Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
JD Spydo
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#21

Post by JD Spydo »

wrdwrght wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 10:01 am

Occasionally, I have gotten curious about what changes have been made to a model, such that I want an “original”. But the hollow-ground on the Stretch’s precursor is one reason I don’t want a Hunter (C03).

Two I now treasure are the Calypso (C54) and the foliage green Manix sprint (C95).
When it comes to the C-54 Calypso ( the granddaddy of all the Calypso series) you're preacher to a very devout choir when talking about that great Hall of Fame caliber model. To me it's easily one of Spyderco's top 3 "IN HOUSE" designs of all time :cool:

No there is no intention of "steel snobbery" or trying to downplay any other great era in Spyderco's fascinating history. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that many of the models produced through what I affectionately refer to as "The GOLDEN ERA of SPYDERS ( 1998-2004) which really can't be argued when seeing how high in demand many of the the units from that era can be on a given day.

Oh sure we all have a time slot in Spyder History that each of us tend to like better than others. I've got a good friend who really likes the models from 2009 to 2012 he told me. But there is a solid case to be made for many of SPYDERCO's GOLDEN Oldies and you can go back to their inception if you like :)
JD Spydo
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#22

Post by JD Spydo »

The Deacon wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 10:48 am
JD Spydo wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 9:07 am
Hey Hey!! Now I remember back in the day about maybe a few years back you liked the KIwi and Kopa models both. What happened to the Kopa?
Frankly I iike the Kopa better than the Kiwi because I can hold on to it easier. Come to think of it though I haven't even seen a Kopa model in quite some time.

And this one guy who just mentioned the JESTER model really got my attention because that was another one I hadn't heard talked about in a while. I actually used to have two of those Burgundy, Micarta JESTER models at one time and I couldn't believe what some guy over at BF traded me for them.

Well, JD, the Kopa didn't come out till 2005, so I figured it was out of your date range. Heck, the Stretch barely made it, they hit the street in late November of '04.

As for the Jester, the burgundy Micarta one is my favorite. Got my first one in '03 and have had it on my keychain since. Only a hair heavier than the FRN version, because it has no liners, and much lighter than the lined grey G-10 Sprint.
Oh no!! go back and read my opening post>> I clearly said any model before 2008 ( you can actually include 2008 if you want) would be inclusive to what I deem as a GOLDEN Oldie. And seriously the KOPA model is in that group. I remember getting one for my late best friend in 2005. Not sure if it was 04 or 05 when the KOPA was officially released.

But you know me I'm much more into the bigger models and rarely ever carry anything smaller than a Para2. Now on a special occasion I will EDC one of my Dodo models but that's a completely different animal in many respects. Although I did once have love affair with my Burgundy ZDP-189 Caly Jr>> and that absolutely is not only a GOLDEN Oldie but that is a HaLL of FAME caliber unit. The first folder with ZDP if I remember right. That was probably the shortest, serious EDC I ever used.

Nope your Kiwis and Kopas are cool for the GOLDEN Oldies as I stated in my opening post. Because at one time I do remember you being high on both of those models. Truly I also wanted to include the C-111 Captain model in that group as well which is why I went out as far as I did.
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Mini2white
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#23

Post by Mini2white »

I have a few favourites but here is my list
1. Military 440v serrated
2. Jester any model
3. Hummingbird any model
4. Cricket frn
5. Ladybug Carbon Fibre
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The Mastiff
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#24

Post by The Mastiff »

I always enjoy your Golden Age threads Joe! :)

FRN Endura PE mostly, G2 or ATS 55 . I still have both and they are still going strong.
J.D. Smith I like both the looks and the feel of it.
Co Pilot What can I say? I still fondly remember being able to carry mine when flying.
Manix The original full size. A true beast of a knife that needs a pouch to carry.

The original FRN Caly jr. in zdp might be too late but it is very memorable for me. The first batch sold out faster than I could get one. The next batch saw me putting in about 5 pre orders. :o I had to buy them all. :) I actually gave most of them away when the first one I used never wore out. :D

Good thread Joe.

Joe
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wrdwrght
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#25

Post by wrdwrght »

JD Spydo wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 10:53 am
No there is no intention of "steel snobbery" or trying to downplay any other great era in Spyderco's fascinating history. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that many of the models produced through what I affectionately refer to as "The GOLDEN ERA of SPYDERS ( 1998-2004)
I wasn’t poking at you, JD. I was trying to explain how the likes of me—absent at the birth of so many iconic models—might be drawn into an earlier Spyderco era.

After all, there are so many contemporary models to distract us. Moreover, we are told, most of them have been subject to CQI.

An inescapable question about CQI is how were a model’s earlier iterations deficient? Some here may feel left out this kind of thread because they find no relavance in dated (unimproved?) models.

But if they want to enjoy our obsession to the max, they should understand that Sal and now Eric invite us all to explore the entire opus of their designs and collaborations, if only to appreciate why the new ones are so exceptional. You can do that backward as well as forward.
-Marc (pocketing an M4 Sage5 today)

“When science changes its opinion, it didn’t lie to you. It learned more.”
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#26

Post by JD Spydo »

wrdwrght wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 5:35 pm
JD Spydo wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 10:53 am
No there is no intention of "steel snobbery" or trying to downplay any other great era in Spyderco's fascinating history. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that many of the models produced through what I affectionately refer to as "The GOLDEN ERA of SPYDERS ( 1998-2004)
I wasn’t poking at you, JD. I was trying to explain how the likes of me—absent at the birth of so many iconic models—might be drawn into an earlier Spyderco era.

After all, there are so many contemporary models to distract us. Moreover, we are told, most of them have been subject to CQI.
Well Brother if I misunderstood you I"m sorry :) . I really want to start a campaign for making Sprint Runs of the older Spyders with newer/better materials. I fully realize that I'm probably in the minority for people who prefer the units out of what I refer to as the GOLDEN ERA of Spyders. But I can assure you that I'm not alone either. Because there were a lot of older members that used to be here frequently that loved these older models as much or more than I do.

Also because we have so many new members now on board that either were not old enough at the time to have gotten in on some of the older models. Or as in many cases there are also a lot of people that are just now learning about Spyderco's great products and are oblivious to the older models. Also factor in that many people really like the newer models better for different reasons and I'm speaking of Spyderco models from 2015 till now. And the argument that they make with superior materials and overall better designs truly does have a lot of substance to it.

What I'm kind of getting at other than wanting favorite older models brought back is to not forget where Spyderco came from in the beginning. And I'm always open for making a good thing even better yet :) Also for us guys and gals that have been collecting and using Spyderco knives all the way back to that GOLDEN ERA of Spyders it allows us to reflect on the ones we got started on. :cool:
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Mini2white
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#27

Post by Mini2white »

JD Spydo wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 6:35 pm
wrdwrght wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 5:35 pm
JD Spydo wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 10:53 am
No there is no intention of "steel snobbery" or trying to downplay any other great era in Spyderco's fascinating history. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that many of the models produced through what I affectionately refer to as "The GOLDEN ERA of SPYDERS ( 1998-2004)
I wasn’t poking at you, JD. I was trying to explain how the likes of me—absent at the birth of so many iconic models—might be drawn into an earlier Spyderco era.

After all, there are so many contemporary models to distract us. Moreover, we are told, most of them have been subject to CQI.
Well Brother if I misunderstood you I"m sorry :) . I really want to start a campaign for making Sprint Runs of the older Spyders with newer/better materials. I fully realize that I'm probably in the minority for people who prefer the units out of what I refer to as the GOLDEN ERA of Spyders. But I can assure you that I'm not alone either. Because there were a lot of older members that used to be here frequently that loved these older models as much or more than I do.

Also because we have so many new members now on board that either were not old enough at the time to have gotten in on some of the older models. Or as in many cases there are also a lot of people that are just now learning about Spyderco's great products and are oblivious to the older models. Also factor in that many people really like the newer models better for different reasons and I'm speaking of Spyderco models from 2015 till now. And the argument that they make with superior materials and overall better designs truly does have a lot of substance to it.

What I'm kind of getting at other than wanting favorite older models brought back is to not forget where Spyderco came from in the beginning. And I'm always open for making a good thing even better yet :) Also for us guys and gals that have been collecting and using Spyderco knives all the way back to that GOLDEN ERA of Spyders it allows us to reflect on the ones we got started on. :cool:
I'm not so interested in new sprint runs if they end up in the hands of a store that sells it at some stupid hour to only those that manage to buy them on their website in that magic 2 minutes. I am interested in bringing back some of the old features like a serrated Military in a stainless steel.
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#28

Post by clovisc »

1. Blue Lum Chinese
2. Smith
3. Gen 1 Chinook
4. Big Calypso
5. Micarta Caly Jr.
JD Spydo
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#29

Post by JD Spydo »

clovisc wrote:
Sun May 12, 2019 12:17 am
1. Blue Lum Chinese
2. Smith
3. Gen 1 Chinook
4. Big Calypso
5. Micarta Caly Jr.
Hey Brother I had a feeling that you would surface :) Three of your pics are very near and dear to my knife loving heart ;) The Big C-54 Calypso will probably be in my personal top 10 Spyders from now on. I don't understand why the Caly Jr. didn't become a perpetual mainstay like the POLICE, Endura ect. And the Micarta and Stainless handled Caly Jr. models were two of my favs. And you just can't say enough about the JD Smith>> If he is still alive I wish that him and Spyderco would do another collaboration.
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#30

Post by wallyg »

ImageThe ones I own.
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#31

Post by SpyderNut »

I love threads like this. Here are mine:

1. Starmate
2. C50 Centofante
3. Walker
4. Vesuvius
5. Persian
:spyder: -Michael

"...as I said before, 'the edge is a wondrous thing', [but] in all of it's qualities, it is still a ghost." - sal
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Re: Spyderco's GOLDEN OLDIES: Your Top 5??

#32

Post by Manixguy@1994 »

Wow JD only 5 ?
1.Large Dyad
2. JD Smith G10
3.Merlin
4. Large FRN Goddard
5. Adventura
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