front "We do not have Kangoroos in Austria!" who enjoy the Stretch as much as this knife deserves that.