Happy with the Diversity.

[knivesandbooks]

I'm just making this post to talk about the diversity of knives and steels I'm now able to use. While it isn't necessary for me to use all of these steels, they do all get used to their limits and tested at my work. I'm interested in hearing from you all on what steels or different steels you often carry. Right now I'm rotating between an S110v military, k390 police 4, zdp189 endura, hap40 endura, cru-wear pm2, and an m4 benchmade Contego (sorry)((really wanting to upgrade to a Bradley 2 in m4 but alas $$ is an object)). I also carry a SE Pacific Salt or Spyderhawk in h1 everyday. It is so cool to be able to carry a different steel everyday or pick a different steel to best suit the task or job at hand. I've a lot of experience with m4, h1, and s110v; I am fairly used to hap40 and k390 at this point; I am just coming to learn about how I can best use cru-wear and zdp189. I just smile everyday picking out the model and steel type. My girlfriend thinks I'm a weirdo.

[Sharp Guy]

I was just thinking earlier today how I enjoy trying different steels almost as much as I enjoy trying different models. I certainly don't need a whole bunch of different knives and different steels but it sure interesting to see what they're like. I think I currently have at least 20 different steels and I'm looking forward to adding VTOKU-2, 52100, Super Blue, Super Gold, and BD1N in the near future. I'll probably try Maxamet too at some point but it's kind of pricey. I'm hoping Sal decides to make a UKPK with it sometime soon. Otherwise I'll probably keep an eye out on the secondary market for a Native 5 LW

[The Meat man]

I also love the variety of steel that's available through Spyderco. We steel nerds are truly spoiled. :)

Right now I've been carrying an S110V Military. I rotate between CPM S110V, CPM M4, Maxamet, ZDP-189, and H-1. Hoping to add Super Blue, LC200N, and CTS BD1 (to name a few) someday.

[ZrowsN1s]

I remember the days when I didn't even know what kind of steel my knives were.... I don't miss those days. Thanks Spyderco!

[The Meat man]

I remember the days when I didn't even know what kind of steel my knives were....

.....and the days when I thought the higher the HRC rating, the better the steel...I don't miss those either.

[knivesandbooks]

I remember the days when I didn't even know what kind of steel my knives were....

.....and the days when I thought the higher the HRC rating, the better the steel...I don't miss those either.

...and the days when I was scared of high carbon steels...I don't miss those either.

[tvenuto]

Amen to that. Spyderco has an absurd number of designs and steels available. I know JD is fond of remembering a previous golden age of Spyderco but I say we’re smack in it.

[sal]

Hi Knivesandbooks,

All knife afi's are weirdo's. Why should you be different. But try to remember, Scientists re weirdo's, patriots are weirdo's, deep thinkers are weirdo's and I'm sure there are many more.

And I pleased that you appreciate all of the effort that this weirdo goes through to get these choices to you.

sal

[murphjd25]

This is exactly why I love Spyderco and respect them so much. They are constantly testing and pushing the boundary. No other knife manufacturer has as many knives in as many different steels then Spyderco. I have been fortunate to own almost every different steel they have offered, and they are all fantastic and do what they are designed to do. I have kind of come full circle now and really appreciate just a simple steel with a good heat treat such as boring old S30V or S35VN. I do still love me some M4, HAP40, or K390 though!

[DrawBackwards]

I totally agree. I haven't tried that many things yet - but I've enjoyed the different steels; the different blade geometries; the differences of in-hand feel; even different locking mechanisms. It's all been fun, and I like learning what... I like, I suppose. :D

[PayneTrain]

Oh diversity in all forms is a wonderful thing, and Spyderco has it in spades! My collection isn't that large, but it's so diverse in knife size, design, and materials that it's been a long time since I couldn't pick up the exact knife I wanted for the day ahead of me. Sometimes I just want a simple little box cutter and letter opener. Sometimes I want a showpiece. Sometimes I want an overbuilt workhorse. Sometimes I want orange, or blue, or grey, solid steel or wood grain. Sometimes I want something nearly (or completely) rust proof, sometimes I want to deliberately stain a blade. There's absolutely something for every occasion in the catalog, and I've really enjoyed picking and choosing the ones that I like for my uses and tastes. I've slowed down quite a bit, but I'm sure it won't be long before something else comes along that fills a need I didn't know I had. :D

[Termite Toothpick]

Although ignorance is bliss! I used to not think about it or even know about it. I look back on some of the knives I used to carry and I don't know how I even used them! This was before I knew anything about different steels, different grinds and edges and how to sharpen my tools. Of course this even includes different locks and scale material and colors...

So, yes I would say I am more happy as well...just more choices to make and money to give to Sal! With a smile though.

[curlyhairedboy]

Definitely a fan of the design diversity as well as the steel diversity. I look at something like the Ethnic series and you'd be hard pressed to find another company willing to bring their customers that kind of variety. Got a EuroEdge on the way and I'm enjoying the M4 on my CQI Advocate!

[Tdog]

Your girlfriend thinks you're a weirdo......my whole family thinks I'm a weirdo, and they're probably right. :p Just bought another fillet knife, like I needed it with probably 6 or 7 others available. But then a 5-6" is nice for freshwater, a 7-8" for saltwater, a 9-10" for skinning larger fillets, and a nice big breaking knife for hacking ribcages. Variety is a good thing. :D

[Pelagic]

Very happy with the diversity of steels. This is honestly what attracted me to spyderco. I rotate between s110v, 204p, and cruwear now. Other than wanting to try Maxamet (preferably DLC'd), I like where I'm at currently. If I lived far away from the ocean I'd have a bigger itch to try all the non-stainless ones I haven't used.

Design diversity, although important, isn't what intrigued me. For any knife company there's usually at most only a handful of models I'll like. I don't even think spyderco's design diversity is incredibly impressive. When I first browsed through the models on the website I recall thinking "Wow, they really have 35+ models with a similarly leaf-like shaped blade" lol. That was my first impression anyway. Now after noticing some detail I can say they do indeed have adequate design variety. However, it just can't compare to their steel variety, which is so far above and beyond the competition that comparisons can't even be made. My tastes could change one day, but right now if I could pick one, I'm glad so many different steels are available. I'm just really intrigued about trying something new.