Why do you have the knives you do?

[MichaelScott]

A rather silly question I suppose, but hear me out.

I have a few Spydercos and they are all different. I got to wondering, “why these, and not others”? Some of us have Spydercos because we are collectors of types, like Para 3s or Natives. Perhaps one single type but in different steels. My little collection seems more idiosyncratic. Why did I buy these particular ones: what attracts me to them?

Para Military 2 - because I think it is Spyderco’s most iconic knife. It, more than all the others means “Spyderco” to me.

Rhino - for its amazing design ergonomics and do-almost-anything blade.

One-Eyed Jack - there is nothing else like it in a production knife. Barr design, old school cool, dramatic file work, contoured scales. And, it’s a user too.

Chaparral FRN - thin, quality, lightweight slicing machine at such a reasonable price. I often carry it clipped into my shirt pocket.

Lil’ Native - small, tough, minimalistic design with a classic blade and compression lock.

Roadie - a gift from our kids. Nothing else like it.

Soon to join the group: a G10 Lil’ Lum. It’s a Bob Lum design. That’s why.

If you have special reasons and or special knives, let us know.

Thanks.

[vivi]

Pacific Salts - Rust proof is a game changer for me, and this is also the lightest knife I've purchased from Spyderco that still feels full sized for my hands. I adore H1, PE or SE.

Police 3 & 4 - I think these are the best folders Spyderco makes. Very, very few knives feel built for my hand size, but the Police 3/4 feel perfect for my grip. I love the efficient blade geometry too, it slices better than my Pacific Salts and many other knives.

Aqua Salt - I broke an Endura being stupid, and Sal said "Here, take this Aqua Salt in exchange for your broken Endura, and try to break it." I did. I pried countless chunks of fatwood off stumps with it. Batoned and chopped as much as I could with a small, light fixed blade. Submerged it in salt water, lemon juice, and other liquids, trying to force it to rust. Took it to irresponsibly thing edge angles then did it all over again. I never would have purchased one on my own at the time, I was firmly in the camp of overbuilt carbon steel choppers for a camp knife, but the Aqua Salt made me re-evaluate my priorities. Now I never take knives over 5oz hiking and camping. It's a surprisingly good bushcraft knife in a lot of ways. Incredible toughness, minimal maintenance, can be easily sharpened in the field, and not excessively heavy.

Szabo folder (Black blade) - Impractical in a lot of ways, but the lines spoke to me. I don't carry it much because it's so heavy and the sabre grind isn't the best cutter, but it's an incredibly well made knife. The ergonomics are fantastic in or out of the choil. This is one of the only other Spydercos that feels like the perfect size for my grip. The self close mechanism makes it the only compression lock I own. The carbon fiber scales are the best I've ever used. I love the blade shape and how acute the tip is. If it were full flat ground and weighed 5oz or so, this would give my Police a run for my favorite Spyderco. As it is, it's one of the last folders I'll reach for. Now I'm thinking about how long its been since I carried it, thinking I should change that...

Tasman Salt - I bought one of the original Tasmans to test out the H1 rust proof claims. The year I bought it I carried it IWB in addition to a Millie or similar. It has always been a beater, being used for jobs I don't want to use a nicer knife for. Whether it's abrasive media that would damage the edge, dirty cuts I wouldn't want to do with a knife used on food, etc., the Tasman Salt sliced through them with flying colors. I didn't sharpen it the first few years I owned it because I didn't know how. Still cut things.

Swick 3 - I've always thought the Swick was a neat design. Very compact, while remaining ergonomic and offering a full four finger grip. Over the years I've moved away from Swicks in favor of custom micarta scaled EDC fixed blades, and my Izula 2's, but I'll always keep one or two around in case I want to go back to one.


Spin - When I got into collecting nice lnives, I started reading forums. A common theme on knife forums is not using knives with a reasonably sized blade for fear of causing mass panic and hysteria. Despite this never happening to me, I was convinced it would. I bought a Spin to pair with my Police 3 at an office job. Over the years I've realized that after living in both big cities and small rural towns in multiple states, not a single person has ever cared about me carrying a knife sized for a person of my height. I stopped carrying it once I made that realization, and these days it stays on my desk as a mail opener.

Manix XL DLC - I bought this to replace my DLC para 2 after the latter popped open in my pocket a few times. It had DLC coated liners, not just a blade, so it was an upgrade in terms of corrosion resistance. Much better ergonomics, more cutting edge, and the CBBL is better at keeping the knife closed. It's a bit heavier though, a trade off I thought would be worth it. These days it doesn't see much use, as I prefer my Police and Pacific Salts since they're lighter and just as capable, but once in a while I'll still pocket the Manix. I think it's one of the best Spyderco designs, but the Police 4 is a little better for my uses. I prefer the more narrow blade with more cutting edge.

Byrd CE FRN Cara Cara 2 - This is a beater I bought to leave in my glove box, mostly in case I forget my EDC knife/knives. It's only been in the pocket once for that reason. I like it, but next one will be G10. I like the way those feel in the hand better, and since I rarely carry my Cara Cara, weight isn't as big of a deal with them.

Ronin 2 - I bought a Yojimbo 2 right around when my Para 2 opened up the last time. I sold it before ever using it because I lost faith in detent based locks. I still liked the design though, and I love BD1 blade steel, so I grabbed a Ronin 2. I usually only carry it in the winter. My EDC fixed blades tend to be under 7" OAL and carried horizontal on the belt, but the Ronin is too big for that carry method. It goes IWB behind a hip. It's a very nice do it all knife, despite what it was designed for. Takes the sharpest edge of any Spyderco I own, hands down. Cuts very bicely, it's ground thinner behind the edge than I expectee. I took the edge angle down and it laughs at thick cardboard now. Whittles efficiently too, and the forward thumb rest works nice in that role.


I've sold or traded more Spydercos than most folks here have ever owned. Over 200....UKPK, Caly jr, Caly 3, ATR, Phoenix, Forrester, Street Beat, Street Bowie, Yojimbo 1, Dodos, Millies, Para 1 and 2, Delicas, Enduras, Pikal, Salsa, T-mag, Natives....I could go on.

I've tried basically every model I've ever wanted from them besides an Ayoob and a Catcherman. The ones I listed are the ones that worked best for me.

[rgrad80]

Tenacious- My first and so the one I’m most emotionally attached to + it’s actually a really good knife!

Paramilitary 2- Marketing perfection! It’s the one everyone loves...so I bought it as my 2nd to try it out...9 variations later I understand why it’s I fan favorite.

Mili- the Spyderco that fits me personally the best...it’s like an extension on my hand. Drawbacks? Sure, I’m a lefty and the one way carry also sucks, but it’s such an amazing knife I can overlook a few minor things.

Para 3s- honestly, I don’t even like them that much. Too small for my hands and I can’t think of a reason I personally would want a Para 3 over a PM2 or Mili...but I have half a dozen because I love the sprint versions for some weird reason that I don’t fully understand.

Shaman- An impulse buy because it was soo heavily discounted at Cabelas. I always wanted to try it, but couldn’t spend almost $200 to test run it. It’s hands down my 2nd favorite Spyderco behind the Mili.

After having the Shaman and the Mili I feel 100% content. It’s weird because I was always on the hunt for “the next knife” but now I’m good. I’ll add any new Mili that shows up, and even the Mythical Shaman with supersteel when it shows up...but that’s it. I’m at peace and my craziness to get sprints has passed...as long as Sal doesn’t drop a new full size knife on us I should be good.

[ZMW]

Vivi - pe or se for your aqua salt? If PE, does the edge really hold up during bushcraft?

For me, here we go...

PAC Salt SE, for every reason. My favorite yard knife. Takes a beating, tough as ****, keeps its edge, and never rusts. Super light and slim as well

Millie, I traded in my beloved pm2 because it never saw enough pocket time. I wanted to give the military a try. S90v frame lock. Awesome big knife. I use it, but it’s also my pride and joy

Delica, best edc ever

Stretch zdp, great knife. It can range from edc to camping knife. All around great. Ergos and blade shape are great (if I only had one knife, this may be it)

Urban k390, great edc and fantastic steel. Small and lightweight, always in the rotation

Dfly H1 se, does not see much use, but a great knife. I may sell it. Urban gets more use

Assist, always in my truck as an emergency knife

2 mules, one in 9cr18mov that stays in one of my backpacks. A11 as my cardboard processing beast of a knife and camping as well

[Luddite]

I bought my first Spyderco, a Tenacious, after my son enrolled me on Spyderco on Facebook.

I liked it so much I now have the Spyderco bug and so far have bought one of each kind of lock, a really small one and am in the process of buying a really big one.

After that I might start on the fixed blades.

[SolidState]

I have a few introverts because I should. I have the rest because I love collecting knives and swords. I have some because I made them.
Most of my Spyderco knives are to remind me about lines feeling in the hand different than they look in the catalog. I rarely cut with anything but my modded/beat up introvert. I sometimes carry a Caly 3 in Hap, but really most of them sit.

[vivi]

Vivi - pe or se for your aqua salt? If PE, does the edge really hold up during bushcraft?

PE. Bushcraft doesn't require cutting abrasive materials, so it holds up really well. Carving stuff and splitting small chunks of wood depends on toughness more than edge holding. Throws sparks off a firesteel well too.

[Bloke]

Good question Michael, wish I had a good answer. Ah, hahaha! :)

I started writing and it was shaping up like War and Peace so I deleted it all and I’d have to say apart from the knives I use in the field, the rest and primarily all my folders I have because I like them a lot more than I need them. :rolleyes:

Bloody hard question to ask a knife knut. :p

[ugaarguy]

Ohh, interesting topic.

Equlibrium - One of the first on my quest to find a frame lock equivalent to the Meerkat (and Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite).

The search above lead me to the CRKT / Voxnaes Pilar

Dice - Attempt to get something with similar ergos to the CRKT Pilar, but with a pointier tip, thinner blade, and premium materials. It's a little too big though.

Domino with red and black weave scales - I had to get one when I found a deal on it. It's a gorgeous knife in one of my favorite color combos. It's a titanium frame lock, which is my favorite lock mechanism. It has the Glesser design DNA Spyderco ergos. On top of all that it's a great fidget flipper that can still be opened slowly with the Spyder hole.

Spydiechef CQI - It's a Ti framelock with an essentially rust proof blade that still has good edge retention in plain edge. It's thin, it's light, and it has the wire clip.

Sage 2 - I'm waiting on the ship notification on this one. Hopefully it's the perfect blend (for me) of Domino and Spydiechef features.

Next Spyderco on my list - Brouwer - My first high quality production knife was a late '90's Benchmade Elishewitz Mini Stryker. The Brouwer looks like it's the offspring of a Native and Mini Stryker, so I'll have to get one at some point.

[shunsui]

Ergonomics.

Also a bit of a steel collection.

There might be cheesecake or something.

[ladybug93]

ladybug - i don’t have this one anymore, but it was my first knife and my first spyderco when i was a kid. i hope to be reunited with it someday, since it may be in storage with my mom.

pacific salt se - when i moved to hawaii, i remembered that spyderco made some rustproof knives and decided to give one a try. i couldn’t believe how light and how perfect this knife is. it was my gateway back to spyderco and it is almost always in my waistband.

resilience - i wanted a longer blade with a plain edge for edc. it’s actually a great knife for cutting up food for the kids without getting all gunked up in the pivot. it’s a great knife and the knife i learned that steels are not necessarily the same between makers. spyderco 8cr13mov is quite a bit better than the kershaw models with the same steel.

dragonfly salt se - i bought this with the resilience thinking the two would be a great edc pair. i was right. the little yellow knife is great to pull out around people that are afraid of knives and it’s nice to pair a se with a pe. also, the dragonfly had always intrigued me as a worthy replacement to the ladybug that i started with since it’s a small knife that manages to give a full grip. it’s one of my favorites even though it spends little time in the pocket these days. it rides in my backpack as a backup because it’s too cool to sit at home.

manix 2 lw cts-xhp - i really liked the finger choil on the dragonfly and i wanted to try it on a bigger knife. the manix seemed like the perfect knife and i liked the looks of it more than the more popular paramilitary. i couldn’t afford the g-10 models and i thought $85 was too much for bd-1 and plastic. fortunately, the xhp exclusive was available at the same time for only $5ish more at the time, so i snatched it up. it’s absolutely my favorite spyderco model. in fact, i was able to visit sfo last year and i held just about everything available trying to dethrone it. i didn’t like any model i handled more than the manix 2 lw.

chicago - mostly because my office decided to enforce a 2.5” blade length rule and i wanted a ridiculously tiny knife as a joke. the rule has since been changed, so i almost never carry this one.


most days, you’ll find me with a manix 2 in my pocket, a pacific salt in my waistband, and a dragonfly salt in my backpack. when the native salt makes it's debut, i may end up only carrying that. we’ll see. i’m also considering the yojimbo if the right version comes along.

[Sumdumguy]

Gotta keep fools in line!
They start slippin', I start slicin'!

[Daveho]

Chappy- nice n slicey
Lil native- tiny, inconspicuous and fits well


That’s all the spydie I have currently

[BadFish]

I have a problem. Main the reason I buy knives. I justify them in my head but besides my mule and impala for hunting and my edc knife the rest are a sick obsession

[Bloke]

I start slicin'!

[Dingo]

I have thinned out my collection. I never learn, I thin it out then compulsively replace what I thinned out.
I find myself in a vicious circle and even my therapist buys knives.
I came here for help from the spyderco bunch and after my second post ended up ordering a forum knife.

Serious answer. I don’t drink, or go to bars and logic tells me knives are cheaper than a good night out.
Besides we all like to have a knife for every eventuality and compare them to others.

[Evil D]

Autonomy - Ultimate quick response work knife. Cuts anything that can be cut, rust proof, nearly zero maintenance despite being an automatic.

Military(s) - Favorite large folder, perfect for outdoor use, great selection of steels to choose from, great ergonomics, carries like a smaller knife.

Sliverax - Favorite mid sized knife, beautiful flowing design with great ergonomics, great pivot action, packs a bunch of edge into a small handle, slim/small profile when folded.

Dragonfly Salt SE - Favorite compact knife, weight is negligible, rust proof, very capable knife that performs like a larger knife, usually people friendly, hawkbill version is also fun.

The rest are all more or less variations of those and I own them for similar reasons.

[dsvirsky]

I justify them in my head but . . .

Yeah, that ^^^ I always have a perfectly good self justification for buying another knife I don't really need.

[Archimedes]

I have so many knives, I have no idea why. Addictive personality, most likely.


I am going to try to sell some this fall...

[500Nitro]

Endura 1 SE - Because I've had it and carried it on and off for 30 years. SE because I was roping etc at the time and we carried a knife as a Safety device but found that the SE always cuts anything.

Pacific Salt - same as above but Rust proof, even though my Aus-8 Endura has never rusted even after hours in Salt Water


Future Purchases
Fillet Knife - because I want an SE Fillet knife.
Aqua Salt H1 SE - because I want a Rust proof fishing/general/Fillet knife.

DoDo, Cricket, Military and Possible other purchases but yet to decide exactly what.